Music is one of the host Steve Cuss’ favorite ways to relax into God’s presence. On this episode he welcomes two artists who help him do just that—Andy Gullahorn and Jill Phillips. A married couple in Nashville, Tennessee, both Andy and Jill are singer-songwriters. Jill also practices as a therapist and Andy has a unique healing ministry. The three discuss the power of songs and how the music industry has changed over time. They talk about what it means to pursue “a long obedience in the same di...
Mar 24, 2024•33 min
"In Christ, God has come near and has walked with us. The transformation that is other than us has actually come near so that we could be changed and transformed.” So says pastor and author Geoff Holsclaw as he joins host Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. Holsclaw, who cohosts the Embodied Faith podcast and runs Western Seminary’s doctor of ministry program in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience, is deeply interested in how people grow, transform, and connect to God. On this...
Mar 17, 2024•43 min
Presence has a profound impact on our lives. So does its opposite—absence. On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cross welcomes author, professor, and public theologian Esau McCaulley. McCaulley’s book Reading While Black is dedicated to his father, which may lead people to believe that they had a close relationship. But, McCaulley says that dedication was his way of declaring, “I forgive you.” During their conversation, Cross and McCaulley talk about how the absence of paternal love can shape a...
Mar 10, 2024•48 min
Today on Being Human, it’s all about the Enneagram. Steve Cuss welcomes back his friend and colleague Jimmy Carnes for a discussion about the nine types and how they reflect the character of God. Carnes explains the holy idea of each Enneagram type—also known as the nine faces of God—and the ways that we are all striving for one aspect of God to be true. Carnes and Cuss discuss the nuances of their types and others. They consider how the Enneagram system can help people identify where they lose ...
Mar 03, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Start paying attention. Those three words sound simple enough. And yet, just about everyone who has tried to focus on understanding what’s going on inside themselves knows that the process can get tricky pretty fast. Introspection can be as infuriating as it is illuminating. On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes his dear friend and co-laborer at Capable Life Jimmy Carnes to talk about paying attention. Their conversation covers dehumanization, inner critics, and anxiety. Carne...
Feb 25, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 6
“The reality of trauma is that it’s a perceived experience where we feel like the tools that we have, to cope with what we have experienced, have been exhausted … so those experiences and meaning made get stuck in our bodies.” So says Lisa Cuss, therapist and wife of Steve Cuss, on this episode of Being Human. Lisa and Steve talk about the ways trauma lodges inside of us, bodily techniques for processing difficult experiences, and what it means to understand God as the ultimate healer. They dig ...
Feb 18, 2024•39 min
Most Christians would probably say that relaxing in the presence of God sounds like a beautiful idea. But do we know how to do that? And do we understand what gets in our way? On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss helps listeners identify the reactivity in their lives that keeps them from experiencing connection with God, themselves, and others. He walks through a brief history of systems theory, noting the key figures who have built a body of work exploring how relational dynamics affect u...
Feb 11, 2024•37 min•Ep. 4
What happens when we’re reactive? We disconnect from our awareness of God. So says Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. With concrete advice and a tone of encouragement, Cuss illuminates the path for listeners who want to name what causes their reactivity so they can stay connected to themselves, God, and others. Cuss explores how Jesus paves a way for us to connect to our so-called enemies. He directs listeners into prayer and peace as he shares stories of addressing anxiety and reactivit...
Feb 04, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Steve digs deeper into the anxiety known as "reactivity" and the different ways we all respond when our values are broken by others. He uses the 2024 presidential election as an example, giving viewers a couple of tools to manage reactivity. For more about Steve, and to download his video ‘The 4 Spaces of Anxiety’ visit stevecusswords.com Being Human with Steve Cuss, in collaboration with Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 28, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The first episode of Being Human With Steve Cuss, in collaboration with Christianity Today. Steve talks about the nature of reactivity, how it disconnects us, and how being a ‘well self’ is kept for human flourishing. Steve shares much of his own journey and gives a couple of tools to manage reactivity. For more about Steve, and to download his video ‘The 4 Spaces of Anxiety’ visit www.stevecusswords.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 21, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 1
The Friendly Neighborhood Therapist joins Steve on this annual wrap up. They chat about lessons learned this year, giving yourself the gift of wellbeing in 2024 and what is coming down the pike for next year. Plus, Steve shares his favorite advent poem. We also announce the podcast's new name. NOTE: next year our podcast name is changing as we move onto a new partnership, but you don't need to do anything - you can access it through your existing podcast subscription. Click here to learn more ab...
