Being Human with Steve Cuss
213 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago - ★★★★★ - 140 ratingsA new podcast from Christianity Today, Being Human with Steve Cuss is Christian counseling in podcast form. Steve Cuss, a former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, and leadership coach, guides listeners with a gospel-informed journey of discovery into the world of emotional health: everything from anxiety and reactivity, to triangulation, overfunctioning, and the Enneagram.
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Episodes
Putting Beauty into the World with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth
April 07, 2024 10:00 - 47 minutesSome of the most beautiful art in existence was born of great trauma and pain. Think of Vincent Van Gogh, for example, or the Psalms written from a hiding place. On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss welcomes two artists who both know great tragedy and have produced remarkable creative work: Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth. The married couple recently published a book, Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt, and they join Cuss for a dis...
Faith in the Workplace with Jeff Haanen
March 31, 2024 09:00 - 30 minutesThe workplace can be a setting where people see their worth and have it honored by others. It can also be a hub of discouragement, aimlessness, and a lack of encouragement. On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Jeff Haanen, author of Working from the Inside Out. Haanen, who is the founder of the Denver Faith and Work Institute, sheds light on how inner work can shape outer work and what it looks like to live out Christianity in jobs and careers. He provides listeners with ...
The Therapist and the Song Writer with Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn
March 24, 2024 10:00 - 33 minutesMusic is one of the host Steve Cuss’ favorite ways to relax into God’s presence. On this episode he welcomes two artists who help him do just that—Andy Gullahorn and Jill Phillips. A married couple in Nashville, Tennessee, both Andy and Jill are singer-songwriters. Jill also practices as a therapist and Andy has a unique healing ministry. The three discuss the power of songs and how the music industry has changed over time. They talk about what it means to pursue “a long obedience in the sam...
The Brain and Faith with Geoff Holsclaw
March 17, 2024 10:00 - 43 minutes"In Christ, God has come near and has walked with us. The transformation that is other than us has actually come near so that we could be changed and transformed.” So says pastor and author Geoff Holsclaw as he joins host Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. Holsclaw, who cohosts the Embodied Faith podcast and runs Western Seminary’s doctor of ministry program in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience, is deeply interested in how people grow, transform, and connect to God. On t...
Empathy and Remembering with Esau McCaulley
March 10, 2024 10:00 - 47 minutesPresence has a profound impact on our lives. So does its opposite—absence. On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cross welcomes author, professor, and public theologian Esau McCaulley. McCaulley’s book Reading While Black is dedicated to his father, which may lead people to believe that they had a close relationship. But, McCaulley says that dedication was his way of declaring, “I forgive you.” During their conversation, Cross and McCaulley talk about how the absence of paternal love can sha...
Enneagram, Anxiety, and What We Live For
March 03, 2024 14:09 - 40 minutesToday on Being Human, it’s all about the Enneagram. Steve Cuss welcomes back his friend and colleague Jimmy Carnes for a discussion about the nine types and how they reflect the character of God. Carnes explains the holy idea of each Enneagram type—also known as the nine faces of God—and the ways that we are all striving for one aspect of God to be true. Carnes and Cuss discuss the nuances of their types and others. They consider how the Enneagram system can help people identify where they ...
Triangulation and Over Functioning
February 25, 2024 11:00 - 35 minutesStart paying attention. Those three words sound simple enough. And yet, just about everyone who has tried to focus on understanding what’s going on inside themselves knows that the process can get tricky pretty fast. Introspection can be as infuriating as it is illuminating. On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes his dear friend and co-laborer at Capable Life Jimmy Carnes to talk about paying attention. Their conversation covers dehumanization, inner critics, and anxiety. Ca...
The Journey Into Emotional Health
February 18, 2024 11:00 - 38 minutes“The reality of trauma is that it’s a perceived experience where we feel like the tools that we have, to cope with what we have experienced, have been exhausted … so those experiences and meaning made get stuck in our bodies.” So says Lisa Cuss, therapist and wife of Steve Cuss, on this episode of Being Human. Lisa and Steve talk about the ways trauma lodges inside of us, bodily techniques for processing difficult experiences, and what it means to understand God as the ultimate healer. They d...
