Faith & Feelings

In this episode, I’m sharing something that feels both really right and really hard to say out loud. After years of showing up weekly, I’ve recognized that I don’t have the space I want to give this podcast. Not just time, but energy, creativity, and depth. And I care too much about what we’re cultivating here to keep showing up in a way that feels rushed or stretched thin. So I’m shifting this podcast into seasonal series. This conversation is about learning to let my limits be real. Not something to push past, but something to listen to. I also close with a reflection I wrote called A Liturgy for Limits.  The podcast returns June 15 with a new summer series. Until then, you can connect with me on Instagram. Thank you for being here. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

What does emotional safety actually look like in real life?  We use that language all the time — “I don’t feel safe” — but it often holds a wide range of experiences, from true relational harm to simple discomfort or vulnerability. In this episode, we slow that phrase down and explore the difference. Drawing on insights from author and psychiatrist Curt Thompson, we unpack why emotional safety isn’t about always feeling calm or at ease, but about the ability to stay connected, even in moments of tension, uncertainty, or emotional exposure. We also walk through six signs of emotional safety in friendships. If you’ve ever wondered what emotional safety actually looks like in real life, not just in theory, this episode will help you name it, recognize it, and move toward it. I hope you’ll listen in. Thought-provoking quotes:  “We often collapse a whole spectrum of emotional experiences into the word ‘unsafe,’ and when we do that, we lose clarity about what’s actually happening inside us.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Safety is not the absence of activation. It’s the presence of connection inside it: the ability to stay with yourself and with someone else, even when what you’re feeling isn’t calm or easy.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: emotional safety, relationships, friendship, connection, conflict, vulnerability, attachment, self-awareness, Curt Thompson, confidence, growth, trust, intimacy, emotions, listening, honesty

The depth of our relationships is often shaped by the depth of our communication. Not just what we say, but how we say it...and even more than that, why we say it. Communication isn’t just a skill we learn. it’s something that’s been formed in us. Through our stories, our families, our attachment, the environments that shaped us long before we had language for any of it. In today’s conversation, I’m joined by therapist and author Jason VanRuler to explore the different communication patterns we tend to fall into, how those patterns are formed, and what it looks like to grow in self-awareness so that our friendships can actually deepen. We also talk about hard conversations: why they matter, why they’re so difficult, and how learning to step into them can become one of the most meaningful pathways to connection. I hope you'll listen in. Check out Jason's new book Discovering Your Communication Type ⁠here⁠. Thought-provoking quotes: “Our ability to have relationships hangs on our ability to communicate.” - Jason VanRuler “Some of us are starters in relationships, and some of us are sustainers...but lasting relationships require depth. Depth requires self-awareness, and the ability to understand where someone else is coming from.” - Jason VanRuler “A good communicator understands themselves. A great communicator understands other people.” - Jason VanRuler Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words:communication, relationships, friendship, connection, conflict, vulnerability, attachment, self-awareness, communication styles, communication patterns, growth, trust, intimacy, emotions, listening, honesty, Jason VanRuler

Vulnerability is often talked about as openness, but what if it’s actually about capacity? In this episode, we continue our series on friendships by exploring what it really takes to share our inner world with one another in a meaningful way. Drawing from Dr. David Schnarch’s work on the Four Points of Balance, we look at vulnerability not just as something we do, but as something we practice within relationship. From developing a Solid Flexible Self, to cultivating a Quiet Mind & Calm Heart, to practicing Grounded Responding and Meaningful Endurance, this episode unpacks how we stay rooted in ourselves while building deeper, more honest friendships. I invite us to rethink vulnerability, not as raw exposure, but as a lived, relational balance that shapes the way we show up in our friendships. Thought-provoking quotes: “For every one of us, vulnerability has told a story in our lives...not always directly, but through our experiences. Through the moments we’ve shared something real, and how those moments were received.” - Taylor Joy Murray “We all carry an inner world: a rich, complex web of thoughts, feelings, and experiences that shapes who we are. But expressing that inner world, learning how to put it into words and share it with someone else, takes time and practice.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Vulnerability isn’t just about being open. It’s about being present. It’s about staying connected to yourself while also staying connected to someone else.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: friendship, authentic relationships, emotional safety, community, vulnerability, loneliness, connection, intimacy, curiosity, authenticity, personal growth, spiritual formation, courage, compassion, self-awareness

How do we actually cultivate deeper friendships? The kind where we don’t have to perform, hide, or carry the weight of our lives alone? In this episode, we begin a new series on soul friendships: relationships marked by honesty, presence, and a shared attentiveness to God’s work in our lives. But before we talk about how to build them, we start with something more honest: the tension so many of us feel between our longing to be known and our instinct to hide. We also unpack what soul friendships really are, where the idea comes from, and the key markers that set them apart…from authenticity and openness to a lack of agenda and a shared curiosity about where God is at work. These kinds of friendships don’t just support our lives. They shape them. And they become spaces where we are seen, formed, and invited into deeper connection with both God and others. Thought-provoking quotes: “Love doesn’t actually allow for that kind of hiding. Love invites our whole selves and our whole stories out into the light.” - Taylor Joy Murray “We were made for spaces where the broken and the beautiful parts of our lives can be held together, without fear of being too much or not enough.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Spiritual friendships are not built on performance, but on a kind of self-giving love that has its source in God.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Friendship becomes a kind of relational mirror: a space where we come to know ourselves more truthfully because we are seen, reflected, and responded to by another person.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: friendship, authentic relationships, emotional safety, community, vulnerability, loneliness, connection, intimacy, curiosity, authenticity, personal growth, spiritual formation, courage, compassion, self-awareness

