00;00;01;09 - 00;00;28;06
Dave Quak
Welcome to sunburnt Souls. I'm Dave Quak and on this show we explore life and faith and our mental well-being as a pastor that struggles with mental illness. I get to chat to people like me, people that love Jesus and follow the way of Christ while dealing with the messiness and brokenness of lives. Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode with me.
00;00;28;08 - 00;00;48;22
Dave Quak
Bronwen Healy. You are an author, a motivational speaker, a charity director, a social enterprise founder and most importantly, you're a mum to three beautiful adult daughters. Your professional counselor. I don't know how you do all this without sleeping. Well, when you sleep. But thank you so much for coming on Sunday.
00;00;49;22 - 00;00;57;16
Bronwen Healy
it is so good to be here. When people introduce me like that, I'm like, oh, yeah. Wow, what a life. Yeah, you. Oh, look, it's a thing.
00;00;57;16 - 00;01;05;00
Dave Quak
Yeah. And I think I've known you for about 15 years, and in that entire time, it just seems like more and more amazing things get added to the list.
00;01;05;01 - 00;01;16;04
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. It's been, Yeah, I remember when we met. Yeah. What a journey. And, to be sitting here in this season of my life with you is. Yeah, it's just it's the best.
00;01;16;06 - 00;01;19;28
Dave Quak
Well, let's talk about that. What is this season of your life? What do you been up to lately?
00;01;19;28 - 00;01;37;25
Bronwen Healy
Wow. This season? Yeah. I feel a bit like, I'm. Well, I wore a t shirt specifically today knowing that our chat might head in this direction, but I found this t shirt couple of years ago at TC Max of all places. Okay. And it says I love you to the desert and back. Yes. And that's the season that I feel like I'm in.
00;01;37;25 - 00;02;00;09
Bronwen Healy
I feel like I'm coming out of a wilderness season. That has been pretty brutal. The Lord been reminding me. It's been brutal, but beautiful. Yeah. And, you know, Song of Songs talks about who is this one coming out of the wilderness, clinging to her beloved. And, man, I want that to be me. Okay, so that's a bit of the declaration that I'm making.
00;02;00;12 - 00;02;21;28
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. Trusting the steps. Holding my breath. Taking the steps, pressing in. Yeah. A lot of letting go, man. A lot of letting go. A little holding things loosely. Realizing. Well, again, like you've said, some of the amazing things I've done, but this season's really been a lot about being over doing.
00;02;22;03 - 00;02;35;18
Dave Quak
Okay. Yeah. Okay. So, so okay, let's talk about this season of wilderness because for some people it looks different to others. What was it like for you or how did you enter the wilderness? Did you know you were going into the wilderness?
00;02;35;21 - 00;02;58;08
Bronwen Healy
And lighted class. Oh I know, right. What a big one. And I'm I'm. I said to someone on Sunday at church, they were like, you look, something's shifted. You look different. You had a good start to the year. Bronze. And I said, I'm riding again. Yeah. So I know my creativity, you know, is coming back to life.
00;02;58;08 - 00;03;26;13
Bronwen Healy
Let's say, he's loved me back to life in a different way. I got I went through a painful second short marriage, to a, you know, no one Christian radio announcer. And it was brutal. That was all 2016, 2017. Felt like my kids and I all got rejected one by one. And, you know, maybe it was that he didn't know who he was.
00;03;26;15 - 00;03;43;15
Bronwen Healy
And we both thought we were more healed than we were. And, you know. Yeah, kind of hoped for the best. But then you've got to surrender in the midst of those challenges. So that was the beginning of the wilderness. So it was kind of like, Holy crap. Yeah. Here I was declaring, you know, this is the man of God's dreams for me.
00;03;43;15 - 00;04;08;22
Bronwen Healy
And we went to Paris on a honeymoon. And all these things I'd been believing for. And it felt like the fairytale pretty quickly became a bit of a nightmare. Yeah. And my heart felt broken. My spirit felt a bit crushed and, in the midst of all of the separation and then divorce and, you know, estrangement from my kids under the same roof and, you know, painful, really painful time.
00;04;08;25 - 00;04;36;04
Bronwen Healy
I had, situation where I had a car accident. The charity that I had founded, we were running a social enterprise cafe on top of a mountain, and it was a dream God had given me. So seeing it be real and walking in it and yet navigating this personal heartbreak. And then had a car accident in August 2019, just after the divorce was finalized in the June.
00;04;36;06 - 00;04;55;27
Bronwen Healy
And then I felt like the board didn't respond the way that I believed. You know, it's kind of you think about I've been thinking about it recently, you know, the fruits of the spirit, man. You know, love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And I didn't feel like that was the response that I got.
00;04;55;29 - 00;04;56;09
Dave Quak
Okay.
00;04;56;15 - 00;05;24;19
Bronwen Healy
And it's only recently I've been like, well, if that wasn't the response, what was the response? I just felt like kindness was missing. Yeah. And here I was nursing a broken heart, severe whiplash, you know, two bulging discs in the top of my skull and headaches and three broken hearted kids and, you know, a season where, you know, in the word it says, the elders should come and bring a meal and pray for people.
00;05;24;19 - 00;05;26;01
Bronwen Healy
And I felt abandoned.
00;05;26;02 - 00;05;41;26
Dave Quak
Yeah. Wow. That would have especially hurt because you've been on the receiving end of support. Yeah. You know, you've always been someone who supports others souls into others, recognizes need and goes after that need. And when you're in your time of need, it's disappointing that didn't come back.
00;05;41;28 - 00;06;00;27
Bronwen Healy
And I think, yeah, yeah, should have brought the tissues over. Yeah. It's all right. I'll it's not in my own show today. I think to men, you know, the Hope Foundation existed to come alongside women. Yeah. And let them know they were loved and valued and created with a purpose. And I didn't feel like that was on it.
00;06;00;29 - 00;06;24;08
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. Or shine. And that was hard because this was a boy that I'd invite. You know, these are people that I'd invited in and trusted in. Yeah. It was, I've obviously spent that was 2019. I've spent the last five years, you know, in a wilderness and processing and letting the Holy Spirit do what only he could, reminding me of who I truly am.
00;06;24;11 - 00;06;44;10
Bronwen Healy
The call on my life is to come alongside people. It is to let people know they're fully seen and truly loved. And, you know, one of the things that he spoke to me early days when I, all of that, all of that was happening, I ended up making a decision where I knew I didn't have the energy to keep fighting for the Hope Foundation and heal.
00;06;44;10 - 00;06;50;22
Bronwen Healy
And as a mentor, I say to people, what are you doing? Someone else could be doing and what are you not doing? Only you could do.
00;06;50;24 - 00;06;51;20
Dave Quak
Okay.
00;06;51;22 - 00;06;52;02
Bronwen Healy
Right?
00;06;52;05 - 00;06;55;18
Dave Quak
Yeah, that's that's good. I'm going to process that for a second. Yeah, that is good.
00;06;55;18 - 00;06;56;12
Bronwen Healy
So only.
00;06;56;12 - 00;06;57;20
Dave Quak
Yeah. Yeah. Only you could.
00;06;57;20 - 00;07;29;08
Bronwen Healy
Only I could heal I yeah I could reconnect to my kids. Yeah. I had hoped that somebody else would carry the Hope Foundation the way that God designed it to be carried. And, a very quickly saw and felt that that wasn't happening. I ended up resigning from my own charity. Yeah. And, you know, you in the midst of abandonment and what felt like betrayal from the inner sanctum, you know, very quickly, you like.