The Nature of Every Belief
February 11, 2024 12:00 - 36 minutesMost Christians would probably say that relaxing in the presence of God sounds like a beautiful idea. But do we know how to do that? And do we understand what gets in our way? On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss helps listeners identify the reactivity in their lives that keeps them from experiencing connection with God, themselves, and others. He walks through a brief history of systems theory, noting the key figures who have built a body of work exploring how relational dynamics affec...
Precious vs. Core Beliefs
February 04, 2024 12:00 - 36 minutesWhat happens when we’re reactive? We disconnect from our awareness of God. So says Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. With concrete advice and a tone of encouragement, Cuss illuminates the path for listeners who want to name what causes their reactivity so they can stay connected to themselves, God, and others. Cuss explores how Jesus paves a way for us to connect to our so-called enemies. He directs listeners into prayer and peace as he shares stories of addressing anxiety and reac...
Notice and Diffuse Reactivity
January 28, 2024 12:00 - 35 minutesSteve digs deeper into the anxiety known as "reactivity" and the different ways we all respond when our values are broken by others. He uses the 2024 presidential election as an example, giving viewers a couple of tools to manage reactivity. For more about Steve, and to download his video ‘The 4 Spaces of Anxiety’ visit stevecusswords.com Being Human with Steve Cuss, in collaboration with Christianity Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pilot Episode
January 21, 2024 04:23 - 33 minutesThe first episode of Being Human With Steve Cuss, in collaboration with Christianity Today. Steve talks about the nature of reactivity, how it disconnects us, and how being a ‘well self’ is kept for human flourishing. Steve shares much of his own journey and gives a couple of tools to manage reactivity. For more about Steve, and to download his video ‘The 4 Spaces of Anxiety’ visit www.stevecusswords.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 196: Annual Wrap Up with Lisa Cuss
December 22, 2023 23:31 - 56 minutesThe Friendly Neighborhood Therapist joins Steve on this annual wrap up. They chat about lessons learned this year, giving yourself the gift of wellbeing in 2024 and what is coming down the pike for next year. Plus, Steve shares his favorite advent poem. We also announce the podcast's new name. NOTE: next year our podcast name is changing as we move onto a new partnership, but you don't need to do anything - you can access it through your existing podcast subscription. Click here to le...
Ep195: J.S. Park
December 10, 2023 21:53 - 46 minutes*Apologies for the crunchy audio at the beginning of the show* J.S. (Joon) Park is a hospital chaplain and author of The Voices We Carry. Steve first encountered J.S. through his remarkable twitter feed which is well worth a follow here. Joon talks through his first day as a chaplain, how verbatims help us grow and how to stay human in a world of constant suffering and death. This was a remarkable interview! Thanks to our sponsors: To make a difference in the lives of aged out fo...
EP 194: Brad Lomenick
December 03, 2023 21:56 - 56 minutesBrad Lomenick is the former president of Catalyst and the author of several books including the H3 Leader. Brad is a gifted connector and developer of people. For two decades he has met with thousands of Christian leaders. In this interview, Steve gets into Brad's early leadership experience when he was 8 and what wrangling horses taught him about leadership. Like others before him, he gleefully endured the Gauntlet. To make a difference in the lives of aged out foster youth visit Dream M...
Ep 193: Julie Mavis and Annika Marek-Barta
November 27, 2023 01:09 - 49 minutesJulie Mavis is the Founder of Dream Makers Project, an organization dedicated to helping youth as they age out of foster care. Because of Dream Makers, these kids do not have to face the world, their future and their decisions alone. Julie is joined in this interview by Annika Marek-Barta, herself a former foster youth and on the Dream Makers team. In this powerful interview, we get into Julie's journey with foster care and why she launched Dream Makers. Annika also shares about her jou...
