Untangle Your Thoughts | Trust in God, Hear from God, Mental Health Tips, Negative Thoughts, Relationship with God, Christian Podcast, Emotional Healing, Spiritual Growth
Jessica Hottle | Christian Life Coach, Spiritual Growth Mentor, Christian Mental Health Coach, Christian Counseling•www.jessicahottle.com
{"_":"Hey friend! \n \nDo you want to overcome negative thoughts? \nDo you want to be able to discern whether it’s your feelings telling you what to do or God? \nAre you praying for a mental breakthrough? \n \nI’m here to say that numbing out doesn’t have to be your only option. \n \nHard and bad things that have happened in this world that need a safe space to be processed. And the church should be one of those places. And this podcast is one of those places. \n \nI’m Jessica Hottle, a Board-Certified Master Mental Health Coach, author, and speaker. I help women overcome negative thought patterns to regain control of their lives. Most importantly, I’m the big sister who is going to tell you the truth because I care. \n \nIn this podcast, we are going to be talking about: \n \n-> Feelings: The good, the bad, and the ugly \n-> Practical ways to take care of your emotional and mental health while never losing sight of God \n-> How to study your Bible so that you can grow a deeper relationship with God and the church \n \nSo pull up a chair and join me at the table. Let’s get to the bottom of what’s holding you back. \n \nNext steps: \n \nGet My Free 3-Day Bible Study: \nhttps://www.jessicahottle.com/3-day-study \n \n Have Me As a Coach in Your Corner: https://www.patreon.com/JessicaHottle \n \nUntangle Your Thoughts: https://www.jessicahottle.com/heal \n \nVisit My Website: https://www.jessicahottle.com \n \nEmail Me: jessica@jessicahottle.com (Jessica Hottle, Christian Mental Health Coach) \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n","$":{"audioboom:html":"1"}}
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Can I ask you something? When a hard emotion comes up, what's your first instinct? If you're like a lot of people, it's to fight it, analyze it, or pray it away as fast as possible. Because somewhere along the way, we started believing that feeling something meant we were about to spiral. In this episode, I'm going to gently push back on that. Feeling your emotions and spiraling are not the same thing, and the difference might surprise you. Also, don't forget!👇🏻 Summer Sale – 50% OFF Untangle ...
Here's something I want you to hear before we even get started - God is not waiting on you to do the right things before he shows up for you. That pressure you feel to heal correctly, to read the right things, think the right way, follow the right steps? That's not coming from Him. In this episode, I'm slowing way down and talking about what to actually focus on first in your healing journey, because the problem for most of us isn't that we don't want to heal, it's that we're completely overwhel...
Can I be honest with you? A lot of us are completely worn out by our own minds and we don't even realize why. We've been taught that "taking every thought captive" means catching every bad thought, fixing it, and never letting it happen again. So we monitor, we analyze, we panic, and then we feel shame when it doesn't work. In this episode, I'm going back to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and talking about what this scripture is actually inviting us into, because it's so much less exhausting than what mos...
For many of us, discomfort doesn’t come from conflict itself; it comes from the belief that someone else’s disappointment must mean something is wrong with us. When approval has felt like safety for most of your life, even small moments of tension can trigger anxiety, overthinking, and the urge to fix or perform. This episode takes an honest look at why being okay when someone isn’t okay with you feels so hard, how our nervous system and faith both play a role, and what it means to remain steady...
I want to start today with a phrase a lot of us live by, sometimes without even realizing it: If I can just understand this… I’ll feel better. When anxiety shows up, it’s often not because you’re doing something wrong or lacking faith. It’s because different parts of you are trying to protect you the only way they know how. And when we misunderstand that, we end up fighting ourselves instead of finding relief. Today I want to slow this down and look at what anxiety is actually rooted in, why con...
Many believers wrestle with the tension between what Scripture says about God’s nearness and what they actually experience in moments of silence, pain, or emotional heaviness. There are seasons where God feels distant, not because faith is gone, but because something inside doesn’t register His presence the way it once did. If you’ve ever wondered why you can believe God is close and still feel far from Him, or why prayer can feel like it’s going unanswered in the middle of real struggle, this e...
A lot of what’s being shared in the wellness and mindset space can start to feel overwhelming. There are always more things to fix, more things to optimize, more pressure to “get it right.” And yet, even with all of that effort, many people still feel anxious, dysregulated, or mentally stuck in ways they can’t seem to think their way out of. If you’ve been trying to do the right things but still feel like something isn’t adding up internally, you’re not alone in that tension. In this episode, we...
