Today’s Scripture is: Romans 12:9–18

**Today's devotional is in response to listener requests.**

"Hate what is evil" and "bless those who persecute you" can feel like an impossible tension — until you understand what Paul is actually asking for. This episode unpacks one of scripture's most demanding passages and makes the case that clarity and love are not opposites. We explore:

We'll explore:

-The difference between naming harm and becoming hardened by it

-What the research tells us about resentment and what chronic unforgiveness does to our bodies and brains

-The two dimensions of forgiveness — and why neither requires you to minimize harm or trust someone who hasn't earned it

We love hearing from you! If there is a topic or Scripture you'd like us to cover on the podcast, please email us at [email protected]

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

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What if procrastination isn’t about laziness… but a disconnect between who you want to be and what you actually do?

So many of us carry goals we care deeply about: habits we want to build, changes we long to make, ways we want to grow. And yet, we find ourselves stuck in the same patterns, circling the same resistance, wondering why it’s so hard to follow through.

In this episode, Dr. Alison Cook and goals expert and New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff explore what’s really happening beneath procrastination and how to finally begin moving forward.

Because procrastination isn’t a character flaw. It’s a gap.

A gap between your intentions and your actions.

And over time, that gap can quietly erode something deeper: your trust in yourself.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed by your goals, or caught in cycles of starting and stopping… this conversation will help you understand why and what to do next.

You’ll explore:

Why procrastination isn’t about laziness and what’s actually driving it

The hidden impact of broken self-trust (and how to begin rebuilding it)

How your “soundtracks” (repetitive thoughts) shape your actions and results

The real reason discipline alone doesn’t work and what does

The 4 key places people get stuck in the growth process (and how to move forward)

This conversation offers a practical, compassionate path forward, helping you close the gap between who you want to be and how you’re actually living, one small step at a time.

More Resources:

Make sure to grab Jon Acuff’s latest book Procrastination Proof: Never Get Stuck Again and then claim $97 worth of free bonuses.

Take Jon's free procrastination profile here.

Connect further with ⁠@dralisoncook⁠ on Instagram

Want to go deeper with Dr. Alison? Join 80,000+ soul menders in our email community and receive weekly reflections and gentle practices here. 

Want to hear more like this? Start here:

Episode 199: How the Body Teaches the Soul with Justin Whitmel Earley

Episode 157: Braving Change—3 Ways to Get Unstuck and Transform Guilt and Regret

📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here

Don't forget to browse this week's sponsors, who make it possible for me to bring you these resources for free + provide you with additional discounts!

*Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

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Today’s Scripture is: Proverbs 4:20-23

Many of us have been taught that setting limits is selfish — that real love means giving without reserve. This episode makes the case, from both scripture and science, that boundaries are not walls against love but what protect love's integrity.

We'll explore:

-The research on compassion fatigue and what happens neurologically when we chronically override our own limits

-The full context of Proverbs 4 — and why the wisdom writer connects attentiveness to your inner life with health to your whole body

-Why guarding your heart is not a selfish act, but an act of profound faithfulness to God and the people you love

To Go Deeper:

Visit my blog, and type "boundaries" into the search bar.

Visit my podcast, and type "boundaries" into the search bar.

For more on external boundaries, see The Best of You or click here to get the first 3 chapters free

For more on internal boundaries, see Boundaries For Your Soul, or click here to get free resources.

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Scripture is: Mark 8:34–36

**Today's devotional is in response to listener requests.**

This episode tackles one of the most misused phrases in all of scripture — and one that has caused real harm for a lot of people. We look at what Jesus was actually calling us toward, through the lens of psychology and the concept of the true and false self.

We explore:

-The difference between denying the false self and erasing your personhood

-How fear-based identity forms — and why it's not the truest version of who you are

-Why "take up your cross" is not an invitation to accept abuse, toxic relationships, or depression as God's will

-Jesus as a model of strength, not smallness — and what that means for us

To Go Deeper:

Blog post: What Does It Really Mean to Deny Yourself

Get the first 3 chapters free of The Best of You

Episode 56: Am I Really Supposed to Die To Myself?

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Scripture is: Psalm 27:10-14

This episode explores the psychology of attachment wounds through the lens of Psalm 27—one of scripture's most honest cries about being left behind.

