PODCAST · religion
Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem
by Dave Quak
Sunburnt Souls is a Christian mental health podcast exploring faith, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and emotional resilience through honest conversations and biblical hope. Hosted by Pastor Dave Quak, an Aussie pastor living with bipolar disorder, the podcast explores what it really looks like to follow Jesus through the highs, lows, and everything in between. Each episode shares powerful stories, biblical encouragement, and practical tools for navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, and mental wellness as a follower of Christ. Whether you’re battling darkness, searching for joy, or trying to make sense of faith and mental illness, you’re not alone. Sunburnt Souls is a safe, unfiltered space for honest conversations about Christian mental health. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. 🌐 Learn more at sunburntsouls.com
Episodes
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Faith, Neurodivergence and a Life Lived to The Full. Dr Amanda Wilson
We talk with Dr. Amanda Wilson about learning she’s neurodivergent later in life and how that diagnosis helps her give herself grace while building a career that fits her limits and strengths. We also trace her long road to Jesus and why accessible church community, practical structure, and…
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A Retired Police Officer On Trauma And Faith
Warnings-some disturbing circumstances are described Kurt has just stepped into retirement after 38 years in policing, and he walks us through what prolonged exposure to trauma can do to your mental health, your body, and your faith. If you have ever searched for answers about police PTSD, first...
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10 Practical Keys for Christian Mental Health Support (with Jess Quak)
Loving someone who struggles with bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, or any form of mental ill health can be confusing and exhausting, especially when you’re trying to hold faith and reality in the same hands. Jessica Quak joins me to share what surfaced at a women’s conference where...
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The Future of Sunburnt Souls
Sunburnt Souls is about to change shape and we wanted you to hear it from us first. After two and a half years of conversations on life, faith, and mental well-being, we’re stepping into a new chapter that brings the community off your headphones and into the room. If you’ve ever felt like mental...
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The Power of Showing Up: How Mentoring Reframes a Child’s Story
One hour a week doesn’t sound like much until you hear what it does for a kid who feels invisible. We sit down with Simon Warrick, CEO of Kids Hope, to talk about school-based mentoring for children facing vulnerability and why a single consistent adult can become the difference between “just...
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Physical Illness and Mental Health: The Emotional Cost of Being Sick
Dave and Jess Quak sit down for a candid conversation about the relationship between physical illness and mental health, from everyday flu moments to chronic conditions that keep coming back when you least expect them. We talk through Jess’ long trail of medical issues and the emotional strain…
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How To Deal With Horrible Humans
After a live radio interview where most callers were supportive, one angry voice spewed out and suddenly that one comment became louder than all the encouragement. Why does criticism stick so deeply, and why do we replay the negative while forgetting the good? In this episode, we unpack the…
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Forced, Frustrated, or Fun? Retreating with God
Retreating is a core practice for Christian mental health, especially when anxiety, depression, burnout, or emotional numbness start running the show. We’re not interested in pretending faith means you’re always fine. We want honesty, rest, and real connection with Jesus right in the middle of…
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When Mental Health Comes On Holidays
You can be standing on a stunning beach with clear water and still wake up feeling dark. After six weeks away, I’m back behind the mic with travel stories from Greece and Turkey that turned into a blunt lesson about mental health: a change of scenery does not automatically change what’s happening...
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The Truth About Challenging Behaviour in Kids
Your kid is melting down again, you’ve tried everything you can think of, and nothing works. Many of us know what that's like. We sit down with Wendy Paroz from Sprout Support Center to name what’s really happening under explosive behaviour and to offer a way forward that’s trauma informed,...
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Church That Makes Room for Mental Messiness
A teenager stands up mid-sermon and yells “Boring!” and the room goes quiet. He was the smartest man in the room in my opinion. We talk honestly about church and mental health, especially for people who are neurodivergent, carrying trauma, living with anxiety or depression, or simply feeling...
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Christian Fiction with Grit and Grace: T.I. Lowe on South of Somewhere
Addiction is one of the most common realities families quietly carry. Dave Quak sits down with best selling author T.I. Lowe (Tonya) for an honest conversation about what happens when someone you love will not get clean, and how faith can stay real when life is anything but. We dig into her novel...
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The Path to Mental Health Diagnosis
What happens when you first say “I got diagnosed?” Jess and I talk candidly about the subtle ways people dismiss mental health and neurodiversity with phrases that sound harmless, like “Everyone’s a bit like that,” and why those lines can make a friend feel exposed, misunderstood, and less likely...