Many believers have been taught the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” For some, that idea has brought comfort. For others, it has quietly added pressure, especially in seasons where life feels overwhelming, heavy, or unrelenting. If you’ve ever wondered why things still feel like too much even while trying to trust God, this episode is for you. Today’s conversation explores where that belief comes from, how Scripture is often misunderstood, and how overwhelm can become less ...
If you’ve been following God, doing the right things, trying to renew your mind, and yet you still feel anxious or worn down - this episode is for you. For a long time, I thought growth meant pushing forward no matter what - staying disciplined, strong, and productive. On the outside, it looked healthy; spiritually, it sounded right. But underneath, I was ignoring how rushed my soul felt and how heavy my body was carrying everything. And I didn’t realize it then, but I wasn’t always “pressing on...
I want to start today with something that might feel uncomfortably familiar - you finally get a quiet moment, and almost immediately, your thoughts show up. Something you replay from earlier and before you realize it, your body feels tense, and your mind is off and running. If quiet moments tend to make your thoughts louder instead of calmer, if stillness feels more stressful than restful, or if you usually reach for noise, distraction, or productivity to avoid what might come up, this episode i...
Many of us know the “what if” loop all too well. "What if I made the wrong decision?" "What if this situation gets worse?" "What if I missed what God was telling me?" Suddenly, your mind is ten steps ahead, trying to predict or control every possible outcome. It’s exhausting mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, even when you’re trying to trust God. If you’ve ever found yourself replaying scenarios, rehearsing conversations, or bracing for the next “what if,” this episode is for you. I'm unpac...
Does this sound familiar? It’s late, you’re exhausted, but your mind won’t slow down. You’re replaying what was said, what you chose, what you wish you could still change - and somewhere in that loop, a well-meaning thought shows up: “Just give it to God.” You try to sit with that idea, but instead of calm, everything inside you tightens. Because letting go sounds spiritual, but holding on feels safer. If you’ve ever wondered why surrender feels more stressful than control, this conversation is ...
Have you ever gone through a season where you were sincerely trying to follow God - praying, seeking Him, doing what you believed was right - and yet the situation you were in still felt painful or unresolved? When that happens, it can create a quiet inner tension. Part of you wants to keep trusting, but another part starts scanning for what might have gone wrong. Questions begin to surface: Did I misunderstand something? Did I miss God somewhere along the way? If you’ve ever wrestled with those...
Have you ever been told, “Just trust God,” and instead of relief, you felt tension or even guilt? Like if you could really trust Him, you wouldn’t be replaying decisions, bracing for what’s next, or second-guessing every step. If that resonates, you’re not alone. This episode is about why those words, even when well-meaning, often land like pressure instead of peace and what’s really happening beneath the surface when your mind, emotions, and body aren’t yet aligned with trust. Rooting for you, ...
Have you ever read the words “ Do not be afraid” and felt a quiet disconnect inside? You want to trust them, but your body hasn’t caught up yet. So many women carry this unspoken tension: a genuine belief in God’s goodness alongside a nervous system that still feels braced, alert, or unsettled. If you’ve ever thought, "I believe this is true, so why doesn’t it feel true?" this episode is for you. Today we’re going to talk about that gap, not with pressure to fix it, but with space to understand ...
Today I want to ask a question that might feel uncomfortable at first, but it matters more than we realize. When you think about God, do you feel drawn in or do you tense up a little inside? A lot of believers say they “fear the Lord,” but what they’re actually carrying is fear of God - fear of disappointing Him, mishearing Him, or getting something wrong. Those two experiences may sound similar on the surface, but they lead to very different fruit in your life. And if your relationship with God...
Today, I'm stepping into a topic that a lot of people carry quietly, often with more fear and shame than they ever say out loud - intrusive thoughts. Those sudden thoughts that seem to come out of nowhere, feel unsettling, and immediately make you question yourself. What makes them so distressing isn’t just that they appear, but how convincing they feel in the moment. If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling, wondering what it says about you, your faith, or your heart because of a thought you nev...
The Bible tells us to forgive, and many of us truly want to. We agree with it, we believe it, and we’ve even made the intentional choice to forgive. But what happens when your heart says you’ve forgiven, but your body still reacts? Too often, Scripture gets used to rush people past pain instead of walking them through healing. In this episode, I'm talking honestly about why forgiveness can be sincere while the pain still lives in your body, and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing faith wrong. Roo...
Have you ever heard the phrase “be still and let the Lord fight for you” and felt an immediate knot in your chest because you genuinely don’t know how to do that? You want to trust God, but your mind keeps racing, your body stays tense, and everything in you feels like it needs to stay alert, just in case. Stillness sounds spiritual, but when you’re overwhelmed, pressured, or uncertain, it can feel unrealistic or even unsafe. In this episode, we’re slowing down to look at what Exodus 14:14 actua...
