The Positive Talk Podcast

We all need BOUNDARIES, especially through the holiday season. Join Julie as she helps us all set healthy boundaries for a far happier holiday!

Clinical Therapist Julie Homrich describes boundaries as “What I will and won’t tolerate in my life.” Boundaries mean we get to choose what and who we allow into our lives, and we also get to choose how we respond when someone doesn’t respect our limits. We can set boundaries with others, and we can even set boundaries with ourselves. Whether we are setting internal or external boundaries, at the core, boundaries are an inside job. In this 15th episode of the Positive Talk Podcast, Julie will discuss three ways we can begin to understand the importance of boundaries in our lives. With the holidays on the horizon, this is the perfect time to create and honor boundaries. Enjoy!

The Holidays come with huge expectations. Those expectations are often external, but they can be internal. Ou hope for you is that you might create a season of joy through the lens of healthy expectations and how to best manage them this year. Join Chuck as he unpacks five sure-fire ways to create a healthy and happy holiday season with our expectations.

One of our core beliefs, here at Positive Talk is that we can integrate faith and psychology. This is never more evident than in our personal relationships…our friends. I’ve been blessed with some great long-term friendships. These are the ones that have taught me a lot about what it means to be supportive, caring, consistent, open, and more. CS LEWIS once said that: "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” JOIN CHUCK AND JULIE FOR THIS POSITIVE AND HEALTHY DISCUSSION ABOUT BUILDING HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS.

Our social connections are as important to our health as proper diet and exercise. Research has linked social bonding to longer lives, lower incidence of depression and anxiety, and reduced risk of disease. And yet many of us feel lonely. A recent study quoted in Scientific American found that a staggering 47 percent of Americans often feel alone, left out, and lacking meaningful connections with others. This is true for all ages, teens and adults alike. Loneliness is not just unpleasant to us, it actually poses a significant health threat. Sometimes we need to assess our current relationships and make adjustments, not just for the sake of loneliness, but for our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

Religious trauma syndrome occurs when an individual struggles with leaving a religion or a set of beliefs that has led to their indoctrination. It often involves the trauma of breaking away from a controlling environment, lifestyle, or religious figure. In some settings the symptoms of religious trauma can be similar to that of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Listen in as Julie Homrich, LPC unpacks how to positively thrive in, through and beyond trauma.

How do you create or expect a church or religious leader to act, react, or lead? Jesus had a simple method for how we were to avoid the shame and guilt associated with much of the American Church and Her Leaders as He taught and modeled the simple power of GRACE. But in a culture that looks for electric atmospheres, powerful entertainers, and superstar preachers, it's no wonder the American Church has missed the mark so badly. How do we build churches that are on the other side of Religious Trauma? How do we create organizations and families that create loving, supportive, safe, and connected fellowships and families? The answer once again is GRACE. Join Pastor Chuck Allen for this 12-minute podcast on grace-based living.

What do you get when you integrate faith and psychology? You get solutions to many of life's most challenging problems. One of those problems might be that you have experienced manipulation that led you to a traumatic experience with the church or a pastoral leader. Julie and Chuck tackle this subject head-on in the ninth episode of the Positive Talk Podcast.

Episode eight of the Positive Talk Podcast jumps into the deep end of the pool, tackling Religious Trauma. What Do You Do When the Church Hurts You? All across the world, people are impacted by churches, typically attempting to do good. But often, people are deeply wounded and hurt by the actions of leaders and structures that have been created to be sources of hope and help. Join Julie and Chuck for this challenging topic on this week's Positive Talk Podcast where we are always integrating faith and psychology.

Forgiving yourself is not about forgetting. It is about not bringing the offense up to yourself in negative ways. Forgiving yourself is simply letting go of what you are holding against yourself so that you can move on with God. If God has moved on, shouldn't we do the same? Join Chuck Allen in this poignant chat about the freedom found in forgiving ourselves.