Oh, Good Grief | The Podcast with Joy McMillan

What if your greatest strength has quietly become your greatest burden? Type Twos are often known as the Helpers or Befrienders - compassionate, generous, intuitive, and deeply attuned to the needs of others. They are the people who tend to remember birthdays, notice when someone is struggling, and show up without being asked. But beneath that beautiful gift can be a hidden belief: "I am loved whe...

What if the stories we've believed and the strategies we've developed to survive carried an invitation to discover who God created us to be? In this introductory episode, we're beginning a ten-part summer series exploring the Enneagram through the lens of grief, trauma, and the Gospel. Rather than using it as a tool to label ourselves or others, we'll discover how it can become a c...

What if one of the most Christlike things we could do is simply slow down enough to notice? In this episode, Joy shares the profound impact of reading Theo of Golden and the invitation it stirred in her heart—not just to admire a beautiful character, but to become the kind of person who sees people well. Together, we'll explore the sacred art of noticing beauty in ordinary places, calling out...

In this tender and courageous conversation, Joy sits down with Morgan Brailley to talk about surviving childhood sexual abuse, being one of the survivors of Larry Nassar, and the long road toward healing. Morgan shares how trauma shaped her early years, the challenges of trust, the role therapy played in her recovery, and the ways God has redeemed even the hardest chapters of her story. But this e...

There are moments in life that leave a mark. Moments where harm is done, where silence follows, and where the absence of care cuts just as deeply as the wound itself. In this episode, Joy explores what it means to carry those stories honestly before God. Drawing from the story of Jonah, we'll wrestle with the tension between justice and mercy, and how easy it is to want accountability for othe...

In this deeply honest and grace-filled episode, Joy sits down with longtime friend Dr. Ansonya Burke for a conversation about heartbreak, betrayal, forgiveness, and what it looks like to let God have the final word over your story. Ansonya shares how God met her in one of the hardest chapters of her life—not by rushing her healing, but by walking with her through it. She talks candidly about forgi...

What started as six months of hesitation turned into six years of formation. In this episode, Joy shares what CrossFit has taught her, not just about strength and discipline, but about God, community, and the quiet work of becoming. What she once feared became a space where she discovered resilience, courage, and the power of showing up. Through honest reflection and personal stories, this convers...

In this deeply personal episode, Joy sits down with Monica Kaczynski—a teacher, mother, and woman whose life has been shaped by waiting and surrender. From a 14-year journey through infertility to the unexpected gift of motherhood, Monica’s story is marked by God’s faithfulness in ways she never anticipated. Years later, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and experienced a remarkable year of...

In the very first human crisis recorded in Scripture, God asks a simple question: "Where are you?" It wasn’t a request for information. It was an invitation. In this episode, Joy shares a moment of humiliation from her childhood that, among the hundreds of others, quietly shaped her instinct to perform, blend in, and protect herself. But hiding didn’t begin in middle school hallways. It...

In Part 2 of this conversation, Tiana Hawver shares more of her journey - how unhealed wounds began to surface in her adult relationships, including a brief and painful marriage that revealed just how deep those early patterns ran. But this is not just a story of pain. It’s a story of awareness, courage, and the slow, sacred work of healing. Together, Joy and Tiana talk about what it looks like to...

In this deeply honest and tender conversation, Joy sits down with her friend Tiana Hawver to begin unpacking the layered realities of trauma, adoption, and the quiet ache of rejection that can shape how we see ourselves and the world. Together, they explore how early wounds - especially those tied to identity and belonging - don’t simply disappear with time. Instead, they often follow us into adul...

Happiness is a moving target. We fix our eyes on success, relief, approval, comfort... and wonder why our lives feel crooked when those things shift. In this episode, Joy shares the story of a farmer who trusted the wrong reference point, and invites us to examine what we’ve been using to guide our own lives. This is not a pep talk. It’s a sober, steady, hope-infused conversation about cultivating...

In this deeply honest and hope-filled conversation, Joy sits down with trusted counselor and friend, Carol Boothroyd, to talk about the hidden realities of sex addiction, betrayal trauma, and the long, sacred road of healing. Carol shares both her personal story and her professional insight, gently pulling back the curtain on what so many quietly carry. This episode holds space for the complexity...