EP 192: William Vanderbloemen
November 19, 2023 22:46 - 52 minutesSteve LOVED interviewing William Vanderbloemen on this week's episode. He brought so much needed wisdom for leaders today. William is the founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group. Since their founding they have placed 2500+ employees into churches and non profits and they have done 30,000 job interviews. It is out of this unique experience as well as being a former pastor that William writes his latest book, Be The Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. ...
EP 191: MLA Turns 5
November 12, 2023 01:09 - 42 minutesThis week, Managing Leadership Anxiety turns five! This episode has four parts: 1) Why Steve launched MLA, early concepts and lessons. 2) Why Systems Theory, other practitioners, Steve's unique contribution to the field. 3) What Steve has learned from doing 'public' work. 4) Exciting announcements and updates for 2024. The free 'Four Spaces Of Anxiety' video. (Note, Steve may have said 'you can download' this video on the pod, but in fact you can watch it online.) Seminary Now Cust...
EP 190: Self Care For The Holidays
November 05, 2023 23:19 - 49 minutesMany leaders and people in care giving vocations are notorious for focusing on others to the detriment of wellbeing. In this episode Steve is joined by his wife Lisa as they discuss core tools of self care as we approach the holiday season. Self care, in our field, is fundamentally about relaxing into God's presence, not about self nurture or self improvement. To download a free Life Giving List, click here. To learn more about the Calm, Aware, Present Journal as a Christmas gift, click her...
EP 189: Dr Kathleen Smith
October 29, 2023 22:03 - 47 minutesDr Kathleen Smith wrote one of my all time favorite Systems books called Everything Isn't Terrible. The book is brilliant, clear and witty and a great reflection of Kathleen herself. Kathleen is a therapist in the DC area and her book gets us right into her therapy room as we follow along with her clients' journeys of healing and wellbeing. Kathleen also happens to write my favorite newsletter which you can access here. In this episode, we dig into Bowen theory, the world of dating and ...
Ep 188: Four Dynamics Part Four: Attempted Solutions
October 22, 2023 22:19 - 58 minutesThis week Steve and Jimmy look beyond problems to 'attempted solutions.' Jay Haley famously said, 'I do not address problems, I address attempted solutions.' So often we get stuck in 'more of the same' and 'try harder' because we do not see our own complicity in the situation. Steve and Jimmy look at how we get stuck and then how to get unstuck when faced with recurring problems. Thanks to Seminary Now for sponsoring this episode. To receive 30% off access, visit the MLA Seminary Now page ...
Ep 187: Four Dynamics Part Three: Stuck Patterns
October 15, 2023 22:43 - 59 minutesToday, Jimmy Carnes joins Steve to continue their four part series, 'the four dynamics that infect every relationship.' They look at 'stuck' or predictable, recurring patterns. First patterns in ourselves, then in our relationships and teams. Tips to notice them and diffuse them and examples from Steve and Jimmy's own anxious lives. Thanks to Seminary Now for sponsoring this episode. Click the link and put CUSS30 in the coupon slot for 30% off access to the Managing Anxiety videos and so m...
Ep 186: Book Recommendations and
October 08, 2023 22:33 - 45 minutesI often get asked about Systems Theory books to read. In this episode, I list a number of books and also offer critique or recommendation AND I also pull out of some of the books a key tool you can use in your life. So you can listen to this book review episode, not read any books and still benefit! Books by: founders of the theory (who are all white men), women, faith based. I also talk about the challenge of Systems being such a western and individualistic theory and some pioneering work...
Ep 185: Aundi Kolber
October 02, 2023 04:12 - 53 minutesAundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC) and the best selling author of the critically acclaimed Try Softer and her new book Strong like Water. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. Aundi has appeared on Good Morning America, regularly speaks at national events, and is a frequent guest on podcasts such as The Lazy Genius, Typology, and The Rise and ...
