1 Soul Matters Podcast

Silence can look like strength, but it can also be a warning sign. We sit with a painful reality: a lot of men have been trained to perform confidence on the outside while carrying fear, grief, shame, and exhaustion alone. That training doesn’t just shape individual lives; it spills into marriages, parenting, friendships, and the wider church community when “I’m fine” becomes a lifestyle instead o...

A smiling pregnancy can still be full of fear, and a “healthy” birth can still be followed by a mental health crash. We sit down with Pastor Jamie Bruning and Pastor Todd Bruning for an honest, personal conversation about maternal mental health, postpartum depression, and what support actually looks like when the house gets quiet and the days blur together from exhaustion. Jamie shares what it was...

Leadership isn’t a title you receive. It’s a path you practice, often years before you can name it. For our Women’s History Month conversation, we sit down with four remarkable women whose work spans higher education, family life education, ministry and chaplaincy, and music education. Together, we trace the moments that shaped their sense of calling and the mentors who helped them keep going when...

A century after Negro History Week, we revisit why the project began as a corrective and why it still protects our minds and communities today. With historian and storyteller Donald Payton, we trace a clear arc: Reconstruction’s fragile gains, the textbook erasures that shrank national memory, and the coalition of churches, abolitionists, and early colleges that opened doors when the state would n...

We explore real ways to find hope when the holidays hurt, weaving faith practices with counseling, planning, and gentle rituals that honor grief. We also share how supporters can show up with presence, not platitudes, and why boundaries are a gift. • defining grief as mental, physical and spiritual • distinguishing hope from happiness • using scripture, prayer and Good Grief by Westberg • practici...

The season promises joy, but for many of us the holidays arrive with a quiet ache. We sit with that truth and offer a kinder way through, exploring how grief and hope can share the same space without asking you to fake cheer or “get over” what still matters. With Rev. Dr. Tamara Brown and guest Rev. Dr. Sharon L. Larkin, we name the many faces of loss—death, job changes, benefit cuts, deployment,...

We bring faith, medicine, and lived experience together to support women’s physical and mental health, with a special focus on breast cancer, boundaries, and building a circle of care. Two doctors  and two survivors share scripture, science, and practical tools that turn self-care into stewardship. Guest highlighted the following: Embodied Faith and Stewardship: Viewing health as worship, practici...

Reverend Jermine Alberty joins Dr. Janice Moore for a powerful, life-saving conversation about the alarming rise in suicide rates among Black youth and how faith communities can respond with both spiritual wisdom and practical support. The statistics are sobering: suicide is the third leading cause of death for African-American youth ages 10-24, with rates increasing by 144% between 2007-2020. For...

What happens when faith meets education in today's high school classrooms? Teacher and former pastor J. Todd Bruning reveals the delicate balance of bringing values into secular education without imposing beliefs. Through candid conversation with host Rev. Jermine Alberty, Todd shares how his approach of being "wise, kind, and fair" creates a foundation for meaningful student connec...

The second episode of 1 Soul Matters podcast highlights the powerful impact of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church's 10th Annual Mental Health Symposium through interviews conducted by Rev. Dr. Tamara Brown and Pastor Jamie Bruning. Guests from across the community share how the symposium influenced their personal, spiritual, and professional growth while reflecting on what "one s...

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Paula C. Dobbs-Wiggins who shares how faith communities can address mental health challenges by integrating spiritual resources with mental health services and community support. She explores the importance of education, connection to resources, and collaborative action as we navigate troubled times together.  The podcast also delves into the need for communitie...