In this episode, I invite us into a guided time of imaginative prayer — a contemplative practice rooted in the early church mothers and fathers that helps us encounter God in a personal, embodied way. Together, we step into a crowded home in Luke 5, where a group of friends carries someone they love to Jesus. As we enter this scene, we slow down, engage our senses, and notice what stirs within us as we witness their persistence, their love, and the vulnerability of being seen and known. I hope you'll join me as we walk onto the scene of Luke 5:17–20, 24–26 and ask the Spirit to speak to us through this story. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: friendship, authentic relationships, emotional safety, imaginative prayer, guided reflection, vulnerability, loneliness, connection, intimacy, curiosity, authenticity, personal growth, spiritual formation, courage, compassion, self-awareness

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship lately. Not the surface-level kind, but the kind that actually sees you. The kind that knows the messy, unedited parts of your life…and stays. In my own life and in my work with clients, I keep noticing the same patterns: we hold back, self-edit, and worry we’re “too much.” Beneath those fears, though, is a quiet longing: to be known, understood, and truly seen. In this new series, we’ll explore that longing and the courageous work it takes to step into deeper friendship. Through conversations with guests and reflections from my own work as a therapist, we’ll talk about vulnerability, emotional safety, and the skills that help deepen relationships. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: friendship, authentic relationships, emotional safety, vulnerability, loneliness, connection, intimacy, curiosity, authenticity, personal growth, spiritual formation, courage, compassion, self-awareness, 

Most of us learn early in life who we need to be in order to survive. We adopt roles and masks that help us belong and stay safe. But often, somewhere along the way, the soul initiates a crisis. The strategies that once worked begin to feel constricting, and we’re invited to look beneath the roles we’ve been playing. In this final episode of our Why Does My Healing Matter? series, I explore how healing expands our awareness, creating space between reaction and response. Because healing isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about gaining the freedom to choose connection, presence, and curiosity in the moments that once pulled us back into survival. Thought-provoking quotes:  “Healing doesn’t happen by avoiding the things that activate us. It happens through them. The charge around the pain lessens when something different happens in the very moments that once triggered us.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Every time someone is glad to be with you in a moment that once triggered shame or defensiveness, your nervous system learns something new: connection is safe here.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Maybe healing is simply choosing, in small moments, to stay. To stay present in your body, to stay curious instead of certain, and to stay connected instead of cutting off.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Most of life isn’t lived in dramatic breakthroughs. It’s lived in ordinary moments of tension: misunderstandings, disappointments, and hard conversations. And underneath those moments is a quiet question: will I move toward survival, or toward connection?” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: healing, trauma, personal growth, mental health, nervous system regulation, self awareness, emotional health, spiritual formation, spirituality, identity, attachment, relationships, nervous system, emotional resilience, curiosity, crisis

Many of us go through life unaware of how our histories influence the way we relate: to God, to ourselves, and to the people closest to us. Old patterns and unresolved pain often surface in subtle ways, shaping our reactions and the ways we show up in relationships. In this conversation, I’m joined by Pete Sharp, a family friend and missionary with over 20 years of experience in cross-cultural work and leadership. Pete shares openly about recognizing old self-strategies, stepping into real-time awareness, and letting the truth of the gospel meet the deepest parts of his story. We talk about how healing isn’t just personal. it affects marriages, friendships, and the way we engage with the world. I hope you'll listen in. Thought-provoking quotes: "I just kept thinking, I need to try harder. I just need to stop doing that thing. It made me realize it’s a lie to think I’m just stuck in this way of behaving and that I can’t get out of it. There might actually be a different strategy than just trying harder to be different.” - Pete Sharp “Healing, for me, is bringing the truth of the gospel to bear on our stories and on our past experiences.” - Pete Sharp "We all have a false gospel that we believe — a way of surviving that we learned in childhood. It’s usually something like, ‘I’m okay so long as…’ and then you fill in the blank.” - Pete Sharp  "When we engage in healing, it frees us up to have a broad range of responses. I feel now less stuck. It just feels like there are more options in the toolbox. I don’t feel quite so trapped in always responding the same way." - Pete Sharp Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: spirituality, personal growth, healing, self-protection, gospel, faith, formation, identity, attachment, shame, insecurity, marriage, leadership, community, vulnerability, triggers, patterns, growth, freedom, discipleship, self-awareness, relationships

Sometimes the places in our hearts that feel most tender are also the places we avoid looking. Rejection can leave quiet echoes, forming the way we see ourselves, the lens through which we trust others, and the story we tell about our worth. These old wounds don’t always announce themselves, but they shape how we show up in relationships and in life. In this conversation with trauma therapist Tabitha Panariso, we explore what it looks like to heal from the wounds of rejection and begin to embody the gospel’s invitations towards belonging and belovedness. Tabitha shares how healing isn’t just about moving on, but about resuscitating the heart and learning to receive God’s compassion for ourselves. I hope you'll listen in. Check out Tabitha's book Loyal in His Love here. Thought-provoking quotes: “We are not a problems to be fixed. We are people to be loved." - Tabitha Panariso "What we often call ‘moving on’ is really just self-protection.” - Tabitha Panariso "To be willing to say something hurts means we’re more inclined to receive healing. If we can’t acknowledge the pain, we’ll never look for wholeness.” - Tabitha Panariso "Learning to receive compassion is one of the hardest parts of embodying the gospel.” - Tabitha Panariso Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Rejection, trauma, spiritual formation, self-compassion, abandonment wounds, relationship patterns, self-protection, belonging, identity, grief, lament, relational healing, emotional awareness, personal growth, curiosity, Tabitha Panariso 

