PODCAST · religion
Pure Desire Podcast
by Pure Desire Ministries
Your biblically based and clinically informed approach to breaking free from compulsive sexual behavior and healing from betrayal.
Episodes
-
483 - Why White Knuckling Porn Recovery Fails
If you've ever been taught that your body is the problem, or looked in the mirror with shame and wondered how you could ever be free from porn, this conversation is for you. Nick Stumbo and Mike Maxwell talk with Dr. Christopher West, author, speaker, and co-founder of the Theology of the Body...
-
482 - What We Can Learn From a Catholic Priest About Addiction
In this episode we sit down for a conversation with Archbishop Joseph Naumann. Together, we explore the cultural roots of pornography addiction, its impact on youth and marriages, and why the church must break its silence to offer real healing. Resources: Religious Alliance GET STARTED Summit...
-
481 - Misusing Scripture in Recovery w/ Tabitha Westbrook & Neil Schori
Can the Bible be used in ways that actually cause harm? In this episode, Neil Schori and Tabitha Westbrook join us to unpack some of the most commonly misused passages about sex, marriage, submission, forgiveness, and abuse. We talk about what these verses mean in context, how Scripture can be...
-
480 - How To Improve Your Sex Life How To Improve Your Sex Life w/ Cliff & Joyce Penner
Many couples desire deeper intimacy but struggle with shame, silence, or confusion around sexuality. When faith and sexuality become disconnected, it can impact connection with God, ourselves, and our spouse. In this episode, Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner explore how couples can reconnect...
-
479 - Communicating Desire to My Spouse w/ Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn
Many couples long for deeper intimacy but struggle to talk openly about sex, desire, and connection. Avoided conversations can create distance, misunderstanding, and loneliness, even in marriages built on love and faith. In this episode, Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn share insights from The Marriage...
-
478 - Telling My Future Spouse My Story
Many young adults wonder if their past struggles will prevent them from experiencing healthy, lasting relationships. Shame, secrecy, and fear of rejection can make honest conversations about sexuality feel impossible. In this episode, John and Haley Begeman share their journey of recovery…
more -
477 - Healthy Sexuality for Married Couples
Many couples enter marriage with love, faith, and commitment but still feel unprepared for the realities of sexual intimacy. Unrealistic expectations, cultural messages, and a lack of understanding can leave couples disconnected and unsure how to build a healthy sexual relationship. In this...
-
476 - Identifying The Pattern of Relapse
Many people feel defeated when old patterns return, wondering why they keep struggling despite their desire to change. But relapse is not just a failure. It can reveal patterns that need to be understood and healed. In this episode, Robert Vander Meer explores how lasting transformation comes...
-
475 - Establishing Strong Guardrails
Good intentions aren’t always enough to overcome temptation, rebuild trust, or create lasting change. Without healthy boundaries, many people remain vulnerable to secrecy, compromise, and repeated patterns of hurt. In this episode, Brent Breining explains how guardrails are not about punishment,...
-
474 - Learning How To Break Through Denial
Secrecy and denial can quietly erode trust, intimacy, and connection in a marriage. But healing begins when what has been hidden is brought into the light with honesty, humility, and courage. In this episode, Tyler Chinchen explores what true repentance looks like beyond simply admitting wrongs.…
more -
473 - The Soul of Shame w/ Dr. Curt Thompson
Shame has a way of convincing us to hide, disconnect, and believe we are alone. Yet beneath every struggle is a deeper longing: to be fully known and loved. In this episode, Dr. Curt Thompson explores how shame impacts our ability to connect, heal, and live fully through the lens of Scripture,...
-
472 - Recovery Can’t Happen Alone | Summit Roundtable
Recovery can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to rebuild after addiction, betrayal, broken trust, or deep personal pain. But healing was never meant to happen alone. In this Summit Roundtable, Nick Stumbo, Ashley Jameson, and Heather Kolb explore the heart behind Pure Desire Summit 2026: Rise…
more -
471 - Healing From The Betrayal Bind w/ Michelle Mays
When trust is broken, the impact reaches far beyond the relationship; it can affect the mind, body, and soul. Many partners navigating betrayal trauma feel confused, overwhelmed, and unsure how healing is possible. In this episode, Michelle Mays joins us to unpack the betrayal bind and help us...
