What if my abusive husband has mental health issues? Drawing on listener input, I tackle the complexities of abuse intertwined with mental health diagnoses such as bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I want to help you navigate the tricky waters of understanding biblical interpretations around staying in abusive relationships “in sickness and in health.” This episode is a lifeline for women seeking clarity and peace while healing and growing within difficult circumstances.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why anger and critical thinking are normal, healthy responses to injustice.
• How to unhook from shaming tactics used by abusers and others.
• The importance of stewarding your own mental, physical, and spiritual health.
• A biblical perspective on “in sickness and in health” in the context of abusive relationships.
• Why it’s not helpful to focus on parsing out mental illness vs. abuse in relationships.

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming.
• Flying Free is our online community educating and supporting Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my live mentorship program for any Christian woman interested in 10Xing their self-development progress.

I'm watching my babies go from being children to being young men, and I gotta be honest, it's making me sadder than I've been in a long time. In this Flying Higher moment I'll share a new thought I had this morning as I watched my 14-year-old in the kitchen. A thought that helped create a deeper shift within me from sadness to joy. Maybe it will help you as much as it helped me.

Need a mentor this year? Go to joinflyinghigher.com to learn more!

Today I visit with Diana Swillinger, a life coach and fellow advocate for personal growth and healing. Together, we explore the profound role of empathy—not just for others but for yourself—in overcoming life’s challenges and moving forward.

Key Topics Covered:

• The role of empathy in healing
• Personal responsibility vs. victim-blaming
• The difference between needing validation and needing empowerment
• The importance of challenging our deeply rooted beliefs
• A powerful tool for growth
• Building a life aligned with the heart of God

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Love Diana? Listen to Episode 256 of the Flying Free Podcast to get more of her!
• Check out Diana’s website.
• Follow Diana’s podcast, The Renew Your Mind Podcast. Some of her best episodes include “Staying Out of Family Drama,” “Have To Vs. Choose To,” “When People Are Wrong About You,” “When People Are Right About You,” and “Accepting What Is.”
• Follow Diana on Facebook and Instagram.
• Listen to the episode on victim blaming that I mentioned in today’s show.
• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming.
• Flying Free is our online community educating and supporting Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my live mentorship program for any Christian woman interested in 10Xing their self-development progress.

Diana Swillinger is a life and business coach, host of The Renew Your Mind Podcast, and founder of the Renew Your Mind Institute Coach Training. After decades of trying please God, be a good person and do the right thing, she ended up exhausted and discouraged. Desperate for a solution, Diana went back to school, joined personal development programs, and more, then took what she learned and created mind renewal tools that let her love life in every situation no matter what comes her way. Over the past 5 year she has empowered thousands of women with those same tools to heal themselves, get back to who God created them to be, and build a life they love.

This week's Flying Higher moment introduces a simple exercise that will help you discover core beliefs that are keeping you stuck. You'll also learn how to quickly create a shift in your body that will give you just enough energy to regain some power and control in your life. It's a powerful exercise to try right at the beginning of 2025!

Links mentioned:
Try Flying Free one week for one dollar now through January 5, 2025 - Click HERE
Flying Free
Flying Higher

In today’s episode, I reflect on the incredible transformations that can happen in just one year. (That’s not a very long time, when you think about it! I feel like every January, I blink, and it’s December!)

Through powerful testimonials from Christian women, I highlight the courage, growth, and healing that come in just one year of taking intentional steps to break free from abuse, rebuild a life of freedom, and pursue self-development.

Discover how these women overcame fear, anxiety, and self-doubt to embrace healing, reclaim their identities, and create lives full of purpose and joy. Whether you’re navigating the complexities of divorce, overcoming spiritual abuse, or simply seeking personal growth, this episode will encourage you to imagine your own transformation in the coming year.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• Heartfelt stories of resilience and transformation from Christian women just like you.
• Reflections on recognizing abuse, setting boundaries, and finding freedom.
• Insights into rebuilding relationships with God, children, and oneself after abuse.
• An invitation to intentionally plan for growth and healing in 2025

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Grab your own butterfly planner for 2025 (and consider joining us in Flying Higher if you want to go through the Wings to Soar planning workshop with me in January 2025!)
• Listen to the episode mentioned in today’s show, Episode 197, about all of our different parts and how they interact on our bus!
• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming.
• Flying Free is our online community educating and supporting Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my live mentorship program for any Christian woman interested in 10Xing their self-development progress.

Do you ever wonder if you're measuring up to God's standard? If you're good enough to win God's attention and help? If you've done enough to make your life really matter?

If you're looking for a little hope, joy, and maybe even a restored connection to God’s original design for humanity, I invite you to listen in to today's Flying Higher moment and embrace the possibility of a deeper faith journey rooted in love instead of manipulation and shame.

Resources mentioned:
Flying Higher
The Mirror Bible

Hi friends, and Merry Christmas! I hope this special day brings moments of peace and reflection, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. In this solo episode, I reflect on the powerful connection between scent, memory, and emotion—especially during the holiday season. I’ll share personal stories, including my years as a soap maker, and how the fragrances of Christmas invite us to reflect on our own environments and experiences.

We’ll explore what it means to find hope and healing in unexpected circumstances and how the true spirit of Christmas can create a lasting fragrance of love, even in challenging seasons.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How our senses connect to our memories and emotions.
• Why we can grow numb to unhealthy environments.
• A reflection on religious attitudes and how they impact others,
• The hope and beauty found in embracing life as it is, not as we expected.

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. (The Kindle version is only $2.99 now through the end of the year!)
• My book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. (Again - the Kindle version is only $2.99 now through the end of the year!)
• Flying Free is our online community educating and supporting Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my live mentorship program for any Christian woman interested in 10Xing their self-development progress.

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to "fly higher" in life, even when weighed down by challenges and pain. Through a story and metaphor, you'll learn how letting go of control and embracing internal freedom can transform your darkest moments.

Resource mentioned:
Flying Higher