00;07;29;08 - 00;07;50;12
Bronwen Healy
Well, I didn't anymore have a car or a laptop or, income or. Yeah. You know, it was brutal, man. Yeah, brutal. And a community of women that. Mike, you know, I founded the hope Foundation when my kids were aged two, four, six. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, we'd started outreach when they were aged one, three and five.
00;07;50;12 - 00;08;09;11
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. And they were all working at the level at the cafe on top of the mountain. Yeah, it was a family, you know. It was brutal for all of us. It was a family. Corporate grief. Yeah. And, letting go of a community of people that my kids didn't know any different. But to come alongside it and love.
00;08;09;13 - 00;08;11;13
Dave Quak
You know, I've grown up with them as their family, right?
00;08;11;15 - 00;08;36;15
Bronwen Healy
They nursed the babies, we had the baby showers. We had the monthly birthday parties. We celebrated well, those women who were me, you know, helping come alongside my kids didn't know any different than coming alongside vulnerable women and helping them be seen. Yeah. You know, and so it was. Yeah, it was rough, man. I didn't know how I was going to come through, to be honest.
00;08;36;15 - 00;09;02;24
Bronwen Healy
And in the last five years there's been times I didn't think I would. Yeah. In the midst of that, wilderness season, my mum, my beautiful mum passed away. Yeah. In 2021. I was working retail, of all things. I don't even like shopping. Men, you know. I was studying counseling. Yeah. Because I remember saying to my kids, I think I might study counseling, though, like, good.
00;09;02;24 - 00;09;04;17
Bronwen Healy
Get paid for what you've always.
00;09;04;20 - 00;09;04;28
Dave Quak
Done.
00;09;04;28 - 00;09;28;20
Bronwen Healy
Anyway. Done. Anyway, And, yeah, my mum passed away, got, qualified as a counselor, and just slowly but surely started to find my feet. Yeah. Catch my breath and let him heal me in places and spaces I didn't know was still wounded. Yeah. On top of all of the fresh wounds you know, got all the old wounds.
00;09;28;23 - 00;09;30;22
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. So far out.
00;09;30;25 - 00;09;51;02
Dave Quak
It's a lot. And the hardest thing about a wilderness is like you'll all of a sudden they're like you know like in your life you, you know you were radically saved and ministry took off. Seems to be really quickly. You know what I mean. And so as quick as it started is as quick as it disappeared at the end to go into the wilderness.
00;09;51;02 - 00;10;04;29
Dave Quak
Yeah. It's really hard for us as people to handle. Yeah. You know, and you're juggling, you know, your three awesome daughters. Yeah. You know, it is. It's a, it's it's a it's an uncomfortable time going into the wilderness. You said before it was beautiful and brutal.
00;10;05;01 - 00;10;27;10
Bronwen Healy
How's that work. Well men you know in Luke four it talks about you know Jesus went to the desert and I've read every translation so many times in the last five years. Yes. But and 25 years ago I nearly, I went to rehab. I've read that those translations in so many different versions over the years, but in every translation that says the Holy Spirit led Jesus there.
00;10;27;14 - 00;10;50;06
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. There's not a translation that doesn't say the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert. Yeah. So in that it's like, you know what? I, the Lord, didn't design it to be the way that it was with the marriage, the second marriage, with the Hope Foundation, with the cafe that wasn't God's. I've got to believe that was not God's design.
00;10;50;06 - 00;11;18;10
Bronwen Healy
You know, he's a kind God. It was an unkind ending. Yes. And yet, in that he led me to places and spaces that I may have never gone otherwise. And so when I say brutal but beautiful, it's been very, very lonely. You know, you go from being a public figure and a community leader and invited to all of the galas and, you know, to I didn't have that phone number anymore.
00;11;18;10 - 00;11;46;06
Bronwen Healy
I didn't have the email address anymore. I didn't have the car with the logo on the back anymore. I didn't have I it was lonely. Yeah. And in that place, I found the truest version of me in the arms of Jesus. Like through the eyes and the filter of the Holy Spirit. I've learned to see myself and other people in a whole new dimension, and so that part's been beautiful.
00;11;46;08 - 00;12;12;28
Bronwen Healy
The brutality part, you know, again. And you got to think about Easter. You know, we just had Easter, man. You know what a brutal. Yeah. What a brutal ending. Yeah. And yet, you know, I, I'm huge on, you know, every, every, every resurrection is preceded by a crucifixion. Yeah. And so if everything he touches has resurrection power attached to it, I want that to be my life.
00;12;13;02 - 00;12;13;20
Bronwen Healy
Yeah.
00;12;13;23 - 00;12;25;16
Dave Quak
Yeah. And so part of the wilderness was that crucifixion, the dying. Some things had to die, I guess. I went through a period of darkness for a couple of years, probably around the same time. We should have connected.
00;12;25;18 - 00;12;27;25
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, I know, but.
00;12;27;27 - 00;12;49;11
Dave Quak
I remember in the middle of it someone saying there's going to be a day where you look forward, look back and say, thank you, Jesus. You were there. And at the point when I was in the sand, in the heat, sweltering, needing some water, I didn't feel like it at all. Yeah. And then you do get to the end and look back and go, okay, yes.
00;12;49;11 - 00;12;55;08
Dave Quak
Like Jesus was there. The Holy Spirit was with me in the wilderness. But yeah, it just hurts.
00;12;55;11 - 00;13;17;15
Bronwen Healy
It hurts. And like you said, you know how many other people were going through it at the same time, you know, and then Covid hit. Yeah. You know. Yeah. And but God, yeah. That's right. Like God like you and I are sitting here today. Yeah. Because but God that's right. Like he knew that we were going to sit here today and have this conversation.
00;13;17;18 - 00;13;26;20
Dave Quak
Yeah. He literally is the only answer when the whole world shuts down for a pandemic, when you're in the wilderness, wherever it literally is, God or nothing.
00;13;26;28 - 00;13;45;05
Bronwen Healy
And it's he's the only constant he really is. You know, like, I look back on my whole life story on turning 49 soon and so many people like, oh my gosh, that you know, I hate getting older. I'm like, but I'm alive. I said to you before, I'm getting ready, but I'm alive. Yeah. And I'm seeing it as preparation for Jubilee, man.
00;13;45;06 - 00;13;46;07
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. 50, 50.
00;13;46;07 - 00;13;46;19
Dave Quak
Years.
00;13;46;20 - 00;13;48;25
Bronwen Healy
Isn't that the right way? Like, like.
00;13;48;27 - 00;13;51;27
Dave Quak
Just gets prospered and everything gets richer and and.
00;13;51;29 - 00;14;09;25
Bronwen Healy
Really I'd say. Yeah. And apparently sevenfold. So. Yeah. Bring it. I'm. And take it. Yeah. But I look back over the 49 ish years of life and the amount of times he saved me from myself. Yeah. You know, when I was trapped in addiction and prostitution and crime and. Yeah, living on the dark side of the world.
00;14;09;25 - 00;14;24;27
Bronwen Healy
And he still knew me. Yeah. Right before I was formed in my mother's womb. He knew me. Yeah. He never let me go. Yeah, even when I didn't know him. Yeah, he constantly was the holy thread. Yeah.