Many Christians mistakenly believe fear indicates a lack of faith, but this episode explains that fear is often the body's protective response, rooted in past pain or nervous system memories. The host differentiates between a "spirit of fear" and these natural bodily signals, emphasizing that true trust isn't the absence of fear, but rather who we turn to when fear appears. The discussion encourages connecting mind and body and offers resources for navigating these complex emotions with God.
Trust feels spiritual, but so often it’s physical. When life starts to feel unpredictable, our bodies are usually the first to react through tight shoulders, racing thoughts, or a constant urge to stay one step ahead of what might happen. Struggling to trust God in an uncertain season doesn’t mean your faith is weak; it often means your body remembers what it felt like when things fell apart before. I often hear my coaching clients say, “I know God is good, but I don’t feel safe.” And that gap -...
The stretch from late 2024 into 2025 marked one of the most significant seasons of loss I’ve ever walked through - loss of people, roles, income, rhythms, and even parts of my identity that had defined me for years. At the same time, my body was quietly telling a story I could no longer ignore. I wasn’t collapsing or falling apart on the outside, but inside, I felt tired, disconnected, and unsure of how to want things again. This episode isn’t just about weight loss or strength training, it’s ab...
Have you ever felt so scared of “messing up” a decision that you end up stuck in your head, praying harder, overthinking longer, and still feeling frozen? Maybe you worry about disappointing God, choosing the wrong path, or mishearing what He wants, and that fear keeps you from moving forward at all. In today’s episode, I'm talking about why that fear shows up, how it impacts your nervous system and your faith, and how you can begin taking steps with confidence again. Rooting for you, Jessica Ne...
Have you ever felt like you’re showing up and doing all the “right” spiritual things -reading your Bible, praying, going to church - but inside you still feel flat, distant, or stuck? Maybe you’ve wondered why your faith feels dry even though you’re trying so hard. If you’ve ever thought, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why can’t I feel God like I used to?” you’re not alone. In today’s episode, I'm talking about spiritual stuckness - what it really means, why it happens, and how God often meets us r...
Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “Things are good right now… which probably means something bad is coming”? Maybe life feels calm on the surface, but inside you’re tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop. You tell yourself you’re just being realistic or not getting your hopes up, but the truth is, living with that mindset is exhausting. If you’ve ever struggled to actually enjoy a good season because your body doesn’t trust it, this episode is for you. Rooting for you, Jessica Next steps: ...
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to slip into that “why does this keep happening to me?” mindset without even realizing it? One annoying moment, one tough conversation, and suddenly the whole day feels like it’s out to get you. Trust me, I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. In this episode, I'm unpacking how victim mode quietly shows up in our thoughts, and how to recognize it before it takes over. Rooting for you, Jessica Next steps: Get my free 3-day study and learn how to deal...
You know those moments when your brain just won’t let something go? Maybe it’s a conversation you keep replaying or a worry that pops up on repeat like a broken record. I’ve been there too. If your thoughts ever feel like they’re running the show instead of you, this episode is going to feel like a deep breath. Let’s walk through it together. Rooting for you, Jessica Next steps: Get my free 3-day study and learn how to deal with your emotions in a biblical way: https://www.jessicahottle.com/3-da...
Sometimes the holidays feel less like a celebration and more like emotional survival. For me, it’s been a tender season. It's been one year since my mom passed, and the emotions still run deep. Maybe you’ve felt that too - sadness surfacing when you were expecting joy, or overwhelm sneaking in while you try to stay present. If that resonates, I want you to know something that can help. This week, my course Untangle Your Thoughts is 50% off for Black Friday , giving you tools to regulate your emo...
There was a season where I kept thinking, “If I could just hold everything together, maybe I wouldn’t fall apart.” But when things didn’t go the way I wanted - when someone pulled away, when life got messy - it broke something in me. I didn’t want to try anymore. I wanted to retreat, to make myself smaller, to stop caring so it wouldn’t hurt. If that’s where you are right now (tired, done, unsure what the point even is), stay with me. We’re going to walk through what this moment means from both ...
For the longest time, I thought my anxiety was intuition. I could always spot what might go wrong, so I assumed it meant I was being careful. But what I’ve learned is that the brain confuses hypervigilance for safety - it’s working overtime to avoid pain that’s already in the past. In this episode, I'm unpacking why your body doesn’t always trust joy, how fear becomes a habit, and what it really means to rebuild trust in God one calm breath at a time. Rooting for you, Jessica Next steps: Get my ...