Dec 22, 2023•57 min•Ep. 196
*Apologies for the crunchy audio at the beginning of the show* J.S. (Joon) Park is a hospital chaplain and author of The Voices We Carry. Steve first encountered J.S. through his remarkable twitter feed which is well worth a follow here. Joon talks through his first day as a chaplain, how verbatims help us grow and how to stay human in a world of constant suffering and death. This was a remarkable interview! Thanks to our sponsors: To make a difference in the lives of aged out foster youth visit...
Dec 10, 2023•48 min•Ep. 195
Brad Lomenick is the former president of Catalyst and the author of several books including the H3 Leader. Brad is a gifted connector and developer of people. For two decades he has met with thousands of Christian leaders. In this interview, Steve gets into Brad's early leadership experience when he was 8 and what wrangling horses taught him about leadership. Like others before him, he gleefully endured the Gauntlet. To make a difference in the lives of aged out foster youth visit Dream Makers P...
Dec 03, 2023•57 min•Ep. 194
Julie Mavis is the Founder of Dream Makers Project, an organization dedicated to helping youth as they age out of foster care. Because of Dream Makers, these kids do not have to face the world, their future and their decisions alone. Julie is joined in this interview by Annika Marek-Barta, herself a former foster youth and on the Dream Makers team. In this powerful interview, we get into Julie's journey with foster care and why she launched Dream Makers. Annika also shares about her journey thro...
Nov 27, 2023•50 min•Ep. 193
Steve LOVED interviewing William Vanderbloemen on this week's episode. He brought so much needed wisdom for leaders today. William is the founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group. Since their founding they have placed 2500+ employees into churches and non profits and they have done 30,000 job interviews. It is out of this unique experience as well as being a former pastor that William writes his latest book, Be The Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. William...
Nov 19, 2023•53 min•Ep. 192
This week, Managing Leadership Anxiety turns five! This episode has four parts: 1) Why Steve launched MLA, early concepts and lessons. 2) Why Systems Theory, other practitioners, Steve's unique contribution to the field. 3) What Steve has learned from doing 'public' work. 4) Exciting announcements and updates for 2024. The free 'Four Spaces Of Anxiety' video. (Note, Steve may have said 'you can download' this video on the pod, but in fact you can watch it online.) Seminary Now Custom MLA Page. L...
Nov 12, 2023•44 min•Ep. 191
Many leaders and people in care giving vocations are notorious for focusing on others to the detriment of wellbeing. In this episode Steve is joined by his wife Lisa as they discuss core tools of self care as we approach the holiday season. Self care, in our field, is fundamentally about relaxing into God's presence, not about self nurture or self improvement. To download a free Life Giving List, click here. To learn more about the Calm, Aware, Present Journal as a Christmas gift, click here. To...
Nov 05, 2023•50 min•Ep. 190
Dr Kathleen Smith wrote one of my all time favorite Systems books called Everything Isn't Terrible. The book is brilliant, clear and witty and a great reflection of Kathleen herself. Kathleen is a therapist in the DC area and her book gets us right into her therapy room as we follow along with her clients' journeys of healing and wellbeing. Kathleen also happens to write my favorite newsletter which you can access here. In this episode, we dig into Bowen theory, the world of dating and why takin...
Oct 29, 2023•48 min•Ep. 189
This week Steve and Jimmy look beyond problems to 'attempted solutions.' Jay Haley famously said, 'I do not address problems, I address attempted solutions.' So often we get stuck in 'more of the same' and 'try harder' because we do not see our own complicity in the situation. Steve and Jimmy look at how we get stuck and then how to get unstuck when faced with recurring problems. Thanks to Seminary Now for sponsoring this episode. To receive 30% off access, visit the MLA Seminary Now page and us...