00;14;24;29 - 00;14;39;21
Dave Quak
Did you feel haunted by God in those years, Brian? Like, so when you were in that life, prostitution and drug addiction and everything, was it like God was hanging around, or how was that presence? Or how did you know that he knew you? Or was it a retrospective thing?
00;14;39;23 - 00;14;41;10
Bronwen Healy
I didn't know him.
00;14;41;12 - 00;14;41;25
Dave Quak
Okay?
00;14;42;00 - 00;15;03;04
Bronwen Healy
I didn't know him. I didn't grow up in church, I neighbors. I grew up in Melbourne. Our neighbors were Catholics, like, went to church a couple times at Easter. Yeah. For mass. Yeah, but I didn't know him. My parents were in a self-help program to help. You know, my dad, joined a self-help program when I was three to stop his alcoholism, to help with his alcoholism.
00;15;03;04 - 00;15;19;01
Bronwen Healy
And, yeah, you know, like I said, I'm nearly 49. 46 years later, he's still sober. Oh. Well, I said, I. Yeah, man. Amazing. I have learned there's a huge difference between being clean and sober and being free. Okay. I think my dad would vouch for the same.
00;15;19;01 - 00;15;22;03
Dave Quak
Okay. So he's sober and free.
00;15;22;05 - 00;15;25;24
Bronwen Healy
Let's say on a freedom journey. Yeah, but it's definitely a different thing.
00;15;25;24 - 00;15;37;21
Dave Quak
Yeah. I don't think lads of that generation were almost. It was, you know, taught and imposed that freedom was not for them. No. Do you know what I mean? Like it was like some sort of, I don't know, just elusive idea for them.
00;15;37;28 - 00;15;58;20
Bronwen Healy
And I think growing up knowing, you know, there was this fellowship, there was community. Yeah. You know, they prayed the Serenity Prayer and. Yeah, we had it on, you know, I'd tell you there was fridge magnets and, oh, everywhere. Yeah. You had it was hanging and I knew it. And my mum prayed it when I was lost and it was all she could cling to.
00;15;58;20 - 00;16;17;22
Bronwen Healy
Right. But I didn't know the presence of God. But when I look back on the story, when I was working as a, you know, sex worker on the streets of Brisbane in Spring Hill, I went back years and years ago for a Courier Mail article of all things, and they were like, let's go back to it. Are you okay to go back to where you were?
00;16;17;22 - 00;16;20;04
Bronwen Healy
And I was like, I think so.
00;16;20;04 - 00;16;21;05
Dave Quak
Back to the very straight to.
00;16;21;05 - 00;16;25;22
Bronwen Healy
The very straight. Well, man, I was outside a church.
00;16;25;24 - 00;16;26;22
Dave Quak
Was that where you were?
00;16;26;23 - 00;16;31;27
Bronwen Healy
That's where I stood on the street corner and sold my body and changes for money.
00;16;31;29 - 00;16;33;11
Dave Quak
Did you know at the time, you know.
00;16;33;12 - 00;16;39;28
Bronwen Healy
The church didn't even didn't. I mean, it's a massive cathedral. I didn't yeah. What is not known.
00;16;40;00 - 00;16;45;26
Dave Quak
That's amazing. And so that article took you back there just to chat through, like, your redemption story.
00;16;45;26 - 00;16;50;11
Bronwen Healy
It would have been one of those, you know, from heroin addict to heroin of the people.
00;16;50;17 - 00;16;54;15
Dave Quak
Are actually there was one full from heroin with not only to heroin.
00;16;54;15 - 00;16;55;20
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, yeah.
00;16;55;21 - 00;16;56;18
Dave Quak
Is that was it that one.
00;16;56;18 - 00;17;21;17
Bronwen Healy
I think probably you know, the charity had started and people were getting wind of, you know, this crazy little God chick from Brisbane was making moves and, you know, we just I just wanted to reach back to the women that I used to be and let them know that they weren't alone. Yeah. You know, so it was probably one of those articles, but in standing outside this church and I'm like, oh, that's cool.
00;17;21;19 - 00;17;23;23
Bronwen Healy
That is what I'm like seeing.
00;17;23;23 - 00;17;26;11
Dave Quak
This friend of God back in, in, in the day.
00;17;26;13 - 00;17;31;26
Bronwen Healy
And literally saved me from myself. Yeah, yeah.
00;17;31;28 - 00;17;50;14
Dave Quak
Those days would have been dark. I wonder, you know how you say you look back in, you know, God loved you in that moment? I think that's one of the worst theologies, going around is that God loves you post salvation. Like it's just this idea that before then, you're steeped in your sin and you are.
00;17;50;16 - 00;17;52;07
Bronwen Healy
But you're still loved. Absolutely.
00;17;52;09 - 00;18;08;09
Dave Quak
You're still a child. You're still in the image bearer. Yeah. And I think that's a message that just those people need to hear is that God's at that moment, looking at them the same as you look at your three daughters. Yep. With all the affection in the world wanting them to come back. Yeah. You know, and to be free.
00;18;08;13 - 00;18;17;29
Bronwen Healy
Like an invisible string, you know. Yeah. I've, you know, been preaching well a long time now, but that holy invisible umbilical cord.
00;18;18;01 - 00;18;19;03
Dave Quak
Yeah. I like that.
00;18;19;07 - 00;18;38;17
Bronwen Healy
Right between us and the father. Yeah. And you read Psalm 139. You know, there's no way you can go out of his presence. Yeah. He knows when you sleep. He knows when you wake up. He knows everything in between. Yeah. You know, come to me, kid. Yeah, it's all good. I'm here. And that's why I will keep rising.
00;18;38;17 - 00;18;48;06
Bronwen Healy
You know, I did have someone say the other day how many times can one person rise from the ashes? I'm like, Amen, I don't know, but yeah, I didn't think I'd come through this one. I'll be honest. Okay.
00;18;48;09 - 00;18;52;09
Dave Quak
That's. But that's that's a really big statement considering what you've been through.
00;18;52;14 - 00;18;53;09
Bronwen Healy
Yeah.
00;18;53;12 - 00;18;54;27
Dave Quak
So this must have been painful.
00;18;54;27 - 00;18;56;17
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, yeah.
00;18;56;20 - 00;18;59;13
Dave Quak
You know I like that. Yeah. That is, that's huge.
00;18;59;16 - 00;19;14;07
Bronwen Healy
And I think a lot of it, you know, and again on reflection and the healing and again the writing again, you know I got a couple of things on the go, I think I messaged you and we started chatting about having this chat. But you know, one of them second blooming.
00;19;14;09 - 00;19;15;27
Dave Quak
Is that the name of the book.
00;19;16;00 - 00;19;18;25
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, some, some book and something.
00;19;18;27 - 00;19;19;12
Dave Quak
I love.
00;19;19;12 - 00;19;24;18
Bronwen Healy
It. And then the other one that I think you'll love, Finding Wonder in the wilderness. Yes.
00;19;24;19 - 00;19;26;16
Dave Quak
Yeah, I love that.
00;19;26;19 - 00;19;46;23
Bronwen Healy
And again, this conversation like, what a great spark. And what a great launching pad for. Yeah. You know, the stuff that's been coming out when I sit at the laptop that someone gifted me not long after I resign from the charity, and they sat me down and said, we were at the airport on our way to Queensland. And the Lord told us to get you a laptop, literally at the Apple Store at the airport in Melbourne.