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Stop Shouting And Start Connecting: Dr Justin Coulson
Parenting can feel like a daily drain you never clock out from. We sit down with Justin Coulson to name what so many families are quietly carrying: parental burnout, constant pressure, and the way screens can steal the best parts of home life without anyone noticing until the connection is…
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Widowed Too Soon: When the Support Disappears but the Grief Remains | Michelle Bader Ebersole
I’m joined by Michelle Bader Ebersole, the voice behind Widow Too Soon, a Christian podcast built to help widows and widowers stop feeling isolated and start finding real community, practical tools, and faith-grounded hope. Michelle shares her story of losing her husband Luke after a long cancer...
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From Addiction To Freedom
Addiction rarely starts as a plan. It starts as relief. Sean Bradley tells the truth about what alcohol and weed gave him at first: a quiet stomach, less anxiety, fewer social masks, and a break from the constant pressure of performing. Then he tells the other truth: the relief doesn’t stay…
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Faith and Mental Health: A Christian GP Explains What Actually Works
Dr Afiniki Akanet sits down with us and names the thing many people feel but rarely say out loud: you can treat the body and still feel empty. From the first minutes, we dig into a whole-person view of mental health, where spirit, soul, and body interact, and where medication and therapy can be...
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Suffering, Anxiety and Christian Meditation | Finding Peace in Pain with Dr Joshua Knabb
Pain shows up whether we invite it or not and trying to outrun it usually makes it louder. I sit down with Dr. Joshua Nabb, a clinical psychologist and professor, to talk about what happens when suffering shatters your assumptions and forces bigger questions about faith, healing, and hope. Joshua...
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The Pressure to Be Perfect Is Killing Your Faith (Part 2) | Sarah Wiseman
In Part 2, the conversation goes deeper. Sarah Wiseman opens up about anxiety, depression, motherhood, and the reality of navigating mental health while trying to follow Jesus. From panic attacks to hormonal struggles like PMDD, this is the stuff most people don’t talk about — especially in…
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The Pressure to Be Perfect Is Killing Your Faith (Part 1) | Sarah Wiseman
She expected shame and found love instead. Sarah Wiseman joins us to talk about the kind of faith that doesn’t wait for you to get polished, cleaned up, or “qualified” before God shows up. We trace her story from being the responsible church kid to hitting a wall of heartbreak, addiction, and the...
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AuDHD: When Autism and ADHD Collide. Week 2 of 2 with Raeleigh Kemp
If you have ever sat in a church service thinking, “Why can’t I just hold it together,” this conversation is for you. We get honest about neurodiversity and mental health in real life, where good intentions are not enough and belonging has to be built on purpose. Rayleigh Kemp joins us again to...
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AuDHD: When Autism and ADHD Collide. Week 1 of 2 with Raeleigh Kemp
Church can be a place of healing, and it can also be the loudest, most demanding room a neurodivergent kid walks into all week. Raeleigh Kemp joins me to talk about faith and mental wellbeing in a way that gets painfully practical: what happens when your child loves God but struggles with sensory...
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The “Strong One” Is Struggling: Christian Mental Health with Susie Holt
You can be the person everyone counts on and still feel like you’re barely holding it together. Sitting down with Susie Holt, we get honest about the gap between what people see and what’s really happening inside, especially when you’re a public voice, a mum, a leader, or the “strong one” in your...
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Teen Mental Health in Church: What We’re Missing
Church can be the last place people admit they’re struggling. I share a new live session from a Brisbane church where we talk honestly about faith and mental health, from the quiet pain adults carry to the rising pressure crushing many teens. Along the way I tell a story about meeting a man with...
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Top 10 Questions Christians Ask Me About Faith and Mental Health
The questions people ask about mental health and Christianity are usually the ones we're all thinking about anyway. So I’m answering them plainly, with zero filter or desire to be eloquent. We start with why Sunburnt Souls exists and why I believe the church still has a few stigmas to stomp on....
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Alcohol, Bipolar and Drinking in the Dark
What if the habit that takes the edge off is the very thing fraying your mind, your marriage, and your mornings? I open up about how “just a couple of wines” became a quiet loop of mediocrity that amplified bipolar swings, dulled my medication, and bled into the people I love most. Together we...
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Predictable Coffee, Your Mind, and Your Brain with Dr. Ash Moreland
What if your brain isn’t the problem—your code is? We sit down with Dr. Ash Morland to unpack the eye-opening difference between brain and mind, and why that single shift can break the ceiling on therapy, productivity, and peace. Starting with something as simple as coffee, we trace how...
