#137: Creating suicide-safe churches (Steve Austin tribute)

Two years ago, my friend Steve Austin, an author, mental health advocate and former pastor, died by suicide. Ever since then, I’ve intended to dedicate an episode to his memory and his work, and this is that episode. Including a powerful interview with Lindsey Austin, Steve’s wife, along with a selection of readings from Steve’s book, Hiding In The Pews: Shining Light on Mental Illness in the Church, this is a vulnerable and sacred discussion that filled me with more hope and joy than I expected. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have reached out to me this Spring while hitting really dark patches in their mental health. Pastors, it is our job to help, but not always in the ways we expect or assume. This episode is for all of us, so we can learn to create suicide-safe spaces.

Jonathan PuddleMay 26, 2023suicide, mental health, therapy, pastoring, churchComment

#136-B: Reflecting on Aundi Kolber and self-compassionate survival

Tryphena and I kept the mics rolling right after our interview with Aundi Kolber, and let me tell you… it’s a wild ride! We discussed the provocativeness of wholeness, including a physics lesson and a reflection on quantum physics… Why? Because presence is a powerful resource, and I have some theories about it. We talked about anger and injustice, we examined the time that Jesus had a panic attack, and we landed on rest and the safety of unproductivity. Strap in, it’s a wild ride.

Jonathan PuddleApril 12, 2023b-side, trauma, therapy, healing, wholeness, aundi kolberComment

#136: Flexible strength—compassionate survival (with Aundi Kolber)

Therapist (and my good friend) Aundi Kolber returns to the show to discuss her brand new book, Strong Like Water: Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move through Hard Things—and Experience True Flourishing. Our conversation revolves around reframing many things we’ve seen as weaknesses, even sins, as forms of strength that enabled us to survive hard things. We reflected on the particular shame we feel after having put in years of healing work in therapy, only to feel like we fall apart again. Aundi explained how resilience has been weaponized at times, and she honours the fact that we should never have had to be this strong. This is a powerful and intimate conversation that I think will bring real hope to you. Enjoy.

Jonathan PuddleMarch 17, 2023aundi kolber, trauma, healing, therapy, wholenessComment

#82: When Suffering Lingers (with K.J. Ramsey)

K.J. Ramsey is a therapist, writer and the author of This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers. K.J. and I have become good friends over the course of the pandemic, and in this interview we discussed the hope embedded in suffering, the tension between Jesus’ words “All these things and more you will do” and “In this life, you will have troubles”. She shared how stories that include very hard things can also include great hope and love, and how brain science reveals that being still with God in the midst of our suffering is of transformative importance. I cannot recommend her to you highly enough.

Jonathan PuddleJune 11, 2020covid-19, suffering, jesus, hope, emotions, therapy Comment

#69: You Are Enough (free Lenten devotional)

This week's guest on The Puddcast is yours truly! I'm introducing my new devotional through a free daily email during the season of Lent. In this episode, I explain how Easter is like heart surgery for Christians and why it’s worth preparing for surgery, and then I read the first daily reflection along with the accompanying meditation from my book. My invitation to you is to give up self-hatred, self-doubt and self-condemnation for lent this year and try on love instead.

Jonathan PuddleFebruary 20, 2020lent, trauma, self-love, compassion, therapy, healing, devotional, emotions, contemplativeComment

#48: Supporting yourself through trauma (with Aundi Kolber)

Aundi Kolber is a licensed therapist and author who I’ve been following online for the last couple of years. We finally managed to schedule some time together and the result is a really helpful conversation on trauma, what it does in our bodies and brains, and how God designed our bodies and brains to give us the feedback we need in order to heal. As Aundi says, you can become a partner with God in your own healing. Listen and share today!

Jonathan PuddleAugust 15, 2019trauma, healing, emdr, therapy, emotions, wholeness, aundi kolberComment