Episodi

  • Built to Last: Timeless Truths for Your Marriage

    Built to Last: Timeless Truths for Your Marriage
    Jan 20 2026
    Need some marriage wisdom? Greg Smalley has spent his entire life immersed in conversations about marriage. As the son of the late Gary Smalley—and now Vice President of Marriage and Family Formation at Focus on the Family—Greg has witnessed up close both the beauty and the messiness of intimate relationships. In this conversation, Greg reflects on why he chose to step into this demanding work, what drew him to a calling so intertwined with his family legacy, and how his own 30+ year marriage to Erin has shaped what he teaches today.
    We also explore how marriage challenges have shifted over the decades. From cultural pressure and emotional disconnection to technology, stress, and changing expectations, Greg offers perspective on what's new, what's intensified, and what remains surprisingly constant. Finally, he distills decades of ministry into a few core factors that consistently mark marriages that go the distance. Whether you're newly married, decades in, or simply hopeful about love, this episode offers grounded wisdom, encouragement, and a hopeful vision for building a marriage that lasts.

    Find out more and connect with Greg Smalley through his resources at Focus on the Family
    Check out the podcast Greg and his wife Erin Smalley do together - Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage
    Find Greg's book 9 Lies That Will Destroy Your Marriage: And the Truths That Will Save It and Set It Free

    Check out the marriage resources at Dr. Carol Ministries
    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.
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    33 min
  • Untangling God from the Wound: Healing After Spiritual Abuse

    Untangling God from the Wound: Healing After Spiritual Abuse
    Jan 13 2026
    Faith is meant to bring life. But what happens when it become harmful? In this episode, Dr. Carol sits down with Jeff and Terra Mattson, a husband-and-wife author team whose work bridges leadership, psychology, and spiritual formation. He brings the perspective of an executive coach; she offers the clinical insight of a licensed professional counselor. Together, we explore the idea of toxic faith: how faith can be distorted through fear, control, shame, or misuse of authority, and how to discern the difference between spiritually abusive systems and the ordinary, imperfect humanness found in any community.
    We also examine the deep impact of spiritual abuse on the whole person and why its effects often linger long after someone leaves a harmful environment. Most importantly, this conversation offers hope. We talk about what healing can actually look like, including the slow and courageous work of re-examining one's internal view of God. For those who feel wounded, confused, or distant from God because of their faith experiences, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and a grounded path toward restoration.

    Connect with Jeff and Terra Mattson on their website, Facebook, or Instagram

    Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.
    Check out Dr. Carol's article How to Develop a Healthy Internal Picture of God
    Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol
    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.
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    44 min
  • Who We Think God Is vs. Who He Really Is

    Who We Think God Is vs. Who He Really Is
    Jan 6 2026
    Have you ever been surprised by who someone turned out to be? Research shows we form impressions of people within seconds, but real life often proves those impressions wrong. In this episode, we explore how that gap between appearance and reality shows up in relationships –with others, and especially with God. These realities reveal a deeper truth; there's a profound difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing them.
    Many people believe in God, yet carry perhaps unconscious distortions about what He is really like. You may "know" that "God is love," but internally picture a God who is disappointed, withholding, harsh, or just waiting for us to fail. In this episode, we explore how our internal picture of God is often shaped by our past experiences, and why information alone doesn't heal it. Instead, healing comes through encountering Jesus. And we close with some practical ways to let God's love reshape your inner picture of who He really is.

    Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.
    Check out Dr. Carol's article How to Develop a Healthy Internal Picture of God
    Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol
    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.
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    21 min
  • Top Moments of 2025: Love, Sex, Intimacy, and Following Jesus

    Top Moments of 2025: Love, Sex, Intimacy, and Following Jesus
    Dec 30 2025
    In this special year-end episode, we revisit the conversations you loved most in 2025: honest, hope-filled moments about intimacy, relationships, sexuality, and the God who designed us for connection. These clips capture the wisdom, clarity, and compassion that resonated deeply with listeners all year long.
    Whether you're new to the podcast or want a fresh dose of encouragement, this highlight reel brings together the insights that helped people grow in intimacy with God and with each other.

