Dr. Barbara's Whole Life Podcast

What if conflict wasn't the enemy of marriage, but the doorway to deeper intimacy? In this powerful Flashback Friday episode, Dr. Barbara revisits a 2020 conversation with Erin Smalley, marriage counselor, nurse, and daughter-in-law of the late Dr. Gary Smalley.    Together,they explore what truly creates wholeness in marriage, not control, not avoidance, but healing the heart beneath the conflict...

Why do boundaries—though biblical and wise—often feel terrifying in the body? In this powerful episode of the Heart Journey Podcast, Dr. Barbara Jean Lowe Sauvé explores why boundaries can trigger panic, grief, anger, and fear of abandonment—especially for those with trauma histories or insecure attachment. Blending neuroscience, attachment theory, Scripture, and Christian spiritual formation, thi...

What if the promotions, the paychecks, and the performance reviews weren't actually the point… and God was using your workplace as a healing ground for your heart? In this episode of the From Codependence to Christ-Dependence series, I sit down with my dear friend, author and corporate purpose coach Lynette Lewis to talk about codependency at work, people-pleasing, and how to become truly Christ-d...

What happens when faith, attachment wounds, and covenant collide over decades? In this powerful Flashback Friday episode, Dr. Harold Koenig, a world-renowned researcher in religion and health, and his wife Charmin Koenig share their honest, redemptive marriage story after 23 years of deep struggle. This conversation explores: • Anxious–avoidant attachment dynamics in marriage • How unresolved chil...

Love without boundaries isn't biblical — and it's not loving. In this episode of the Heart Journey Podcast (also known as the Whole Life Podcast), Dr. Barbara Jean Lowe Sauvé teaches why covenant love requires boundaries, why codependence erodes truth, and how Christ-dependence restores peace and order. Using Scripture, neuroscience, trauma theory, attachment science, and even quantum physics, Dr....

In Part 2, Dr. Warren Kinghorn and I go deeper into trauma, surrender, healing in Jesus, and how emotionally healthy churches can become places of wonder—not control. This is part of our From Codependence to Christ-Dependence series. Note: The thoughts and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and may not always reflect the views of Dr. Barbara or Heart Journey Ministry.

We went back into the archives and discovered something surprising—this conversation with Lana Vawser feels more alive now than when it was first recorded.   In this episode of the Heart Journey Podcast with Dr. Barbara, Lana shares a prophetic word about joy, intimacy with Jesus, and the restoration of calling for those who feel weary or delayed.   This message is for anyone who has wondered:  "D...

What if conflict isn't the enemy of intimacy—but unrepaired conflict is? In Episode 11 of From Codependence to Christ-Dependence, Dr. Barbara Jean Lowe Sauvé explores one of the most misunderstood truths in Christian marriage and relationships: Repair is not just a relationship skill—it is a spiritual discipline. In this deeply integrative episode, we weave together: Parts work (managers, firefigh...

Today I'm talking with Dr. Warren Kinghorn, MD, ThD—psychiatrist, theologian, and co-director of the Theology, Medicine & Culture Initiative at Duke Divinity School—about anxiety, anger, control, and true Christian flourishing. Duke Divinity School This episode is part of our From Codependence to Christ-Dependence series, and it is SO rich. Note: The thoughts and opinions expressed by our guests a...

In this powerful Flashback Friday episode from the World Women's Wholeness Summit, Dr. Barbara sits down with Stasi Eldredge for a deeply moving conversation on feminine wholeness, identity, and freedom from codependence. Stasi shares her personal story of how codependence nearly cost her life — and how an encounter with God's tender love began her healing journey. Together, they explore how women...

Marriage isn't just two people in love. It's two nervous systems, two histories, two attachment patterns, and two sets of wounded and protective parts trying to feel safe. In this powerful episode, Dr. Barbara Jean Lowe Sauvé takes parts-work out of the therapy room and into the sacred space of marriage—integrating attachment science, neuroscience, Gottman research, physics, and Scripture to show...

In Part 2, Dr. Barbara and Kate Smith from Catch the Fire go even deeper into the heart work of moving from codependence to Christ-dependence—especially in marriage and leadership. They talk honestly about anger toward husbands, childhood trauma, and how unhealed judgments toward our parents get "reaped" in our marriages. Kate shares how her father's rage showed up later in her reactions to Duncan...