We speak of spiritual transformation as if it should be obvious: visible, measurable, steady. Yet many of us quietly wonder what participation in God’s work of transformation actually looks like. Beneath our theology often exists a deeper question: How do I actually step into the transformation Christ has already secured? In this episode, we explore what it means to let the finished work of Jesus move from doctrine into lived experience. If the cross is still active, still transformative, then healing is not something we manufacture. It’s something we learn to participate in. And that participation begins with awareness and presence: noticing what is happening inside us and inviting God to meet us there. Thought-provoking quotes: “The cross is where transformation arises. It’s the moment in time that transcends time. It moves us from death to life, from bondage to freedom, from brokenness to wholeness, from being lost to being welcomed into God’s embrace over and over again.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Healing begins not in striving, but in noticing what is real and welcoming God into it.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__   Key words:  healing journey, presence, self compassion, curiosity, self awareness, emotional wounds, emotional regulation, spiritual formation, wisdom, spiritual integration, spiritual maturity, emotional health, personal growth

There are seasons in life when no matter how much we give, how hard we try, it feels like effort isn’t enough. The work we put into our relationships, our faith, our responsibilities meets walls we can’t move, questions we can’t answer, and pain that refuses to be ignored. In these moments, we are often confronted with the reality that pushing harder isn’t always the answer. In this conversation with Pastor Ray Jones, he speaks honestly about the walls he has faced: in life, in ministry, in family. He reflects on seasons of anger, betrayal, and disillusionment, and how God’s invitation to healing often comes through the very places we’d rather avoid. Ray talks about the subtle ways old wounds and unprocessed grief shape our reactions, and what it means to stay present when the path forward isn’t clear, when the work of growth is painful, and when there is no quick resolution. I hope you'll listen in. Thought-provoking quotes: “I’ve come to recognize that God gives good gifts to His children. He’s kind and compassionate. And in His mysteriousness, He allows pain and suffering that actually works for our good. Sitting in the truth that God is a good Father…that’s been really formative for me.” - Pastor Ray Jones “There are certain things that trigger our response. It’s like a reflex. And I’ve had to recognize, ‘This is little Ray, who got bullied as a kid, who’s got his dukes up.’ That’s not how God wants me to keep responding. And it’s very humbling.” - Pastor Ray Jones “To run from hard things is only going to lead to more pain, not just in your life, but in the lives of the people you love. It’s hard, it hurts, it’s uncomfortable…but it’s worth it. Sit in the discomfort. Trust that God is doing a good thing in you.” - Pastor Ray Jones Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__   Key words: spiritual formation, healing journey, hitting the wall, spiritual crisis, faith deconstruction, pastoral burnout, church leadership, anger, suffering, spiritual growth, faith and emotional health, grace, self-compassion, stages of faith, identity, self-awareness, personal growth, Ray Jones

There comes a moment in many of our lives when we begin to notice that the way we love has been shaped by pain we haven’t fully tended to. Old wounds resurface, familiar patterns repeat, and our unhealed places begin to influence how we show up in relationships. In this conversation with spiritual director Barb Boatner, we explore how healing changes the way we love. Barb talks about learning to love from a place of presence rather than self-protection, and how pain doesn’t disappear when it’s avoided, but often leaks out sideways -- impacting those closest to us. She also shares why healing is not peripheral to faith, but central to spiritual formation. Together, we reflect on how healing opens us to deeper connection: with God, with others, and with the people we love. I hope you'll listen in. Learn more about Barb at http://sacred-companion.org/ Thought-provoking quotes: “The way we love is shaped either by our wounds or by our healing.” - Barb Boatner "Curiosity instead of judgment changes everything.” - Barb Boatner “I can’t change what happened to me. But I can change how I relate to it. Healing is learning to stay with myself in kindness." - Barb Boatner Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__   Key words: healing journey, befriending yourself, self compassion, curiosity, self awareness, emotional wounds, emotional regulation, spiritual formation, wisdom, spiritual integration, spiritual maturity, emotional health, personal growth, spiritual director, Barb Boatner

We live in a world that rewards speed, productivity, and quick fixes, but healing doesn’t move at that pace. The soul speaks a different language. One that is slower, messier, and far more courageous. In this episode, we explore what it actually means to begin the healing journey — not as a linear path toward improvement, but as a winding, nonlinear process we return to again and again.  Drawing from clinical experience and personal reflection, I explore four common internal responses that often arise when healing begins to stir: “It’s too hard.” “It’s not necessary.” “I don’t know how.” “It’s not possible for me.” Rather than obstacles, these responses are compassionate entry points. Places shaped by survival, pain, and longing. This episode invites a gentler posture toward yourself and toward God: not having to be ready, but simply willing. Thought-provoking questions: “Healing is far messier and far more complicated than we expect. It’s nonlinear. It isn’t a single moment of breakthrough, but a spiraling journey we return to again and again throughout our lives.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Real change only happens when we are willing to go the long way round—a longer, more arduous, more inward, and more prayerful route.” - Sue Monk Kidd “More often than not, I’m learning that God’s presence in healing looks less like a Rescuer and more like a Midwife.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__   Key words: healing journey, befriending yourself, self compassion, curiosity, self awareness, emotional wounds, emotional regulation, spiritual formation, wisdom, spiritual integration, spiritual maturity, emotional health, personal growth

