Friend, 

We all have dreams, but sometimes our dream isn’t what God had in mind when He created us. 

In this Summer Rewind of S1E14, my guest, Monica Herber, shared her dream of starting a family, but when that dream was dashed because of infertility, she and her husband decided to adopt. They fell in love with their beautiful little boy, but after multiple diagnoses, their dream of a healthy child was dashed. 

Monica shares her heartbreak and how God taught her how to be joyful in the unknown. 

Monica’s links: 

Website: www.thejoyfulunknown.com. 

Free 30 Minute Consult Call: https://thejoyfulunknown.hbportal.co/schedule/631e33b8c9ead80c681a2d96   

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends, 

Healing is not all gloom and doom.

When we've been deeply hurt, betrayed, or disappointed, it can feel as though suffering has taken over every corner of our lives. Yet even in our darkest seasons, moments of joy remain available to us. The challenge is learning how to recognize and receive them.

As part of this Summer Rewind series, I'm revisiting one of my favorite short episodes. In this conversation, I explore how we can become more receptive to joy in the midst of suffering and how our own wounds can become a source of compassion, wisdom, and hope for others.

Drawing on insights from Fr. Robert Spitzer's book, Finding True Happiness, I discuss the four levels of happiness and how a deeper understanding of joy can transform the way we navigate hardship.

You'll also learn my simple three-step practice for cultivating receptivity to joy:

Suffering and joy are not mutually exclusive. We can grieve and still be grateful. We can carry pain and still experience beauty. We can be healing and still encounter moments of genuine happiness.

Where are the pockets of joy that God is offering you today, even in the midst of your pain?

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends, 

In this Summer Rewind episode, I'm bringing back my conversation with Fr. Thomas Berg, originally released as Choosing Forgiveness. Together, we explore one of the most challenging aspects of the Christian life: what happens when guilt lingers long after we've sought forgiveness.

Many of us understand God's mercy intellectually, yet continue carrying shame, self-condemnation, and regret. Fr. Thomas offers profound insights into the relationship between forgiveness, guilt, freedom, and God's healing grace.

Drawing from Scripture, spiritual wisdom, and practical experience, this conversation invites us to reflect on Jesus' call to reconciliation and consider how forgiveness can transform not only our relationships with others, but also our relationship with ourselves.

If God has already forgiven you, what keeps you from receiving that forgiveness fully?

Fr. Thomas Berg's Link(s): Profile: https://mcgrath.nd.edu/about/faculty-staff/fr-thomas-v-berg-ph-d/

Book: Choosing Forgiveness: Unleash the Power of God's Grace: https://a.co/d/0aMsn9sO

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends,

In this episode, I explore the mother wound: how early relational experiences shape identity, distort boundaries, and quietly influence how we relate to ourselves, others, and even God. I focus my discussion primarily on the mother-daughter relationship. 

Many daughters grow up learning to perform for love, manage emotional climates, and abandon their own needs in order to maintain connection. Over time, these adaptations can harden into identity.

This episode is especially for those who have done years of healing work, yet still feel something unresolved beneath the surface.

And for those listening who wonder if this applies to you, you may find your own story reflected here, or gain deeper compassion for those you love.

Key Takeaway:

You are not defined by what was missing. You are being restored into who you were created to be.

Resources:

Karyl McBride – Will I Ever Be Good Enough?

Lindsay Gibson – Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Kristin Neff – Self-Compassion Research

Bessel van der Kolk – The Body Keeps the Score

Craig Malkin – Rethinking Narcissism

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends, 

If forgiveness takes place in the heart, what kind of heart is capable of forgiving?

In Episodes 21 and 22, I explored the anxiety that often accompanies forgiveness and practical ways to move through it. In this episode, we go into the heart itself.

June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that invites us to contemplate Christ's boundless love for humanity. As I reflected on the image of the Sacred Heart, exposed, wounded, crowned with thorns, and burning with love, I began to wonder what it might teach us about forgiveness.

Many of us move through life with either a hardened heart or a guarded heart. We have been wounded. We have learned to protect ourselves. But is there a difference between protecting our hearts and closing them off completely?

Drawing from Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the example of Jesus Himself, I explore what it means to cultivate a heart that is ready to forgive.

The Sacred Heart reminds us that suffering does not have to harden us. Through grace, our wounds can become places where God's mercy enters and transforms us.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends, 

In this episode, I sit down with Catholic Coach, Husband, and Father, Andrew Lanchoney, to discuss the impact of pornography on the human person and the journey toward healing and freedom.  

Together, we explore the deeper questions beneath pornography use: What are we really searching for? Why do so many people feel stuck? And how do we begin restoring authentic desire in a culture that often reduces people to objects for consumption?

