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What do you do when your spouse tells you she wants a divorce and is in love with another man?

That was a question Harrison Scott Key never thought he'd have to answer. But it's exactly what happened. Over the course of several years he navigated an excruciating saga of fighting for his marriage and for his sanity. He tells the story in his New York Times bestselling book How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told.

In our conversation with Harrison, we talked about what it was like living it, writing about it, and the unexpected impact of book tour promotion about such a personal experience. We talked about family healing, and how his friends and his church helped him find the capacity for forgiveness.

It's a rare talent who can take such a heartbreaking story and also make it so funny; but that's exactly what Harrison does - in the book and in our conversation. Harrison is a professor at Savannah College of Art & Design, has written three books, and lives in Savannah with his wife Lauren and their kids. (He's also the drummer in a cover band called The Love Handles.)

#harrisonscottkey #howtostaymarried #marriage #infidelity #reconciliation #spiritualhealing #counseling #therapy #gospel #grace #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #recovery #connection #conversation

Harrison's website

Harrison's books on Amazon

Harrison's TEDx Savannah talk on YouTube

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

During his years as a church worship pastor, Greg was heavily influenced by today's guest Todd Fields. As a worship leader associated with 7:22, a weekly worship gathering started in 1995 by Louie Giglio at Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta, and as someone who has written and led worship music and produced multiple recordings over the years, Todd is a skilled musician who knows what he's talking about with corporate worship.

More importantly, though, Todd knows how critical it is for worship leaders to be spiritually and emotionally healthy; and how often this is not the case. Often seen and valued primarily for their skill and what they can produce, it's common for people in these positions to experience brokenness and burnout.

In 2014, Todd and his wife Carrie felt God was calling them to pay closer attention to their own hearts and souls, and this calling birthed a new ministry called Worship Circle. This is a community offering small group and one-on-one connection between worship leaders/pastors and small group leaders; participants receive love, care, and investment in who they are as people, not just for what they can do as musicians.

Todd's heart for Worship Circle is so consistent with our heart for Awaken, it was a joy for like-minded (and like-hearted) people to get to have a conversation about this passion. We hope it will encourage you to care for your heart and soul, and to remember that you're loved and not alone!

#toddfields #worshipcircle #soulcare #emotionalhealing #spiritualhealing #counseling #therapy #gospel #grace #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #recovery #connection #conversation

Worship Circle website

Todd's music (on Spotify) (on Apple Music)

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

When situations in life activate our emotions, it can be easy to stay on the surface, focusing on what's going on and how we can "fix it." But often, the parts of us being activated aren't above the surface. We have to go deeper.

In this episode, Dr. Eddie Capparucci talks about how his Inner Child Model of therapy can give great understanding about how we process difficult and traumatic situations. Eddie is the author of several books, including Going Deeper: How the Inner Child Affects Your Sexual Addiction. Many people in recovery from problematic unwanted or addictive sexual behavior have found that early life experiences affect how they show up in the present. Identifying what type(s) of wounded "inner children" are activated can inform a helpful and compassionate path to healing.

Eddie and his wife Teri have a therapy practice in Texas, and have co-authored the book Going Deeper for Betrayed Partners.

#eddiecapparucci #abundantlifecounseling #innerchildmodel #innerchildtherapy #goingdeeper #counseling #therapy #childhoodtrauma #gospel #grace #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #recovery #connection #conversation

Eddie's books on Amazon

Eddie's website

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

Raising kids in a way that nurtures them and sets them up for a healthy life is SO difficult. Most parents deeply desire to provide for their kids in the best ways they can. But often they feel like they're showing up with a deficit, not having received nurture, care, and attention from their parents to the extent they needed it.

Our guest, David Thomas, has been helping parents, kids, and families navigate through these types of life struggles for decades. As co-founder and Executive Director of Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville TN, David is dedicated to providing support, encouragement & compassion to children, adolescents & families in need through counseling.

David is also the author of several books, including Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build On for Life. He and his partner at Daystar Sissy Goff host the incredibly popular and helpful podcast Raising Boys and Girls, which has helped thousands of parents engage more lovingly and confidently with their kids.

David and Sissy have just released a series of children's books, called The Daystar Dogs, which help parents navigate complicated emotions with their kids.

