The GoodHard Story Podcast

Benjamin Wills is a man who has given every part of his life to the good/hard work of seeing people and communities restored to their God-given fullness. He’s worked and lived in marginalized communities, welcomed children into his family through adoption, shepherded a congregation in the Anglican church, and pastored my own Hope Heals Camp community for over five years!
Benjamin is gentle and humble of heart, while being an absolute force for God’s goodness in the city of Atlanta. I cannot wait for you to get to know this one-of-a-kind friend and soak up his wisdom on raising kids who know they’re beloved by God, the gift of spiritual direction, and the unexpected spiritual rhythms that have formed his soul most deeply.

Show Notes
What we mentioned:
Adam Young - https://adamyoungcounseling.com/
Curt Thompson - https://curtthompsonmd.com/
Hope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/camp
The Daily Examen - https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/

Scriptures we referenced:
Romans 12:2
John 6:68

Where to find more from Benjamin Wills:
www.sozojustice.com 
Sozo Instagram: @sozojusticecollective
Personal Instagram: @mrwills23

For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me: https://hopeheals.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, a monthly digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content: http://eepurl.com/gGUnlf

Get to know us:
⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces
⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp
⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/
Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Parenting dynamics are complicated, to say the very least. Every mother and father will leave wounds on their children, no matter how carefully (or carelessly) they parent. Today I’m sitting down with Melanie Shankle, who was generous enough to share about the wounds left by her mother as well as the healing she’s found in raising a daughter of her own. 

Through her bestselling books and hilarious podcast, Melanie has shared her life with us for nearly two decades—from the frivolous and fun stuff to the hard and the heavy stuff. Her most recent book, Here Be Dragons, was one of the best books I’ve read in the last year. In true Melanie fashion, this conversation about aging well, relating to young adult kids, and breaking generational cycles is as heavy as it is light. I think you’ll enjoy every minute.

Show Notes:
What we mentioned:
Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma by Melanie Shankle - https://a.co/d/0giagu3
Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn by Melanie Shankle - https://a.co/d/0TMFnLl
Songs for the Anxious Heart - https://open.spotify.com/album/6mA22vsD5MvgUPCEPKgjBg?si=vHtRb743RuGHJQKLvAkK0w
 
Scriptures we referenced:
James 1:4
Isaiah 61:3
2 Corinthians 1:4

Where to find Melanie Shankle:
The Big Boo Cast - https://pod.link/262921699
@melanieshankle on Instagram

About Hope Heals:
For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me: https://hopeheals.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, a monthly digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content: http://eepurl.com/gGUnlf

Get to know us:
⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces
⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp
⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/
Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

One of my all-time favorite guests returns today with the most heartening, hopeful possibilities for the outcomes of our deepest trauma. Adam Young is a therapist who specializes in story work, a therapeutic approach that has helped me understand my own good/hard story in order to become who I want to be. It has changed my life and I think it can do the same for you.

Our conversation covers the common traits of people who become better instead of bitter after heartbreak, making sense of God’s place in our hard stories, and the spiritual practice of praying your feelings. There is healing for you in this hour—I guarantee it.

Show Notes
What we mentioned:
Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything by Adam Young - https://a.co/d/3ompr6b
Adam Young on Episode 71 of The GoodHard Story Podcast: https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/NWE5Yzg2YzAtNjE4Yy00M2M1LThkMDYtZTk2YTVhNWQ0MWVj
Amy Julia Becker - https://amyjuliabecker.com/
All My Knotted Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore - https://a.co/d/j778gry

Scriptures we referenced:
Psalm 4:1
Romans 12:15
Joel 2:25
Genesis 50:20

Where to find Adam Young:
https://adamyoungcounseling.com/
The Place We Find Ourselves Podcast - https://adamyoungcounseling.com/podcast/

About Hope Heals:
For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me: https://hopeheals.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, a monthly digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content: http://eepurl.com/gGUnlf

Get to know us:
⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces
⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp
⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/
Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Episode 113: Rich Villodas on Finding the Spacious Life

Need a bit of soul rest today? I’m offering you an hour that feels both like a deep breath AND a challenge to live differently. Rich Villodas is one of the few people who can pull off this refreshing combination, and we are blessed to have him on The GoodHard Story Podcast this week. He’s been a source of inspiration and encouragement to me for many years now. In a world full of loud voices competing for the spotlight, Rich has remained a gentle, steady, and humble conduit of Jesus’ wisdom and grace.

During our conversation, Rich shared some vitally important “how to’s” with me: how to examine your interior life, how to take your love for God out of its tidy compartment, how to be formed by Christ rather than your idea of Christ, and how to teach our kids to navigate complexity.

Show Notes
What we mentioned:
The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls by Rich Villodas - https://a.co/d/dqVs2JW
Episode 85: My New Way of Understanding Beauty with Brook Hensley - https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/episode-85-my-new-way-of-understanding-beauty-with/id1496882479?i=1000689600342&l=en-GB
The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus by Rich Villodas - https://a.co/d/84WTasB

Scriptures we referenced:
The Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5 - 7
2 Corinthians 12:9
Galatians 4:19 
Romans 8:29

Where to find Rich Villodas:
@richvillodas on X
@richvillodas on Instagram
https://www.richvillodas.com/

About Hope Heals:
For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me: https://hopeheals.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, a monthly digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content: http://eepurl.com/gGUnlf

Get to know us:
⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces
⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp
⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/
Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

My guest today is unlike anyone else I know. Andy Crouch is a genius writer, thinker, and speaker whose career has spanned from Harvard to Christianity Today to Praxis. Andy is inviting Christians to be creative, generative culture makers, and his words have deeply shaped my worldview and faith journey.

You might want to be prepared to take notes during our conversation today, because Andy Crouch speaks more wisdom per minute than just about anyone else I know. He shared so many nuggets with me, including how he’s rejected a shallow-souled life, the surprisingly simple spiritual practice that starts his day, and the important distinction between charmed and blessed.

Show Notes
What we mentioned:
The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch - https://a.co/d/g6hq8l8
Praxis - https://www.praxis.co/
A Redemptive Thesis for Valuing Disability - http://hopeheals.com/thesis

Where to find Andy Crouch: https://andy-crouch.com/

For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me: https://hopeheals.com/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, a monthly digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content: http://eepurl.com/gGUnlf

Get to know us:
⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces
⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp
⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/
Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/