Living Wholehearted Podcast With Jeff and Terra

We are in the middle of talking about toxic faith and how to untangle the web of healthy versus unhealthy systems so we can heal our church wounds. So many people have experienced hurt within the church setting. The hurt can come from a wide variety of sources, and it’s often due to unresolved trauma in the lives of the leaders of those systems. Whether you are a pastor's kid who grew up in ch...

Are you feeling discouraged by your life, leadership, or church? Are you frustrated with all the broken unhealthy systems? Are you losing hope as you struggle to serve, lead, and do what is right? We get it. There is a lot of hard in the world and it's difficult to finish the race well. You are not alone. But we have good news for you.    Our guest today is near and dear to our hearts. His chi...

Is it selfish or is it healthy to advocate for your needs?  In this episode, the first in our series, Healing From Church Wounds, we address the difference between grace-based systems, where imperfect people can safely express their needs, versus rigid and legalistic systems, often led by unhealthy toxic leaders, where individual needs are ignored or dismissed. How do we learn to honor our own nee...

We love talking with this guest. In fact, we aired her first interview as one of our favorites as she shared her own story of being a leader who has faced the trauma in her past. We are passionate about helping leaders, who often appear quite confident  and  polished on the outside, but who are doing the difficult and messy work of  healing from the inside out. In a western culture that values ima...

Every year, people make new year’s resolutions. It's August, and by this time, most of us have probably forgotten what they were! There is a reason most people don't change their lives and their habits. Our guest for this episode, Debra Fileta, is an expert in this arena. In today’s conversation we are going to get under the hood and talk about how to actually change your habits with a res...

Triggers. Trauma. These words are thrown around quite frequently in our culture today, but few really understand what they mean and how to find healing. As we consider burnout and how to be a healthy leader in our home, at work and in the community, we have to talk about the reality of trauma and its effects on our brain, body, heart, and relationships. Join this lively and real conversation with...

You don’t have to go far in anyone’s story to find suffering, trauma, loss and adversity. In our humanity, we often wrestle with the question, “Why, God? Why?” But what if the story isn’t the focus of our lives and God has something beautiful through the storms and struggles of life? We know deeply the pages of trauma, personally and professionally, and we don’t like giving trite responses to pain...

It’s not news to say that marriages are struggling. Statistics show that 50% of first marriages will end in divorce (in and outside the church) and second marriages have an even greater chance of ending in divorce. With twenty years as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I’ve worked with couples in just about every stage of marriage and have found some key factors in whether marriages make it or not....

Motherhood. It’s a loaded word with a vast array of connotations. Some good. Some not so good. Men listening will gain some beautiful insights about the women they walk alongside. Women, whether you want to be a mom, have already launched your kids, or are in the middle of the journey, this episode is for you. Our guest today is going to not only bless your socks off with practical wisdom, hope an...

Are you concerned about internet safety for your kids? Where are kids vulnerable today? Is TikTok safe or not? What makes a kid more vulnerable to an online predator? This episode is vital to every parent and any adult working with children today. However, know that this topic might be triggering. We do hope you will share this information, or even this whole podcast with your kids, but make sure...

Blind spots. We all have them, but none of us want to face the reality of what we are missing unless we are ready to grow and become more wholehearted leaders at home, at work and in the community. Join Jeff and Terra Mattson, co-founders of LIving Wholehearted, authors of Shrinking the Integrity Gap, executive coaches, and co-hosts of the Living Wholehearted Podcast as they talk about the reasons...

Parents ask how much is too much? How do I balance all the things? Should we do club sports or music lessons? Should I homeschool or send my kids to public school? How do I make sure my kids don't lose their faith after they leave? Help! If you are a parent (or would like to be someday), this conversation is for you. Leading in the home is one of the greatest responsibilities we have - shepher...

Living Wholehearted co-host, Terra Mattson, is a marriage and family therapist, executive coach, author and co-founder of Living Wholehearted and Courageous Girls. She knows what it's like to be busy - running companies and meeting with clients, while trying to raise two girls who love the Lord and know they are loved. Any parent knows the struggle. So this conversation between Terra and Cryst...