00;19;46;23 - 00;20;05;01
Bronwen Healy
Wow. Because there's words in you. They will they'll be. Stories come from this. Yeah. And then I was it was so fresh. Yeah I couldn't believe it. And now here I see it nearly five years later I hope I'm going to send them this link because I want them to hear. Yeah. How much them believing in me then meant to me.
00;20;05;01 - 00;20;27;13
Bronwen Healy
But I think about the stories now, and I think about the darkness and the way that he has held, carried, you know, re woven, re woven. But it's like again, I say to people, I feel like the truest version of myself I've ever been. Yeah. And not that the other translation, since I got saved in drug rehab 25 years ago weren't true.
00;20;27;16 - 00;20;32;14
Bronwen Healy
Yes. And they weren't real. They were real for that moment. But man, this is a new dimension.
00;20;32;16 - 00;20;54;18
Dave Quak
Yeah, I think that's that's so powerful. And it seems to happen with people in our age group. Brian. Yeah, I did ministry maybe 20 years. And then it's this is another like, okay, we've got to refine some more stuff. So it's almost like a half time, you know, recalibration a half time like rethink of the rest of our ministry lives.
00;20;54;20 - 00;21;06;11
Dave Quak
You know, and coming out of the wilderness like it was even scary. For the Israelites, you know, because there's some there's some comfort being in the wilderness in a crazy kind of way.
00;21;06;13 - 00;21;22;22
Bronwen Healy
I'm coming out of this one. I've been dragging my feet. Yeah. You know, he first started whispering new names for new books. Yeah. You know, 12, 18 months ago. Yeah. You know, and I talked about having my own podcast, so maybe I'll have you on as a guest one day.
00;21;22;22 - 00;21;23;15
Dave Quak
You should. I think.
00;21;23;15 - 00;21;23;29
Bronwen Healy
You'll,
00;21;24;02 - 00;21;25;02
Dave Quak
Would be amazing.
00;21;25;04 - 00;21;34;22
Bronwen Healy
And he gave me the name. You know, I didn't I it was during Covid, and I wrote down the name conversations from the ruins. Oh, mate. Yes, right.
00;21;34;25 - 00;21;35;28
Dave Quak
Go and steal that name.
00;21;36;05 - 00;21;37;14
Bronwen Healy
I know I should.
00;21;37;16 - 00;21;38;07
Dave Quak
Go and steal.
00;21;38;07 - 00;21;39;17
Bronwen Healy
It before this. Yeah, yeah.
00;21;39;23 - 00;21;43;17
Dave Quak
As soon as we finished the book. But what? Conversations from the ruins.
00;21;43;18 - 00;22;03;29
Bronwen Healy
Right. The conversations from the ruins. Because that's where the rebuild gets all the glory. Yes. If we didn't tell these stories of our ruins, if we didn't tell these stories of the desert and the wilderness that we. I didn't think I was coming through, man, I tell you. Yeah, I truly, yeah, truly. He gets all the glory. Yeah.
00;22;03;29 - 00;22;21;27
Bronwen Healy
And he knows you know that song. You know the stories I'll tell. He knows from my history of 25 years since I went to rehab. As soon as I got saved, as soon as I gave my heart to Jesus, became a Christian follower of Jesus. Yeah. He's my best friend. Man, I can't not tell these stories.
00;22;21;28 - 00;22;22;25
Dave Quak
You have to.
00;22;22;28 - 00;22;24;03
Bronwen Healy
I got to tell the stories.
00;22;24;04 - 00;22;29;17
Dave Quak
You have to. Because there's there's a lot of people who think that they're too far for Jesus to love them.
00;22;29;17 - 00;22;50;10
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, and I'm like, there's no one out of the group of his grace. No, he loved me when I was a messed up, drug addicted prostitute. Yeah, he loved me right there in that mess. He also loved me when I nursed a broken heart in my first marriage. A second marriage to Christian men who vowed to love me and him.
00;22;50;10 - 00;22;59;14
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. You know, and he nursed me and he held me when I resigned from my own charity. Yeah. Like this. I think.
00;22;59;19 - 00;23;00;09
Dave Quak
There's nothing.
00;23;00;09 - 00;23;03;25
Bronwen Healy
Again. Psalm 139. Yeah. No way you can go out of business.
00;23;04;02 - 00;23;26;20
Dave Quak
There's nowhere. And if he need us together in our mother's womb, he knows us intricately enough to know how to reach us in those places. You know, the creator knows how to make the created, you know, come to him. And there are so many I know in my own life. There are so many people who just think that.
00;23;26;22 - 00;23;39;20
Dave Quak
Maybe that God's grace is limited to the good, or to the religious, or to even the middle class white family. You know, like the, you know, your typical Aussies who have two kids go to a private school.
00;23;39;21 - 00;23;42;04
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, it's just not the case.
00;23;42;06 - 00;23;44;04
Dave Quak
This is recklessly in love with us.
00;23;44;07 - 00;24;10;07
Bronwen Healy
And every person is a jealous God. And that's been a huge lesson in us five five years. But definitely the last few months. Like, yeah, I think that has my attention. It's not of him. He's been slowly but surely removing it. Yeah. And he now has my full attention. Yeah. You know, you know, we're sitting here, I can see a sign in my house that says every part of the process is purposed.
00;24;10;10 - 00;24;32;24
Bronwen Healy
You know, I look back and it's like he doesn't waste a thing. Nothing's wasted in his hands. And know I look back and, you know, there's an amazing Brisbane based worship artist. I hope it's okay to say her name. Eliza King and her recent album, The Pressing in Men. It is healed, carried, held. I had it on repeat.
00;24;33;00 - 00;24;44;26
Bronwen Healy
Awesome. Before you got here today and I there's a song on it, you know you've saved my life a thousand, a thousand times in a thousand different ways. Yeah.
00;24;44;28 - 00;24;47;24
Dave Quak
I love that right. Eliza King, what's the name in the album?
00;24;48;00 - 00;24;49;09
Bronwen Healy
The pressing in. Okay.
00;24;49;09 - 00;24;50;14
Dave Quak
And how do people get that?
00;24;50;14 - 00;25;07;16
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. Jump. Well, I jumped on Spotify. Yeah. Good. And I sent her a message and I just said, I really think the Lord is using this to bring me out. Bring me. It's like you remember I just said about the wilderness? I'm. I've been dragging my feet. It's been a bit. I'm like, really? Yeah. I'm. I'm coming back.
00;25;07;17 - 00;25;21;08
Bronwen Healy
Back out? Yeah. Really? It wasn't safe at the end. There was safe in the public. I it wasn't safe to be. It wasn't safe. Yeah. And he's just like, I got you, babe. Yeah, he. I got you, babe.
00;25;21;11 - 00;25;29;20
Dave Quak
And and the tools you learn in the wilderness are going to preserve, you know, and carry you through till you're ministering into your 80s and, you know.
00;25;29;21 - 00;25;51;18
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. He's been that. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. He's been, you know, there's I've, I've discovered and learned and thankfully journaled some keys, some keys to freedom. Yeah. In this season that, you know, he's always said, and you know, I'm the one that's preached it from the platforms. You know, there's other people's freedom on the other side of your surrender.