#davidthomas #daystarcounselingministries #sissygoff #raisingboysandgirls #daystardogs #counseling #therapy #families #parenting #childhoodtrauma #adolescenttrauma #gospel #grace #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #recovery #connection #conversation

Daystar Counseling Ministries website

David's books (Amazon)

NEW Daystar Dogs children's books (Amazon)

Raising Boys and Girls podcast

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

What do tacos have to do with making people feel valued, seen, and connected? Our guest Brooks Veazey has answers. As partner and CEO of Ladybird Taco, a Nashville-based restaurant (with locations in Birmingham AL and **soon** in Charlotte NC), Brooks is committed to cultivating an atmosphere that's about more than just good food.

Providing true hospitality is in itself a means of offering connection. Brooks, and the rest of the leadership team at Ladybird (including founder Gabe Scott, our guest on Episode 3) have worked since the start to make and maintain a space where people can meet, laugh, cry, connect, and be seen & known.

Listening to the passion and purpose that has gone into their commitment to hospitality, there's something we can all learn as we seek to create safe places for the people we know and love.

#brooksveazey #gabescott #ladybirdtaco #ladybird #hospitality #henrinouwen #gospel #grace #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #recovery #connection #conversation

Ladybird Taco web site

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

We've just had a birthday, and we're celebrating by giving you a "Little Extra Helping" of the podcast.

Bobby, Stacey and I sat down recently to reflect on this first year of What We Really Want... all the great conversations we've had, things we've heard from our listeners, things we hope for the future, etc. One thing we talked about was how simple the idea for this show really is.

Let's just talk. About ways we connect. And by doing that, we're actually connecting and modeling for our listeners what that can look like.

We're incredibly grateful for all of you who have been along for the ride this first year. We have more great conversations with wonderful guests in the weeks to come, so please keep listening in. Even better, please support the show by writing a positive review and giving us 5 stars where you get your podcasts.

#Greg Oliver #StaceyOliver #BobbyWest #podcastbirthday #podcastanniversary #celebration #reflection #lookingback #oneyear #recovery #healing #sexaddiction #pornaddiction #sexualaddiction #betrayaltrauma #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #grace #connection #conversation

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

What We Really Want for our first anniversary episode 🎂 🎉🎈 is to celebrate a year of Conversations About Connection with the one-and-only John Eldredge.

John is known for his work as a therapist, for his development of the immensely popular One-Minute Pause app, and for his MANY books (like Wild at Heart, The Sacred Romance, Get Your Life Back, Resilient) including his newest book Experience. Jesus. Really.

John has an important message for all of us. We have been conditioned AWAY from real connection, trust, and dependence; and conditioned FOR distraction, immediate answers, fear and anxiety. We had a rich, deep conversation about what we can notice and how we can move back toward a God who deeply loves us and wants us to connect with him, with others, and with our own souls.

Our souls were not made for the unsustainable pace of Internet discipleship. Our souls were made for union with God. We hope you'll slow the pace and take time to listen to this gracious call to remember what your soul is made for.

#johneldredge #wildatheart #experiencejesusreally #oneminutepause #pauseapp #unionwithgod #gospel #grace #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #recovery #connection #conversation

Wild at Heart (John's ministry web site)

John's books on Amazon

Wild at Heart on Instagram

Wild at Heart on Facebook

Wild at Heart on YouTube

Wild at Heart podcast

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"

We've known our guests Chad & Melissa Barrett for over 30 years. From days in Bible college to early church ministry, the Barretts and their families have been special people to us. So it was wonderful to be able to catch up with them and ask them to tell their beautiful story.

Chad and Melissa have four children. One of their kids, Kristina, bravely walked through a 4-year journey with cancer before passing away in 2014. During the time of her illness, Chad & Melissa experienced every emotion imaginable. Their story is heartbreaking but also filled with hope.

Many times when we hear stories of families walking through the valley of the shadow of death, we think or say, "I could never make it through something like that." We hear Chad and Melissa share how - even in the midst of grief, anger, sadness, depression and anxiety - they experienced deep, close connection with God, their children, and each other.

This is our longest conversation to date. Feel free to listen to it in pieces. But, like Chad said during our talk, when sharing through surges of emotion, "Don't edit this out..."

#inspiredbykristina #thrivenotjustsurvive #chadbarrett #melissabarrett #kristinabarrett #cancer #community #counseling #recovery #awaken #awakenrecovery #awakenpodcast #whatwereallywant #wwrw #grace #gospel #connection #conversation

Thrive Not Just Survive (Chad's website where you can find his book and podcast)

Inspired By Kristina Facebook Group

Awaken website
Roots Retreat Men's Intensive
Roots Retreat Women's Workshop
Awaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)