In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, Steve and Clarissa Moll explore the concept of "life-giving habits" — intentional practices categorized into people, places, and activities that help reduce reactivity and deepen awareness of God's presence. Steve explains how building a personalized list of God-given pleasures, from micro-habits like holding a spouse's hand to larger experiences like fly fishing, transforms everyday moments into acts of worship and gratitude. The conversation highlights how these habits build resilience, support community, and transcend cultural boundaries, ultimately inviting listeners to recognize and receive God's gifts more intentionally.

Episode Resources:

Download Steve Cuss’s Life Giving List

Steve Cuss’s Managing Leadership Anxiety

G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV) 

More From Clarissa Moll:

Explore Clarissa Moll’s website

Read Clarissa Moll’s substack

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive

Capable Life Intensives

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In this episode of Being Human with Steve and Lisa Cuss, we recap the current series on family of origin, exploring how inherited patterns shape us spiritually and emotionally. Brain surgeon Dr. Lee Warren explains neuroplasticity and synaptic pruning, showing how early experiences wire the brain. Father-son duo Judson and Ryan Poling share their journey of breaking generational cycles, while Clarissa Moll discusses family roles and how upbringing shapes our view of God. Steve and Lisa weave in attachment theory, genograms, and parenting insights, offering a blend of neuroscience, personal storytelling, and faith-based wisdom to guide listeners toward healing and transformation.

Episode Resources:

Genograms in Practice Explainer (pdf)

Learn more about Attachment Theory

Listen to Prayer, Neuroscience, and the Presence of God with Strahan Coleman

More From Clarissa Moll:

Explore Clarissa Moll’s website

Read Clarissa Moll’s substack

More From Dr. Lee Warren:

Dr. Lee Warren’s The Life Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery

Listen to The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

More From Judson & Ryan Poling:

Books by Judson Poling

Redwood Psychology

Judson Poling’s articles at The Crucible Project

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Communication Styles Guide

https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive

Capable Life Intensives

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In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, father and son Judson Poling, Ryan Poling explore masculinity, emotional health, and generational patterns. Judson, a Christian author and men's ministry leader, and Ryan, a clinical psychologist specializing in male identity, discuss why men struggle to access and express emotions, the socialization behind emotional suppression, and how unresolved family-of-origin patterns are passed down. They share personal reflections on their own relationship, including inherited strengths and liabilities, and emphasize that healing happens in community.

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In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Dr. Lee Warren, neurosurgeon and author of The Life Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery. Drawing from his experiences as a military surgeon in Iraq and the devastating loss of his son, Dr. Warren explains how functional MRI technology revealed the profound mind-brain-body connection. He discusses how intentionally choosing our thoughts can literally restructure the brain—what he calls "self brain surgery"—and how concepts like selective attention and gratitude offer genuine agency over emotional suffering. The conversation also explores how deeply ingrained family patterns shape our thinking and faith.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Lee Warren’s The Life Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Gabor Maté’s The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture 

Functional MRI explainer

More From Dr. Lee Warren:

Listen to The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast

Dr. Warren’s website

Dr. Warren’s  No Place to Hide

Dr. Warren’s  Hope Is the First Dose

Dr. Warren’s  I've Seen the End of You

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In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, host Steve Cuss and Clarissa Moll explore how family of origin shapes behavior, workplace dynamics, and faith. They discuss family roles, birth order, triangulation, and unspoken emotional rules, examining how these patterns follow us into adulthood. Steve shares personal reflections on suppressing emotions and struggling to grieve, while Clarissa draws from her experience as a widowed parent. Together, they offer practical guidance on identifying triggers, finding trusted support, and using boundaries to pursue healing and freedom in Christ.

Episode Resources:

Genograms in Practice Explainer (pdf)

Pete Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

Biography of Murray Bowen 

Family Systems Theory’s Eight Concepts

Circle of Permitted Emotions

More From Clarissa Moll:

Clarissa Moll’s The Bulletin podcast

Explore Clarissa Moll’s website

Read Clarissa Moll’s substack

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Communication Styles Guide:

https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive: 

Capable Life Intensives

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In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, hosts Steve and Lisa Cuss explore how upbringing shapes relationship dynamics, feelings of shame, and our faith. Guest Christine Caine shares her powerful journey through adoption trauma, childhood sexual abuse, and healing. Bible scholar Yana Jenay Conner reframes Jesus' "turn the other cheek" teaching as a dignified response to dehumanization. Steve and Lisa also address gaslighting and its impact on trust. Throughout, the episode emphasizes that family of origin work isn't about blame, but about pursuing healing, forgiveness, and flourishing rooted in God's transformative love.