00;25;51;19 - 00;26;11;21
Bronwen Healy
That's true. And, I've definitely learned stuff in the last five years that I really hope and believe and trust that are going to help other people find wonder in the wilderness. Yeah, you know, allow themselves to second bloom however many times later. That is, see find Jesus in the wilderness.
00;26;11;28 - 00;26;12;21
Dave Quak
I love it.
00;26;12;24 - 00;26;13;07
Bronwen Healy
You know.
00;26;13;08 - 00;26;29;04
Dave Quak
When you went into the wilderness, your daughters would have been teenagers, and now they're women. What's your, take now on all of the things you were speaking into before the wilderness? Like what changed during that time? Not only because of the wilderness, but because your babies became women?
00;26;29;10 - 00;26;31;02
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, I know.
00;26;31;04 - 00;26;32;16
Dave Quak
And culture shifted.
00;26;32;18 - 00;26;56;03
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. Culture in that year and Covid and we lost my mom. Yeah. And so there's been a lot again, a lot of brutal. Yeah. But beautiful man. A lot of it was, a lot of it was forgiveness. The power of forgiveness. Yeah, I asked these I asked these girls, you know, I look back at our Facebook memories, man, we've had a life.
00;26;56;06 - 00;27;21;24
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. You know, I've always said I'm a solo parent. As opposed to a single parent wishing they didn't grow up believing they were from a broken home. Yeah. Good. We had our ask you father prayer whiteboard. Yes, there was any needs. And, you know. But I asked these girls when I got married the second time, they were 11, 13 and 15, and now they're 19, 21 and nearly 23.
00;27;21;26 - 00;27;54;16
Bronwen Healy
And I asked them to trust me. Yeah, with this man who had vowed to love me. And then. And the the heartbreak of the reality of them being on that journey and seeing that not be real and not be true. They watched what I had believed was a fairy tale become a nightmare. Yeah. You now. Translation he may have a different translation, but in our translation, and it it it fractured the connection that I had with each one of them, us as a family unit.
00;27;54;16 - 00;28;02;17
Bronwen Healy
But as you know, and I've always said, like, we have a shared history, the four of us, you know, us Healy girls. You said, you know the Healy ladies, you.
00;28;02;17 - 00;28;03;28
Dave Quak
Know the good ladies.
00;28;04;01 - 00;28;28;10
Bronwen Healy
And you know, but it there was fractures and the Lord has needed to heal that those, you know, bring those remnants back together. And a lot of it was the power of forgiveness I had to get before him, and receive forgiveness. The shame was really heavy. The shame of, a public marriage, being in Paris on my honeymoon with a man who had vowed to love me.
00;28;28;10 - 00;28;39;12
Bronwen Healy
And within six months, I felt like that wasn't really so. Yeah. And I'm in the public eye. You? Yeah. And I've declared him to be the man of God's dreams.
00;28;39;13 - 00;28;46;08
Dave Quak
All of us. Right. And if you Google you, there is a lot that comes up. There's. Yeah, articles and interviews and podcast heaps of stuff.
00;28;46;08 - 00;29;11;18
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. So having to receive the forgiveness and it's really it's it's really been recent in this five year wilderness of recognizing and acknowledging the heaviness of that cloak of shame. Yeah. And allowing it to be replaced with what I believe in Isaiah 61. It's going to be double honor. Yeah. For that portion of shame. And it was a pretty big portion of shame, man.
00;29;11;18 - 00;29;27;08
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. You know, because I had people like, well, if you, you know, if you hear the Lord so clearly and you believed he was the man of God strings. And now you've divorced a second time. Yeah. If you hear God wrong, I'm never going to trust the Lord for a man. And you, you know, like,
00;29;27;10 - 00;29;27;28
Dave Quak
Yeah.
00;29;28;00 - 00;29;45;22
Bronwen Healy
It was been a heavy man. Heavy. And so having to re allow the rebuild a to teach me and show me how to rebuild with my kids and, you know, like, we, we are all better for it. It's been crap. Yeah.
00;29;45;24 - 00;29;47;28
Dave Quak
Yeah, I guess they came into the wilderness too, didn't they?
00;29;47;28 - 00;30;09;04
Bronwen Healy
Like, in their own way. And they coming through their own way. You know, we're going on a bear hunt. Was one of my favorite kids books. Yeah. You know, you can't go over it. You can't go under it. Oh, no, we've got to go through it. Yeah, and they're coming through it in their own way. Yeah. Three individual, you know, obviously my three favorite people in the world.
00;30;09;04 - 00;30;09;18
Dave Quak
Are absolutely.
00;30;09;21 - 00;30;28;20
Bronwen Healy
The best company. People say you and your girls really love each other. You know, we recently went to Melbourne for a concert and it was fun and it was healing. Yeah, it was really healing. We had fun, fun. So fun dance, man. Yeah. Gosh, we had fun. Yeah. But even in all of that, it's, you know, that they're autonomous beings.
00;30;28;20 - 00;30;44;05
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. You know, they're my daughters, but it's their own. They're all on their own individual journeys and they've always had permission. To do that and be that, you know, three very strong willed, passionate young women raised by me in the Lord like hello, hi, hello.
00;30;44;06 - 00;30;48;03
Dave Quak
I love it. And they ask you father Boyd obviously was asking God like to provide.
00;30;48;04 - 00;30;49;00
Bronwen Healy
Absolutely.
00;30;49;00 - 00;31;10;17
Dave Quak
The other day, your daughter Lauren started a GoFundMe page and I watched it when it was 75 bucks. And then a couple of days later, it was two and a half grand. Yeah. Lucky was. I've never seen that with GoFundMe. Yeah, the whole mission trip paid for. Like, obviously people want to sew into your family. Like it's, in my opinion, another evidence that God is far from finished with the healings.
00;31;10;21 - 00;31;31;20
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. You know. Yeah, I, gosh, you got me. Couldn't be prouder. Yeah. You know, she, messaged me a few weeks ago. I was away in the outback, so my counseling job and message and said, I'm going to apply for Bible college. And I was like, okay, when does that start? Next week. Okay.
00;31;31;22 - 00;31;47;26
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. Do that. And she did. And then it's a missions trip and, you know, spent some savings, getting a passport ready. And, you know, we just again declared, yeah. As we as she filled in the application, babe, imagine the places he's going to take.
00;31;47;27 - 00;31;48;10
Dave Quak
You.
00;31;48;13 - 00;32;06;19
Bronwen Healy
Again. You know, another kids book we read how many times? Oh, the places you'll go, you know. Yeah. Declaring, you know, that's a ten year passport. Imagine the adventures, the faith adventures you're going to have. She might run out of pages. Exactly. Think about those stamps. Think about the adventures. Think about the seeds you're going to get to.
00;32;06;19 - 00;32;20;28
Bronwen Healy
So think about the threads you're going to get to be a part of. Yeah. Think about the stories that you're going to get to tell because we're storytellers, you know, in our own way in the next minute, you know, it was a remembering of the ask you for the whiteboard, and I think I'm going to do a go fund me.
00;32;20;28 - 00;32;33;02
Bronwen Healy
And she told a story, you know, this is my story. This is what I want to do. This is what I believe the Lord's leading me to. And as you say, you know, within five days. Man two and a half grand.
00;32;33;03 - 00;32;35;08
Dave Quak
That's crazy of it. That doesn't happen.
00;32;35;08 - 00;32;37;26
Bronwen Healy
And the seeds were from across the globe. Yeah.
