Episode 137: Sports, Athletics & Faith (Part 2) w/ Bart Schuchts
This week, Jake and Bob continue their series on athletics, and welcome Bart Schuchts, a former D1 football player, to the podcast. Bart reflects on how athletics shaped his self-identity, beliefs, and relationships from childhood through his adult life. They also discuss sports culture, fear based coaching, and the fine line between healthy competition and idolizing sports. Ultimately, when approached with balance and intention, athletics can foster deep connection, personal growth, and spiritual insight that extends far beyond the game itself, enriching every aspect of life.
Episode 136: Sports, Athletics & Faith (Part 1) w/ Dr. Nicole Gabana Chiesa
This week, Jake and Bob begin a series on athletics, diving into the profound ways sports intersect with faith. Today, they are joined by Dr. Nicole Gabana Chiesa, a sports psychologist and former collegiate athlete. Together they explore the beauty of sports and how they can shape one’s identity, foster virtue, and offer opportunities for healing that extend far beyond the playing field. However, athletics present many challenges beyond just physical injury. They also discuss the dangers of over-identifying with athletic success or failure, the impact of parental and societal expectations, and emphasize the importance of rooting one’s identity in God’s unconditional love rather than achievements.
Episode 135: Integrating Faith & Therapy (Part 3) w/ Beth Stoll
This week, Jake and Bob conclude their series on integrating faith with psychology. They welcome Beth Stoll, a therapist from St. Louis, to talk about how an encounter with God’s love at a Healing the Whole Person retreat transformed her practice. She not only shares how suffering creates a greater capacity for empathy but also why therapists who have experienced deep suffering themselves are able to more deeply connect with clients. They also discuss why one must first live a life of faith before integrating faith in their practice, define the difference between praying with and praying for someone, and reflect on the challenges of trusting God rather than our own abilities.
Episode 134: Integrating Faith & Therapy (Part 2) w/ Christopher Lafitte
This week, Jake and Bob continue their series on integrating faith with psychology and welcome Christopher Lafitte, a Catholic counselor based in Texas. Christopher shares his story of formation, from aspiring engineer to therapist, and about the deep encounter with Christ that shaped his journey. They discuss Christopher’s unique approach to counseling, why loving one another is healing in itself, and how a therapists’ own wounds can become blind spots in their ability to help clients. Throughout all of this, Christopher reflects on how nothing in our lives will make sense apart from the reality we are made for communion with God. So whenever we approach therapy or personal healing, we should always remember Jesus wants to heal us so we can be in relationship with Him.
Episode 133: Integrating Faith & Therapy (Part 1) w/ Bernhard Streisselberger
This week, Jake and Bob begin a new series where they welcome therapists from around the world to discuss the integration of faith in psychology, real life lessons learned, and the various methodologies they practice. Today, they are joined by Bernhard Streiselberger, a Professional Counselor from Austria, who specializes in Gestalt therapy and EMDR. Bernhard shares his journey from studying psychotherapy in Austria to being formed in monastic life and how it has shaped his approach to therapy. He also delves into the details of Gestalt therapy and the Immanuel approach, how these methodologies have positively impacted his clients, and why affirmation is a key component in everyone’s healing journey.
Episode 126: Psychiatry & Personality w/ Dr. Christin McIntyre
This week, Jake and Bob welcome back Dr. Christin McIntyre, a Thomistic psychiatrist, to discuss the concept of personality disorders. They begin by defining what a personality disorder is and explore how modern culture and social norms can influence and twist this definition. Then, they discuss the interplay between inherited traits, early life experiences, and individual choices in shaping one’s personality. Through the analogy of a sailboat, Dr. Christin also shares how the intellect, will, and emotions are all interconnected and why navigating the waters of healing not only involves the formation of the intellect but also the conforming of our will to God’s.
Episode 124: How Change Occurs (Part 2)
This week, Jake and Bob continue their conversation and focus on the primary mechanisms of our human nature when it comes to change. We are a composite of body, soul, and spirit, but many times we isolate change and healing to only one part of our nature. While this can lead to some change, when integrated on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level we can experience greater progress. Jake and Bob discuss incremental vs transformational change, how the Sacraments pour out grace into our lives, and share stories of experiencing change in their lives.
Episode 123: How Change Occurs (Part 1)
This week, Jake and Bob explore the complex process of personal change, what change requires, and why change can seem out of reach. In today’s culture of near instant gratification, it’s easy to think change should and will come about quickly and without much effort. While God can and does work many miracles, the reality is, change takes time, effort, and a lot of grace. Jake and Bob have experienced this in their lives, understand the struggle, and share their GIVE framework as a guide to help you navigate the beautiful and yet painful waters of change.