Episode Resources:

Yana Jenay Conner’s Living Beyond Offence: Finding the Shalom of Jesus on the Path to Forgiveness

Christine Cain’s The Faith to Flourish: God's Design for a Rooted, Resilient, and Fruitful Life

More From Christine and Yanna:

Other books by Christine Caine

Christine Caine’s website

Yana Jenay Conner’s website

Yana Jenay Conner’s podcast ⁠Living Single with Yana Jenay⁠

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In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cus sits down with Yana Jenay Conner, author of Living Beyond Offence: Finding the Shalom of Jesus on the Path to Forgiveness. They explore practical forgiveness, family of origin influences, and conflict avoidance. Yana shares insights on "turning the other cheek," the difference between hurt and harm, and setting boundaries the Jesus way. She also reflects personally on trust issues, self-reliance, and the challenge of praying for herself—revealing how childhood experiences shape our relationships with others and with God.

Episode Resources:

Yana Jenay Conner’s Living Beyond a Fence: Finding the Shalom of Jesus on the Path to Forgiveness

Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend’s Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life

Check out The Bible Project

Psalm 139 (ESV)

More From Yana:

Yana Jenay Conner’s website

Yana Jenay Conner’s podcast ⁠Living Single with Yana Jenay⁠

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In this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss talks with Christine Caine—speaker, bestselling author, and co-founder of A21—about her adoption story, childhood trauma, emotional healing, and identity in Christ. Christine shares how she discovered at age 33 that she was adopted, how she began healing from childhood sexual abuse, and how Scripture memorization helped renew her mind and strengthen her faith. She also reflects on the role of mentors Alan and Deb Hirsch in her recovery and discusses her book, The Faith to Flourish, explaining how the olive tree reveals God’s design for a rooted, resilient, and fruitful life—even in hardship. This conversation explores family of origin, Christian healing, resilience, and what it means to flourish in faith.

Episode Resources:

Christine Cain’s The Faith to Flourish: God's Design for a Rooted, Resilient, and Fruitful Life

Dan Allender’s The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse

More about Alan and Deb Hirsch

More From Christine Caine:

Other books by Christine Caine

Christine Caine’s website

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Communication Styles Guide:

https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive: 

Capable Life Intensives

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In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss and monthly guest Clarissa Moll from The Bulletin explore how family-of-origin dynamics shape individuals' relationships with themselves, others, and God. Drawing on family systems theory, they discuss how families function as interconnected systems where dysfunction is shared rather than isolated. They introduce the genogram as a tool for mapping generational patterns, values, and beliefs. Emphasizing curiosity and kindness over blame, they encourage listeners to examine inherited "family propaganda" and discern how it aligns—or conflicts—with their Christian faith.

Episode Resources:

Genograms in Practice Explainer (pdf)

Pete Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

Biography of Murray Bowen 

Family Systems Theory’s Eight Concepts

Scripture referenced:

Genesis 28 (ESV)

Luke 24 (ESV)

Exodus 20:5–6 (ESV)

Jeremiah 31:29 (ESV)

Genesis 25–27 (ESV)

More From Clarissa Moll:

Clarissa Moll’s The Bulletin podcast

Explore Clarissa Moll’s website

Read Clarissa Moll’s substack

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Communication Styles Guide:

https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive: 

Capable Life Intensives

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In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, Steve and Lisa do a raw, provocative deeper dive into the current “family of origin” series. They feature standout insights from Shane Wood, Dr. Craig Mattson, and Justin Heap on trauma, Revelation, social media, marriage loops, and the inherited, subconscious beliefs secretly shaping your relationships with yourself, others, and God. The second half of this episode explores childhood wounds and abuse that remained buried for decades. There is definitely a hidden cost of unresolved pain—making it a must-listen for anyone exploring the Christian mental health space, family systems therapy, emotional healing, and faith-based relationship advice. 

Episode Resources:

Dr. Mattson’s Digital Overwhelm: A Mid-Career Guide to Coping at Work

Substack: Shane J. Wood: Letters from the Desert

Shane J. Wood’s website

Shane J. Wood’s Between Two Trees: Our Transformation from Death to Life

Justin’s Nine Spaces Enneagram Coaching

Justin’s Lines & Spaces podcast

Read Justin’s book By & By & Never: Poetry & Art

Being Human episode: “Are You Carrying Your Family's Emotional Baggage? with Steve & Lisa Cuss”

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Communication Styles Guide:

https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive: 

Capable Life Intensives

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