There comes a moment in many of our lives when the idea of “healing” starts to feel confusing — or even exhausting. The word we’ve heard so often begins to lose its meaning. And the hope that we’ll one day arrive at a version of ourselves that no longer hurts starts to feel out of reach. In this episode of our new series, Why Does My Healing Matter?, we explore what healing looks like when it isn’t a destination to achieve, but a relationship to tend. We talk about the difference between fixing what’s broken and befriending the parts of ourselves shaped by pain—and why the healing we avoid is often what shows up most in our relationships. Listen in. Thought-provoking quotes: “Healing is the most selfless thing you can ever do for the people you love.” - Dan Allender “When we don’t tend to our own wounds, we unconsciously ask the people we love to carry the weight of them.” - Taylor Joy Murray “Healing isn’t about arriving at a version of yourself that no longer hurts. It’s about becoming a compassionate witness to the version of you that does.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__   Key words: healing journey, befriending yourself, self compassion, curiosity, self awareness, emotional wounds, emotional regulation, spiritual formation, wisdom, spiritual integration, spiritual maturity, emotional health, personal growth

In this episode, I invite us into a guided time of imaginative prayer — a contemplative practice rooted in the early church mothers and fathers that helps us encounter God in a personal, embodied way. Together, we step into the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus on the night before His crucifixion. As we enter this scene, we slow down, engage our senses, and notice what stirs within us as we witness Jesus’ honesty, sorrow, and surrender before the Father. I hope you'll join me as we walk onto the scene of Matthew 26:36-42 and ask the Spirit to speak to us through this story. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: healing journey, befriending yourself, self compassion, curiosity, self awareness, emotional wounds, emotional regulation, spiritual formation, wisdom, spiritual integration, spiritual maturity, emotional health, personal growth

There’s a question I hear often — both in the therapy room and in conversations about faith: Why does my healing matter? Why does change feel so hard, and sometimes even unnecessary?  This week on Faith & Feelings, I invite us to explore why healing isn’t separate from spiritual formation, but one of the primary ways God’s transforming work takes shape in us. Together, we’ll reflect on how healing shapes who we’re becoming, expands our capacity for love, and changes how we show up in our relationships. This trailer introduces our next series, “Why Does My Healing Matter?”, and invites us to get curious about our own inner lives — not as a self-improvement project, but as a response to God’s ongoing work within us. Thought-provoking quotes: “We do this work to become fierce, tender lovers of God, others, and ourselves.” - Mary Ellen Owen “When we tend to our own healing, we stop unconsciously asking others to carry the weight of our unresolved pain.” - Taylor Joy Murray "Inner work and healing are not distractions from sanctification. They are the very places where God’s redemptive work becomes concrete, relational, and embodied.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Spiritual formation, healing, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, hope, connection, community, relationships

Today, we continue our Advent journey by stepping into Anna’s quiet yet powerful moment of worship in Luke 2:36–38. As a widow shaped by years of loss, prayer, fasting, and devotion, Anna’s eyes had been trained to recognize Jesus when He appeared in the temple. Her story invites us to consider how a life turned toward God forms our ability to truly see Him. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, this episode explores what it means to make room for worship — to offer our grief, longing, and faithfulness to God. Through Anna’s witness, we’re invited to see how worship clarifies our spiritual vision so that when God shows up in our own stories, we’ll recognize Him — and help others see Him too. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection, worship

Today, we continue our Advent journey by stepping into the shepherds’ moment of wonder in Luke 2:15–20. As they hurry to Bethlehem and behold the newborn Jesus lying in a manger, we are invited into a deeper way of seeing — one that moves beyond surface-level observation and into holy perception. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, we explore the difference between simply seeing with our physical eyes and truly perceiving with hearts open to awe. This episode invites us to rediscover a sense of holy astonishment this Christmas. To make room for wonder and to perceive God’s presence with fresh eyes. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection, wonder

Today, we continue our Advent journey by stepping into Mary’s honest moment of questioning in Luke 1:34–38. When she asks, “How will this be?” she names the real limits of her life — and yet it’s within those very limits that God chooses to work. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, we explore how God chooses not to bypass human limits but to work within them. In the incarnation, God takes on the constraints of our humanity and invites Mary — and us — into partnership not by asking for strength, expertise, or perfection, but by inviting simple availability. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection, limits

Today, we continue our Advent journey by entering a moment of profound humility in the Christmas story — a moment of divine descent. We pause with Mary as she receives Gabriel’s astonishing message in Luke 1:31–33, and we reflect on the mystery of how the Son of the Most High chose to come not in power or prestige, but in vulnerability and dependence. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s devotional Making Room in Advent, we consider how God’s choice to descend into our humanity reveals His heart, and how His downward movement invites us to follow in love, vulnerability, and humility. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, vulnerability, listening, creativity, emotions, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope, connection

Today, we begin our Advent journey by entering a quiet moment in the Christmas story — a moment of hiddenness and waiting. We explore Elizabeth’s five months of solitude in Luke 1:23–25 and reflect on how God used that secluded space to reshape her identity and nurture new life within her. Drawing from Bette Dickinson’s Making Room in Advent, we consider how solitude becomes a sacred womb where God does his deepest work in us. I hope you’ll listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, solitude, silence, listening, creativity, emotions, vulnerability, curiosity, presence, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope 

