Host Steve and Clarissa Moll explore how invisible dynamics like reactivity and anxiety affect leadership, relationships, and our connection with God. Steve shares six tools for diffusing reactivity—vulnerability, laughter, curiosity, clarity, love, and redirecting anxiety—while emphasizing playfulness as an underutilized organizational resource. They discuss how collective laughter and singing reset the nervous system, and how God's playful nature, reflected in creation, makes these habits spiritually meaningful. Episode Resources: More about Trisha Taylor More about The Chosen More about Ladysmith Black Mambazo  More From Clarissa Moll: Explore Clarissa Moll’s website Read Clarissa Moll’s substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Steve Cuss sits down with Matt Wenger for a candid conversation about addiction, intimacy, and healing. Together, they unpack the complexities of sexual addiction, the ripple effects it has on loved ones, and why recovery is best understood as a "team sport." Matt highlights the power of vulnerability, group support, and true intimacy as antidotes to the false connections addiction promises. Steve and Matt also shine a light on betrayal trauma experienced by partners, offering hope, empathy, and pathways toward healing for everyone impacted. Episode Resources: Explore Matt’s work at the Begin Again Institute Understanding the Signs and Causes of Betrayal Trauma Romans (from the New Testament) - It is mentioned in the context of discussing sin as an infection or condition rather than solely a moral issue. Read The Great Commandment (in Luke, Matthew, and Mark’s gospels) Read Romans 8:38-39  Read Romans 7 (Paul discuss sin struggles) More about Matt Wenger This episode of Being Human is from our vault. Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, Steve welcomes fellow Australian Matt Smallbone, a Nashville pastor and author of The Prayer Experiment. Matt shares how he overcame personal struggles with prayer—including a period of spiritual distance following a miscarriage—by committing to pray the Lord's Prayer multiple times daily. He explains it as a framework for reorienting from reactivity to connection with God. The conversation also explores family-of-origin dynamics, including the assets and liabilities of growing up in a pastor's household. Episode Resources: Matt Smallbone’s The Prayer Experiment: How Praying Like Jesus Realigns Everything - Our Thoughts, Our Hearts, and Our Posture Toward God and the World Dallas Willard's Teaching on Prayer Doctor Daniel Amen's Social Media Insights Church of the City: Downtown Nashville The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV) Jon Tyson’s sermon: Teach Us To Pray: Pray What You’ve Got More From Matt Smallbone: Matt Smallbone’s website Church of the City Downtown teaching podcast Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Australian family systems expert and author Jenny Brown to discuss her new book, The Parenting Paradox. Steve and Jenny weave together family systems theory, faith, and practical parenting wisdom. They explore how parents can reduce anxiety by focusing on their own growth rather than trying to fix their children. Key topics include managing reactivity, setting healthy boundaries, navigating social media challenges, and parenting adult children and grandchildren. Jenny emphasizes that parental success shouldn't be measured by a child's behavior, but by a parent's own principles and self-awareness.  Episode Resources: Jenny Brown’s The Parenting Paradox: Loving Our Children by Giving Them Space to Grow Bowen Family Systems Theory’s Eight Concepts Understanding Differentiation of Self Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods Australia bans social media for children under 16 Read Matthew 7:3–5 ESV More From Jenny Brown: Jenny Brown’s Website Family Systems Institute Jenny Brown’s Growing Yourself Up: How to bring your best to all of life's relationships Parent Hope Project Parent Hope Podcast Jenny Brown’s Author Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, married couple Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith share their personal journey through Matthew's sexual addiction and the betrayal it caused in their marriage. Joanna, a marriage and family therapist, describes how a class on shame and guilt led to Matthew's confession. Together, they discuss the importance of honesty, self-awareness, and understanding family-of-origin patterns in achieving healing. Now co-authors and ministry leaders, they help other couples rebuild trust and intimacy after betrayal, emphasizing curiosity over judgment and offering hope for lasting restoration. Episode Resources: Joanna & Matthew Raabsmith & Dan Drake’s Building True Intimacy: Creating a connection that stands the test of time Explore the Raabsmith’s Intimacy Pyramid Faithful & True workshops and intensives More about Mark and Debbie Laaser Explore Restoring the Soul and Michael Cusick Explore RelateStrong at Pepperdine's Boone Center What is The Murray Method's Trauma Egg More From Matthew & Joanna Raabsmith:The Raabsmith’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, Steve and Clarissa Moll explore the