Episode 12

Get In Here Y’all, There’s a Shoplifter Among Us

🎙️ Episode 12 Title: Get In Here Y’all, There’s a Shoplifter Among Us

🎧 Host: Tina White

Podcast: The Trigger and The Truth

💥 Episode Overview:

In this eye-opening episode, Tina White gets all the way real about a manipulation tactic that’s way too common and not nearly talked about enough: deflection — when someone shifts blame, creates chaos, and calls you the problem just to avoid owning their own dysfunction.

From family dynamics to romantic relationships and even professional spaces, deflection can look like emotional gaslighting, survival-mode sabotage, or straight-up reckless behavior — the kind that gets you caught up in someone else’s mess.

This episode includes a wild real-life story (yes, it happened at Target) that sparked the conversation, and a deep dive into what happens when you get scapegoated for someone else’s bad decisions — and how to protect your mental peace when that happens.

🎤 Preface — Listener Note:


This conversation was recorded in January or February 2025, before Target publicly walked away from its DEI commitments. I’m adding this for context.
On the day this episode was born, I was on a routine Target run with someone I was seeing at the time. Mid-aisle, he decides he’s not paying — he’s just gonna steal. Yes, steal. With me standing right there.
I was stunned. Not only was it reckless, it was dangerous — and if it had gone left, I could’ve been caught in the crossfire of his foolishness. The worst part? He didn’t even pause to consider the impact on me. That moment revealed everything I needed to know.
So if you’ve ever been in a situation where someone threw you under the bus — just to avoid their own consequences — this one’s for you.


🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

  • What deflection actually looks like in real time (and how to spot it)
  • Why some people are addicted to chaos and allergic to accountability
  • How being the scapegoat impacts your mental health and self-trust
  • Why cleaning up someone else’s emotional mess is a dangerous cycle
  • How to protect your peace from people who manufacture confusion
  • The connection between deflection and chronic overthinking
  • The critical difference between guilt, shame, and gaslighting

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

🗣️ Join the Conversation:

Have you ever been made to feel like you were the problem, just to protect someone else’s image or lies?

Tag @TheTriggerAndTheTruth or use #TriggerAndTruth to share your story or thoughts. Let's stop normalizing deflection—and start demanding accountability.

🎧 Listen, Subscribe & Share:

Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and everywhere podcasts stream.

💥 If this episode hit home, leave a review, share it with a friend, and remind someone:

Just because they blamed you, doesn’t mean it was ever your burden to carry.

#thetriggerandthetruth, #truthserum, #emotionalmanipulation, #scapegoated, #healingoutloud, #mentalhealthpodcast, #relationshipdrama, #blackmentalhealthmatters, #deflectionisabuse, #target, #deitruth, #emotionalaccountability, #overthinkingrecovery, #cutoffseason, #toxicrelationships, #healinginrealtime, #blackpodcasters, #selftrustjourney, #tellthetruth, #unpackyourtriggers

About the Podcast

Show artwork for The Trigger and The Truth
The Trigger and The Truth
Real Stories, Real Conversations, Real Healing

About your host

Profile picture for Tina White

Tina White

Tina White is a truthteller, trauma disruptor, and the unapologetic voice behind The Trigger and The Truth podcast—a healing platform where pain meets purpose and storytelling becomes therapy. A native of South Jamaica, Queens, Tina brings over two decades of lived and professional experience navigating complex relationships, systemic grief, generational trauma, and emotional survival.

Her own journey—through loss, poverty, sexual assault, fractured family ties, and the residual impact of the crack era—fuels her commitment to helping others find clarity and healing. With deep roots in community advocacy, mental wellness, and transformation, Tina creates a safe, judgment-free space where guests and listeners alike can unpack emotional triggers and uncover the truths buried beneath them.

As the founder of several wellness and justice-centered initiatives, Tina is more than a podcast host—she’s a cultural voice for the unheard, a catalyst for deep healing, and a mentor for those finally ready to face their past and reclaim their peace.

Whether she’s guiding a raw conversation on grief, interviewing a mental health expert, or dropping therapeutic gems solo, Tina shows up fully—real, rooted, and ready to break generational cycles with truth and tenderness.