Preparation for the Christmas season can often feel busy and frantic, but it doesn't have to be this way. What if we stopped and listened to the movement and unfolding of God's plan around us? Next week on the podcast, we'll begin walking through one of favorite advent devotionals Making Room in Advent by Bette Dickinson. Today, I wanted to give us the chance to get to know her a little bit before we begin. Bette brings such wisdom and depth into this conversation. I want to invite you to take your time listening and really pondering what she offers us today.  Bette helps us reimagine Advent not as another thing to rush through, but as an invitation to pause and make room for God’s movement in and around us. She reminds us that God often speaks in the most unlikely spaces... in Scripture and in our own lives. I hope you'll listen in. Use the MRA25 to receive 25% off the devotional on Bette's website. Thought-provoking quotes: “Allowing yourself to slow down may be the greatest gift you give yourself — and the world — in this season.” - Bette Dickinson “What would it look like to allow Jesus to grow within your soul this season — with all the aches and vulnerability that come with new birth? Even your longings and your losses are not lost on God. They can become the very place of encounter.” - Bette Dickinson  “There’s a reason Paul says he is ‘in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in us.’ The journey of being transformed — of letting God grow something new within us — is vulnerable. It requires surrender. It often feels like limitation. But that is the invitation of Advent. Whether we’re carrying longing, disappointment, joy, or exhaustion, God wants to form something in us. Christ can be born in us in ways we don’t expect.” - Bette Dickinson Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words:  Advent devotional, Advent season, incarnation, spiritual formation, creativity, embodied faith, art, contemplative practices, breath prayers vulnerability, longing, Advent practices, slowing down, Bette Dickinson, waiting, hope, wonder

With exactly 45 days left of 2025, I thought it would be good — and honestly, necessary — to pause and get curious about our inner life as we approach the end of the year. How are we doing…really? And how are we ending this year? In this episode, I guide us through some gentle reflection and invite us to slow down long enough to notice what’s true inside: where we are, what we’re carrying, and how our soul is meeting this moment. I hope you’ll listen in. Thought-provoking quotes:  "The reality of your inner life doesn’t arrive as a flashing headline, a clickbait link, or a push notification. It doesn’t announce itself with urgency. It rarely interrupts you.” - Taylor Joy Murray “The life that wants to be lived in us exists, but it’s subtle. It’s quiet. It whispers more than it shouts. And unless we intentionally turn our ear toward it, it’s incredibly easy to miss the low tones of desire, gifting, calling, and connection that are already moving within us.” - Taylor Joy Murray “This is what happens when God chooses to dwell with us. He unfolds in us, and we unfold in him. Advent is a gestation process. It is a season of allowing Christ to be formed in us as we also are formed in him.” - Bette Dickinson Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, spiritual formation, listening, creativity, emotions, vulnerability, curiosity, presence, year-end reflection, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, waiting, hope 

As we enter the Advent season, I’ve been longing for a way to slow down. To step away from the rush of December and make a little more room for stillness and wonder. And I thought… maybe you’ve been craving that, too. So this December, we’ll be walking through one of my all-time favorite Advent books: Making Room in Advent by Bette Dickinson. If you’ve never read it, this book beautifully weaves together Scripture, art, and reflection in a way that helps you connect not just with the story of Jesus’ coming, but with your own story, too. Through the Advent season, we’ll journey together through the devotional, week by week, creating space to pause, to breathe, and to open our hearts to the ways God is already at work—even in the waiting. Check out Bette Dickinson's devotional Making Room in Advent Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Advent season, devotional, Bette Dickinson, spiritual formation, creativity, emotions, vulnerability, curiosity, presence, reflection, process, courage, self-awareness, emotional health, personal growth, art, waiting, hope 

In this special three-year anniversary episode, I take time to reflect on the journey, the stories, and the conversations that shaped my book Stop Saying I’m Fine: Finding Stillness When Anxiety Screams — which released three years ago this week. From the moment I knew I was going to write the book, to the vulnerable process of putting words to my story, to the unexpected ripple effects that followed, I share what I’ve learned along the way and what has surprised me most. You’ll also hear some of my favorite messages from readers whose words have deeply moved me. This episode is an invitation to pause, to look back with gratitude, and to look forward with hope and anticipation. Thought-provoking quotes: "Writing can be a profound practice of spiritual formation." - Stephanie Duncan Smith "I think that the fullness of a book’s potential emerges from a kind of spiritual communion between the soul of a writer and the Spirit of God, which extends to a similar kind of communion between the writer and reader." - Taylor Joy Murray "As I chose to stay awake—to God and to my own soul—as I wrote, I was also stretching the creative muscles that were forming me into more of the person I wanted to be. Writing often uses the same muscles as healing: inviting us to become the kind of person who pushes back against resistance and shows up to tell the whole truth." - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: writing, healing, spiritual formation, creativity, mental health, anxiety, emotions, vulnerability, storytelling, creativity, curiosity, presence, reflection, process, courage, self-awareness, Stop Saying I’m Fine, emotional health, personal growth

A few months ago, I released a podcast episode where I invited listeners into a time of guided prayer called imaginative prayer—a practice that helps us encounter God in a more personal, embodied way. Since then, I’ve heard from so many listeners asking for more episodes like that one. So today, I wanted to offer another time of guided prayer. This form of contemplative prayer dates back the early church mothers and fathers. When we engage in this kind of prayer, we use our imaginations to place ourselves within a scene from Scripture. I hope you'll join me as we walk onto the scene of Psalm 23 and ask the Spirit to speak to us through this story. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: imaginative prayer, contemplative prayer, guided prayer, Scripture meditation,  mindfulness, prayer practice, spiritual formation, self-compassion, curiosity, emotional regulation, faith and mental health, soul care practices, Christian spirituality, emotions