concept of "life-giving habits" — intentional practices categorized into people, places, and activities that help reduce reactivity and deepen awareness of God's presence. Steve explains how building a personalized list of God-given pleasures, from micro-habits like holding a spouse's hand to larger experiences like fly fishing, transforms everyday moments into acts of worship and gratitude. The conversation highlights how these habits build resilience, support community, and transcend cultural boundaries, ultimately inviting listeners to recognize and receive God's gifts more intentionally. Episode Resources: Download Steve Cuss’s Life Giving List Steve Cuss’s Managing Leadership Anxiety G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)  More From Clarissa Moll: Explore Clarissa Moll’s website Read Clarissa Moll’s substack Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human with Steve and Lisa Cuss, we recap the current series on family of origin, exploring how inherited patterns shape us spiritually and emotionally. Brain surgeon Dr. Lee Warren explains neuroplasticity and synaptic pruning, showing how early experiences wire the brain. Father-son duo Judson and Ryan Poling share their journey of breaking generational cycles, while Clarissa Moll discusses family roles and how upbringing shapes our view of God. Steve and Lisa weave in attachment theory, genograms, and parenting insights, offering a blend of neuroscience, personal storytelling, and faith-based wisdom to guide listeners toward healing and transformation. Episode Resources: Genograms in Practice Explainer (pdf) Learn more about Attachment Theory Listen to Prayer, Neuroscience, and the Presence of God with Strahan Coleman More From Clarissa Moll: Explore Clarissa Moll’s website Read Clarissa Moll’s substack More From Dr. Lee Warren: Dr. Lee Warren’s The Life Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery Listen to The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast More From Judson & Ryan Poling: Books by Judson Poling Redwood Psychology Judson Poling’s articles at The Crucible Project Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders: Capable Life Newsletter Get the Communication Styles Guide https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, father and son Judson Poling, Ryan Poling explore masculinity, emotional health, and generational patterns. Judson, a Christian author and men's ministry leader, and Ryan, a clinical psychologist specializing in male identity, discuss why men struggle to access and express emotions, the socialization behind emotional suppression, and how unresolved family-of-origin patterns are passed down. They share personal reflections on their own relationship, including inherited strengths and liabilities, and emphasize that healing happens in community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Dr. Lee Warren, neurosurgeon and author of The Life Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery. Drawing from his experiences as a military surgeon in Iraq and the devastating loss of his son, Dr. Warren explains how functional MRI technology revealed the profound mind-brain-body connection. He discusses how intentionally choosing our thoughts can literally restructure the brain—what he calls "self brain surgery"—and how concepts like selective attention and gratitude offer genuine agency over emotional suffering. The conversation also explores how deeply ingrained family patterns shape our thinking and faith. Episode Resources: Dr. Lee Warren’s The Life Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery Philippians 4:8 (ESV) Gabor Maté’s The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture  Functional MRI explainer More From Dr. Lee Warren: Listen to The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast Dr. Warren’s website Dr. Warren’s  No Place to Hide Dr. Warren’s  Hope Is the First Dose Dr. Warren’s  I've Seen the End of You Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Being Human with Steve Cuss, host Steve Cuss and Clarissa Moll explore how family of origin shapes behavior, workplace dynamics, and faith. They discuss family roles, birth order, triangulation, and unspoken emotional rules, examining how these patterns follow us into adulthood. Steve shares personal reflections on suppressing emotions and struggling to grieve, while Clarissa draws from her experience as a widowed parent. Together, they offer practical guidance on identifying triggers, finding trusted support, and using boundaries to pursue healing and freedom in Christ. Episode Resources: Genograms in Practice Explainer (pdf) Pete Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Biography of Murray Bowen  Family Systems Theory’s Eight Concepts Circle of Permitted Emotions More From Clarissa Moll: Clarissa Moll’s The Bulletin podcast Explore Clarissa Moll’s website Read Clarissa Moll’s substack Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders: Capable Life Newsletter Get the Communication Styles Guide: https://capablelife.com/pages/podcast Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive:  Capable Life Intensives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices