Episode 48 | How Beliefs Are Born: Grace, Experience, and Paradigm Shifts

A New Chapter + Where to Find Me

The Weird Wednesday Podcast is returning to its original name and will remain here as an archive of a meaningful season. This episode shares a heartfelt update about the transition and an invitation to join the next chapter. I'm still podcasting—on a brand new feed called The Wednesday Project (formerly The Wednesday Podcast: Faith, Mind & Mystery). It's a continuation in heart but lives in its own space: more grounded, more integrated, and more reflective of how I engage faith, psychology, curiosity, and meaning today. If these conversations have mattered to you, I'd love for you to join me there. Search for The Wednesday Project on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. This isn't an ending. It's an invitation. Where to Find Me Next: 🎙️ The Wednesday Project  (new feed) Available on all major podcast platforms Keywords: podcast transition, faith and psychology, trauma therapy, EMDR, IFS, somatic healing, Christian mental health, spiritual formation, embodied faith

Episode 48 | How Beliefs Are Born: Grace, Experience, and Paradigm Shifts

What happens when someone believes something that sounds absolutely wild to you? In this episode, we explore how beliefs and paradigms are actually formed—through lived experience, trauma, attachment, pain, trust, and meaning-making—and what it looks like to meet people with epistemic humility and grace instead of contempt and scoffing. We'll talk about why discernment doesn't require dismissiveness, how paradigm shifts actually happen through relational safety rather than debate, and how Jesus modeled curiosity over condemnation with the woman at the well in John 4. This isn't about abandoning biblical discernment or embracing relativism—it's about anchoring your peace in the goodness of God and the character of Christ instead of the fragility of certainty. Topics include: spiritual formation, deconstruction, Christian faith, mental health, embodied belief, nervous system, theological disagreement, grace-centered Christianity, Holy Spirit, compassion, and spiritual curiosity.

Episode 47 | Making Room 2: Learning to Wrestle with God

What do you do when you believe all the right things about God—His sovereignty, His goodness, His faithfulness—but your body is holding unexpressed emotions you won't acknowledge? In this episode, Christina shares her own revelation about blaming God for years while insisting she wasn't, and explores what it means to wrestle with God rather than perform for Him. Drawing from Jacob's all-night wrestle, Job's raw questions, David's honest psalms, and Jesus in Gethsemane, this episode reveals a profound truth: God doesn't punish honesty. He engages with it. The wrestle isn't what creates distance from God—the pretending is. And the wrestle itself? That's where intimacy deepens. If you've been spiritually numb, avoiding certain prayers, or maintaining religious activity while feeling disconnected from God, this episode offers both permission and a pathway forward. Learn to recognize unprocessed anger at God, discover biblical models of honest struggle, and receive practical invitations into the kind of wrestling that leads to deeper intimacy with your Father. Key Topics: Recognizing when you're angry at God (even when you insist you're not), Spiritual bypassing and the cost of performance-based faith, Biblical models: Jacob, Job, David, and Jesus, Psalm 56:8 and the Father's heart toward our struggles, Practical invitations into wrestling with God, The difference between wrestling and abandoning, Making room for honesty this December Scripture References: Genesis 32 (Jacob wrestling), Job (entire book context), Psalm 13, Psalm 22, Psalm 56:8, Psalm 88, Psalm 139, Luke 22:39-46 (Gethsemane) Related Episodes: * Episode 44: Mental Health is Weird Part 1 - Reclaiming Embodied Faith * Episode 45: Mental Health is Weird Part 2 - How Healing Actually Works

Episode 46 | Making Room: Why Healing Requires Space

Understanding how healing works is one thing. Actually pursuing it? That's where most of us get stuck. In this episode, we're dismantling the barriers that keep Christians from making room for healing—the guilt about being "selfish," the fear of the wrong therapist, the shame about wounds that feel like "your fault," and the overwhelming sense that there's just no space in your life for one more thing. But here's what I want you to know: God's invitation to healing is tender, not condemning. Even the wounds you're most ashamed of—especially those—He sees with compassion. And sometimes, the wilderness He leads you into so He can speak gently to your heart is a therapist's office. This isn't about choosing between faith and therapy. Your faith is the house you live in; therapy is the repair work on the broken beams. You're allowed to honor both. We'll talk about why a good therapist reflects God's heart toward you, how to know your limits and be discerning, and what it really means to make room—not just logistically, but spiritually and emotionally—for the healing work God is inviting you into. If you've been carrying shame, running on empty, or telling yourself you don't have time for healing, this episode is for you. Note: On Monday, December 8th, I released a mini-episode called "Interview Your Therapist" that walks you through how to find the right provider. If you haven't listened yet, check it out—it pairs perfectly with today's content. In This Episode, We Cover: Making room for healing (spiritual, emotional, practical), God's tenderness toward shame and wounds, Hosea 2:14 and God alluring us into the wilderness to speak tenderly, faith vs. therapy using the house and beams analogy, why "dying to self" isn't the same as neglecting yourself, healing as stewardship not selfishness, the gift of a wise compassionate guide, 1 Corinthians 12 and different parts of the body working together, therapist as reflection of God's heart, being discerning about the type of therapist you need, knowing your limits is wisdom not weakness, the capacity lie of "I don't have room," burnout doesn't honor God, healing creates capacity for God's calling, Psalm 34:18 the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, wonder at how God designed our brains and nervous systems to heal, EMDR somatic work and nervous system regulation, survival mode vs. abundant life (John 10:10), and why needing help is wisdom not weakness. Email: TheWednesdayPodcastFMM@gmail.com

Interview Your Therapist: What You Need to Know Before You Book

Your healing is in YOUR hands. And one of the most important decisions you'll make in your healing journey is who you work with. But most people don't know that there are different types of mental health providers. They don't know what questions to ask. They don't even know they're ALLOWED to ask questions. So let's change that. Think of this as a friend-to-friend chat from someone who happens to be a therapist. I'm breaking down the different types of mental health providers, giving you questions to ask, and giving you full permission to shop around until you find the right fit. In this mini-episode, we're covering: * The difference between psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists (LCSW, LPC, LMHC) * What counselors do vs. licensed therapists * The important distinction between "Christian counselors" and "therapists who are Christian" * Why therapists specialize (and why that matters for YOU) * Specific questions to ask when you're considering a therapist * Permission to shop around - not all therapists are the right fit, and that's okay Not all therapists are created equal. And that's not an insult - it's just the truth. We specialize. We have different training. Different approaches. Different personalities. And YOU get to decide who's right for YOU. You deserve a good fit. Your healing is worth it. Key Topics: finding a therapist, mental health providers, psychiatrist vs psychologist, LCSW, LPC, LMHC, licensed therapist, Christian counselor vs Christian therapist, therapy specialties, questions to ask therapist, interviewing therapist, finding the right therapist, mental health help, therapy fit, licensed mental health counselor, clinical social worker, therapeutic relationship, mental health resources, how to find a therapist