00;32;37;28 - 00;32;50;22
Dave Quak
That's right. Yeah, I love that. I just love it because like you said, you use the word seeds. We don't know what a seed will grow into. How big, how strong, how much it'll multiply. How far. Yeah. You know.
00;32;50;25 - 00;32;52;12
Bronwen Healy
The blooms, the blooms.
00;32;52;14 - 00;33;00;05
Dave Quak
You know. And especially know you're thinking of writing stories of a second harvest. The second, you know, like it's so prophetic.
00;33;00;06 - 00;33;02;01
Bronwen Healy
It is. Yeah. It is.
00;33;02;03 - 00;33;25;09
Dave Quak
What do you think you'll be speaking into? I don't know if I'm jumping ahead because you're still thinking it all through, but since you went into the wilderness, things like OnlyFans have started, all these, all these platforms that really normalize sexuality and selling yourself for money in a way that is getting sold is empowering. You know, like, do you think that's going to be part of your future chatting or what do you reckon with all that?
00;33;25;10 - 00;33;26;01
Bronwen Healy
I mean.
00;33;26;02 - 00;33;26;28
Dave Quak
What's your take on all.
00;33;26;28 - 00;33;46;03
Bronwen Healy
That? Yeah. I again last year, you know, he gives me the names and then he we and then he builds. Yeah. And, when I got, qualified as a counselor, and I started my job in the outback couple of days a week with amazing organization, Outback Futures and, you know, shout out to the Winton region.
00;33;46;06 - 00;33;46;25
Dave Quak
Oh, bring it on.
00;33;46;25 - 00;34;05;29
Bronwen Healy
And, and then he gave me the name there is Hope Australia. And again, same as when he gave me the name Hope Foundation. As if the name there is hope Australia isn't taken for counseling. Private practice. It was it wasn't, it wasn't taken. It is now. It is now. It is now. There is hope Australia like again.
00;34;05;29 - 00;34;26;17
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. As if that name. Yeah it's crazy. Someone has somebody Mr.. Hello. Yeah. Anyway, and and in that, you know one of the women that we used to, you know, come alongside through Hope Foundation, we call them Hope chicks. And she lives in Melbourne. And she said, as soon as you're ready for private practice, I've got people down here who are coming out of OnlyFans, you know?
00;34;26;18 - 00;34;34;00
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. Men making really crap. Tons of money a week. Yeah. Wanting to know there is freedom.
00;34;34;00 - 00;34;34;18
Dave Quak
That's right.
00;34;34;23 - 00;35;05;24
Bronwen Healy
And here I sit. You know, when I was in rehab, I remember meeting someone who was like, they'd been clean for ten years, and I was like ten years. And when I got clean, it was like, you know, 24 hours, 24 days, 24 months, and now it's 24 years. Come on. Like what? Yeah. And saying, being able to say to these women and not making counseling sessions about me, but from that place of self-disclosure, I have yet to meet someone who's had, you know, like, I had a pretty hot heart when I went to rehab.
00;35;05;29 - 00;35;29;07
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. And I'm yet to meet someone whose heart was harder. Or your mind more closed. And so I meet these stories. I hear these stories across the screen with telehealth across the nation and these people coming out of OnlyFans, and they're discovering their true identity. And I see it across the screen and say, without saying and without a faith story and without preaching at them, because that's not my role in that space.
00;35;29;10 - 00;35;31;26
Bronwen Healy
There is hope. Yes, I'm living proof.
00;35;31;26 - 00;35;37;07
Dave Quak
You're living proof. Evidence that 24 years later, God's grace still abounds.
00;35;37;07 - 00;35;50;22
Bronwen Healy
Tangible redemption. Someone said to me is ago. I promised you a tangible redemption. Yeah, you are proof that the cross, the finished work of the cross, is proof that everything he touches has resurrection power to into it. Yeah.
00;35;50;24 - 00;36;00;26
Dave Quak
And if people could grasp how much God is chasing us down, I think your mum actually exemplified that. Amazingly so. Can you tell us the story about.
00;36;00;29 - 00;36;04;00
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She what? A woman.
00;36;04;01 - 00;36;05;19
Dave Quak
Ran out of that a little.
00;36;05;19 - 00;36;30;16
Bronwen Healy
Bit. Can you even believe, And again, like the courage honestly, to this day and to her deathbed, honestly still never told me how she found me. But she found me in the illegal brothel. I was getting ready for work one night, dressed like a prostitute. Had taken heroin because I was using up to a thousand bucks a day at that stage.
00;36;30;16 - 00;36;33;03
Bronwen Healy
Having to sell my body and soul for the money just to.
00;36;33;05 - 00;36;33;26
Dave Quak
Don the habit.
00;36;33;26 - 00;36;57;10
Bronwen Healy
And then, you know, speed or ecstasy for the people to think I actually wanted to be there, which I never did. Yeah. So I'm ready for work, and there's a knock at the door. And, you know, when I tell the story, it's like it wasn't like the bang of the cops. It wasn't like, you know, the the smashing of the deal is, you know, it was this gentle knock, you know, and the madame open the door.
00;36;57;10 - 00;36;59;23
Bronwen Healy
And it was my mum and my uncle.
00;36;59;25 - 00;37;01;11
Dave Quak
Wow.
00;37;01;13 - 00;37;23;06
Bronwen Healy
And the tears from her and my at that stage was numb and. Yeah, I don't remember having any feelings, don't remember how it felt to even see my mum after not seeing her for so long. And you know, you see your daughter dressed like a prostitute. Yeah. Ready for work. And she sat there and, you know, look me in the eye.
00;37;23;06 - 00;37;41;16
Bronwen Healy
And it was, it was, you know, now, the call on my life where I said, I, I want people to know they're fully seen and truly loved. Yeah. That was the moment, you know, she fully saw me. She didn't look at look at she didn't look at the outside. Yeah. She she didn't even look at the surroundings. She looked at me and I remember she wrote a phone number down.
00;37;41;16 - 00;37;46;24
Bronwen Healy
It was before smartphones. And she wrote a phone number down on a bit of paper and just said, I'm here. When you're ready.
00;37;46;27 - 00;37;48;23
Dave Quak
Wow.
00;37;48;26 - 00;38;03;28
Bronwen Healy
I'm here when you're ready. What? What? Yeah. You know, you think about the Serenity prayer. God granted her the serenity to accept what she couldn't change yet, and the courage to know what she couldn't change and to still.
00;38;03;28 - 00;38;05;03
Dave Quak
Trust.
00;38;05;05 - 00;38;31;20
Bronwen Healy
That this constant, loving God who she only fell in love with Jesus and let him in years after I became a Christian. Yeah. Like so she had this loving relationship with the father. God. Yeah. It was years later she lit Jesus and the Holy Spirit come in. And man, that was a whole nother dimension of it. But that love, that that pursuit, that holy pursuit of her daughter's heart and not, rescue mission.
00;38;31;22 - 00;38;36;27
Bronwen Healy
Not like I'm just going to pick you up and carry you out of here. Yeah, I'm here when you're ready.
00;38;37;00 - 00;38;55;15
Dave Quak
I love that, and that is the gospel. Anyone listening? That is God's news for you today is that he is here when you're ready to come to him, when you're ready to be set free, you know, you've used the word freedom a few times today. Yeah, it actually is the only path to freedom. You know, behavior modification one do it reading a Bible.