Episode 121: Integrating Faith and Psychiatry w/ Dr. Christin McIntyre
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by psychiatrist Dr. Christin McIntyre to discuss spiritual warfare and mental health. They discuss the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas on human psychology and why learning about how our minds were created to work helps us spiritually and emotionally. Dr. Christin also discusses the importance of hope in prayer, what constrains our ability to love, and the role of repentance in mental health.
Episode 120: The Body and Trust: Redefining Healthcare w/ Dr. Chuck Leitz
Happy New Year! This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Dr. Chuck Leitz who has been seeing patients for over 40 years. They discuss Dr. Chuck’s journey towards integrative medicine and what he has learned along the way. Dr. Chuck reflects on the importance of introducing prayer into medical practice, the role of trust issues in healing, and the necessity of a holistic approach to health that considers both the body and soul.
Episode 118: Physical and Emotional Healing w/ Dr. Tom Nelson
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by their longtime friend and Dr. Tom Nelson, a sports activation specialist. They discuss Dr. Tom’s journey of integrating faith into his medical practice and the physical and spiritual healing that has occurred as a result. Dr. Tom shares about the relationship between emotional and physical healing, a new perspective on the anatomy of a wound, and several inspirational patient stories.
Episode 113: Rooted In Love w/ Isaac Wicker
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Isaac Wicker, a licensed counselor and co-founder of Known, a 12-week online Catholic coaching program to heal wounded relationships with God the Father. Isaac shares his story of his own mental health journey, his approach to helping others overcome their struggles and discover their worth, as well as the role of loving people in therapy. They also discuss the importance of bringing all our emotions and desires to God, especially when we are exploring our own woundedness.
Episode 111: Back to the Basics
This week, Jake and Bob go back to the basics of healing. They reflect on the idea that it is not what happens to us that harms our souls, but rather our response. Jake and Bob also discuss the problem of evil done to another, the challenges that come with accepting the reality of what happened, and the role of pain in the healing process.
Episode110: Friends of the Bridegroom w/ Fr. John Burns and Sr. Miriam James Heidland
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Fr. John Burns and Sr. Miriam James Heidland to talk about their ministry called Friends of the Bridegroom. Their ministry seeks to renew the Church through the healing, renewal, and expansion of women’s religious life in America. They also discuss the nuptial meaning of every vocation, the unique beauty women bring to the Church, and how in every state of life, we are all called to live for another.
Episode 103: Our Hopes and Concerns for Psychotherapy
This week, Jake and Bob discuss the current state of therapy and its increasing popularity in society. They explore the factors contributing to the rise of interest in therapy, highlight the importance of philosophy and theology in therapy training, and reflect on the importance of objective truth in the healing process.
Episode 100: Parts Work (Part 3) w/ Bishop Andrew Miller
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Bishop Andrew Miller, the founder of HeartSync Ministries and a priest in the Orthodox Evangelical Episcopal Church to conclude their series on Parts Work. Bishop Andrew discusses the four core parts of HeartSync, the importance of placing God in the center of our hearts, and his process for helping others heal from brokenheartedness. He also discusses the ultimate goal of healing as bringing the whole heart into a loving relationship with God and how giving thanks to God can help bring us into deeper relationship and healing. For more information about HeartSync or Bishop Andrew, visit his website here.
Episode 99: Parts Work (Part 2) w/ Brya Hanan
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Brya Hanan, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to continue their series on parts work. Brya shares her personal story from trauma to healing and how it has influenced her work as a therapist. She introduces her model of parts work, discusses the five A’s of parts work therapy, and shares a practical meditation you can use to begin your healing journey. For more information, check out Brya’s book Befriending Your Inner Child.
Episode 98: Parts Work (Part 1) w/Gerry Crete
This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Gerry Crete, a marriage and family counselor to discuss his work on internal family systems, or parts work. Parts work is a therapeutic approach that involves exploring and understanding the different “parts” of our personality and how they can influence the decisions we make in life. Jake, Bob, and Gerry explore the transformative applications of parts work in therapy, distinguish the differences between desires and wounds, and discuss the role of love and compassion in the healing journey. For more information check out Gerry’s book Litanies of the Heart.
Episode 87: Immanuel Approach with Dr Karl Lehman
Dr. Karl Lehman joins Jake & Bob to discuss his Immanuel Approach to healing. He shares from his years of training and extensive therapy work on how to use this approach to bring people to deeper healing. Dr. Karl has been a leader in the field for decades and we are overjoyed to share this conversation with you.
Episode 72: Hope and Hopelessness (Part 2)
Jake and Bob continue their series on working through our hopelessness to find hope.. When we feel hopeless, we often avoid God because we feel shame, guilt or unloved. Our hosts walk us through how to find hope again through an Encounter with the God who loves us.