Episodes

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...

Should churches hire counselors on staff? How would that even work? Is it allowed? Kristen Kansiewicz joins us to discuss these topics and more! Kristen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Lynn, MA and has been the on-staff counselor at East Coast International Church since 2005. She is passionate about helping churches provide quality, professional emotional care within their own setting and is committed to bringing accessible care to pastors and their families through online mental healt...

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Jon Scott is one of the hosts of the Holy Heretics podcast, as well as an award-winning singer/songwriter. Jon joins us this week to talk about being a self-proclaimed 'heretic,' what bad theology looks like, and how it impacts our mental well-being. Connect with Jon on Twitter or his website. Connect with the Holy Heretics on Twitter, their website, or listen on iTunes. Intro/outro music on this episode is Hidden Personality by CloZee. Connect with Robert on Twitter or his website. Connect...

Let's talk about MEN! We're joined this week by two great guests who talk about masculinity, why men don't like asking for help, how our culture (& church culture) shapes that, and more! Nate Pyle is a pastor, write, and author of Man Enough: How Jesus Redefines Manhood. Dr. Bart Andrews is Connect with Nate on Twitter, his website, or buy Man Enough. Connect with Dr. Andrews on Twitter or learn more about BHR. Intro/outro music on this episode is Hidden Personality by CloZee. Connect with ...

We're very confused about what day it is during the intro to this episode, which kind of works, because we do a bit of time-traveling this week. Back in episode 1, we looked at the church's current view towards mental illness. But where did those views come from? What historical influences shaped those? Dr. Heather Vacek stops by to help us understand how we got here through discussing her new book, Madness: American Protestant Responses to Mental Illness. Dr. Vacek is the Vice President for Ac...

We have two phenomenal guests this week: Gabe Howard is host of the Psych Central Show and diagnosed with Bipolar I. Nate Crawford is founder of Here/Hear and is diagnosed with Bipolar II. They give us insight into what life is like with Bipolar Disorder, as well as the difficulties in navigating personal relationships with a mental illness diagnosis. Connect with Gabe on Twitter, his website, or listen to the Psych Central Show. Connect with Nate on Twitter, Here/Hear's website, or listen to ...

William Paul Young (author of The Shack) joins us to talk about the upcoming movie adaptation (out this week!), his life story, and his newest book Lies We Believe About God. 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 newsletter here! Listen to Reimagining with Brian Niece on iTunes here! Intro/outro music on this episode is Hidden Personality by CloZee. Connect with Robert on Twitter or his we...

There's no guest, so you're stuck with just us! In this bonus episode, we talk about self-care: what it is, why it's important (and biblical), and some practical tips. We also share a suuuuuuuper inspirational Bible story at the end, so make sure to check that out. Check out Steve's 7 Day Self-Care Challenge! The intro/outro music on this episode is 'Alone' by Hello, Ground off of The Lineup, Vol. II: Electric Summer. Connect with CXMH on the website, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram! Connect...

Pastor Jason Micheli visits the show to talk about his journey with a rare type of bone cancer and his new book, Cancer Is Funny: Keeping Faith in Stage-Serious Chemo. We talk about suffering, joy, prayer, and what's helpful when you're going through something so serious and life-threatening. Connect with Jason on Twitter or his website, listen to Crackers & Grape Juice, or buy Cancer Is Funny. Take the survey about the Good Friday event here. Sign up for CXMH's brand new newsletter here! Li...

Our dear friend Sarah Fader (founder & CEO of Stigma Fighters) stops by to talk about the hashtag #ThisIsWhatAnxietyFeelsLike, which went from nothing to trending on Twitter in a matter of hours. Connect with Sarah Fader on Twitter on on her website. The music in this episode is 'Comfort Zone' off of Seth Baker's new EP, California. Check it out on iTunes now! Connect with Robert on Twitter or his website. Connect with Steve on Twitter or on his website.

The one and only Science Mike joins us to talk about brain injuries and neurotheology. (Oh, and we ask him about the effects of having Donald Trump as a president.) Connect with Mike on Twitter, visit his website, or buy Finding God In The Waves. Also, check out his podcasts: Ask Science Mike and The Liturgists. Some of the research regarding neurotheology we discuss can be found in Andrew Newberg's book How God Changes Your Brain. Take the survey regarding the Good Friday event here. Intro/...

Aaron J. Smith reads his piece 'Why Do I Write About Mental Illness?' Connect with Aaron on Twitter or visit his website. Intro/outro music for this episode is Fall Down by Rivers and Robots.

This week: Steve Austin accepts the role of co-host! We're also joined by Sarah Fader (founder and CEO of Stigma Fighters) and Sarah Schuster (editor of Mental Health on The Mighty) to talk about sharing your story and how that helps you and others, especially in the context of mental illness. -- Content warnings: in this episode we spend some time talking about suicidal ideation and there's brief mention of an article about being raped. Links (Stuff We Talked About):-When You're In The Grey ...

Steve Austin reading his piece 'What If the Prodigal Son Had Xanax?' Connect with Steve on Twitter or on his website. Intro/outro music for this episode is Fall Down by Rivers and Robots.