There is so much to do. Our kids need to be fed and driven to their activities. Bills need to be paid. Church is asking for volunteers. Friends and family want our time. Bible study. Work deadlines. There are expectations and demands everywhere we look no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in. As leaders in the home, at work, and in the community, we are modeling to everyone in our wake w...

Are you a dad who struggles with anger? Do you have a daughter? Do you want to learn from one of the leading experts on dads and daughters? This podcast episode is for you!   Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC, is a national speaker, author, licensed professional counselor of 27 years, and founder of The Abba Project, a nine-month group forum for dads whose daughters are in their teens and 20s. Sh...

Going through the loss of a marriage after the death of a spouse or divorce is very difficult. And then trying to blend a family and create something new adds a whole other layer. The average blended family takes at least 7 years to blend, so today - if you hear anything, we hope you hear grace for the journey as we talk with a couple who truly gets this assignment. We have Cliff Brady and Bo Ster...

Today we want to talk about what women need to know before they consider divorce. There are a lot of confusing messages - especially in the church - about divorce. It’s hard because marriage is meant to be a beautiful image of God’s covenant with His people - what the Bible calls the “Bride of Christ”. We see this marital covenant reflected throughout scripture. We are for marriage and as a marria...

Do you struggle with your body image - fixated on calories and losing weight? Do you find yourself yo-yo dieting or trapped by the comparison game? Maybe you, or a loved one, have a history with disordered eating or dysphoria? In this episode, Rachael Gilbert, author of Image Restored (March 2023, Esther Press), and I (Terra Mattson, MA LMFT, LPC) talk about our own journeys with our bodies, confi...

Mental health is a vital part of our spiritual formation. And teens are struggling big time today! If you are leading teens (at home or at work), listen in to this conversation. Laura Smith shares from her own story and experiences, as well as the wisdom she has learned from raising four teens herself. Laura is a Jesus lover, best-selling author, speaker, wife and mom. It took her years to discove...

“God did not create us to be mere spectators, watching on the sidelines inhaling popcorn while He does all the work. Rather, He invites us to be active participants, co-laborers in making the invisible Kingdom visible. The act of creating is part of our calling as image bearers,” writes Gadd. “There is no better permission slip than this: to know and believe with your whole heart that the God who...

At Living Wholehearted, we are passionate about helping people, particularly leaders, grow in integrity. We define integrity as bringing all of who we are before God and others - living a more integrated life, rather than a compartmentalized life. This includes our sexuality. Most of what we learn about sex is from our younger years - it’s what is said - and what is left unsaid. The rest of our li...

We are finishing up our Sexual Wholeness series and if you haven’t been listening, make sure you go back and tune it to  some of the fantastic interviews with Shaunti Feldhahn and Dr. Michael Sytsma. We are bringing  Jay Stinger back on the podcast to help us talk about how to develop healthy sexuality in our children. We have a lot of kindred connections with Jay and we so appreciate his work.  ...

We are in the middle of a sexual wholeness series. Last week, I spoke with Dr. Ryan Hosley about sex addiction, what it is and how someone can find healing. Dr. Ryan spoke about the spouse in several situations and the necessity to bring them into the healing process. This is where I spent most of my role as a marriage and trauma therapist for close to twenty years, helping leaders who found thems...

We are in the middle of a Sexual Wholeness series. At Living Wholehearted we are helping leaders live and lead with integrity -  from our professional counseling team (serving clients in Oregon) to our executive coaching, organizational development teams, and wholehearted leadership cohorts (serving leaders nationwide). And regardless of where we are walking with leaders - in the home, work, or co...

We’ve started a series on sexual wholeness and today we are going to continue our conversation about Secrets of Sex & Marriage: 8 Surprises That Make All The Difference. If you missed last week, make sure you check out our initial interview with Shaunti Feldhahn. Today, in our conversation with Dr. Michael Sytsma we dive deeper into the practical reality of the data and how it can inform, and...