Ep 184: Four Dynamics Part Two: Reactivity
September 24, 2023 22:06 - 53 minutesThere are four dynamics that infect every relationship you have: assumptions, reactivity, stuck patterns, attempted solutions. These four dynamics infect not only your human relationships, they also infect your relationship with God. They also infect your relationship with yourself and they are a key reason why your wellbeing gets disrupted. On this episode Steve is joined by Capable Life trainer Jimmy Carnes to cover reactivity. What is it, how do you notice it, how do you manage it?...
Ep 183: Four Dynamics Part One: Assumptions
September 17, 2023 21:00 - 40 minutesThere are four dynamics than infect every relationship: assumptions, reactivity, stuck patterns and attempted solutions. In this first of four episodes, Steve and Jimmy Carnes dig into assumptions: what they are, how to notice them and why they make things so much bigger and catastrophic than they really are. To live stream or watch the Unlocking Faith conference or to get more info, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 182: Benjamin Windle
September 10, 2023 22:00 - 37 minutesSteve thoroughly appreciated this chat with fellow Aussie Benjamin Windle as he brought many profound and succinct nuggets for us. Benjamin recently wrote the excellent Good Catastrophe, looking at how God turns and uses catastrophic events in our lives. Ben has lived enough of them for all of us. He has been a local church Pastor for over 20 years, including as a Founding and Senior Pastor and he consults organizations on generational understanding. He specializes in Millennial/Gen Z and y...
Ep 181: John and Nancy Ortberg
September 03, 2023 22:00 - 57 minutesJohn and Nancy Ortberg join Steve to endure several of his Gauntlet of Anxiety Questions. Not surprisingly, the questions generated MUCH wisdom from these giants in our faith. Steve found himself doing some deep work in real time as John and Nancy fleshed out a way of being human and with God. To get tickets to our upcoming Unlocking Faith conference, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 180: Put Yourself OnYour Conscious List Of Relationships
August 28, 2023 23:26 - 29 minutesToday we launch a brand new tool and it is one of our favorite type of tools because it is: very straightforward and simple but is also SO obvious, we neglect it. Therefore, we can begin to practice it and revolutionize our inner wellbeing. Lisa is joined by Lisa, the Friendly Neighborhood Therapist to kick around the new tool: Put yourself on your conscious list of relationships. To participate in our upcoming Unlocking Faith Conference or to learn more, click here. Learn more about your...
Ep 179 Diving Deeper with Jimmy Carnes and Lisa Cuss
August 21, 2023 22:55 - 51 minutesThis week Steve is joined by his therapist wife Lisa and Capable Life Trainer Jimmy Carnes. They dig into Steve's morning of shame, virtues, vices and the autopilot we get into, as well as some noticing and diffusing tools. To learn more about our upcoming Unlocking Faith Conference, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 178: Functional Theology with Renae Loring and Lisa Cuss
August 15, 2023 20:11 - 51 minutesWe all know what to believe and what our brain believes, but what does our anxiety believe and what does ori body believe? Sometimes the gap between our belief about God and our experience of God comes down to our functional theology. On this episode, Steve is joined by Lisa Cuss and also Capable Life trainer, Renae Loring. They dig into Renae's journey of anxiety management, how to locate your functional beliefs and how to begin to dislodge them. The Unlocking Faith conference is fast appr...
Ep 177: Glenn and Holly Packiam
July 02, 2023 22:00 - 48 minutesSteve chats with Glenn and Holly Packiam about leadership transition, establishing trust as a new leader, the challenge a leader’s spouse faces in ‘second hand criticism’ and their recent book and upcoming journal, Intentional Year and the soon to be released Intentional Year Journal. Glenn is an essential voice in these times. He brings a rare combination of compassion, academia, creativity, and thoughtfulness to his role as Lead Pastor at Rockharbor Church and so many of us have benefite...