00;38;55;15 - 00;39;03;25
Dave Quak
One do it though. It's a good habit going to church wanting to do it. Now. It's a good habit. It's literally reconciliation with the father. And then you.
00;39;03;25 - 00;39;07;12
Bronwen Healy
Free. It's personal. It's got to be. It's got to be.
00;39;07;12 - 00;39;13;26
Dave Quak
It's got to be. Otherwise it's just tick and boxes and following religious rules. And that's not what Christianity is.
00;39;14;03 - 00;39;24;11
Bronwen Healy
And at the beginning, you know, you're like, what's this wilderness season been like? And I said, you know, it's been about being over doing. Yeah. You know, it's it's a, it's been about a lot of unbecoming.
00;39;24;12 - 00;39;25;15
Dave Quak
Yes.
00;39;25;17 - 00;39;42;09
Bronwen Healy
You know, I was, this and I was a that and I had a business card and I handed it out and. Yeah, you know, even today on my Facebook memories, you know, ten years ago, I got invited to the Royal State reception to meet Wills and Kate. As a, you know, Australian of the year, I saw that, like, a lot of these.
00;39;42;10 - 00;39;43;10
Bronwen Healy
Hello.
00;39;43;12 - 00;39;44;08
Dave Quak
I'll say you met them.
00;39;44;14 - 00;40;00;17
Bronwen Healy
Yemen shook Will Chuck Wills hand and they. Well, I shouldn't say that. Like they gave us six pages of protocol before you could do it. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to forget. I'm not great at protocol. I'm not. I'm a, you know, you think about Esther going before the king on some end, like, yeah, that's pretty much probably going to be me.
00;40;00;17 - 00;40;20;29
Bronwen Healy
And you got a call in this and you had a certain amount of centimeters. And I just remember my mum being so proud. And it was on my birthday. Well, it was on my birthday. I was like, they're hosting a Royal State reception on my birthday. Yeah. And I got invited. Yeah. Because the year before I'd been in the finals for Australian of the year, I lost to Mel's last dance on.
00;40;20;29 - 00;40;41;17
Bronwen Healy
I remember his daughter coming up saying, I'm you were our favorite. I'm so sorry you were in the year against dad. He wins everything okay? But, you know, they they had to send in all this protocol. You know, if you if you, if you. Yeah. Out of 200 people, if you get to meet them, you know, you obviously keep it short and sweet and only respond when they answer when they ask you a question.
00;40;41;18 - 00;41;00;04
Bronwen Healy
Man, I had a nametag on that. Just said Bronwyn Healy, Hope Foundation CEO founder, comes down to see something. And, you know, they're walking around and Kate goes one way and he's royal, whatever they call him. And in my mind I'm like, don't call him Wales, don't call him Wales. If you change your hand, don't call him Wales.
00;41;00;06 - 00;41;15;16
Bronwen Healy
And the next minute he shook my hand and, you know, pleasure to meet you. And I'm thinking, remember the protocol, remember the protocol. Remember only ask only speak if spoken to. You know that was the end. He said, you know, lovely to meet you. What is the Hope Foundation do?
00;41;15;18 - 00;41;16;16
Dave Quak
Well.
00;41;16;19 - 00;41;37;26
Bronwen Healy
And I was like, well he asked, he asked, I said, we come alongside women wanting life change from addictions and all the sex industry with the message that they're loved, value created with a purpose, he says. I mean, I could have not scripted it better, right? He says, wow, what made you, you know, because I'm the tag, says founder CEO.
00;41;37;26 - 00;41;43;10
Bronwen Healy
What made you start that? I stand there, I'm like, well, he asked.
00;41;43;13 - 00;41;44;01
Dave Quak
Yeah, that's right.
00;41;44;01 - 00;42;06;18
Bronwen Healy
He keeps asking, keeps asking questions. The protocol is I'm allowed to answer. And I said, the women that we reach used to be me. I'll never forget this. So like, I can see it in my head. I see in film. Still want to make my story into a movie. But anyway, he, looked at me and I can see it in my head, and he he was like, I beg your pardon?
00;42;06;20 - 00;42;09;19
Bronwen Healy
Honestly? Yeah. Like an episode of The Crown.
00;42;09;21 - 00;42;10;25
Dave Quak
It's so funny.
00;42;10;27 - 00;42;27;14
Bronwen Healy
I beg your pardon? And I said, the women that we reach used to be me. I went to drug rehab back then. It was 15 years ago. And, I didn't say I met and fell in love with Jesus. I said I made some life transforming choices, believe that that honored the Lord and also the protocol. Yeah, absolutely.
00;42;27;14 - 00;42;33;06
Bronwen Healy
And, and from that day, I've never walked alone.
00;42;33;09 - 00;42;36;20
Dave Quak
That is really cool. What did he do then?
00;42;36;22 - 00;42;41;13
Bronwen Healy
I never would have guessed. He said, wow, I never would have guessed.
00;42;41;14 - 00;42;42;23
Dave Quak
That's amazing. Hey.
00;42;42;26 - 00;43;06;28
Bronwen Healy
What a testament to the transformative power of the Lord. I could have not. You don't write those scripts, man. Next minute. The then, Premier's wife, Lisa Newman, a friend of mine, came over at the end of the reception and she said, I almost knew he was going to come for you from me. Please promise me you send Buckingham Palace a copy of Trophy of Grace, and I did.
00;43;07;01 - 00;43;34;17
Bronwen Healy
Wow. And I have a letter from Kensington Palace, saying that it was in that it was now in the Royal Library that she. That William and Kate. Super cool. Were grateful and. Yeah, special little personal signature. And I remember my mum, who loved mostly Diana. Oh, yeah. She was the hero. Oh, my gosh. I just remember my mum being like, can you please put that letter in a frame?
00;43;34;20 - 00;43;43;05
Bronwen Healy
Yeah, it's in a box somewhere in my garage. And when I find it again, I will, just to honor my mum. But, man, you couldn't write the story.
00;43;43;05 - 00;43;43;29
Dave Quak
You can't.
00;43;44;02 - 00;43;55;05
Bronwen Healy
Like, I was a messed up drug addict, a prostitute working on the streets outside a church. Yeah. And years later, I shake the hand of the future King of England.
00;43;55;07 - 00;43;56;29
Dave Quak
That's it. On your birthday?
00;43;57;02 - 00;44;00;08
Bronwen Healy
On my birthday? Yeah. What?
00;44;00;08 - 00;44;02;28
Dave Quak
Yeah, yeah, that is mind blowing.
00;44;03;02 - 00;44;06;04
Bronwen Healy
Like what? Yeah. Well, if.
00;44;06;05 - 00;44;22;29
Dave Quak
We just give God space to move in our lives, you know, is just space to be God, to set up circumstance and open doors and, you know, for seeds to grow into plants, it's just positioning ourselves just to let God be God.
00;44;23;04 - 00;44;24;06
Bronwen Healy
Yeah.
00;44;24;09 - 00;44;42;15
Dave Quak
Bronwyn, your testimony of that, your life is testimony that God is good. And it doesn't mean that everything is going to be rosy all the time. You know, that old gospel that if you come to Jesus, everything's going to be fine now? It's probably going to get worse sometimes, but you don't walk alone. That's the thing with Jesus.
