The Luella Jonk Show

In this solo episode, I'm addressing something that's been showing up constantly in my therapy room—and frankly, it's been irritating me more and more. Husbands are sending their wives viral videos that essentially say: "This is why I'm losing attraction to you. This is what you're doing wrong." And I need to talk about why this isn't helping anyone. I'll walk y...

In this episode, I sit down with Brenda Prato, a canon lawyer from Malta who serves as Defender of the Bond in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and as a collegial judge in the Archdiocese of Armagh. As a married mother of two pursuing her doctorate in canon law at KU Leuven, Brenda brings both professional expertise and deeply personal insight to one of the Church's most misunderstood processes: m...

As I record this on December 30th, I'm not in the space of big resolutions or grand declarations for 2025. Instead, I'm sitting with what I've been noticing—about aging, about faith, about what actually sustains us when life shifts beneath our feet. At 57 (turning 58 in February), I'm discovering something unexpected: the less I try to control, the freer I feel. It's not that l...

In this episode, health and eating psychology coach Dani Spies shares her transformative journey from chronic dieting to food freedom. As the founder and host of Clean and Delicious, Dani helps women build healthier relationships with food, body, and weight—without restriction or rigid meal plans. Her turning point? Becoming pregnant and finally giving herself permission to stop trying to "fix...

In this solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on something that happened between my husband and me on our recent vacation in Mexico—a moment so small, so ordinary, that you might miss it entirely. But this is exactly the kind of moment that quietly erodes long-term relationships without anyone noticing until the distance has already set in. This episode isn't about arguing better or f...

In this episode, I sit down with Professor Caryn Zinn—a powerhouse nutrition researcher and registered dietitian from New Zealand who's spent over 25 years turning conventional dietary advice on its head. As a Professor at Auckland University of Technology, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Metabolic Health, and co-author of the bestselling "What the Fat?" series, Caryn has dedicated h...

In this solo episode, I dive deeper into what I started exploring last week—why our minds feel so chaotic despite our best intentions. As a psychotherapist, I've watched clients struggle with scattered thoughts, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue, assuming something is fundamentally broken. But what if nothing is wrong with you? What if your faculties are simply responding to impossibl...

In this solo episode, I share a profound realization that's been brewing in my practice for years—one that finally crystallized after listening to two Norbertine priests discuss the spiritual roots of psychotherapy. As a registered psychotherapist, I've helped countless clients function better, organize their thoughts, and reduce their symptoms. But something always felt hollow, both in my...

In this episode, I sit down with Sr Orianne Pietra René, a Winnipeg-born religious sister with the Daughters of Saint Paul who's bridging ancient faith and modern technology in the most unexpected ways. From her conversion to Catholicism at age 12 to a chance confession that changed everything, Sister Orianne's journey into religious life—and social media ministry—is anything but conventio...

In this episode, I sit down with Fr. Thomas Morrow, a Catholic priest, theologian, and author whose expertise in marriage and family has helped countless couples build stronger, more resilient relationships. With a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and decades of pastoral experience, Fr. Morrow brings both scholarly wisdom and prac...

In this deeply informative episode, I sit down with Michael Podhajsky, a canon lawyer who brings compassion and clarity to one of the most misunderstood processes in the Catholic Church—annulments. As someone who's been married for nearly 28 years and has walked alongside friends and family through divorce, I realized how little I actually understood about this process, which is why I sought o...

In this vulnerable solo episode, I'm getting real about what it means to truly trust when life feels fragile and you're hanging on by a thread. We've all heard the beautiful spiritual advice to "trust God's plan," but what does that actually look like when you're anxiously checking your phone for that email, dreading an upcoming confrontation, or second-guessing a major...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Anitial'A Ware, whose story isn't theory—it's lived experience. As a former Division 2 All-American athlete, collegiate coach, and master's-educated science teacher who once identified as a lesbian for a decade, Anitial'A's journey from darkness to divine purpose is nothing short of miraculous. What struck me as a therapist wasn&#39...

In this unique episode, I'm switching chairs—I'm the guest! Rip Esselstyn invited me onto his PLANTSTRONG Podcast to discuss marriage, relationships, and how couples navigate health changes together. If you've been following my show, you know I don't subscribe to just one way of doing things, whether it's diet or relationships. So when Rip reached out, I was thrilled to share m...

In this powerhouse roundtable, three previous guests return to tackle the confusion eroding modern marriages and families. Children's rights advocate Katy Faust, philosopher Carrie Gress, and Catholic educator Ester Munt-Brooks bring decades of combined wisdom on what happens when we abandon the complementary nature of masculine and feminine roles—and why getting this right is essential for th...

In this solo episode, I'm sharing something close to my heart - a core teaching from my new Conjugal Love course that challenges everything our culture tells us about marriage and relationships. If you think marriage is supposed to be all roses and rainbows, I have news for you: you're setting yourself up for failure. I dive deep into the dangerous myth of individualism in marriage and why...

In this special solo episode, I'm sharing the most transformative moments from my new 12-module course on conjugal love. After 25 years as a therapist and coach, I've discovered that most of us have been viewing marriage completely wrong - and once you see it as God intended, everything changes. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why trust is the holy cornerstone of marriage, not performance or...

In this special solo episode, I'm sharing the introduction to my new course on conjugal love - because I believe it could completely transform how you see your relationship. After 25 years as a therapist and coach, I've realized most of us enter marriage with no clue what it actually is, and it's so much more profound than we imagine. This course introduction covers: ✅ Why my priest i...

Ready to transform your relationship? My brand new course "The Course in Conjugal Love" launches October 1st! This isn't about more information - it's about transformation. Get on the waitlist:  https://luellajonk.com/the-course-in-conjugal-love/  I'm pulling back the curtain on 25 years of relationship therapy to share what I've really learned about making marriage work....

Ready to transform your relationship? My brand new course "The Course in Conjugal Love" launches October 1st! This isn't about more information - it's about transformation. Get on the waitlist: https://luellajonk.com/the-course-in-conjugal-love/ In this deeply personal solo episode recorded on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I'm diving into why Saint Paul - who was neve...

In this episode, I sit down with Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph. D., a Yale-trained neuroscientist turned Catholic priest who serves as Senior Ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center. From his unique vantage point—having worked as a molecular biologist at Harvard Medical School before answering the call to priesthood—Father Tad brings both scientific rigor and spiritual wisdom to today&#...

I'm sharing how studying our Mother Mary completely transformed my understanding of what it means to be a truly empowered woman—and how her example saved me from the toxic wasteland of modern female empowerment culture. After falling into the Facebook trap during COVID and losing thousands of dollars to "rise above" coaches who promised the world, I discovered that everything I'd b...

I'm speaking directly to anyone feeling worn out, disconnected, or questioning whether their marriage is worth fighting for. After 25 years as a therapist, I've witnessed countless couples chase surface-level solutions while missing the profound spiritual foundation that makes relationships truly thrive. Today, I'm sharing why I've shifted from relying solely on psychology to embra...

In this deeply personal episode, I'm opening up about one of the most challenging yet transformative concepts I've encountered both in my practice and my own marriage journey—the radical freedom that comes through surrender and what true obedience actually looks like. If you're someone who feels like you're constantly holding the reins tight, afraid that everything will crumble if...

In this deeply personal solo episode, I'm sharing what I've learned after 25 years as a therapist about what actually saves us when everything falls apart. Spoiler alert: it's not another communication hack, a perfect three-step process, or even your impressive degrees. It's something much simpler—and much harder. Together, we'll explore: ✅ Why overthinking and problem-solving...