Speak Out Loud

Welcome to Season 3 of the Speak Out Loud Podcast!! Thank you for joining us as we begin another season of sharing hope and encouragement for those who struggle with mental illness and for those who love and support them.

In this episode, Stacee and Doug talk about the power and importance of community to overcome the mental health impacts of isolation, the hope of God's promise that His love and compassion never fail (Lamentations 3), and how God enters our broken and messy stories because our story, your story matters.

We invite you to follow the Speak Out Loud podcast on social media at https://www.facebook.com/speakoutloudpodcast and Instagram @speakoutloudpodcast!

Today's episode is a conversation and interview with two special friends, Jason and Angie Brown. Jason and Angie are the founding pastors of the 1910 Church in Boerne, TX. Jason and Angie love God and love people, and you can't be with them for but a few moments and not be encouraged!  

You'll feel that love and encouragement as you listen to today's episode as Jason and Angie talk with Stacee and Doug about the state of mental health, God's love for the hurting and broken, and the impact their church is seeking to make for those who struggle and need help. In addition to serving as a pastor, Jason also serves as the chaplain for the Boerne police department and brings the perspective of providing care and support for those who both experience trauma and those who love and support them. 

Jason and Angie also share some from their personal story of recovery from a stroke Jason suffered several years ago in his mid-40s and share encouragement for those also pursuing recovery in their mental illness journey.

We're so excited to bring you this interview here at Christmas time as you'll experience hope and joy in this episode and as we celebrate the Light that has come into the world which darkness cannot overcome!

You can find Jason and Angie online at www.1910church.com and on Instagram as "@pastorjabro" and "@angbrownboerne" and also on Facebook. On both social media platforms you subscribe to Jason's daily encouragement entitled "2 Good Minutes." 

Christmas can be a happy and hope-filled season, but for many, especially those struggling with mental illness, the holidays can be difficult. The expectations we, our families and others put on the holidays can increase anxiety and be difficult to live up to. Unmet expectations often  become triggers for those struggling with anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other mental health issues.  

In this episode, Stacee and Doug interview therapist and friend Deanna James on how to Navigate the Holidays while struggling with mental illness. Deanna lays out some important and practical steps to improve mental health and to stay connected to recovery throughout the challenges the holiday season brings. Deanna, Stacee and Doug talk from both professional expertise and personal experience about the importance of keeping to a treatment plan, how family and friends can be of support, and about finding hope in this season, despite bad memories from holidays past.

We invite you to join with us as we pursue and experience hope this Christmas season!

*Deanna James is a LPC in private practice in Oklahoma City.  She specializes in treating eating disorders, trauma, and other mental health issues, is a certified dance and movement therapist, and is the current past president of the Oklahoma Eating Disorder Association. She has over 15 years of experience in treating clients and helping others find hope and healing. You can find Deanna online at deannajamescounseling.com.

To learn more about eating disorders and resources for help, visit okeatingdisorders.org.  

In this episode, Stacee and Doug talk about the power of being thankful, even during the pain of a mental illness struggle. Stacee opens up about the challenges of holidays, especially Thanksgiving with such an emphasis on food, throughout her eating disorder journey and recovery. She talks about both the attitude and the practice of thankfulness, the power it has to re-focus us in our journey, and how it's helped her to be present with friends and family even when holidays celebrations can be difficult. Sometimes we have to practice thankfulness before we benefit from feeling thankful, but gratefulness can open the door to hope and shine a light into the darkness of mental illness.

You are not alone in your struggle. We are thankful for you and for you joining us in building this community of hope! May you have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving week!  

In this episode, Stacee and Doug continue last week's conversation on supporting a loved one or friend battling mental illness. Doug talks about lessons learned the hard way, what He'd do different to better support Stacee's journey, resilience built from milestones of hope, and the gift and promise of  God's sustaining grace and love. If you are carrying hope for someone or needing some hope to carry you through right now, this episode is for you. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness (even the darkness of mental illness) has not overcome it.  John 1:5 (with commentary added). Thank you for joining with us in building this community of hope!