In this powerful Flashback Fridays episode, Dr. Barbara revisits a deeply moving conversation with Valerie Burton—life coach, author, and summit speaker—on vulnerability, rejection, purpose, and learning to follow God's peace rather than people's approval. Valerie shares candidly about walking through divorce, confronting fear of disapproval, and resisting the enemy's attempt to "brand" her with s...

In Episode 9 of From Codependence to Christ-Dependence, Dr. Barbara guides listeners from survival-driven living into secure dependence on Christ. Building directly on Episode 8, Unmasked and Unashamed, this episode explores: • why shame lives in the body • how trauma creates state-dependent "child parts" • the neuroscience behind performance, burnout, and collapse • why willpower fails — and grac...

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Barbara sits down with Kate Smith, apostolic leader of the Catch the Fire movement (formerly associated with the Toronto Blessing), to talk about moving from codependence to Christ-dependence. They share about the revival roots of Catch the Fire, the impact of the Toronto Blessing on leaders like Heidi & Roland Baker and Nicky Gumbel, and how the Father's love an...

What if one brave act of truth-telling became the turning point for your healing… and your future? In this powerful Flashback Friday, Ann Beiler (Auntie Anne's Pretzels) shares how storytelling is a form of confession—and how confession can become a doorway into freedom, wholeness, and deep connection with God and others.   Ann gently walks us through the reality of trauma, secrecy, spiritual conf...

In Episode 8 of From Codependence to Christ-Dependence, Dr. Barbara Jean Lowe Sauvé explores the hidden survival strategy of masking—the "safer self" we present when shame tells us we're not safe to be seen. We connect masking to anxiety, anger, and control, expose spiritual bypass as a holy-sounding form of hiding, and return to the core gospel truth: there is no condemnation in Christ. We unpack...

In this episode, Dr. Barbara sits down with Ana Werner to explore how encounters with Jesus heal trauma, restore identity, and bring the nervous system into safety—not through striving, but through rest and intimacy with God. Ana explains what a "seer" is biblically (and how to stay grounded in Scripture), shares a powerful encounter with the eyes of Jesus, and gives practical wisdom for sensitive...

In this From Codependence to Christ-Dependence Flashback Friday episode, we're going back to the World Women's Wholeness Summit 2021 for a powerful conversation with Pastor Darlene Zschech —worship leader, songwriter of Shout to the Lord , pastor, wife, mom, and grandmother.  

In part two, Dr. Worthington gets really vulnerable and tells the story of forgiving the person who murdered his mother… and also the story that actually took him ten years to forgive. We talk about spiritual bypass. We talk about praying for those who hurt us. I share the Heart Journey tool of praying your top ten desires over the person who hurt you… morning and night… and how God uses that to m...

Welcome to a Christmas episode unlike anything you've ever heard. Today, Dr. Barbara blends neuroscience, attachment theory, trauma-informed psychology, biblical Greek + Hebrew, family systems, and even physics to help you experience Christmas as a healing event. Learn how Jesus heals: • Fear • Control • Anxiety • Codependent patterns • Family system roles • Attachment wounds • Nervous system dysr...

Welcome back to the Heart Journey Podcast – it's Flashback Friday, Part 2 with my friend Leslie Vernick In this second half of her World Women's Wholeness Summit 2020 talk, Leslie dives into what happens after trust has been broken: What actually rebuilds trust (and what doesn't) Why God calls us to unconditional love but not unconditional relationship How to discern between normal sin and chronic...

In this powerful and gentle episode, Dr. Barbara guides us into the truth beneath our anxiety, anger, and attempts to manage people, outcomes, and even our own worth. Drawing from Scripture, neuroscience, attachment theory, and physics, she unpacks: Why our nervous system clings to control How childhood chaos forms lifelong patterns Why worry, ranting, ruminating, and image-management are survival...

In this first conversation with forgiveness researcher and lover of Jesus, Dr. Everett Worthington, we talk about what forgiveness actually is, why the Bible calls us to it, and how it connects to trauma healing. Dr. Worthington explains his well-known REACH model and the difference between decisional forgiveness and emotional forgiveness. I share how this fits with the Heart Journey method and wh...

In today's Flashback Friday on the Heart Journey Podcast, we're serving up some leftover charcuterie board goodness from the World Women's Wholeness Summit 2020   I'm sharing Part 1 of an important, practical, Jesus-centered talk from my dear friend Leslie Vernick on: What healthy relationships actually look like The difference between normal sin and destructive patterns Why you can't be spiritual...