-
470 - Why Your View of Sex is Damaged w/ Sean McDowell
In this episode, Dr. Sean McDowell unpacks why so many Christians feel stuck in compulsive sexual behaviors and how cultural messages often shape our understanding of sexuality more than Scripture. He explores common deceptions believers adopt about their bodies, identity, and desire, and why...
-
469 - How Spiritual Disciplines Can Porn-Proof Your Life
In today’s episode, we welcome Alan Hlavka for his first appearance and invite him to share a bit of his story and heart for recovery. Together, we explore how spiritual disciplines can serve as a powerful safeguard against pornography use and compulsive sexual behaviors—and why they’re about far...
-
468 - Recognizing The Lies We Believe w/ Sam Jolman
In today’s episode, we explore how our sexual behaviors are shaped long before any crisis moment—and why engaging our personal story of sexual formation is essential for lasting freedom. Our guest, Sam Jolman, challenges the belief that desire is dangerous, revealing how shame, purity culture…
more -
467 - What is Godly Sexuality? W/ Joshua Broome
In this episode, we dive into the connection between faith, identity, and sexuality, exploring why separating sex from our life in Christ can lead to confusion, brokenness, and misplaced identity. With guest, Joshua Broome, we discuss how today’s western culture often defines worth through sexual...
-
466 - Building Emotional Stability & Resilience
In this episode of the Pure Desire Podcast, we dive into the essential topic of emotional stability and its role in recovery, relationships, and personal growth. We explore how to assess whether we are managing our emotions or being managed by them, and why there are no inherently “good” or “bad”...
-
465 - Developing Pain Tolerance w/ Matthew & Joanna Raabsmith
In today’s episode, we explore what it truly means to pursue a “porn-proof life” from a Christian perspective—beyond willpower, rules, or fear-based accountability. We discuss why many Christians turn to pornography or other compulsive behaviors in moments of pain, stress, or loneliness, and how...
-
464 - Building Trust For The Long Haul
In today’s episode, we dive into one of the most tender and complex challenges couples face after betrayal: rebuilding trust that lasts. Even when sobriety is sustained and growth is evident, many spouses still feel the hidden fear that the “other shoe” will eventually drop. Our guests, Tyler and...
-
463 - Rebuilding the Physical Relationship After Betrayal
On today’s episode, Nate and Maggie Blaylock share their expertise in helping couples navigate recovery, with a special focus on rebuilding physical intimacy after betrayal. They discuss common mistakes couples make in this area and provide examples of what can go wrong, as well as the traits of...
-
462 - Developing Empathy For My Spouse w/ Carol Jurgensen Sheets
Register For The 2026 Summit Now! Carol Jurgensen Sheets joins us again to explore the vital role of empathy in healing relationships affected by addiction or compulsive sexual behavior. She begins by defining empathy and explaining why it’s essential for rebuilding trust and connection after...
-
461 - Walking Through Truth, Honesty, and Disclosure In Your Marriage w/ Dr. Janice Caudill
Dr. Janice Caudill joins us for her first podcast conversation to explore one of the most challenging aspects of recovery: disclosure. She begins by sharing her own background and approach, then walks listeners through what an ideal disclosure process looks like in healthy recovery. Recognizing...
-
460 - Navigating Triggers and Traumas After Year One w/ Jason and Shelley Martinkus
In today’s episode, Jason and Shelley Martinkus join us for their first podcast conversation to share their insights on navigating the ongoing challenges of healing in relationships impacted by addiction. They discuss how betrayed spouses can communicate triggers effectively, and how recovering...
-
459 - Redeeming the Post-Affair Divorce w/ Linda Macdonald
In this powerful episode of the Pure Desire Podcast, Linda MacDonald joins us to explore the unique trauma of post-affair divorce—what she describes as a “spiritual car crash.” We discuss why the grief of being betrayed and then left carries a distinct and devastating complexity, including the…
more -
458 - The Love Language That Matters Most w/ Dr. Gary Chapman
Dr. Gary Chapman joins us for a rich conversation about loving well through The 5 Love Languages®. We begin with a helpful refresher on the five languages and explore how personality shapes the way we give and receive love. Chapman also explains the idea of the “love tank”—what fills it, what...