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Owning The Damage: Mental Illness, Faith, And Making It Right
Sometimes the relapse is sudden and loud—the kind of week where anxiety returns out of nowhere and dysphoric mania lights every fuse. I share the mess honestly: the regret of words that cut, the weight of hurting someone I love, and the hard road to repair that doesn’t hide behind “it wasn’t me.”...
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Moses And The Weight Of Leadership
Ever felt called and crushed at the same time? We dig into the life of Moses to explore how real leadership stretches the soul, from a childhood of unlikely rescue to the desert where calling and capacity collide. We talk about what happens when influence grows faster than your systems, why “what...
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Please Don’t Build A Tent, Peter
What if your strongest flaws are the very channels God uses to shape your calling? We sit down to explore the life of Simon Peter, a disciple who rushes first, speaks loudest, and still becomes a steady pillar for the early church. From campfire denial to Spirit-charged preaching, Peter’s story...
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Running From God Warps Your Sense of Justice (Jonah)
A runaway prophet, a repenting city, and a God who refuses to be less merciful than He is—Jonah’s story hits closer to home than we like to admit. We open the book not to argue about a fish, but to wrestle with why a man who knows God’s heart would sprint in the opposite direction. The answer...
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What If Sitting at Jesus’ Feet Means Letting Your Family Fall Apart? (Mary & Martha)
A quiet living room in Bethany, a sealed tomb, and a Savior who stops to weep before he calls a name—this is where faith and mental wellbeing meet. We invited listeners into the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to explore how Jesus honors different personalities, different griefs, and the same...
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Success Nearly Killed David’s Soul
What if your greatest risk isn’t suffering, but success? We dive into David’s uneven path from overlooked shepherd to celebrated king to show how formation in hidden places can hold you together when the spotlight doesn’t. This is a story about mental well-being, deep emotion, spiritual…
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Barren, Broken, and Begging: When God Stays Silent (Hannah)
The story of Hannah opens inside a storm of rivalry, shame, and unmet longing—and yet it becomes a roadmap for hope. We unpack how a woman dismissed by culture and misread by a priest found language for her pain, courage for her vow, and a song that reframed value beyond fertility, status, or...
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Elijah Wanted to Die — And God Didn’t Immediately Fix It
Fire falls on the altar, a nation gasps, and the prophet stands vindicated—then one threat sends him running into the wilderness. We follow Elijah through that whiplash from public triumph to private collapse and uncover a deeper story of how God meets burnout with gentleness, not guilt. If…
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Taking a Breath: Dave and Jess on Rest, Renewal, and Reconnection
After 89 episodes, Dave and Jess Quak open up about taking a short, intentional break from producing the Sunburnt Souls podcast. This conversation dives deep into the rhythms of rest, spiritual renewal, and what it means to step back without stepping away. They share honestly about attending to...
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Paralysed but Not Defeated: A Christian Mental Health Journey from Depression to Hope
After a BMX crash left him paralysed, Nathan faced years of depression and doubt. Discover how faith, resilience, and community led to real hope. What happens when your body breaks, but your spirit refuses to? This powerful Christian mental health story follows one man’s journey from a...
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How the Bible Speaks When You’re Mentally Hurting: Finding God in Every Genre
When silence and solitude fail, Scripture still speaks. In this heartfelt conversation, Dave Quak and Jess Quak explore how the Bible connects us to God when our minds and emotions feel heavy. From poetic laments to prophetic promises, discover how every part of God’s Word can bring peace,...
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Why Some People Are Blunt — and How to Love Them
Why are some people so blunt—and why does it sting? In this honest and humorous episode of Sunburnt Souls: A Christian Mental Health Podcast, Dave and Jess Quak explore why blunt people speak the way they do and how relationships can thrive when truth meets grace. From prophetic personalities and...
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Faith & Mental Health: Finding God in the Mess of Bipolar, Anxiety & Depression
In this solo episode of Sunburnt Souls, a Christian mental health podcast, host Dave Quak opens up about faith, mental illness, and what it means to live a life that’s “unideal” yet deeply loved by God. From a story about Tony with Tourette’s in church to reflections on his own bipolar journey,...
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The Indigo Psalms: Faith, Mental Health & Hope with Indigo Rogers
Sunburnt Souls is a Christian Mental Health Podcast. This week we meet 18 year old Indigo Rogers. She has already published her first book The Indigo Psalms: Volume One—a raw and beautiful collection of personal psalms written since she was 14. In this episode, Dave Quak sits down with Indigo to...
