Episodes

Happy MLK day weekend! This week, we're joined by pastor, blogger, and author Scott Sauls to talk about his new book, From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best In Your Leadership. We talk about topics like ambition, isolation, criticism, envy, anticlimax, opposition, restlessness, and insecurity, as well as how these things can go from vulnerabilities to strength. Connect with Scott on his website, Facebook, or Twitter. Get From Weakness to Strength on Amazon, and...

Trigger Warnings: In this episode, we talk about depression and suicide, including a specific case. This is a jam-packed one, folks. This week, I'm joined by Dr. Margaret Rutherford: author, podcast host, blogger, and psychotherapist. We cover a ton of topics including Seasonal Affective Disorder, Perfectly Hidden Depression, perfectionism, and more! Connect with Dr. Margaret Rutherford on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or listen to her podcast: SelfWork. -Dr. Rutherford's Facebook live vide...

It's the time of year to pause and reflect, so we take some time to think back on the show so far and what we've done in 2017. Also, Steve makes a big announcement. Join the exclusive Cxmhunity Facebook group to interact with the hosts, guests, and other listeners by pledging just $1/month on Patreon! A huge thanks to the following people who made the first year of CXMH possible: Our wives and families, Scott McConnell, Sarah Fader, Sarah Schuster, Aaron J. Smith, Mike McHargue, Jason Micheli...

Whoa. This week, we learn a lot. We're joined by Dr. Sherry Molock and Dr. Amber Thornton to talk about the intersection of race, faith, & mental health. They share their personal & professional experiences, talk about the different ways we see mental health, and teach us about racial trauma. Steve & Robert don't do a lot of talking, which is always a plus. Join the exclusive Cxmhunity Facebook group to interact with the hosts, guests, and other listeners by pledging just $1/month on Patreon! ...

Trigger warnings: in this episode we talk about suicide attempts, including a description of a personal encounter with someone attempting suicide. This week, we're joined by Dr. Stacey Freedenthal, a psychotherapist and social work professor who specializes in Suicidology. Dr. Freedenthal talks about why suicide is such an important area to learn about as well as offering some advice on helping suicidal people and finding the right therapist. We also talk about how personal biases come into pla...

This Thanksgiving, it seems more important than ever to help share other voices than our own. Our friend Kaitlin Curtice is a Native American Christian writing, speaker, worship leader, and author of the new book Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places. Kaitlin's recent blog post on Thanksgiving resources. Connect with Kaitlin on her website, on Twitter, or buy Glory Happening: Finding the Giving in Everyday Places. Support CXMH on Patreon or leave us a review on iTunes or Goog...

Here are some recent quotes that made us frown:"This is a mental health problem." - Donald Trump on mass shootings"...almost every one has had some nexus to antidepressants." - Pat Robertson on mass shootings This week, we're joined by Gabe Howard (who you might remember from episode 6 on Bipolar Disorder) to discuss the link between violence and mental illness, if there is one, and how we can react well when people make comments like the ones above. To read more about mental health advocates'...

Topical! This week, we're joined by Kristen Kansiewicz to address a topic that's been on Robert's mind the past few days: are we really moving forward as a church on mental health? Kristen is a licensed counselor on staff at a church and has some good thoughts on the matter. We first talked to Kristen in episode 10, listen here. Kristen's blog post 'Connecting Pastors and Counselors' can be read here. Connect with Kristen on Twitter, her website, or buy her books on Amazon, including her newest...

Does God have emotions? If you've ever wondered, this episode is for you. This week, I talk to Marc Alan Schelske, author of the new book The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-Given Purpose and Power of Your Emotions. We talk about the theological misunderstanding that emotions are always bad, how our story impacts our emotional reactions, how emotions serve as indicators pointing towards something true, and more! Connect with Marc on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or get The Wisdom o...

Sites about Risk Factors, Protective Factors, & Warning Signs:- CDC- WebMD- SPRC- AFSP Robert's resource page Books Robert recommends:- Why People Die By Suicide by Thomas Joiner- Myths About Suicide by Thomas Joiner- Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Redfield Jamison- Suicide: An Essential Guide for Helping Professionals and Educators by Darcy Granello & Paul Granello- Suicide In Schools: A Practitioner's Guide to Multi-Level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention by...

This week, Zach Hoag stops by to talk about his new book, The Light Is Winning: Why Religion Might Just Bring Us Back To Life. Also, Steve makes some pretty rude comments about movies. The t-shirts Robert mentions during the intro can be bought here to support AFSP, and you can learn more about his Suicide Prevention trainings here! Buy The Light Is Winning, connect with Zach on his website or on Twitter, or listen to The Lightcast. Support CXMH on Patreon, check out other episodes on our webs...

Trigger warnings: sexual trauma, suicide, grief. It's National Suicide Prevention Day, so we're releasing this episode on Sunday. Also: holy cow. We talk with Kay Warren, and it's phenomenal. She shares a lot of her story with us including molestation, trauma, losing a son to suicide, working in ministry, and more. You (seriously) don't want to skip this one. Connect with Kay Warren on her website or Twitter or learn more about Saddleback and their mental health initiatives. Support CXMH on P...