Drawing on the wisdom of St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body, this conversation offers hope for anyone who has struggled personally, loves someone who has, or wants to better understand the cultural forces shaping our view of human dignity.

Freedom is possible. Healing is possible, and authentic love begins when we recognize that we were created for love, not use.

Andrew’s Links: 

Email: [email protected] 

Website: https://www.andrewlanchoneycoaching.com/

Reference: Theology of the Body: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/catholic-teaching/theology-of-the-body

Are you a Christian woman 40+ who has done all the things to heal from trauma and betrayal, but knows deep down forgiveness is still incomplete? Join us for the Freedom to Forgive Masterclass: A Journey of Healing, Release, and Renewal starting tomorrow. Click HERE to learn more and register.

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends,

What if the anxiety you feel around forgiveness isn’t resistance… but protection?

In this episode I explore the very real fear, confusion, and nervous system responses that can surface when we begin considering forgiveness after trauma, betrayal, abuse, or deep emotional pain.

Forgiveness is often presented as simple or immediate, but for many people, the thought of forgiving can activate shame, panic, dissociation, hypervigilance, or emotional overwhelm. Why? Because our bodies remember what happened, even when our minds try to move on.

Drawing from trauma research, somatic healing principles, and Christian spirituality, I explain how forgiveness anxiety may actually be a signal that deeper healing and safety are needed first.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

References: 

van der Kolk, Bessel A. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books, 2015. [1, 2] 

Levine, P. Retrieved from YouTube, May 26, 2026  https://youtu.be/e4If-3mQtLA?si=KWMOhhWWR_z2KYE4

If forgiveness has felt overwhelming, unsafe, or impossible, this episode offers a gentler path forward — one rooted in honesty, nervous system awareness, compassion, and healing.

Are you:

Join us for the Freedom to Forgive Masterclass: A Journey of Healing, Release, and Renewal. We start next Wednesday!

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

*Content Warning* This episode contains mature content not suitable for minors. Please use discretion when listening. 

Friends, 

In this episode, I explore one of the most difficult and rarely discussed questions surrounding forgiveness:

Who will I be if I let go of unforgiveness?

For many people, unforgiveness is not simply an emotional response to pain. It becomes intertwined with identity, safety, survival, and even spirituality. When we’ve lived for years inside betrayal, abuse, abandonment, or grief, forgiveness can feel less like freedom and more like losing ourselves.

In this episode, I share my own journey through childhood sexual abuse recovery and explore:

If forgiveness feels scary to you, you are not broken. You may simply be standing at a crossroads between survival and freedom.

This episode offers compassion, insight, and hope for those who feel stuck in resentment, grief, fear, or confusion around forgiveness.

Reference(s): Van Der Kolk, B.A., The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books, 2015.

Learn more about the Freedom to Forgive Masterclass: A Journey of Healing, Release & Renewal. 

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends, 

As Memorial Day approaches, we pause to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. But there is another group of veterans quietly fighting battles long after deployment ends, those struggling to transition home, find belonging, and rediscover hope in civilian life.

In this deeply important conversation, I’m joined by retired Lt. Colonel John Garcia, host of the Regiment of the Cross podcast, to discuss the invisible struggles many veterans face after returning home from service.

John shares the heartbreaking realities surrounding veteran suicide, the emotional and psychological challenges of transitioning into civilian society, and the ways advocacy, agriculture, storytelling, and authentic human connection can help restore dignity, purpose, and hope.

Together, we explore:

This episode is both a Memorial Day reflection and a call to greater compassion, awareness, and connection.

If you know someone serving in the military, transitioning home, or quietly struggling, please share this conversation with them.

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.

Friends, 

In a world marked by division, violence, and deep injustice, the question of forgiveness becomes anything but simple.

In this deeply personal episode, I reflects on my lived experience of Apartheid, a system that shaped my childhood, understanding of safety, and relationship to truth. 

As global events echo familiar patterns of oppression and silenced voices, this episode explores what it means to hold both grief and compassion simultaneously. 

Through the life and witness of Nelson Mandela, a man who moved from prisoner to president and chose forgiveness in the face of profound injustice, we are invited into a difficult, necessary question:

Who do we forgive when the system itself is the wound?

This conversation doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it creates space to reflect on:

“Systems are made of people, and when people change, systems change.”

Whether you are carrying personal wounds or witnessing injustice in the world around you, this episode invites you to consider one small but powerful step:

Who is one person you might be ready to forgive?

Reference(s)

https://www.facebook.com/amarchivepub/videos/nelson-mandela-on-imprisonment-and-forgiveness-1991/2187579574982773/

https://youtu.be/hnpIyHzHukc?si=XF8MP2tISiITmP4M

Connect with Dr. Carron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

Credits

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend.