Speak Out Loud

I'm a Christian yet I struggle with mental illness. I love God and want to follow Him, yet my mental health is often dark, depressed, anxious and overwhelmed. Is it ok for a person of faith to also include therapy, medicine and other professional treatment as part of their mental health journey? Can you truly separate and isolate your mental health from your spiritual life? Does God care about...

Merry Christmas to all of the listeners and followers of the Speak Out Loud podcast! We are so thankful for you and that you are a part of our mission to share hope and encouragement for those who struggle with mental health and to those who love them. Christmas has not always been an easy or merry time for Stacee or our family throughout the mental illness journey. Traumatic experiences, difficul...

In this episode, Stacee shares a conversation with Hope Johnson. Hope has experience with depression and suicidal ideation. By walking through great trials and suffering, Hope has found an immense amount of healing and hope in writing, community, and the Lord’s presence. In this conversation, you will find yourself invited into what it truly means to experience the goodness of God, amidst pain and...

In this episode, Stacee and Doug share a conversation with self-injury support advocate, Brittany Tinsley. Through her writing and authentically sharing her experience and story, Brittany is helping to raise awareness and normalize the conversation around self-harm. In this episode, Brittany shares about the traumatic experience which led to her first experience with self-harm, the behavior "...

An eating disorder is a severe mental health condition characterized by abnormal eating habits and a preoccupation with food, weight, and body image. People with eating disorders often have a distorted perception of their body shape or weight and may engage in extreme behaviors related to food, eating, and exercise. Ultimately, individuals with eating disorders need professional help, as treatment...

Eating disorders are complex and severe mental health conditions characterized by disturbed eating habits, distorted body weight, and shape perceptions. People of all genders, ages, and backgrounds can be affected. Among the many variations of eating disorders, recovery from an eating disorder is a challenging journey that requires time, support, and patience. In this episode, our Social Media Man...

What do you do when you come to the end of your rope - when you come to end of your own capacity to make life work apart from God? A shared experience and connection bring Doug and special guest, Morgan Snyder of Become Good Soil and Wild at Heart, together for a conversation about carrying hope for a spouse in a mental health crisis. Even more, though, this conversation focuses on us and how the...

Recovery is not a straight-line story.  In this episode recorded on their wedding anniversary, Stacee and Doug talk about rough beginnings in their marriage, the ups and downs, mistakes, failures, and also progress and hope in their lengthy mental illness journey, and how God met them at each point along the way.  We invite you to listen to today's episode as Stacee and Doug share about...

Borderline Personality Disorder  - a painful and often misunderstood diagnosis.  Often born out of intense and/or lengthy experiences of trauma and lack of secure attachment, for those who suffer, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be a source of great pain, fear, and mental and emotional instability.  For those who love someone struggling with BPD, it can feel like there's a...

We are so thankful and excited to begin our 3rd year of the Speak Out Loud podcast!!!  This episode is a bit of a look back and also a look ahead - whether you've been a faithful listener or are new to the Speak Out Loud podcast, you are not alone in the struggle with mental health.   After many years of struggling with the silence and isolation created by mental illness, we are privileg...

In this episode, Stacee and Doug interview Susie Gurley, host and creator of the " Just a Mom Podcas t."  Sharing from her own family's journey of a child struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation,  Susie launched the " Just a Mom Podcast " in the Fall of 2022 to encourage and help parents with children of all ages struggling with mental illness.   Susie weaves...

This was probably our hardest episode to record yet.  For Stacee, this topic and story is deeply vulnerable, personal, painful and still tough to talk about. In this episode Doug interviews both Stacee and friend and LPC Deanna James on the topic of cutting and self-harm.  Stacee has written a chapter in her book, You Are Worth Saving , on cutting, but this hour+ episode is the most in d...

In this episode, Stacee and Doug interview longtime friend, Dr. Brenda Elledge, of Elledge Counseling Associates located in the DFW metroplex.  This is Brenda's second visit to the Speak Out Loud podcast - you can find her first interview with Stacee on Doug on the topic of how/when to seek counseling at SOL episode #17.  For several decades, Brenda and her team have guided thousands of...

Troy and Amy Jackson join Stacee and Doug to share a vulnerable conversation about parenting children struggling with mental health. Depression and anxiety are skyrocketing for children and teens today like never before.  When a mental illness crisis occurs, parents and families can feel lost, overwhelmed, exhausted, and not know where to turn for help.   Today's guests know and understa...

Have you ever wondered if your story matters?  Does God see your struggle with mental health and the pain it brings to your life?  Can you trust him with your hurt, your mental health, and to give you hope? In this episode, Stacee and Doug interview friend, Bible teacher, and ministry leader Vickey Banks about finding hope even in the most difficult seasons of life.   Out of a...

There are some episodes you record which you just can't wait to produce and release - and this is one of them!  In today's episode, Stacee and Doug interview Caryn Ross (the SassyMama).  Caryn shares her powerful and inspiring story of recovery in her private battle with alcoholism.  With authenticity, vulnerability and humor, Caryn shares about struggles growing up and stresses as...

The number of people experiencing anxiety has increased at incredible rates over the last several years.  If you struggle with anxiety - you are not alone.  For those not sharing in this struggle, most likely you have a loved one or close friend either openly or secretly battling this debilitating mental illness.  Each person's experience with anxiety may affect them in unique and p...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Speak Out Loud podcast!  Whether you are a faithful, returning listener or new to the podcast, we are so thankful for you and welcome you in joining us on this journey as we share hope and encouragement for those who struggle with mental illness and for those who love and support them.  That's our story, and as we share our story and invite mental health profes...

**Friends, please note that this episode was recorded before the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, TX. Depression and anxiety are on dramatic rise for teenagers and young people.  Pandemic disruption, impacts from being the first "social media generation," sleep deprivation, and higher levels of disconnection from meaningful relationships, on top of the normal emotional and mental challenges...

**Friends, please note that this episode was recorded before the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, TX. Depression and anxiety are on dramatic rise for teenagers and young people.  Pandemic disruption, impacts from being the first "social media generation," sleep deprivation, and higher levels of disconnection from meaningful relationships, on top of the normal emotional and mental challenges...

Can joy and peace be  experienced while battling depression and anxiety? Can we know God loves us even as we suffer? Has God abandoned or rejected me because I struggle with mental illness?   In this episode, Stacee and Doug dive into these questions and more as they share a vulnerable and authentic conversation about following Jesus while living with mental illness. God knows your mind...

In today's episode Stacee and Doug interview two eating disorder specialists and friends, Claire Gish and Dr. Alex Meyers-Ellett.  Claire and Alex share about their experiences in treating eating disorder patients, keys to recovery, the impacts of the pandemic, diet culture and social media and how Claire and Alex are seeing their patients experience hope.  For those battling an eating d...

Today's podcast is a recording of a message Stacee shared recently at the His Purpose Women's Retreat in Oklahoma City. Your story matters, and surrendered to Him, God can use your story, with all of its hurts and struggles, to communicate His love, grace and hope! Stories inspire us, move us and give us hope even in the darkest times. We connect through our stories - you'll connect to Stacee's st...

We all need someone who believes in us, someone who believes our story, our past with all of its hurts and pain, matters. In this episode Stacee and Doug visit with Kelly King a friend and women's ministry leader who believed in Stacee and first opened a door for her to begin sharing her story of God's sustaining love and power in her mental illness recovery journey.  Stacee, Doug and Kelly t...

Life-change begins by saying "yes" - yes to help, yes to hope, yes to God.  Stacee's life changed when she said "yes" to inpatient treatment at the Laureate Eating Disorders Program where God had waiting a therapist, and now friend, who would change her life. In this episode Stacee and Doug interview Dr. Crystal Bowlby and share a vulnerable and transparent conversation about Stacee finding h...