In this episode, I’m joined by Janice McWilliams, licensed therapist, spiritual director, and author of Restore My Soul: Reimagining Self-Care for a Sustainable Life. Janice offers a deeply grounded and compassionate approach to self-care — one modeled after the life of Jesus. Together, we talk about what it means to care for your inner world in real time, moment by moment. True self-care, as Janice describes, isn’t about stepping away from our lives. It’s about learning to show up to our lives with more awareness and kindness. We explore how to: Cultivate awareness and compassion toward your thoughts Live well your emotions  Develop rhythms that restore your soul  Live a fulfilling life   Thought-provoking quotes: “When we think of Psalm 23, we often picture rest after exhaustion, but I believe Jesus wants us to live before we collapse. He invites us to green pastures not just to recover, but to remain restored.” - Janice McWilliams “It takes us about 45 to 90 seconds to experience an emotion from beginning to end if we’re not trying to stop it or repress it. So many people are afraid that if they start feeling something, they’ll have to hide away for a week. But really, it’s the avoidance that drains us.” - Janice McWilliams “I want all of us to become so familiar with the voice of the Good Shepherd that we can distinguish it from every other voice in our minds. The Good Shepherd’s voice carries faith, hope, love, and peace—it doesn’t speak through worry, rumination, or despair. Those patterns might sound urgent or logical, but they aren’t the language of Jesus. His voice leads us toward gentleness and life, never toward self-condemnation or fear.” - Janice McWilliams Check out Janice's book Restore My Soul Explore Janice's free resources Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__  Key words: Janice McWilliams, exhaustion, burnout, emotions, faith, vulnerability, emotional regulation, mental health, emotional health, personal growth, rest, spiritual formation, community, mindfulness, self-compassion, curiosity, emotional safety, self care, soul care, spiritual direction, therapy

There comes a moment in many of our lives when the faith we once held with certainty begins to shift. The language that once felt alive starts to feel distant. And the ways we used to connect with God stop working the same way.  In this conversation with spiritual director with Grace Cabalka, we explore what it can look like to walk through a spiritual wilderness — and to not just to survive it, but to be transformed by it. Grace shares her own story of a crisis of faith, the role of community in this season of shattering, and the personal practices and postures that became good companions along the way. Together, we talk about the slow, tender work of listening, leaning into vulnerability, and learning to make space for the mystery of God in new ways. Listen in. Thought-provoking quotes: "For a long time, Taylor, I couldn't read the Bible. I couldn't pray because I didn't have words. So I literally would just go get in my chair, my brown leather chair that I still have it and sit in there in the morning. And I couldn't have my quiet time. I just didn't have the tools. They were all broken. And so I just would sit there and say, Lord, I'm here." - Grace Cabalka "My foundation wasn't as solid as I thought it was. And I didn't get wiped away, but I did crumble. And then that had to be rebuilt really on the foundation of love and acceptance, and that God is for me all the time and nothing can ever separate us from his love ever, ever, ever. And that's what drives us and motivates us. That's what Paul said. His love is what compels me. Not the guilt, not the shame, not the rules, but his love." - Grace Cabalka "I think that there can be easier ways to get through the wilderness if you can find a hand to hold, find someone to walk with you along with the Holy Spirit. But those first few moments and days and weeks are very dark and it's very scary and it's very lonely. And I would just encourage you to just show up to those emotions, show up to yourself, and don't shame yourself for it. You've done nothing wrong." - Grace Cabalka Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

For centuries, Christians have wandered through wilderness seasons — walking through valleys of shadow and silence, facing loss, confusion, and what feels like divine absence. You might not be in that place right now, but for those who are, it can feel lonely and disorienting to realize that something which once felt natural or accessible has changed — especially when that “something” feels foundational to your faith. When your old ideas about God, or faith, or the way you’ve always connected to the divine start to crack or shatter, it can feel like losing your footing entirely. But maybe, that shattering isn’t obliteration. Maybe it’s more of a breaking open for something truer, more spacious, and more real. In this episode, I share five reflections on what I’m learning in this kind of season: I’m learning to (1) welcome wonder (2) practice presence (3) hold the tension (4) live my questions (5) let uncertainty become my teacher. Thought-provoking quotes: “My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered from time to time. I’m still learning that my ideas about God are not divine.” - C.S. Lewis “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” - Rainer Maria Rilke “The unknown can become both a teacher a kind of sanctuary — a place where you’re invited to listen differently. You start to notice what’s always been true but often hidden beneath the noise: that you are being held, even here.” - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Have you ever noticed how children live so close to themselves? Fully connected to their bodies, emotions, and tears, without the layers of shame or self-editing we often learn as we get older. In many ways, children model what it means to be fully human. And the truth is, what kids show us is still inside of us. In this episode, I share a simple 5-step rhythm for practicing compassionate curiosity towards your own heart—a way of remembering that childlike way of listening that opens us unto a deeper kind of transformation.  It’s not a formula, but a gentle starting place for deeper reflection and attunement to what’s happening inside you. Thought-provoking quotes: “There are many magical things about being around kids, but one of my favorites these days is how kids often remind us what is true of all of us right from the start. Our kids come into the world knowing how to listen to their bodies.” - Hillary McBride "A key part of soul care is reconnecting with this childlike way of listening to our bodies— and tuning in with compassion and curiosity to the life unfolding within us. It isn’t necessarily about learning something new. It’s about remembering what we already know." - Taylor Joy Murray "This practice of compassionate attention to what’s happening within us, what we’re learning, noticing and experiencing, becomes a reminder that we’re not just moving through life—we’re becoming someone in the process." - Taylor Joy Murray Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Silence always tells a story. We’re in the middle of a podcast series on soul care, and one of the most important components of creating soul-restoring rhythms is one we often overlook: silence. But before we can embrace the gifts silence has to offer, we usually need to be honest about why we resist it. The way I interpret silence in my own life — and the way you interpret it in yours — has a direct impact on whether we’re drawn to it or tempted to avoid it altogether. So, what story does silence tell in your life? In this episode, I share 5 reflections on the narratives we carry about silence, and why learning to befriend quiet is so essential for the care of our souls. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

