That’s the promise—and the challenge—of this conversation with psychologist Simon Matthews, author of the article “You Don’t Need More Willpower.”

So many of us assume growth is about discipline: pushing harder, resisting temptation, forcing better habits. But what if that mindset is the very reason you keep getting stuck?

In this episode we explore why willpower fails, what actually drives lasting change, and how faith reshapes the way we understand transformation.

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• (00:00) - – Intro

It's our end-of-year wrap-up episode! This time, we look back at some of our favourite articles from Signs of the Times for 2025. 

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It's the holiday season, and for all of us who celebrate, it's often a time of reflection—on our personal lives, on the state of the world—and our place in it. It's also a time when much of the world pauses and indulges in food, family and gift-giving. Much of the secular world obsesses over these material pursuits in an ever-unsatisfying of consumption and excess.

For those of us who follow Jesus, however, Christmas is more than just gifts and food. It's a time when we reflect on a tiny baby who entered the world in a time of war and strife to bring peace "on earth to all men (and women, of course)". In the December 2025 issue of Signs of the Times, two articles focus on this theme of peace: one through the lens of a Roman emperor, and the other through a miraculous moment during the carnage of World War I.

The Prince of Peace | The Christmas Truce | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | X 

This episode, we speak to friend of the show Sisi Toro. This time, we talk about protein, why it's so overrated and why we should be all eating much more fibre—as well as a host of other nutrients I don't trust myself to type out!

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By the time Silvan Wallner was 12, he had been signed to the youth team FC Zürich club. By 18, he'd been signed to play for FC Zürich. Soon he was performing at the top of his league, and looked like he was heading to a stand-out football career. There was only one problem. He was lost, confused and anxious about every aspect of the life he was living. Then, he discovered the Bible. When one day he was listening to a preacher talk about the Sabbath, everything changed.

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In this episode, we speak to Kristin Martinez. She's a counsellor and proponent of non-violent communication. She wrote an article that appeared in the October issue of Signs of the Times called "From judgement to connection". You can read the article by clicking the link below.

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Talking about the birds and the bees with your teenager doesn't have to be scary—even though it usually is. Counsellor Mikaela Matthes helps us navigate the world of sex and relationships, and why we don't need to be frightened of the dreaded "talk".

Content warning: in this episode, we talk about sex, relationships and themes around trauma and sexual assault.

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Technical warning: in this episode, Jesse's mic audio was not up to the high quality that you've come to expect from Signs Radio. We apologise for this, but thankfully Mikaela's audio was not affected by this technical error. 

You'd be forgiven for not having ever heard of P. Oxy. XV 1786, otherwise known as the "Oxyrhynchus hymn". It's a papyrus manuscript written in Greek and was discovered, alongside numerous other papyri, in the ancient buried city of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt in 1918. We don't have the entire hymn, but what we do have goes a little like this:

1. Together all the eminent ones of God
2. Night] nor day Let it/them be silent. Let the luminous stars not,
3. [Let the rushings of winds, the sources] of all surging rivers [cease]. While we hymn
4. Father and Son and Holy Spirit, let all the powers answer, Amen, amen, Strength, praise,
5. [and glory forever to God], the sole giver of all good things. Amen, amen.

In part one of a two-part episode series, we speak to the two driving forces of a documentary that's bringing this fragment from our ancient past into the present in a brand-new way. Mark Hadley and John Dickson are two friends and collaborators who have just released The First Hymn, a documentary chronicling the discovery of this hymn fragment, then breathing new life into it thanks to modern scholarship, as well as modern songwriters.

In this episode, we speak to John Dickson. John is an academic, historian and advocate for faith in a secular world. He's also the host of the popular Undeceptions podcast, and host of The First Hymn.

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https://www.thefirsthymnmovie.com/

You'd be forgiven for not having ever heard of P. Oxy. XV 1786, otherwise known as the "Oxyrhynchus hymn". It's a papyrus manuscript written in Greek and was discovered, alongside numerous other papyri, in the ancient buried city of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt in 1918. We don't have the entire hymn, but what we do have goes a little like this:

1. Together all the eminent ones of God
2. Night] nor day Let it/them be silent. Let the luminous stars not,
3. [Let the rushings of winds, the sources] of all surging rivers [cease]. While we hymn
4. Father and Son and Holy Spirit, let all the powers answer, Amen, amen, Strength, praise,
5. [and glory forever to God], the sole giver of all good things. Amen, amen.

In part one of a two-part episode series, we speak to the two driving forces of a documentary that's bringing this fragment from our ancient past into the present in a brand-new way. Mark Hadley and John Dickson are two friends and collaborators who have just released The First Hymn, a documentary chronicling the discovery of this hymn fragment, then breathing new life into it thanks to modern scholarship, as well as modern songwriters.

In this episode, we speak to Mark Hadley about his involvement in the project as producer/director, and what it was like to bring the project to life.

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https://www.thefirsthymnmovie.com/

Why do so many of us feel not good enough, unlovable, or like we don’t belong? Clinical psychologist Jessica Bishop explains how these “life’s lies” form, how they impact us, and how we can start to break free—through both psychology and grace.

To view the full list of schemas head to this link: https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/early-maladaptive-schemas/

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