-
457 - How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities w/ Dr. Andrew Bauman
In this episode of the Pure Desire Podcast, Dr. Andrew Bauman joins us to discuss why the church so often becomes an unsafe place for survivors of sexual betrayal. Drawing from his work as a licensed mental health counselor and his research with more than 2,800 women, Dr. Bauman shares what led...
-
456 - When Hurting People Come To Church w/ Drs. Shaunti Feldhahn & James Sells
In today’s episode, we explore the heart behind the book, When Hurting People Come to Church, and the growing mental health crisis impacting families, churches, and communities—including those navigating sexual addiction and betrayal trauma. Our guests, Shaunti Feldhahn and Dr. James Sells…
more -
455 - How Desires Can Discover Unhealed Wounds w/ Jay Stringer
In this episode of the Pure Desire Podcast, we explore a radically different way of understanding desire in recovery, betrayal, and marriage. Rather than treating desire as the enemy, our guest, Jay Stringer, invites us to see unwanted behaviors as signposts pointing to deeper wounds and unmet...
-
454 - The Persistent Message of Shame w/ Dr. Jake Porter
In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jake Porter to explore the pervasive and often misunderstood role of shame in recovery. We begin by defining shame and examining why understanding its messages is crucial for lasting growth. Even after significant recovery, shame can persist—like background...
-
453 - The Danger of Controlling Our Life by Controlling Other People
In this episode, Debby Flanagan dives into a common but often overlooked challenge in recovery: trying to control life by controlling other people. We explore how this pattern can undermine relationships, fuel relapse, and distract from personal growth. Debby outlines telltale signs that someone...
-
452 - Not Taking Full Responsibility for Wounding Those We Love
In this episode, we explore what it truly means to take full responsibility for the damage caused by addiction—and why minimizing, deflecting, or excusing that harm often keeps relapse close at hand. Joined by Eileen Fagan, we identify subtle signs of incomplete ownership, from defensiveness and...
-
451 - Believing Sexual Addiction is Just About Sex
In today’s episode, we confront one of the most deceptive assumptions in the recovery world: the belief that sexual addiction is “just about sex.” With guest Robert Vander Meer, we unpack how this false narrative minimizes the emotional, relational, and neurological drivers beneath the behavior,...
-
450 - Pursuing Health with Less Passion Than We Pursued the Addiction
In this episode, Harry Flanagan joins us to unpack a subtle but critical danger in the recovery process: pursuing healing with less passion than we once pursued addiction. He explains how this mindset can quietly fuel relapse patterns, create emotional complacency, and leave individuals feeling...
-
449 - Handling Kids Toughest Questions w/ Laurie Krieg
In today’s episode, Laurie Krieg shares her expertise on guiding children through some of today’s toughest conversations around sexuality, gender, and God’s design for relationships. From knowing the right time to talk to kids about sex, singleness, and marriage, to navigating confusing cultural...
-
448 - Parenting Kids During Recovery w/ Rodney & Traci Wright
In this episode, Rodney and Traci Wright dive into the delicate and vital topic of parenting while walking a recovery journey. Drawing from their book How to Talk with Your Kids About Sex, they explore why honesty, timing, and boundaries are essential when navigating recovery with children at…
more -
447 - Talking To Kids About Sex: Boy Talk
In this episode, John Fort returns to share insights from his book Father-Son Accountability: Integrity Through Relationships, a practical guide designed to help dads engage openly and confidently with their sons about sex, boundaries, and character. He explains why these conversations are often...
-
446 - Talking To Kids About Sex: Girl Talk
In this episode, we’re joined by Ashley Jameson, the author of a powerful new book designed to help moms and daughters navigate one of the most important—and often most uncomfortable—topics: sex and healthy conversations about it. She shares what inspired her to write Girl Talk, how the book is...
-
445 - The Third Circle: A Hidden Key To Recovery
In this episode, Josh Andrew explores how the start of a New Year can be a fresh opportunity for growth and focus in recovery. Moving beyond avoidance-based strategies, he introduces the Three Circles tool, emphasizing the importance of the outer circle—practices and behaviors that support a...