We were created for so much more than rushing through life. It’s easy for everything in our lives to seem fine on the surface. But deep down inside, there’s often another story at play―one of overwhelm, stress and heartache, of finding ourselves stuck in old patterns. Rather than feeling the weight of it all, it’s easier to spend our days on autopilot, ignoring the noise inside. But what if the peace and relief we most long for comes from tuning in with what’s happening inside, instead of tuning it out? This is what author and therapist A.C. Seiple and I explore today as we talk about her new book The Sacred Art of Slowing Down. With such gentleness, wisdom, and experience, A.C. invites us to connect with our bodies and get curious about the spaces within that feel most stuck―and find where we need safety, attunement and care. I hope you'll listen in. Check out A.C.'s new book The Sacred Art of Slowing Down Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Some days it can feel like life is on fast-forward, leaving our nervous systems in constant overdrive. What does it look like to invite the whole of our being — bodies, minds, and souls — to slow down and move into a more sustainable pace of life? In this episode, I explore small, intentional practices that can help us move from momentary relief to lasting restoration. I also share three specific shifts I’ve been experimenting with recently — simple changes that are beginning to reshape the way I engage in and experience life. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Many of us know the cycle all too well: exertion, burnout, withdrawal — and then back again. So what do we need to help us live the way that we want to in the world for the long haul? More like Jesus and less like our typical, modern-day stressed out selves? In this opening episode of our new series on Soul Care Practices for a Sustainable Life, I talk about the important differences between soul care and self-care. I also share some reflections from an intense season of grad school, and what I’ve been learning about the rhythms and practices we need to live well in an ongoing way. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Have you tried self-care but found that you still feel overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, and are struggling emotionally? Too many of us – myself included – hold misconceptions or inadequate concepts of self-care, and we are suffering as a result. I’m learning that true, spiritual self-care isn’t about an occasional break. It’s about organizing our lives around the kind of rhythms that Jesus lived by: rhythms of work and rest, fast and slow. It’s learning to pay attention to what’s happening inside of us, and then making small, faithful choices in the everyday moments of life. In our next Faith & Feeling's podcast series, we’re going to be explore what it looks like to build these kinds of soul-restoring rhythms that lead to a sustainable, fulfilling life. I’ll be joined by wise and trusted voices in the soul care and spiritual formation space, who will be sharing what they’re learning on their journey. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Dallas Willard once said, “The most important thing about us is not the decisions that we make, but the person we’re becoming.” That brings us to the final relational skill in this series: which involves, nurturing a growing spirituality that enables us to love God and others well. This calls for an intentional, purposeful plan. To truly implement what we’ve learned over the last few months – and to reverse decades of unhealthy ways of living and operating – requires thoughtfulness. One way to do this is by drawing on an ancient treasure from the Christian tradition called a Rule of Life. Simply put, a Rule of Life is an intentional, conscious framework for keeping God at the center of everything we do. To wrap up our series on emotionally healthy relationships, Carley and I share some rhythms and practices from our own Rules of Life, and offer practical steps for creating one of your own. Listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Throughout any relationship, conflict is inevitable – and it can look different in different seasons or settings.  A core discipleship issue in the new family of Jesus is learning how to resolve conflicts maturely. Often times, Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:9 — “Blessed are the peacemakers” — are misunderstood to mean: Avoid conflict at all costs so no one gets upset. Just be nice. Don’t disrupt the status quo by speaking up.  But this is a tragic misinterpretation of what peacemaking really is. In this episode, Carley and I explore how Jesus modeled true peacemaking with radical and disruptive kindness – a kindness that challenged, disrupted old patterns, and called us into deeper growth. A kindness that even risked disconnection for the sake of deeper intimacy. We also talk about a few different conflict traps that are easy to fall into, and some of the keys for navigating conflict well. Listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

God has shaped and crafted each of us uniquely—with our own personality, thoughts, dreams, temperament, feelings, talents, gifts, and desires. Parker Palmer calls this the ‘true seeds of self,' which God has planted inside of each of us as He invites us to listen to Him and to live faithfully out of our true selves in Christ. When we don’t live in alignment with what we truly believe, think, or feel—or when we ignore our values—we violate our integrity. Something inside of us dies when we stay silent about our values and preferences. God’s invitation is to an ongoing process of grounding our identity in His love and to learning how respectfully assert ourselves. In this conversation, my clinical supervisor Carley and I explore a practice called climbing the ladder of integrity—a way of clarifying our values and living more fully into the person God has made us to be. Listen in. Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Today’s episode is a little different. I’ve stepped away from podcasting this week to prepare for my upcoming counseling exam, but I wanted to share a quick update and one of my favorite prayers with you: “The Litany of Trust.” I can’t wait to be back with you next week! Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