We're kicking off Season 2 strong! In the intro, we talk about internet trolls and get into a fight about college football. Then we're joined by Jason Chesnut, co-founder of The Slate Project and ordained ELCA pastor to talk about his depression, intersectional justice, switching medications, and Harry Potter. Note: we talk a bit about demons, but there's some clarification about how Jason uses the term later in the episode. To be clear: we don't believe mental illness is a demon or that it sho...

We're back! After a long summer break, we're ready for Season 2 of CXMH with more fake names, unrequested singing, witty banter, and of course: amazing guests who join us to talk about faith and mental health. This is just a welcome back episode though, so you'll only find the first 3 things. Connect with Robert on Twitter, his website, or Facebook. Connect with Steve on Twitter, his website, or Facebook.

It's summer break! We're wrapping up Season 1 of CXMH and taking a few weeks off, but (don't worry) we'll be back in the fall! In this short episode, Robert & Steve reflect on the episodes so far, what they've learned, and Robert switches halfway through this sentence to writing the rest of the description in the first person. We also give some sneak peeks at what we're planning for the fall and thank a ton of people who made Season 1 possible. Make sure to stick around to the very end to hear...

We're back from our Memorial Day break, and we have so much to talk about! We hit 10k (and then 11k) listens! Robert's friends are listening to the show! Steve went to New York! More importantly, we're joined this week by blogger & pastor John Pavlovitz and grief counselor Dr. Elizabeth Horn to talk about grief & loss. Are the stages of grief nonsense? What should we say to those who've experienced loss? Can we grieve things other than loved ones dying? We talk about all this and more! Connect...

This week, the Reverend Ed Bacon comes on the show to talk about prayer & meditation, as well as living in the house of Love vs. the house of fear. Connect with Ed on Twitter, his website, or buy 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind on Amazon. Support CXMH here, or sign up for our newsletter here! Intro/Outro music for this episode is Fall Down by Rivers & Robots. Connect with Robert on Twitter, Facebook, or his website. Connect with Steve on Twitter, Facebook, or his website.

This week, we have two Doctors in the house! Dr. Jonathan Singer (host of The Social Work Podcast) and Dr. Sherry Molock join us to talk about suicide prevention in the context of churches, ministries, or other faith communities. Resources mentioned in this episode:-National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)-Crisis Textline (text HOME to 741741)-Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860)-The Trevor Project (866-488-7386)-Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255)-QPR Suicide Prevention Training (Rober...

Hannah Brencher reading her piece '13 Thoughts on Mental Health.' Connect with Hannah on her website, on Twitter. Intro/outro music for this episode is Fall Down by Rivers and Robots.

Hannah Brencher is the author of If You Find This Letter, as well as a TED speaker and founder of More Love Letters. She was named as one of the White House's Women Working to Do Good and has been featured in a plethora of publications. She joins us this week to talk about the idea that God works through people, as well as talking about her own mental health battles and how it intersected with her faith. Connect with Hannah on her website, on Twitter, or buy If You Find This Letter: My Journey ...

This week, we talk with Stephen Mansfield about how to heal church hurts and why it's important that we stay involved in the church even when people hurt us. Connect with Stephen on his website, on Twitter, or buy his book Healing Church Hurts: What To Do When You Still Love God But Have Been Wounded By His People. Support CXMH here, or sign up for our newsletter here! Intro/Outro music for this episode is Fall Down by Rivers & Robots. Connect with Robert on Twitter or his website. Connect ...

Content Warning: In this episode, we discuss self-harm, suicidal thoughts & behaviors, and scars/blood/wounds. Please keep your personal well-being in mind when avoiding triggering content. What is non-suicidal self-injury? Dr. Janis Whitlock joins us to talk about NSSI, how it functions with the brain, how to help those who may be self-injuring, and more. Dr. Whitlock is the Director of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery and a Research Scientist in the Bronfenbrenner Cent...

Content Warning: In this episode, we talk about suicide, self-harm, and abortion. In this special Good Friday episode of CXMH, we stand in the tension of the days between crucifixion and resurrection, recognizing the parts of our stories that have yet to resolve. Rather than having a normal conversation, we invited our friends to share their struggles, their pain, and their doubts in their own words. -Let The Darkness Shape You by L.J. Vanier (read by Steve Austin)-We Don't Talk About This On ...

Paul Young is back! We get an update on The Shack movie and discuss more about Lies We Believe About God. We also ask listener-submitted questions! Content warnings: We discuss sexual abuse and suicide in this episode. Support CXMH here and get a free copy of our brand-new book, I Love Jesus, But...! Listen to our first episode with Paul here. Connect with Paul on Twitter or on his website. Buy The Shack, Lies We Believe About God, or more of his books on Amazon. Sign up for CXMH's newslett...