Oct 22, 2023•59 min•Ep. 188
Today, Jimmy Carnes joins Steve to continue their four part series, 'the four dynamics that infect every relationship.' They look at 'stuck' or predictable, recurring patterns. First patterns in ourselves, then in our relationships and teams. Tips to notice them and diffuse them and examples from Steve and Jimmy's own anxious lives. Thanks to Seminary Now for sponsoring this episode. Click the link and put CUSS30 in the coupon slot for 30% off access to the Managing Anxiety videos and so much mo...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 187
I often get asked about Systems Theory books to read. In this episode, I list a number of books and also offer critique or recommendation AND I also pull out of some of the books a key tool you can use in your life. So you can listen to this book review episode, not read any books and still benefit! Books by: founders of the theory (who are all white men), women, faith based. I also talk about the challenge of Systems being such a western and individualistic theory and some pioneering work in no...
Oct 08, 2023•46 min•Ep. 186
Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC) and the best selling author of the critically acclaimed Try Softer and her new book Strong like Water. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. Aundi has appeared on Good Morning America, regularly speaks at national events, and is a frequent guest on podcasts such as The Lazy Genius, Typology, and The Rise and Fall ...
Oct 02, 2023•55 min•Ep. 185
There are four dynamics that infect every relationship you have: assumptions, reactivity, stuck patterns, attempted solutions. These four dynamics infect not only your human relationships, they also infect your relationship with God. They also infect your relationship with yourself and they are a key reason why your wellbeing gets disrupted. On this episode Steve is joined by Capable Life trainer Jimmy Carnes to cover reactivity. What is it, how do you notice it, how do you manage it? Learn more...
Sep 24, 2023•54 min•Ep. 184
There are four dynamics than infect every relationship: assumptions, reactivity, stuck patterns and attempted solutions. In this first of four episodes, Steve and Jimmy Carnes dig into assumptions: what they are, how to notice them and why they make things so much bigger and catastrophic than they really are. To live stream or watch the Unlocking Faith conference or to get more info, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 17, 2023•41 min•Ep. 183
Steve thoroughly appreciated this chat with fellow Aussie Benjamin Windle as he brought many profound and succinct nuggets for us. Benjamin recently wrote the excellent Good Catastrophe, looking at how God turns and uses catastrophic events in our lives. Ben has lived enough of them for all of us. He has been a local church Pastor for over 20 years, including as a Founding and Senior Pastor and he consults organizations on generational understanding. He specializes in Millennial/Gen Z and you ca...
Sep 10, 2023•39 min•Ep. 182
John and Nancy Ortberg join Steve to endure several of his Gauntlet of Anxiety Questions. Not surprisingly, the questions generated MUCH wisdom from these giants in our faith. Steve found himself doing some deep work in real time as John and Nancy fleshed out a way of being human and with God. To get tickets to our upcoming Unlocking Faith conference, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 03, 2023•58 min•Ep. 181
Today we launch a brand new tool and it is one of our favorite type of tools because it is: very straightforward and simple but is also SO obvious, we neglect it. Therefore, we can begin to practice it and revolutionize our inner wellbeing. Lisa is joined by Lisa, the Friendly Neighborhood Therapist to kick around the new tool: Put yourself on your conscious list of relationships. To participate in our upcoming Unlocking Faith Conference or to learn more, click here. Learn more about your ad cho...
Aug 28, 2023•31 min•Ep. 180
This week Steve is joined by his therapist wife Lisa and Capable Life Trainer Jimmy Carnes. They dig into Steve's morning of shame, virtues, vices and the autopilot we get into, as well as some noticing and diffusing tools. To learn more about our upcoming Unlocking Faith Conference, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 21, 2023•52 min•Ep. 179
We all know what to believe and what our brain believes, but what does our anxiety believe and what does ori body believe? Sometimes the gap between our belief about God and our experience of God comes down to our functional theology. On this episode, Steve is joined by Lisa Cuss and also Capable Life trainer, Renae Loring. They dig into Renae's journey of anxiety management, how to locate your functional beliefs and how to begin to dislodge them. The Unlocking Faith conference is fast approachi...
Aug 15, 2023•53 min•Ep. 178
Steve chats with Glenn and Holly Packiam about leadership transition, establishing trust as a new leader, the challenge a leader’s spouse faces in ‘second hand criticism’ and their recent book and upcoming journal, Intentional Year and the soon to be released Intentional Year Journal. Glenn is an essential voice in these times. He brings a rare combination of compassion, academia, creativity, and thoughtfulness to his role as Lead Pastor at Rockharbor Church and so many of us have benefited from...
Jul 02, 2023•49 min•Ep. 177