Ep 176: Jimmy Carnes
June 25, 2023 22:30 - 45 minutesJimmy Carnes is a Capable Life trainer who has worked with Steve for over ten years. He joins Steve on the pod to chat: - What do you do when you don't know what to do. - Leadership as 'taking responsibility' rather than 'knowing what to do.' - How many milliseconds do you need to know if a worship band member is not ok? And much more. To get info and tickets for our upcoming Unlocking Faith conference, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep: 175: Differentiation At The Movies
June 18, 2023 22:25 - 58 minutesSometimes it is easier to SEE Differentiation before you TRY it! We frequently recommend first watching it, then noticing a time you're anxious and debriefing after and then trying it for yourself. To that end, in this episode Steve spends time clarifying what differentiation is and then shows how it shows up in: Hidden Figures, The Crown, The Princess Bride, Toy Story and Spotlight. Coming in Oct 2-4, Unlocking Faith conference. Early bird pricing ends June 30th. Join us in person, liv...
Ep 174: Ted Lasso and Attachment Theory
June 11, 2023 22:18 - 58 minutesThis week Lisa and Steve dive into the 4 styles of attachment, we help you locate your own attachment styles and then we talk through some characters from the show and their attachment. We also dig into differentiation, how some people mis use it and where we see characters differentiating well. Unlocking Faith is coming! We'll help you locate and unlock beliefs that block your enjoyment of God. Oct 2-4 in person in CO, or live stream or watch on demand. Early Bird pricing ends June 30 Lea...
Ep 173: Ted Lasso and Slow Transformation
June 04, 2023 22:01 - 41 minutes - 56.8 MBIn the first of a two part series, Steve and his wife Lisa look at the elements of Ted Lasso through Systems Theory and Attachment. In this episode they focus on how change happens, the slow, steady chipping away and four of the core elements that caused characters to grow. Unlocking Faith is Oct 2-4th. If you'd like help locating and then unlocking beliefs you hold or beliefs that hold you that are blocking your connection to God's peace, freedom and love, this conference is for you. ...
EP: 172: Precious Beliefs vs Deepest Core Beliefs
May 28, 2023 22:19 - 34 minutesWe all have beliefs that lay deeper than our belief in God and these beliefs block our connection to God. In this episode, Steve is joined by his trauma and attachment therapist wife, Lisa to chat the nature of beliefs and tools to dislodge core beliefs so our precious belief can soak deeper into our lives. Our Unlocking Faith conference is approaching! Early bird prices end June 30th. To come in person or buy a live stream or on demand video access, click here. Learn more about your ad c...
Ep 171: Jessie Cruickshank
May 21, 2023 22:00 - 44 minutesJessie Cruickshank’s new book is Ordinary DIscipleshipship - an incredible and fresh approach to the way we change and help others change. I loved this interview where Jessie digs into attachment theory, the way God wired our brains for change, the power of truth and assumptions and her favorite way to die while being outdoors. Jessie is Director of Certification for Future Church, an ordained Foursquare minister and a nationally recognized leader in the fields of Experiential Education an...
Ep 170: Nick and Christine Caine
May 14, 2023 22:00 - 53 minutesNick and Christine Caine are two of the most phenomenal people I know. Christine is an evangelist, gifted preacher and author. She and Nick lead Equip and Empower, an organization dedicated to helping women thrive in faith and leadership. They also lead A21, a global anti human trafficking organization. A21 is a full service organization from advocacy to rescue and recovery and operates in a dozen countries. In this rare treat, we hear from Nick and Christine together on the early days of ...
Ep 169: Brave Practice and Testing Assumptions
May 08, 2023 18:00 - 31 minutesIf you'd like to get more intentional about working on these, you can join Capable Life either by yourself or with a group of peers. Some entire teams are joining together to work through these tools together. For more info on our Unlocking Faith conference in Oct, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 168: Steve Solo McCabe and Sin
May 01, 2023 23:38 - 20 minutesFor more resources as well as tickets to the upcoming Unlocking Faith conference, visit www.stevecusswords.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 167: Sean Nemecek
March 05, 2023 22:00 - 47 minutesSean Nemecek is a pastor, coach at www.PIRministries.org and author of the MUST READ new book The Weary Leader’s Guide To Burnout. Sean chats his own harrowing journey into and out of burnout. He helps us measure our healthy relationships and also gives us ways to implement proper rhythms that increase our chance of being well. Leaders, this is such an important conversation. You are worth pouring into. Please do not listen and move on. You can get help and you are worth the money and t...