We explore:

-what neuroscience tells us about how early attachment experiences literally shape brain architecture

-why our nervous systems stay on alert long after the original wound,

-how the psalmist's declaration speaks directly into that place.

We also explore the research on prayer and the brain, and what it might mean for our nervous systems to slowly experience being held.

To Go Deeper:

Episode 16: What are Attachment Styles and Why do They Matter?

Episode 136: Sacred Attachment—Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love with Michael John Cusick

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even after moments of clarity or growth, many of us find ourselves returning to familiar patterns. Back to what we know. Back to what once felt safe.

In John 21, the disciples go back to fishing—returning to something familiar after everything they’ve just experienced. And it’s there, in the middle of that return, that Jesus meets them again.

In this episode, Dr. Alison reflects on why we go back to old patterns—not as failure, but as something deeply human—and how those very places can become the ground where we are met with grace and invited into something new.

Today’s Scripture is: John 21:1–14

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the health of your relationship is shaping more of your life than you realize?

We spend so much time focusing on our individual growth—our healing, our self-awareness, our inner work. But at some point, that work has to find its way into our closest relationships.

And that’s where things often get complicated.

In this episode, Dr. Alison is joined by Dr. James Cordova to explore what it actually looks like to build and sustain healthy, connected relationships over time—and why it’s so much harder than we expect.

Because the truth is, relationships aren’t neutral.

They’re either strengthening and supporting your overall well-being…or quietly eroding it.

If you’ve ever felt close to someone you love… and also strangely disconnected, this conversation will help you understand why.

You’ll explore:

This conversation offers a compassionate and practical reframe:Healthy relationships aren’t about avoiding conflict or getting it right all the time.

They’re about learning how to stay present, stay curious, and stay connected—even when it’s hard.

More Resources:

Connect further with @dralisoncook on Instagram

Read Dr. James Cordova’s Book: The Mindful Path to Intimacy: Cultivating a Deeper Connectin With Your Partner

Want to go deeper? Join 80,000+ soul menders in our email community and receive weekly reflections and gentle practices here. 

Want to hear more like this? Start here:

Episode 115: 4 Ways to Transform Your Relationship—Expert Tips to Heal Pain Points and Deepen Intimacy

Episode 148: Dan Allendar on Healing, Intimacy, and Hard Fights

Episode 137: The Mindful Marriage with Ron and Nan Deal

📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here

Don't forget to browse this week's sponsors, who make it possible for me to bring you these resources for free + provide you with additional discounts!

*Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes the hardest limits we face are not external—they’re the expectations we’ve quietly learned to live within.

In Acts 3, we meet a man who has spent years sitting at the temple gate, asking for what he believes is possible. When Peter and John encounter him, they offer something entirely different—something he wasn’t even expecting to receive.

In this episode, Dr. Alison reflects on how limiting beliefs shape what we ask for, what we notice, and what we believe is available to us—and how God often meets us beyond those expectations.

Today’s Scripture is: Acts 3:1–10

Go Deeper:

Episode 10: What are Limiting Beliefs?

Episode 106: Transform Limiting Beliefs

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are moments when we find ourselves looping—replaying conversations, trying to make sense of what happened, analyzing every detail.

We stay in our heads, searching for clarity

This episode explores what it means to get stuck in our thoughts—and how, often, what we most need is not more analysis, but a return to presence, to relationship, and to the love already with us.

Today’s Scripture is: Luke 24:13–35

Go Deeper:

Episode 51: The 12 Common Thinking Traps

Episode 158: The Hidden Pain Behind Distressing Thoughts

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Scripture is: Psalm 118

There are seasons in life when we are simply trying to get through.

Holding it together.

Managing what’s hard.

Surviving.

And then there comes a moment when something begins to shift.

In this episode, Dr. Alison reflects on what it means to relearn joy after survival—and how joy can return, gently and gradually, as we begin to feel safe again.

Go Deeper:

Episode 172: Daring Joy & Breaking Free From Toxic Positivity with Nicole Zasowski

Episode 188: Tiny Joys, Big Healing : Retraining the Brain for Hope with Dr. MaryCatherine Mcdonald

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices