What We Really Want: Conversations About Connection
FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE to download new episodes as they release!
If it's true that "...the opposite of addiction is not sobriety...the opposite of addiction is connection," there are lots of people who need to discover what true, healthy connection looks like. Whether the struggle is with addiction, toxic relationship dynamics, or something else, we've all tried to meet our needs in unhealthy ways. Way too often, the things we run to for comfort leave us feeling even more disconnected and alone than before.
Through conversations about the many ways we can connect, we offer an invitation to discover and move toward what we really want, so we can live the lives we were created for.
Awaken (awakenrecovery.com) helps men and women whose lives have been wrecked by unwanted/addictive sexual behaviors and sexual betrayal trauma. We hope the podcast will help not only those struggling sexually, but anyone who seeks healthier ways of finding connection.
Episodes
73 episodes
PREVIEW | Andy Gullahorn (coming May 12)
What are YOUR goals for when you turn 50? Lake house? Trip to Europe? What about... play in the Senior Olympics in Badminton? That's what we expect from our friend Andy Gullahorn, and we get that and more!Andy is so much more than a sing...
A Little Extra Helping with Crystal Renaud Day (Bonus Episode)
Sometimes there's just too much good stuff to fit it all into an episode! This is what it felt like when Stacey and I - with our friend Stevi - talked with Crystal Renaud Day about her work with women who struggle with unwanted sexual behavior....
65 | Crystal Renaud Day: Understanding the Drivers
Ever hear the same lie we have? The lie that says, "Only men watch porn." What do you do if you're a female who struggles with something you're told is just a "guy's problem?"Growing up, Crystal Renaud Day hear that message. Altho...
64 | Dane Ortlund: Everything Is Going To Be Alright
It's What We Really Want's second anniversary episode! 🎂 🎉🎈 With gratitude for two years of great Conversations About Connection, we get to have another one with pastor and best-selling author Dane Ortlund.Dane comes...
63 | Bridgett Blood: Hot And Holy
For too many people of faith, the only message about sex growing up was "Don't do it!" So many people had genuine curiosity about their sexuality, but nowhere to bring their questions and no one helping them steward it. As a result, many learne...
RE-RELEASE | Betrayal Trauma Workshops
RE-RELEASE. This episode originally released September 24, 2024.What is a sexual betrayal trauma workshop? And why - if you are a woman going through the pain of having been betrayed by your husband/partner - should you con...
62 | Andrew Bauman: I Want To Be A Good Man
Have Christian men been conditioned to accept behaviors that marginalize and abuse women? When does normal relational conflict cross the line and become abusive? Has the Church been complicit in creating inequity between men and women?Qu...
61 | Jay Stringer: Listen to the Voice of Desire, part 2
Here is Part 2 of our conversation with Jay Stringer.Last week Jay released his book, Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow. Moving beyond the singular experience of sexu...
60 | Jay Stringer: Listen to the Voice of Desire, part 1
For people interested in digging deeply into their stories and better understanding themselves and the unwanted behaviors that plague them, few people have been as helpful as Jay Stringer.In 2018, Jay's book Unwanted: How S...
59 | Chuck DeGroat: Safety And Suffering
Does a focus on acknowledging trauma and providing safety create more resilient or fragile people? That question is at the heart of many charged discussions about therapy and trauma work. Virtually every contemporary therapeutic modality recogn...
58 | Jenna Riemersma: Moving Toward, Not Fighting Against
For anyone who has ever said, "A part of me wants to ________, but another part thinks it might not be a good idea..." This episode is for you.People actually ARE made up of many complex parts...it's part of how we reflect the image of G...
57 | Juli Slattery: Longing To Be Known
Our guest for Episode 57 is a recognized expert in biblical sexuality. Dr. Juli Slattery has decades of experience as a therapist, author, and founder of the organization Authentic Intimacy. For years she has been helping women an...
56 | Kristian Stanfill: A Long Walk With God
Since the late '90's / early 2000's, Passion Music has been blessing the Church with song after song to sing together. And one of its primary worship leaders is our guest Kristian Stanfill.Kristian is the voice you've heard on so...
RE-RELEASE | Michael John Cusick: The Light is Brighter Than it Seems
RE-RELEASE. This episode originally released July 22, 2024.For men and women seeking recovery from unwanted sexual behavior, few people have been as influential or helpful as Michael John Cusick. Michael is a therapist,&nbs...
55 | Chris McKenna: That's Just a Part of the Gig
The scariest thing about kids and tech isn’t just what they can find—it’s what can find them. Greg & Bobby sat down with Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and president of Better Tech, to map a practical path...
54 | Karrie Garcia: The Brain, The Body, & The Bible
Anytime we can encourage people in caring professions we love to do it! If you walk with, pastor, or counsel people going through hard times, this is a conversation you're going to want to hear.Karrie Garcia is a pastor, life coac...
53 | Steve Cuss: The Pros & Cons of Boat Stepping
It can be scary to examine spiritual messages we've heard all our lives, but it sometimes can also be the path to experiencing God more truly, deeply, and biblically. Steve Cuss is an author, speaker, and pastor who has a pas...
52 | Thaddeus Heffner: Christmas Trees and Therapy
It's December, and just like last year, we're giving you something extra for the holidays. Each week in December we'll release a new episode for you to enjoy! Please remember to follow/subscribe to the show, write a positive review, and share u...
51 | Sam Black: Safe People, Safe Places, Safe Process
It's critical for ministry leaders to understand their responsibility and opportunity to help people in their churches who are sexually struggling. That was a key theme in our rich conversation with Sam Black, Director of Recovery Educat...
50 | Adam Young: Sadness Does Not Sink Us
What if sadness isn’t the problem—what if the real drain is the energy we spend trying to avoid it? To celebrate our 50th episode, Greg & Stacey talk with therapist and author ADAM YOUNG (host of The Place We Find Ourse...
49 | Nick Liberto: Humility is a Secret Superpower
It's always fun and encouraging to talk with other people who work in the same spaces. NICK LIBERTO is the executive director at Proven Ministries, an organization committed to "seeing a revival of sexual integrity throughout the ...
48 | Barbara Steffens: Be a Safe Person and Listen
In the category of sexual addiction recovery, there are a few people who deserve to be called pioneers. BARBARA STEFFENS is definitely one of them. Over the last quarter century she has begun and advanced invaluable philosophy and resour...
RE-RELEASE | Adam Calvert, James Horne, Jason McNaughton: Recovery Intensives
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify....
47 | Cathy Loerzel: God is Not Afraid of the Truth
Suffering. We don't like it. Most of us probably don't even like the word. Suffering brings to mind experiences of abuse, neglect, rejection, abandonment... traumatic events that lodged themselves into our lives as long-term traumas. How do we ...
46 | Pieter Valk: Singleness - Curse or Calling?
The Bible presents many topics that elicit passionate and polarizing opinions. One of these is how unmarried Christians should evaluate their calling and purpose as it relates to marriage.Our guest, PIETER VALK, has a lot to say o...