In this episode, Joy reflects on Jesus’ final 24 hours before the cross, and what His choice to wash feet reveals about the way of His kingdom. In John 13, knowing betrayal, denial, and crucifixion were hours away, Jesus didn’t posture for power. He wrapped Himself in a towel. This conversation explores: • What servant leadership really looks like • How resurrection doesn’t erase suffering, it red...

In a culture that confuses love with unlimited access, how do we follow Jesus without losing ourselves? In this episode, Joy explores what Scripture actually reveals about boundaries — not as selfish walls, but as wise guardrails. From Genesis to the Gospels, we see that separation, structure, and discernment are woven into God’s design. Jesus loved deeply and perfectly — yet He did not give every...

In this tender conversation, Joy sits down with her friend Lisa to talk about surviving repeated infidelity with dignity, boundaries, and a faith that held her steady through the storm. This episode isn’t about “why she stayed.” It’s about how she grieved, how healing unfolded slowly and imperfectly, and how trust can be rebuilt without pretending the wound never happened. Lisa shares what it look...

In this episode of Oh, Good Grief , Joy goes beyond the popular phrase “Let them” to explore a deeper, more freeing invitation found throughout Scripture: Let Him. Drawing on the biblical concept of the passive imperative, this episode unpacks how faith is less about striving and more about cooperation—positioning ourselves to receive the transforming work of God. This conversation invites listene...

In Part 2 of Joy’s conversation with her mom, the story deepens. They talk about fear, and the courage it takes to say yes to God anyway. Even when that yes means learning how to bake at 71. Even when it means leading. And even when it means walking through cancer. Mary reflects on her husband's cancer journey and the sacred moment during a fall drive to an MRI appointment when brilliant autumn le...

In this deeply personal episode of Oh, Good Grief , Joy sits down with her mom to trace the winding road that shaped the earliest days of their family story. From the ache of moving from Zimbabwe to South Africa, to the quiet loneliness of being a latch-key child, Joy’s mom shares how early labels of “failure” formed a relentless drive to prove her worth, and how God gently rewrote that narrative...

In this episode, Joy reflects on calling, courage, and obedience through the stories of Moses and Gideon, two people who felt unqualified, uncertain, and small, yet were invited by God to move forward anyway. This conversation explores why God so often starts with what we already have, how small beginnings carry Kingdom DNA, and what it looks like to steward what’s in our hands instead of waiting...

In this special episode of Oh, Good Grief , Joy is joined by her daughter, Alathea, for an honest, tender conversation about parenting, growth, and grace. Rather than a “how-to,” this episode is a reflection on what it looks like to grow together as a family; learning, repairing, and healing along the way. It’s about the sacred truth that while we are raising our children, God is still raising us...

In this episode, Joy shares six grounding phrases she returns to often — simple anchors that help quiet mental noise, interrupt spiraling thoughts, and reorient her heart toward truth. While so much of life sits outside our control, our thoughts, attitudes, and responses are not. This conversation offers both practical and spiritual insight into tending the inner landscape God has entrusted to us,...

In this special episode of Oh, Good Grief , Joy is joined by her husband Joe for an honest, unhurried conversation about the wilderness seasons they’ve walked through together. From faith that’s been tested, to holding a marriage steady through loss, trauma, and a life-altering health scare, this episode reflects on what sustained them when the ground beneath their feet felt unstable. Together, th...

The wilderness isn’t wasted time or tears — it’s preparation. In this final episode of the Wilderness series , Joy reflects on how God uses the hard, hidden seasons of life to shape us into people who can carry His purpose. Through story and Scripture, she reminds listeners that pain refines, delays develop, and nothing is wasted in God’s hands. Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:10–11 Genesis 50:20 1 Pete...

In this episode, Joy explores how God meets us through people — the friends who show up, the mentors who pray, and the community that carries us when we can’t stand on our own. Drawing from Scripture and story, she reminds us of the importance of confession and that vulnerability is not weakness; it’s the soil of belonging. If you’re longing for connection, healing, or a reminder that you don’t ha...