In part one of a 2-part conversation, Stacee and Doug talk about marriage, parenting, medicine, therapy and much more as Stacee interviews Doug about his experience being the spouse and primary family supporter for her on the mental illness journey. Doug and Stacee haven't arrived at a point of completion, but they do recognize the progress and growth experienced over their many years of doing life together and walking together in Stacee's mental illness recovery. Wisdom, humor, grace, and many hard-learned lessons are revealed in today's episode.  Whether you are experiencing the mental health battle or are the loved one or friend of someone facing that struggle, this episode has encouragement and hope for you!

Is God disappointed in us because of mental illness?

In this vulnerable conversation, Stacee and Doug talk about the fear of disappointing others and disappointing God because of mental illness and the ups and downs of recovery. The negative thinking of depression, patterns built into us from the past, and unmet expectations for recovery can lead to disappointment and possibly projecting that disappointment onto God.

The good news, though, is that God is not surprised by where you are in your mental illness journey. He knows right where you are, and He cares for you. If we let Him, God works and brings healing in our lives in His timing, in His ways, and for His purposes. God doesn't use the language of disappointment but the language of compassion and love. We invite you to listen as Stacee and Doug talk about understanding and applying these truths and promises of God into their lives and into the recovery journey.

Do I need counseling? How can I find the right therapist for me? Is what I'm experiencing normal?

These and more are questions those struggling with mental health face as they consider getting help. Too often, we wait too long to seek help and miss out on some of the hope and peace that could be found much earlier.

Counseling and therapy have made a huge impact in Stacee and Doug's mental illness recovery journey, and in today's episode they interview long-time friend and therapist Brenda Elledge. Brenda is the founder of Elledge Counseling Associates in the DFW metroplex and continues to lead this  counseling practice which has been providing help and hope to clients for more than twenty years. Brenda is an experienced counselor, a college professor, and is wrapping up her Doctorate degree in counselor training and education.

In this episode you'll hear life, you'll hear hope, and most of all you'll hear from someone who loves people deeply and wants to see them experience healing and wholeness in their mental health.

You can find Brenda and Elledge Counseling Associates online at www.elledgecounseling.com.

Find her and her practice on social media at https://www.facebook.com/elledge.counseling.associates and https://www.instagram.com/elledge_counseling.

Follow the Speak Out Loud podcast on social media @speakoutloudpodcast and facebook.com/speakoutloudpodcast.

This episode is the recording of a deep and intimate conversation between Stacee and friend of nearly 30 years, Debbie Wallace. We invite you to listen to the wisdom and depth of this conversation as Stacee and Debbie talk about feeling like you're "too much," the importance of friendship and community in the mental illness recovery journey, and you'll hear the story of the phone call that changed Stacee's recovery trajectory and became the title of her book - You Are Worth Saving.

Everybody needs a friend like Debbie, and everyone needs to know that wherever you may find yourself in your or your loved one's recovery journey, you are worth saving too.

Trauma.... it sounds so extreme. And to those who experience trauma's pain and power, it can be just that daunting. Through this interview with LPC and trauma specialist Phoebe Barron, Stacee and Doug hope to start the conversation to begin the healing process. Getting help and finding hope are possible for the impacts of trauma in your life or the life of a loved one or friend!

Trauma can be experienced in an instant or be the result of long periods of hurt or neglect. It can be recent, or it can be buried in your past. Overcoming trauma's impact and influence almost always requires walking the recovery journey with someone else - to bring it into the light and remove its power from your life. Listen to today's episode for both information and resources on dealing with trauma and be encouraged in knowing you are not walking this journey alone.

You can find and follow today's guest, Phoebe Barron, on Instagram @phoebekatebarron. Her private counseling practice is located in Bethany, OK.

Follow the Speak Out Loud podcast on social media @speakoutloudpodcast and facebook.com/speakoutloudpodcast.