Jo Dee Messina on Hard Times, Jesus, and Her First Album in 12 Years

Jo Dee Messina has a long career in the music industry: number one hits, platinum and gold records, many awards. She’s a country music icon. Jo Dee just released Bridges, her first new album in 12 years and those were 12 years filled with some tough times. Her marriage ended, leaving her as a single mom of two boys, both her parents died, and Jo Dee battled cancer, completed treatment, and is cancer free. She’s reluctant to talk about those events but is very happy to talk about her relationship with her Christian faith, which she says has been a constant source of comfort and guidance ever since she turned to it amid her struggles. Is leaning on religion for guidance really all that different from the secular approach of identifying your own wise mind? And if, as Jo Dee believes, everything that will happen is written and planned by a higher power, why do tragedies and pain exist? Jo Dee’s been thinking about that and has some very recent insights. All this, plus Jo Dee Messina belting out a couple of songs. Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun. Check out our I’m Glad You’re Here and Depresh Mode merchandise at the brand new merch website MaxFunStore.com! Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at [email protected]. Depresh Mode is on BlueSky, Instagram, Substack, and you can join our Preshies Facebook group.  Help is available right away. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741. International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindepresh