The Quiet Battle No One Sees with Jeff Wells

Breaking Free of OCD with Jeff WellsJeff Wells joins Brent Dyer for a candid conversation about OCD, overachievement, ministry, and the long road toward healing. Jeff shares how a lifetime of success on the outside coexisted with intrusive thoughts and hidden struggle on the inside, and why openness became a turning point for him and for his church. We discuss Jeff’s journey from competitive runner to pastor, the impact OCD had on marriage and family, and how counseling, medication, and honest community shaped his recovery. This episode also explores why leaders need safe places to be real about mental health. Key topicsIn this episode:Jeff explains how his path from a Rice University track athlete to a Dallas Seminary student and a Nike-sponsored runner overlapped with the start of his ministry career.He shares that his OCD showed up mainly as intrusive thoughts and religious scrupulosity, not the more visible checking or washing behaviors many people associate with OCD. Jeff reflects on how his upbringing may have contributed to an overachieving pattern including feeling alone as a child and trying to gain notice through performance.He describes the toll OCD took on his marriage, children, and ministry, especially when he seemed withdrawn or emotionally unavailable.Jeff recounts the crisis point in 2011, when he decided to tell his congregation he was struggling badly and needed prayer, instead of hiding it any longer.He talks about the role of counseling, medication, his wife Gail, and trusted friendsin helping him heal and stay grounded.Brent and Jeff discuss why church leaders should create cultures where people canseek help without shame and where struggle is not treated as disqualifying.Jeff gives advice to pastors and ministry leaders: bring struggles into the light, find trusted support, and don’t isolate.He shares the story of discipling a former staff member through a painful transition and later seeing redemption in that person’s ministry path.Jeff closes with the hope that God is gentle, patient, and still able to redeem hard things, even when healing is still ongoing.Timestamps(0:00) Echo check and pre interview setup (1:28) Summer update and the reality of balancing work, counseling, and doctoral study(5:41) Counseling as a long term plan and transition out of worship leadership(6:23) The ongoing healing process and unresolved relational pain(8:33) Introducing Jeff Wells and the focus on OCD, ministry, and honest faith(9:52) From competitive runner to seminary, Nike sponsorship, and pastoral ministry(11:12) The overachiever pattern behind the success(12:57) Early signs something was different in college(14:29) What OCD feels like from the inside(16:37) How OCD affected marriage, kids, and career(20:54) Why pastors feel pressure to hide their struggles(21:36) The 2011 crisis and deciding to tell the church(24:37) Counseling, medication, family support, and trauma work(28:46) Advice for pastors and ministry leaders who are struggling(30:27) Creating a safe culture for staff and teams(31:49) Discipling a former staff member through a hard exit(35:15) What gives Jeff hope today(36:10) Rapid fire questions(38:06) The loudest grace in Jeff’s life