00;44;42;15 - 00;44;56;18
Dave Quak
Like, you know, you go to the wilderness, but you're not by yourself. You know, you started this by the at the start saying, when Jesus went to the wilderness, he was led there by the Holy Spirit. He didn't fight alone, eating fast, alone, you know, he.
00;44;56;18 - 00;44;57;15
Bronwen Healy
He was provided.
00;44;57;15 - 00;45;21;18
Dave Quak
For. He was and he overcame came, you know, with the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit like. For me, I'm just encouraged that you're still gone. 49 yeah. First day between now, you know, coming out of the wilderness. Rest up, refresh, have some time of being before seeing what God's got next.
00;45;21;20 - 00;45;26;24
Bronwen Healy
The second blooming man blooming, the second blooming and first. Yeah.
00;45;26;26 - 00;45;34;04
Dave Quak
More fruit than the first. More influence in the first. More space for God to move than the first. It's going to be incredible to watch.
00;45;34;06 - 00;45;58;04
Bronwen Healy
Thanks, mate. Yeah, yeah. He's promised, you know, in the word it's you know, you latter days are going to be greater than your former days. Yeah. You know, when David lost everything in the battle and he went back and my friend in Nigeria reminded me of this in our 4.5 hour video call the other night. And she, was a holy kick up the backside in a re relighting of a holy fire, you know.
00;45;58;07 - 00;46;18;21
Bronwen Healy
Yeah. And she said when David went back and he fought from dusk till dawn, he not only took back everything that was his that was stolen in the battle, he it was and then some. Yes. And I really believe this. This is going to be an and then some. Yes. And you know years ago I preached a a round of messages.
00;46;18;21 - 00;46;33;23
Bronwen Healy
But wait, there's more. Yeah. And last week was tidying up some boxes in my office, looking for some photos for a documentary we're filming, and I found my notes from a preach. Yeah, but wait, there's more. And sat and read them and wept on my own floor.
00;46;33;25 - 00;46;34;08
Dave Quak
I bet you.
00;46;34;08 - 00;46;40;27
Bronwen Healy
Did. And I've got to believe it, man. And I have to leave it. Yeah, but thank you for seeing me inviting me to this site, for sure.
00;46;41;04 - 00;46;42;28
Dave Quak
Yeah. The only sad thing is, we have to warn you.
00;46;42;29 - 00;46;47;00
Bronwen Healy
I know, but wait, there's more. Is more? Yeah.
00;46;47;02 - 00;46;55;20
Dave Quak
Bronwyn, if you're okay with this, would you mind praying for our listeners today and just pray that God will do a redemptive work in everyone? The same he has in you?
00;46;55;26 - 00;47;16;22
Bronwen Healy
Absolutely. Yeah. Father, we just thank you. We thank you for the time and space to be here together to talk and tell of your goodness, your faithfulness. And, father, we know that there is not a person on this planet of 8 billion people that ever has been or that ever will be, that is ever out of the grip of your grace.
00;47;16;22 - 00;47;58;22
Bronwen Healy
And we thank you for that. We thank you for that truth. We thank you for the holy, invisible string, that holy, invisible umbilical cord between you, Father God and the heart and the life of every person. We thank you for the wilderness seasons. We thank you for your grace, your kindness, your provision. We thank you that every person listening right now, and we have no idea who they are or where they are, that they may come to know your heart, your grace, and ultimately your kindness in a very, very tangibly personal way.
00;47;58;24 - 00;48;20;02
Bronwen Healy
We believe that there are other people's freedom on the other side of this moment, and we seal all of the words that we've shared, and there's been plenty, and we seal all of those in the precious blood of Jesus. And I just want to declare Dave over you and over this over sunburnt souls. I declare it destiny. Yes.
00;48;20;02 - 00;48;48;08
Bronwen Healy
Thank you. Declare fruit. I declare peace and joy, man, that as you have these conversations, the joy is stirred on the inside of you, that no matter who you ever meet through these conversations, no matter who ever hears them, that joy is stood in your personal heart in your marriage to Jess, in your family. Yes, joy, joy, joy.
00;48;48;11 - 00;48;55;01
Bronwen Healy
And it might not look like laughter, but it's joy in Jesus.
00;48;55;04 - 00;49;02;28
Dave Quak
Amen. From Kelly. Thank you so much.
00;49;03;00 - 00;49;26;11
Dave Quak
For more candid conversations on faith and mental well-being, check out Something souls.com. You can subscribe to our podcast on any major provider, or contact us directly to book us to preach or speak something. That souls is a faith based ministry, and we want to thank everybody so far for their generous support. If you want to get behind us, pray our message reaches the ears of those that need to hear it.
00;49;26;13 - 00;49;36;05
Dave Quak
Feel free to donate financially online, but if you feel obliged or manipulated to give you better off sharing a loved one a coffee instead. I'm Dave Clark from Something Souls.
Navigating the Wilderness with Jesus- Bronwen Healy
Episode description
Sunburnt Souls – Where Faith and Mental Health Collide
Today, we welcome Bronwen, a woman whose life reflects the grace and kindness of Jesus through every trial and triumph. As an author, motivational speaker, charity director, social enterprise founder, mum, and professional counsellor, Bronwen’s journey is a testament to God’s faithfulness in every season.
Navigating the Wilderness with Jesus
For the past few years, Bronwen found herself in a wilderness season, marked by pain, uncertainty, and solitude. She shares how, despite feeling lost, Jesus never left her side, carrying her through the darkest moments and teaching her to trust in His presence.
Embracing the Second Bloom: A Season of Renewal
Transitioning from the wilderness to renewal, Bronwen discovered that her season of struggle was a necessary preparation for growth. Now stepping into a new chapter filled with purpose and anticipation, she reflects on how Jesus restores, renews, and leads us into our next calling.
Lessons Learned and Words of Encouragement
Bronwen shares the invaluable lessons Jesus taught her, reminding us that:
- God is always present, even in the silence.
- Wilderness seasons are not wasted—they prepare us for new beginnings.
- Healing and growth come through surrendering to Jesus' grace.
Looking Ahead with Faith
With her future deeply rooted in faith, Bronwen embraces what lies ahead, trusting that Jesus will continue to guide, provide, and open doors in His perfect timing.
Listen Now: Hope for Every Season
Bronwen’s story is a powerful reminder that Jesus walks with us through every high and low, leading us into restoration, renewal, and purpose.
- Connect with Bronwen on Instagram
- Subscribe to Sunburnt Souls for more stories of faith, resilience, and hope.
- Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred platform.
CONNECT
Follow Sunburnt Souls for raw stories of faith, mental health, and hope:
🔗 Facebook | 🔗 YouTube 🔗 Instagram
BRAND NEW ONLINE COURSE!
🧠✨ Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health
28 days. $28. A practical, hope-filled course to help you:
✅ Embrace your identity in Jesus
✅ Build life-giving spiritual rhythms
✅ Navigate mental health with honesty and faith
👉 Start your 28-day journey today
💌 Join Our Community
Get weekly encouragement, bonus content, and resources in your inbox:
👉 Subscribe to the newsletter
🙌 Support the Mission
Help us keep creating free, faith-filled mental health content:
👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls
⭐️ Leave a Review
Love this episode? A quick rating or review helps more people find hope.
👉 Rate us on Apple Podcasts | 👉 Rate on Spotify
PARTNERS
🎙️ Sunburnt Souls is proudly produced by ...