PODCAST

Craig and guest host Cassie Dedmon spend time with their former client Heike, who is originally from Germany. Heike tells a great american survivor story… and she would do it all over again. After falling in love with a United States service member, she left her family and way of life to travel to American and become a military wife and mom. One day she went to the mailbox, found a letter, and her life has never been the same again. Instead of becoming a victim of her relationship breakdown and life circumstances, Heike found a mentor, a part time job, and enrolled in junior college. She also educated herself about the benefits for which she was eligible, even teaching her attorneys about certain military nuances in the law. You will hear Heike bravely talk about living with a combat veteran and how PTSD impacted their life. Finally, learn how Heike’s grit, determination and selfless willingness to move heaven and earth for her children is serving their family today.

Enhanced Wellness Living is Mississippi’s leading functional medicine clinic.  Craig and Matt have a conversation with its founder, Kelly Engelmann, FNP in this episode.  You will enjoy this fun, fast paced discussion about health, happiness and vitality through the lense of Kelly’s “Food First” approach to wellness.  Many Mississippians suffer from fatigue, sleep deprivation, malnourishment and low sexual function, and Kelly gives practical first steps for a healthier lifestyle like hydration, movement and intentional quiet time to decrease the cascading negative effects of stress and inflammation.  Kelly will inspire the listener to think about a pantry detox, while Matt and Craig raise questions about toxic relationships.

In this powerfully thought provoking episode, Craig and Matt sit down with Scott, a music minister who has always felt “different.”  Being raised in the deep south by conservative parents, he struggled over his sexual orientation, although he married a woman in hopes to sustain a heterosexual lifestyle.  Scott’s efforts failed, and he became depressed to the point of suicide.  After finally coming out, he was divorced, separated from his son and believed he would lose everything important, especially his ministry.  Walking in his truth, he finally found freedom through the love and acceptance of an understanding church and through the blessing of his step father.  Now comfortable with his identity, Scott reflects on his journey from captivity to freedom.

The Enneagram is a personality typing system combining modern psychology with spiritual and somatic wisdom to describe 9 distinct, dynamic ways of being in the world. Each type is characterized by perpetual, patterned responses and unique motivations arising from how one thinks, feels, and behaves. In this episode, Matt and Craig sit down with Sarah Duet from Shreveport, Louisiana. Sarah is an artist and communicator who has studied the Enneagram for over a decade. Sarah works with individuals and communities to share basic Enneagram wisdom in hopes to foster increased self-awareness, empathy, meaningful work, and the capacity for healthier relationships.

Craig and special co host Dr. Kristen Jones of Cornerstone Counseling sit down with R+E former client Ginger, a bright professional who talks about the pressures of southern women to get married and then to stay married, even if the relationship is not working.  Now looking back five years post-divorce, Ginger bravely tells about her journey and offers hope to people similarly situated.

Meaning and belonging are core needs of human beings. A meaningful life is discovered when we are focused on things outside of ourselves, because a self-centered worldview is very small. A true sense of belonging requires intimacy (Into-Me-See), which is the act of knowing and being known. Intimacy is the foundation of all meaningful relationships. In this episode, Matt and Craig sit down with Philip K. Hardin, who is a therapist and ministry leader who has devoted his life to helping people. Phil is one of the most creative counselors in the R+E network, combining music, journaling, movies, scripture and adventure to help men discover their true self –a life filled with intimacy.

Scott became a father as a young, single college student. When he and his girlfriend could no longer make their relationship work, a heated custody trial was necessary to determine the best interest of their son. Scott was not granted physical custody, but he enjoyed a very liberal access schedule where he would see his child several days a week in addition to alternating weekends and shared holidays. Eventually, as the child grew older, the original parenting plan no longer worked, so at the mother’s insistence, the parties negotiated a second schedule. The second parenting plan continued until a significant geographic move coupled with a dyslexia diagnosis created custody litigation again, and this time the court agreed with Scott that his son should live with him full time. Today, the more mature parents have put lawyers and court proceedings in their past and work daily to effectively coparent.

Dr. Kristen Jones of Cornerstone Counseling vulnerably tells her story of growing up with an unhealthy mom in the wake of her parents’ divorce.  Every night, she would have an 8:30 call with her dad, who was emotionally present notwithstanding their geographic distance.  During Christmas of her senior year in high school, she packed 3 suitcases and went to live with her dad, who was walking through the breakdown of his second marriage.  The two started over together.  The chaos of her childhood led Dr. Jones’ to be interested in the human condition and helping others with similar life circumstances.  Today, she works with mostly teenage girls who struggle with anxiety, low self esteem, depression and making sense of middle school, high school and their lives at home.

In the second of this two part series with Dr. Mark Hagwood of Turning Point Counseling, Mark and the hosts discuss Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Bipolar Disorder in the context of marital dysfunction.

A Road To Damascus Experience is a sudden insight that radically changes a person’s life. In the first of a two part series with Dr. Mark Hagwood of Turning Point Counseling, Mark shares his personal account of early childhood trauma, addiction, divorce, remarriage and the challenges of blended families.