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Schizophrenia, Faith & Business: Loving Jesus While Running a Startup
This is Sunburnt Souls, the Christian Mental Health Podcast. Host Dave Quak welcomes back Tomas Heligr-Pyke...Tom gets real about navigating hallucinations at work, recognising what’s real, and how prayer and gratitude ground his mental health and faith. We unpack why films like Shutter Island…
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The Single Life: Faith and Mental Health in the Church.
Sunburnt Souls is a Christian Mental Health Podcast. Today, we find out what’s it really like to navigate Christian singleness in your 20s and 30s—while guarding your mental health and staying true to your faith? In this candid conversation, Dom and Sara join Dave to talk dating with purpose,...
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Women in Leadership with Jess Quak and Maddy Mandall: Navigating Faith, Ministry, and Mental Health (Part 2)
This is Sunburnt Souls, the Christian Mental Health Podcast. In Part 2, Jess and Dave Quak continue their discussion... They explore living out a ministry calling, navigating gender-based expectations, and the joys of pastoral work, emphasising authentic leadership and empowering the next...
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Women in Leadership with Jess Quak and Maddy Mandall: Navigating Faith, Ministry, and Mental Health (Part 1)
In the first of a two-part series on SUNBURNT SOULS, Jess and Dave Quak are joined by Maddy Mandall to discuss the unique challenges and rewards of women in church leadership. Following last week's episode on women in leadership, Maddy shares her journey as a female pastor, her experiences with...
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Women in Ministry: Calling, Church Stigma, and Mental Health — with Jess Quak
In this episode of Sunburnt Souls, the Christian mental health podcast founded by pastor Dave Quak (who lives with bipolar disorder), Dave sits down with his wife Pastor Jess Quak, to talk candidly about the realities of being a woman in church leadership — and the unique mental health challenges...
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From Hillsong to Humanitarian: Joel A'Bell on Faith and Leadership
In this episode of Sunburnt Souls, the Christian mental health podcast founded by pastor Dave Quak (who lives with bipolar disorder), Dave welcomes Joel A'Bell, former Hillsong Global Director and current Oceania Regional Leader for Convoy of Hope. They dive into the mental and emotional toll of...
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Faith, Mental Health & Ministry: Ralph Mayhew on Depression, Pastoring, and Finding Joy in Jesus
In this vital episode of Sunburnt Souls, a Christian mental health podcast, founder Dave Quak (pastor living with bipolar disorder) sits down with pastor, church planter, and creative Ralph Mayhew to explore the raw realities of depression, anxiety, and ministry burnout in the Christian world....
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Rebuilding Life After Divorce: A Christian Woman’s Journey of Faith and Remarriage with Ash Morrison
In this second part of Ash Morrison’s story on Sunburnt Souls- A Christian Mental Health Podcast, host Dave Quak explores Ash’s journey of rebuilding her life as a Christian woman after divorce. Ash shares the challenges of navigating divorce, parenting three young children (including one with...
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Christian Mental Health & Divorce: Ash Morrison on Healing Guilt and Finding Faith
In this powerful episode of the Sunburnt Souls Christian Mental Health Podcast, host Pastor Dave Quak sits down with Monica Cook, a Sydney-based Christian sexologist from Life to the Full, to talk about faith, intimacy, and healing in a world still bound by stigma and silence. Together they…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Sunburnt Souls is a Christian mental health podcast exploring faith, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and emotional resilience through honest conversations and biblical hope.
Hosted by Pastor Dave Quak, an Aussie pastor living with bipolar disorder, the podcast explores what it really looks like to follow Jesus through the highs, lows, and everything in between.
Each episode shares powerful stories, biblical encouragement, and practical tools for navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, and mental wellness as a follower of Christ.
Whether you’re battling darkness, searching for joy, or trying to make sense of faith and mental illness, you’re not alone. Sunburnt Souls is a safe, unfiltered space for honest conversations about Christian mental health.
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. 🌐 Learn more at sunburntsouls.com
HOSTED BY
Dave Quak
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem have?
Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem currently has 125 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem about?
Sunburnt Souls is a Christian mental health podcast exploring faith, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and emotional resilience through honest conversations and biblical hope. Hosted by Pastor Dave Quak, an Aussie pastor living with bipolar disorder, the podcast explores what it really looks...
How often does Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem release new episodes?
Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem publishes regularly with 125 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem?
You can listen to Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem 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 Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem?
Sunburnt Souls | Faith, Mental Health & Mayhem is created and hosted by Dave Quak.
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