-
444 - A Better Commitment To Change
In this insightful episode, Stuart Blade unpacks the power of the Commitment to Change—a practical tool designed to help individuals and couples experience real transformation in their recovery and spiritual growth. He explains what a Commitment to Change is, who it’s for, and how it can move...
-
443 - Healing in Layers: The Gift of Recovery w/ Rodney & Traci Wright
In this heartfelt episode, Rodney and Traci Wright share their powerful story of finding healing—both individually and as a couple. Long before discovering Pure Desire, their recovery journey began with a deep recognition of their need for help and God’s grace to rebuild what was broken. They…
more -
442 - From Shame To Belonging: The Gift of Recovery w/ Brian Wolf
In this inspiring episode, we hear the powerful story of Brian Wolf’s journey toward healing and recovery. From the moment he realized he needed help to discovering the life-changing community of a Pure Desire group, this conversation explores how God meets us in our brokenness and leads us…
more -
441 - Redemptive Resilience: The Gift of Recovery w/ Adam & Becky Bradley
In this powerful episode, we sit down with a courageous couple, Adam and Becky Bradley, who share their honest and inspiring story of healing through the Pure Desire recovery process. From the moment they realized their need for help to the transformative experience of being in a Pure Desire…
more -
440 - Healing The Whole Family: The Gift of Recovery w/ Randy & Lesli Bixby
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Randy and Leslie Bixby, the founders of The Family Reformation Project, to explore how their personal healing journey as a couple became a transformative mission to restore families everywhere. They share how pain became purpose, leading to a movement...
-
439 - Impossible Redemption: The Gift of Recovery w/ Josh & Avonlea Roy
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Josh and Avonlea Roy who vulnerably shares their journey of healing after infidelity and betrayal. From the pain of discovery to finding hope through the Pure Desire podcast in 2023, they recount the insights that helped them take their first steps…
more -
438 - Women's Voices: Surrendered Sexuality w/ Juli Slattery
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Juli Slattery, who has spent 15 years helping Christians navigate the complex terrain of sexuality in light of faith. We explore why so many struggle to surrender their sexuality to God and why the traditional church approach often falls short in addressing…
more -
437 - Women's Voices: Recognizing Abuse in Marriage w/ Tabitha Westbrook
In this eye-opening episode, we sit down with Tabitha Westbrook, an advocate and expert passionate about helping individuals recognize and address abuse within marriage. Tabitha unpacks the often-misunderstood signs of abuse—both obvious and subtle—and challenges the dangerous belief that “it’s…
more -
436 - Women’s Voices: Grace and Redemption Through The Women of Scripture w/ Teresa Whiting | Ep. 436
In this deeply moving episode, we sit down with Teresa Whiting, the author of the book Graced, to explore the powerful, often overlooked stories of women in Scripture—like Tamar and Bathsheba—whose experiences of brokenness and redemption reveal the heart of God in profound ways. She shares the...
-
435 - Women's Voices: Rebuilding Trust and Safety After Betrayal w/ Dr. Jill Manning
In this compelling episode, we sit down with Dr. Jill Manning, a leading expert in betrayal trauma whose groundbreaking research has brought critical awareness to the emotional toll of pornography use within intimate relationships. She shares her journey into this deeply personal and often...
-
434 - How Pastors Can Help Even if They're Not The Expert w/ Dr. Barbara Steffens
In this essential episode, we dive into a candid conversation about the role of pastors and church leaders in responding to sexual addiction and betrayal trauma within their communities. Many leaders feel illequipped—or even fearful—of “getting it wrong” when someone discloses their pain. Our...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Your biblically based and clinically informed approach to breaking free from compulsive sexual behavior and healing from betrayal.
HOSTED BY
Pure Desire Ministries
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Pure Desire Podcast have?
Pure Desire Podcast currently has 485 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Pure Desire Podcast about?
Your biblically based and clinically informed approach to breaking free from compulsive sexual behavior and healing from betrayal.
How often does Pure Desire Podcast release new episodes?
Pure Desire Podcast publishes regularly with 485 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Pure Desire Podcast?
You can listen to Pure Desire Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Pure Desire Podcast?
Pure Desire Podcast is created and hosted by Pure Desire Ministries.
URL copied to clipboard!