It all started 5 years ago with an invitation to talk about anxiety at a meeting. Phew, I’m not the only one! Little did I know mental health would become one of my go-to topics.
Sure, ladies talked about anxiety and depression together over lunch with close friends. But, nope, we didn’t seem to cover mental health on Sundays. Talk about mental health at church? No way!
So, I decided to create podcasts folks could use to have better conversations at church, at home, anywhere really. About anything. Not surprisingly, mental health kept popping up.
Obviously, many other people noticed mental health is a growing issue, too.
I’ve Learned A Lot about Mental Health
Experts taught me a ton about mental health over the course of so many interviews. For instance, anxiety is just another name for fear. Or, who knew depression, or hopelessness, is closely related to feeling helpless?
And so many great quotes! Like this one, a personal favorite:
Great Quotes
“Isolation is where Satan takes us right before he goes in for the kill.” ~ Sandra Bristow
Find more favorite quotes at the end of today’s blog.
Top Ten Popular Episodes About Mental Health
Starting with Becky Carpenter’s story with 66,822 downloads just since May to #1 with over 750,000 downloads so far! Here are our top ten most popular episodes about mental health:
#10 Running into Heaven: 3 Tips for Coping with Grief and Suffering with Becky Carpenter Her Wisdom, 66,822
#9 Anxiety and Depression: I Surrender All (Sort Of) With Michele Lazurek, Her Story, 72,578
#8 Self-awareness vs. Blind Spots with Ashley Kutach, Her Wisdom, 72,937
#7 Anxiety and Depression: I Surrender All (Sort Of) With Michele Lazurek, Her Story, 72,578
#6 New Season of Hope: 3 Tips to Refresh Your Soul with Andy Clapp, His Wisdom, 126,957
#5 Beating Burn Out: Conquering In Community with Dr. Stan Ward, His Story, 217,764
#4 God’s Best During Your Worst with Robin Luftig, 326,095
#3 Calm in a Crisis: Faith Tested By Fire With Robin Luftig, 404,582
#2 Mental Illness and Sparking Wholeness: Erin Kerry’s Story, 750,452
Number One In Every Category
And finally, in the top spot, drum roll please….
#1 Balance: the Brain-Gut Connection and the Secret of Mental Health with Erin Kerry, Her Wisdom with 751,873 downloads.
Did you noticed Erin also holds the #2 spot in this list?
In fact, with a grand total of 1,502,3025 so far, Erin is the most downloaded guest we’ve ever had. On any topic.
Because we’ve known Erin since she was a child, this is especially meaningful for our family. She’s #1 on our lists and, you could say, #1 in our hearts, too!
Like so many heroic people we’ve interviewed, Erin tackled the trauma she experienced as a child and addressed her mental health with creative and effective strategies. Look for more ideas from Erin on her website.
Double the Wisdom
Both Robin Luftig and Michelle Lazurek also made the Top Ten TWICE.
Plus, Becky Carpenter’s story about her daughter’s entrance into heaven via a fatal car wreck was actually #11. But since the podcast is recent, it’s at the end. (Devastating Moments, Crisis, and Suffering: When God Lights Up the Sky with Becky Carpenter, Her Story.)
Much More on Mental Health
The following are all amazing episodes about mental health, starting with the earliest posts back in 2017.
Single and Strong. Her Wisdom: Excellence and Influence after Divorce with Darlene Marshall
Family and Suicide. His Wisdom: When Mental Illness Strikes Your Family with Doug McSwane
Families and Suicide. Her Wisdom: Celebrating the Beautiful Life of A Sibling with Marcie McSwane
Care Giving: Oncology Nurse Beats Breast Cancer with Susan Ellsworth
Freedom for Men. His Story: How Successful Men Battle for Significance With Jon Drury
Freedom for Men. His Wisdom: How Wives can Battle for their Husband’s Significance with Jon Drury
Mental Health, Her Wisdom: Stretching Beyond to Confidence and Energy with Colleen Long
Mental Health,Her Story: Depression or Anxiety vs. Exercise and Self-Compassion with Colleen Long
Bullying in School, The Story of Megan Meier with Tina Meier
Compassion, Please! Healing After Abortion with Dr. Grace English, Her Wisdom
CPS Worker to Judge: Trauma Informed Care with Judge Carol Clark
Sassy Faith: Her Wisdom with Michelle Medlock Adams
The Shepherd’s Heart: Don’t Give UP, His Story Pastor James Dill
Nobody escapes pain in this world. We can learn from suffering with Lindsey Bell, Her Wisdom
Dark Clouds Threaten: Keeping the Sunshine of Joy with Kristin Faith Evans Her Wisdom
New Beginnings and Joy: Spring into Hope with Andy Clapp, His Story
Grit and Courage
Certainly, I never expected to do so much work on mental health, yet the numbers don’t lie. I admire all these experts for their grit and courage.
It’s pretty hard to feel hopeless or helpless when we’re surrounded by such amazing people! I feel like a lucky duck to get to ask them questions. I hope you’ll check out their great wisdom and encouragement, too.
🙂
cathy
May we pray together?
Dear good Father, look what You’ve done! Just when we think we’re on our last drop of hope, you restore us with the wisdom of folks who faced crisis and lived to tell about it! Thank You for supporting us when we feel like our brain is in a fog. Like we can’t go on. Maybe we need energy for today. Or we need a big boost of community and hope. Whatever this dear reading friend needs today, please see the need and meet it, O Lord! Bless us now because that is Your heart’s desire! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
When has your heart felt so heavy and broken you thought you were losing your mind? What did God do today to let you know you are loved? How has another person stepped up to encourage you?
More Favorite Quotes
“As loud as I’m speaking to you I heard these two words that changed everything. It was the Lord speaking into my spirit, and He said, ‘I’m here.’” ~Becky Carpenter, from Devastating Moments, Crisis, and Suffering: When God Lights Up the Sky with Becky Carpenter Her Story
“My most powerful prayer, ‘Help me.’” ~Becky Carpenter, from Running into Heaven: 3 Tips for Coping with Grief and Suffering
“What I’ve realized over the years is that if you walk through the doors God opens, He’ll just open more. A lot of times he’ll just open bigger and better ones. You just keep walking through them.” ~Andy Clapp, from New Beginnings and Joy: Spring into Hope
“Adam and Eve, in essence, lost two children that day: Abel, who was murdered, but also Cain, who was banished because of his sin. As I read this story, I realized something. Pain has been around for a long time. In fact, it has been around since the very first people walked on earth. Though my trials are different than theirs (and I am sure most of yours are too), we are not alone in our pain.” ~Lindsey Bell, from her book, Unbeaten.
BTW, I share some great how-to’s of self-care in my book, The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations.
“I really struggled with that when I first came back to the church. I was nervous. People were gonna judge me. People are gonna look at me wrong. I had a few that did but for the most part people were very loving and accepting.” ~Michelle Lazurek, from Control and Perfectionism: Surrendering For God To Do the Impossible
“All condemnation of others is rooted in self-condemnation.” ~Cathy Krafve
Our Books Can Help YOU!
BTW, I share some great how-to’s of self-care in my book, The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations.
Or if your marriage (or divorce) is a source of hurt for you or your kids, you’re gonna love what I wrote in my book, Marriage Conversations, about hanging tough when marriage gets hard, as it always does sometimes! No one is doomed to repeat their mistakes or their parents’ mistakes!
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Cathy Krafve, host of Fireside Talk Radio and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. Your stories, ideas, and questions welcomed here!
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