Ep 166: Restrain and Reflect
February 19, 2023 22:00 - 21 minutesHow do we learn to restrain our impulses long enough to reflect on them with God so we can deliberatively respond rather than react? Today we share tips on that, we announce the new conference and an Aussie speaking tour. Info and Tickets for the Unlocking Faith conference. Info for the Australian Speaking Tour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 165: Justin Rosolino
February 12, 2023 22:00 - 54 minutesJustin Rosolino is the Magnolia Community Engagement Coordinator, serving in the non profit arm of Magnolia, the home decor juggernaut founded by Chip and Joanna Gaines. Justin is a guitarist, classicist and former educator which explains why he now works in addressing systemic poverty in Waco, Texas. Justin is the author of Idiot, Sojourning Soul, a provocative, wide reaching and entertaining memoir of his life and of Christianity in general. For resources to help you manage anxiety, y...
Ep 164: Ike Miller
February 05, 2023 22:00 - 40 minutesIke Miller is a pastor, scholar, church planter and author who is releasing a fascinating book called Good Baggage to help us understand the implication of our childhood on our well being. Ike and I chat about upbringing, childhood vows and more. And of course Ike very kindly endures the gauntlet of anxiety questions! For resources to help you with emotional and spiritual health, visit www.capablelife.me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 163: Mike Cosper
January 29, 2023 22:00 - 49 minutesMike Cosper is a musician, pastor, creative and podcaster, most recently known for the juggernaut podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Mike serves as a Senior Director at Christianity Today and recently hosted two beautiful interviews with Bono and Bill Mallonee. We discuss how grief infects our work for better or worse, the impact and challenge of producing RaFoMH podcast. We kick around art and craft and the vital importance of putting beautiful work into the world. Mike is an utter gem,...
Ep 162: Tara Beth Leach
January 22, 2023 22:00 - 44 minutesTara Beth Leach is a pastor, preacher and author. She brings a rare combination of candor, thoughtfulness, depth and succinctness. Tara Beth talks us through grieving as a leader, unique challenges of being a female pastor, the life of an Enneagram 6 and more. This was one of my all time favorite conversations and reminds me how grateful I am for her voice, writing and way in this world. You can dig into Tara Beth’s books here. Want to increase well being and break stuck relational pattern...
Ep 161: Steps For Transformation and an exciting announcement
January 15, 2023 23:08 - 39 minutes"People grow when they are in a quest or when they are in a crisis' so says the wonderful Dr Scot McKnight. Our church has built a philosophy of discipleship and change around this profound idea. Today I share our steps to transformation, whether talking about spiritual growth or relational health. Also, exciting announcements! 1. To be the first to hear when conference tickets go on sale, visit www.stevecusswords.com and grab the free PDF. We will email our whole email list when pre sa...
Ep 160: Season Finale with Lisa Cuss.
December 05, 2022 01:25 - 31 minutesLisa, 'The Friendly Neighborhood Therapist' joins Steve to chat about power dynamics, manipulation vs gas lighting. Steve and Lisa also talk about upcoming intensives and when you know you could benefit from one. To learn more about intensives, purchase a journal or join the self paced learning community, visit www.capablelife.me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ep 159: The Unreliable Narrator
November 28, 2022 00:55 - 25 minutesMovie writers and show runners sometimes employ an 'unreliable narrator' - often a character in the show who is confused, or intentionally deceiving the audience. Shows like The Sting, The Prestige, Home Land, True Detective and more employee this technique to keep the audience guessing or confused. Chronic anxiety is an unreliable narrator and the sooner we learn to mistrust its message, the more freedom we can experience. For journals and our self paced experience, visit www.capablelife...