    And here are links to the full conversations from which the excerpts were taken for this episode:
    - Overcoming Contradictions Between What You "Know" and What You Feel About Love, God, Intimacy, and Sex with Michael J. Cusick
    - Knowing and Being Known: Fulfilling Your Need for Intimacy with Erin F. Moniz
    - How to Find True Connection Through Courageous Authenticity with Tom Bennardo
    - From Criticism to Blessing: Transforming How You Speak to Your Spouse with Ann Wilson
    - More Than Behavior: What Surrendering Your Sexuality to Jesus Means with Dr. Juli Slattery

    Relationship Prescriptions is listener supported. That means YOU! Would you prayerfully consider how God might ask you to support this ministry financially? And then make your best year-end tax-deductible contribution today.
    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can leave a confidential comment here.
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    28 min
  • The Good News of Christmas

    The Good News of Christmas
    Dec 23 2025

    On the night Jesus was born the angel told the shepherds, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."
    The Christmas season may not always feel like good news. Busyness, difficult circumstances, emotional struggles, and more can make this time feel like anything but good news.

    This brief Christmas meditation shares how the angels' declaration of good news applies to everyone, even you, even in the difficulties of real life right now.

    Merry Christmas from all of us at Dr. Carol Ministries!

    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can leave a confidential comment here.

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    11 min
  • The God Stories That Happen When Jesus Shows Up

    The God Stories That Happen When Jesus Shows Up
    Dec 16 2025
    This episode takes you inside the heart of an Intensive at Transformation Place and gives you a glimpse of what this unique experience is like. Here people confront the barriers holding them back, encounter God in deeply personal ways, and experience the kind of change they may have sought for years but struggled to find on their own.
    You'll hear five individuals who courageously share their own "God stories." Each one describes how the Intensive met them right where they were—whether stuck, hurting, confused, or hungry for more—and how God worked in ways they didn't expect. Their stories are honest, hopeful, and full of the kind of change only God can bring. This episode will encourage your heart and invite you to believe again in what God can do.

    And then you'll hear how you can be a part of the next man or woman's transformation story through your support. We can't do this without you! I invite you to make your best year-end tax-deductible charitable contribution today. Additional ways to give:

    • Set up a recurring monthly donation

    • Easily make a gift from your mutual fund or appreciated stock right here

    • Recommend a grant to Dr. Carol Ministries through your Donor Advised Fund

    • Send a check to 14900 Avery Ranch Blvd., Suite C200-223, Austin, TX 78717

    • Purchase an item from our Amazon wishlist for Transformation Place


    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can leave a confidential comment or question here.
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    38 min
  • Looking for Christmas: Finding Hope and Joy in the Story Behind the Story

    Looking for Christmas: Finding Hope and Joy in the Story Behind the Story
    Dec 9 2025
    In this episode, we sit down with author Donna VanLiere to explore the rich, often overlooked details of the biblical nativity story, and why they matter for us today. From the unlikely cast of characters to the humble setting of Jesus' birth, we look at how each part of the story speaks meaning and purpose into our own lives, especially as we enter the Christmas season. Our guest helps us see how the first Christmas wasn't polished, serene, or ideal, but messy and real, much like our own lives.
    We talk about how Christmas is truly for everyone, and perhaps most especially for those who feel troubled, unseen, or without hope. Together we explore how the joy of Christmas isn't dependent on perfect circumstances but arises from the presence of God with us in the midst of whatever we are facing. Whether this season feels bright or heavy, this conversation offers an invitation to experience Christmas in a deeper, more grounded, and more joyful way.

    Connect with Donna VanLiere on her website, Facebook, or YouTube
    Check out the YouVersion Bible reading plan based on Looking For Christmas
    Find out more about Donna's book Looking for Christmas: A Search for the Joy and Hope of the Nativity
    We'd love you to be one of our Friends of Dr. Carol Ministries.
    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here.
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    29 min
  • Pain and Experiencing the Presence of God

    Pain and Experiencing the Presence of God
    Dec 2 2025
    What could it look like to follow Jesus not only after the pain ends, but right in the midst of it? In this conversation, tenured psychology professor, author, and pastor Dr. Joshua Knabb helps us rethink the way we understand distress, challenging the modern tendency to pathologize every struggle. We explore the difference between pain and disorder, and why recognizing that distinction can open the door to greater agency, deeper compassion, and more grounded spiritual formation.
    Together we also look at the contemplative practices that build resilience and intimacy with God: why they matter, what gets in the way, and how to start. Dr. Knabb shares his favorite go-to spiritual practice that help people meet Jesus right where they are, and why it's helpful. You'll hear how engaging these practices can transform not only your connection with God, but also the way you show up in relationships with others. This episode will show you how psychology and discipleship are connected in following Jesus.

    Connect more with Dr. Joshua Knabb and his work on his website.
    Check out Dr. Knabb's podcast The Christian Psychologist
    Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.
    Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol
    Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.
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    42 min