If you’ve been following along with our series on emotionally healthy relationships, this episode really serves as a kind of anchor—or container—for all the relational skills we’ve been exploring. In my conversation with licensed therapist Julie Honeycutt, we dive into the inner work that makes healthy connection possible. We talk about the parts of us that show up in relationships, what it looks like to slow down and turn inward, and how we can begin building trust with ourselves instead of outsourcing our own growth & healing. It’s a conversation about reactivity, self-leadership, and the beautiful—but sometimes difficult—process of learning to show up for the wounded parts of yourself with compassion. This is definitely a note-taking episode, and I’m so grateful for Julie’s insight, and the way she beautifully balances the complexity of this inner work while still making it feel accessible. I hope you'll listen in. Learn more about the Christian IFS Workshop on August 22-23, 2025 at Crosspoint Church in Lynchburg, VA here. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Author and theologian David Augsburger once said, “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” What it means to listen and love well can be best understood around the unfathomable mystery of the incarnation – that God took on human flesh. God knew that there was no better way to convey his love to human beings than to fully enter their world, and the life of Jesus teaches us three dynamics that characterize what it looks to incarnate in order to love people well.  In today’s episode, my clinical supervisor Carley and I walk through each of these 3 active listening skills that can help us grow in this everyday practice of loving others well through how we listen.  Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Scripture teaches that feelings are a key part of what it means to be a human being made in God’s image. When we’re not in touch with what is going on inside us, our thoughts and feelings can feel like inner chaos. A lack of engagement with our interior worlds can cause us to miss many gifts from God. When this happens, we’re not living in reality, but in illusion or denial. And when we are not living in reality, we are not in spirituality, because the authentic spiritual life is not an escape from reality but an absolute commitment to it. In this episode, my clinical supervisor Carley and I unpack our fourth relational skill – a simple but powerful skill for slowing down, processing our emotions, and meeting God in them. We talk about what it looks like to come alive to our feelings, and then integrate those feelings into our discernment of God’s will. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

We all come into the family of Jesus carrying wounds from a broken world and imperfect families. God’s intention is to heal us, but we must first become aware of what needs to be changed in us. In this episode, my clinical supervisor Carley Marcouillier and I talk about how discipleship involves reflecting on both the positive and negative influences of our family of origin. This is hard work. But the extent to which we can go back and understand how our history has shaped us will determine, to a large degree, our ability to break destructive patterns and grow in love towards God and people. We also introduce our third relational skill for emotionally healthy relationships—the genogram—a practical tool for increasing self-awareness and understanding how your family story may still be shaping your present relationships.  LINKS FROM THE EPISODE: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Relationships by Pete Scazzero The Place We Find Ourselves by Adam Young  Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

The stories we tell ourselves have an enormous impact on our feelings, and so often – especially in our relationships – we can tell ourselves stories that aren’t true. Assumptions about what other people are thinking and feeling can quickly become hidden landmines in our relationships. In today’s episode, my clinical supervisor Carley Marcouillier and I unpack our second relational skill for emotionally healthy relationships. This skill has two parts to it: first, how to stop mind reading. And second, how to clarify expectations. I think you’re going to find this conversation both thought-provoking and really practical. Listen in. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

If you’ve ever found yourself longing for deeper connection in your relationship but unsure how to get there, this episode is for you.  Today, my clinical supervisor, licensed therapist Carley Marcouillier, and I kick off our Emotionally Healthy Relationships summer series by introducing a simple, practical communication skill built around five prompts: appreciations, worries & concerns, complaints & possible solutions, new information, and hopes & wishes. These prompts create space for safety, honesty, and emotional closeness within relationships. Whether this is your first time hearing about this skill or you’re looking for a fresh way to grow, we hope this conversation encourages you to take small, meaningful steps toward deeper connection. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Is Grandpa really in my bones?  We’re starting a new series on emotionally healthy relationships, and over the next eight weeks, I’ll be joined by my clinical supervisor and licensed therapist Carley Marcouillier to walk through 8 core relational skills that are essential for developing mature, loving relationships with others. But this week, I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about why. Why are these skills are so important for us to learn? I talk about how we carry our family dynamics into all our relationships and the impact that community can have in fostering our awareness and healing.  Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

In our next podcast series, I’ll be joined by my clinical supervisor, Carley Marcouillier, who is a licensed therapist, podcast host, and ministry leader. Together, we’re going to walk through 8 core relational skills that are essential for cultivating emotionally healthy relationships.  Over the course of eight episodes, we’re going to explore each skill, why it matters, and how to begin practicing it in everyday life. These are skills that we believe can transform the way you relate to those around you. I hope you’ll join us next week, as we talk about what it looks like to grow into people of love, together. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

To wrap up our current series, I wanted to offer something a little different today: A guided time of prayer— called Imaginative Prayer—that can help us enter into a deeper experience of God. This form of contemplative prayer dates back the early church mothers and fathers. When we engage in this kind of prayer, we use our imaginations to place ourselves within a scene from Scripture, particularly in the life of Jesus. I hope you'll join me as we walk onto the scene of Matthew 6:30-42 and ask the Spirit to speak to us through this story. Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__ 

Did you know that the neural pathways for relationship are developed in the first three years of a person’s life? This is the heart of what’s called attachment theory and affects our relationship with ourselves, others, and even our relationships with God. I’m so honored to welcome today’s guest, Summer Joy Gross. Summer is a spiritual director, Anglican priest, and writer who weaves neuroscience, attachment theory, and spiritual practices to help us root ourselves in God’s presence and nearness. In this conversation, Summer walks us through each of the 4 attachment styles, showing us how our earliest experiences of love shape the way that we’ve come to experience God. We talk about the attachment wounds of each style, and how the Spirit actively pursues our healing in these places. Summer also guides us through a beautiful attachment practice in real-time to help to reconnect to God in a more secure way.  Check out Summer's book The Emmanuel Promise Get Faith & Feeling's weekly resource email Watch this episode on YouTube Grab a copy of my book Stop Saying I'm Fine Connect with me on my website  Find me on Instagram @__taylorjoy__