Ep 170 - The Story We Tell Ourselves
Kate Prevost and Stephen talk about narratives. They discuss the stories we tell ourselves and how the story helps us know ourselves in the world and keep us from being known/knowing the world.

Kate Prevost and Stephen talk about narratives. They discuss the stories we tell ourselves and how the story helps us know ourselves in the world and keep us from being known/knowing the world.
Kate Prevost and Stephen talk about the power and meaning behind our faces.
Kate Prevost interviews Stephen James as they discuss the idea that there is no cure for life. Our survival strategies are often our failed attempts to cure life. How do we balance finding home and living adventure? Can we learn to be still and be? Where is your life asking you to participate?
Stephen talks with therapists Christen and Ingrid about their work with those who have experienced sexual trauma. They discuss the effects of trauma and how we can start to heal.
Stephen talks with Becky Peterson, a mother, and teacher, about the back-to-school season. They discuss how to care for children and educators during this time of the year.
Stephen talks with Chris Zaluski, a documentary filmmaker whose latest film is called "Theirs is the Kingdom". Chris and Stephen talk about the power of honest storytelling, cosmic humility, personal transformation, and intentional relationship.
Heather James, Christen Johnson, and Kate Prevost sit down to discuss the silent work of motherhood. How was it everything you hoped for? How was it nothing like you imagined?
Cathy Loerzel joins Stephen James to discuss how loneliness impacts the human experience using the archetypes of the orphan, the stranger, and the widow. Cathy is the co-founder of The Allender Center and co-author of Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals True Calling with Dr. Dan Allender.
Stephen James and Maggie Anthony discuss the idea that beauty equals hope, how we encounter and embody the holy in life, and the responsibility we each have to make the world beautiful
It’s a commitment you make not just on that magical day, but over and over again. It’s a series of choices that you make day to day, month to month, year to year. Stephen James chats with Zach Brittle about marriage, expectation, who you are as a person and as a couple.
How can we counter the pressure to do, build, conquer? Can poetry be a pathway to presence? Join Stephen James and Dane Anthony as they reflect on what they have learned about life, time, presence, and being.
"A story is a way to say something that can't be said any other way." - Flannery O'Connor There is power in telling good stories and there is power in understanding how your story impacts who you are and what you do. Stephen James and Ben Howard discuss the power of story in our lives and how to tell and live your story well.
Challenge. Safety. Telling the truth. Asking tough questions. Therapy is more than finding someone to listen to you, it's finding someone to walk with you in painful change. Alex Derry and Phil Herndon discuss what constitutes good therapy and what to look for in a therapist.
Stephen James and New York Times Best Selling Author, Annie Downs, discuss her new book “That Sounds Fun,” which is about play, delight, joy, and what it means to be a full hearted person in this world. Learn more about the book here .
Stephen James joins Chris Bruno of The Restoration Project and No Regrets Dads to discuss the challenge of raising boys. Our children are not made in our image. They are not here to fix our stories. Discovering who they are and how they are being formed will help us navigate these challenging years. Learn more about Chris and his work at restorationproject.net
Kate Prevost and Stephen James explore how trauma impacts us all. What is it? What does it cost? how does it affect our lives?
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.” Frederick Buechner Stephanie Bessent joins Stephen James to discuss how we can find heart when the journey is difficult. This conversation is an extremely timely reminder to all of us to stay engaged and keep showing up.
Is your marriage a bicycle, a tandem, or a unicycle? Stephen James and Kate Prevost discuss marriage through the model of the bicycle, the tandem bicycle, and the unicycle. Your marriage is a story, it is a mystery, it is a ride. Join us for the ride.
How to stop feeling like you have to perform to fit in. Chip Dodd and Stephen James discuss the Ladder, a foundational idea Chip created that invites you to move from performing in order to belong and matter, to being as a way of belonging and mattering.
The more things change, the more they stay the same... As we turn the page on 2020, what are your hopes and expectations for 2021? What do you have to grieve? What are you grateful for? Phil Herndon & Stephen James help us bring in the new year with this timely discussion.
Creativity with Bekah and Matt Wertz - Part 2 Sit down with Stephen James (@stephenbrianjames), Matt Wertz (@mattwertz) and Bekah Wertz (@highfancypaper) as we discuss how to live creatively. This episode discusses Matt’s passion for tennis shoes as well as his journey into music. They also discuss the idea that every person is creative.
Creativity with Bekah and Matt Wertz - Part 1 Sit down with Stephen James (@stephenbrianjames), Matt Wertz (@mattwertz) and Bekah Wertz (@highfancypaper) as we discuss how to live creatively. This episode talks about what siblings Matt and Bekah do for a living as well as some of the creative struggles they have experienced during the pandemic.
Fear & the desire for control often makes us wield any power we find as a weapon. In this episode Jill Gullahorn and Stephen James discuss what the Enneagram is not and how it can be misused.
Jill Gullahorn and Stephen James continue a conversational dive into the Enneagram. Why is the Enneagram helpful? What is it good for? How can it help us with our struggles and our failures? The Enneagram can bring a new level of awareness to both our strengths and our weaknesses. It also allows us to see ourselves and others more clearly and better understand our motivations. This work leads to both more compassion and more self compassion.
Join Jill Gullahorn and Stephen James as we begin a conversational dive into the Enneagram. What is it? What ISN’T it? Why should you care? If you’re not sure what the Enneagram is or you type everyone you meet or you’re somewhere in between, this series will be for you.
Hope in the Age of Addiction - Part 7 Abstinence from an addictive substance or behavior is essential if recovery from addiction is to be realized. But while the physical component of addiction often seems the most difficult part to address, and though withdrawal can be terrible, by far the reasons most people do or do not recover from an addiction are emotional and spiritual. Chip & Stephen discuss their new book Hope in the Age of Addition . Learn more & order book: http://hopeintheage...
Hope in the Age of Addiction - Part 6 The Map to Freedom is a nonlinear route to the growth we seek over a lifetime. The first order of business is living daily toward the future we seek. The map shows how we grow one day at a time so we can grow into who we are created to be—just like trees. Chip & Stephen discuss their new book Hope in the Age of Addition . Learn more & order book: http://hopeintheageofaddiction.com/...
Hope in the Age of Addiction - Part 5 Normal means being sensitive, expressive, needy, and receptive. It means we have the ability to be vulnerable. It means everyday life can get to us. Living fully means staying available to how we are created. Chip & Stephen discuss their new book Hope in the Age of Addition . Learn more & order book: http://hopeintheageofaddiction.com/...
Hope in the Age of Addiction - Part 4 The word addiction means “to be devoted to or to give one’s self over to something completely.” The word addiction comes from the Latin word addictus , which means “to sacrifice, sell out, betray, and abandon.” Those who are addicted have betrayed themselves and sold themselves in an attempt to find a way to avoid the pain of being human. Chip & Stephen discuss their new book Hope in the Age of Addition . Learn more & order book: http://hopeintheageo...
Hope in the Age of Addiction - Part 3 The awful reality of addiction is that it doesn’t destroy just the addict; it damages those in relationship with the addict. Addiction is contagious. Everyone involved is infected. Chip & Stephen discuss their new book Hope in the Age of Addition . Learn more & order book: http://hopeintheageofaddiction.com/...