Only a few days left until Christmas! Are you ready to set aside the drama and reclaim your Advent?

In this episode, we’re discussing Christmas prep, and some of the common struggles we talk about with our clients and directees. We talk about everything from the normal stresses of parents, to the unique pressure on parish staff, to the triggering effect Christmas can have on those dealing with trauma.

We also share personal examples of how to set boundaries with love, and offer multiple tips for turning your attention back to what really matters this Christmas.  

A few tips for surviving the pressures of this season:

• Have an exit strategy for triggering situations 
• If you need help holding a boundary, get someone you trust to support you
• Engage your body - walk, breathe, journal
• Set aside everyone else’s expectations, and ask God how He wants you to finish out your Advent season. 

Wishing you a Christmas where you encounter Christ fully, in all of His sweetness and simplicity. 

Resources:

Getting Sick of Christmas - A Resource from John

Who Did You Marry? - A Christmas Resource from Liz

Dear Therapist - Jake’s Blog

This episode begins with the podcast’s first bad review! We’re making progress over here!

Then we’re diving into superhero stories (specifically Spiderman) and discussing what it means to take a hero-sized “leap of faith” in your mental, emotional, and spiritual health journey. Taking ownership for that leap isn’t just intimidating - it’s outrageously freeing. 

A few of the leaps of faith we mention are

• Showing up scared
• Making a second appointment with your therapist/spiritual director/coach
• Being vulnerable
• Sharing the hard stuff - not just the wins

We also tackle the problem of perfectionism, and discuss the beauty of embracing the messiness of real life. And don’t worry: we’re not just talking about you - we’re sharing our own personal pitfalls and perfectionistic tendencies as well. 

The best part of every superhero movie is when the hero tests his strength for the first time. If you haven’t had the equivalent of that moment in your life yet, maybe now is the time. 

Unleash your inner Spiderman: take a leap of faith with us. 

Resources mentioned:

Saint Stories for Kids Podcast

Liturgy of Domestic Church Life

The Gift of Therapy

On this episode, Jake, John, and Liz get into a (heated? lively? opinionated?) discussion about romance in movies, and particularly what sets apart a 'boy' movie from a 'man' movie. It's a small miracle that this episode is only an hour long... they were really enjoying themselves.

In today's episode, we're discussing what a coach, a spiritual director, and a counselor have to offer to you and your spouse, and how to pick a) a place to start and b) the personality-type you work best with. Incidentally, the whole conversation is way more entertaining than that last sentence made it sound... we promise.

Welcome to "Who Ya Gonna Call?", a marriage podcast hosted by a coach, a spiritual director, and a counselor. If you are looking to level up your marriage, we hope that our conversation may help you decide what you most need in your marriage: coaching, spiritual direction, or counseling. Get to know Liz, John and Jake as we talk about who we are, what we do, and why we do it. We're so excited to be here with you!