IFLAL - May 13 2021 - Lauren Zehnle by Instructions for Living a Life

Ep. 69 “New Language For An Older story” with Daniel Johnson by Instructions for Living a Life

Ep. 68- "Don't Feel Guilt About Living" with Leanor Ortega-Till by Instructions for Living a Life

Ep. 67 "We Can Do Hard Things" with Tyler Strange by Instructions for Living a Life

Recovering from bodily injury and surgery isn't the easiest experience for anyone, particularly if you are dealing with significant pain. In this 66th episode of Instructions For Living a Life, Sami invites us into her journey through medical procedures and aftercare, advocating for pain care as a woman, and what it's like to need help when people don't believe that you require it. Sami dives into how she has learned to care for herself, exploring the necessity of play, finding activities that bring her life and joy, and being more intuitive about what she's eating and doing to support her holistic well-being.

Sami also opens up about the role that therapy, particularly EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has played in her recovery from a serious car accident and the post-traumatic stress that followed. This episode is full of deeply personal honesty as this pastor, wife, and friend processes how she's walked through pain, embracing change and newness along the way.

In this 65th episode of Instructions For Living a Life, Todd also impressed upon us his commitment to honesty, curiosity, and openness. Whether in processing his experiences in what some might call a "pray the gay away" program, his journey through divorce and coming out fully as a gay man, or wrestling with questions of faith, mental health, or how we can pursue wholeness and healing together, you will find Todd to be someone unafraid to share who he is or what he hopes for.

For our 64th episode, we're excited to welcome St. Louis, Missouri stand-up comedian, Meredith Hopping, who takes us on an often hilarious, always thoughtful exploration of living with anxiety, appreciating psychiatric care, and wrestling with the church over fear, language, purity culture, and shame.

Meredith is fiercely honest, with her bravery and clarity often expressed through humor, and this episode casts that honesty across a wide spectrum. Whether we're talking about divorce, healthy embodiment and sexuality, talking with kids about sex and bodies, postpartum depression, or being REALLY forthright about what birth actually entails, the conversation is a rich and rewarding one.

Instructions for Living a Life returns for another season with a raw story of church trauma. Nathaniel invites us to hear how he endured toxic church leadership, a fractured congregation dealing in the aftermath, writing an album to work through his grief and pain, and helping to create a church that is honest about pain.

Ep. 62 "Failure Has Been My Biggest Teacher" with Kyle Meier by Instructions for Living a Life

The O'Keefe Brothers stories continue