Why did I go silent on this podcast for six years? This full-length episode is the honest answer, covering a toxic on-and-off relationship, codependency, alcohol, and the shame that silenced a faith-based coach from telling her own story. This is the most personal episode I have ever recorded. For six years I told you "life happened." That was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. In this episode, I'm sharing the whole truth: a relationship I was too ashamed to post publicly, alcohol that quietly became something I had to manage, and the shame that kept me from telling my own story while teaching other women how to heal from theirs. This episode covers emotional sobriety, codependency recovery, identity in Christ, and what it actually looks like to mourn who you used to be so God can use who you're becoming. If you're a Christian woman who has ever lived two lives, one public and one private, this episode is for you. This is a longer episode than usual, built to give this story the room it needed. CODA: Co-dependents Anonymous - https://coda.org  A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to emotional sobriety, codependency recovery, and alcohol and codependency, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, or how to heal from a toxic relationship as a Christian woman, you are exactly who this show was made for. Next step: If this episode met you somewhere real, start My Path Method, a free 5-day coaching framework built from the same journals I talk about in this episode. Start now at mypathtowholeness.com/mypathmethod If what surfaced today feels bigger than five days can hold, Kingdom Happily Ever After is a 20-lesson biblical guide to codependency recovery and emotional sobriety, written from the same place this episode came from. Get it at kingdomhappilyeverafter.com Connect with Melanie: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected]  Website: mypathtowholeness.com  If this episode meant something to you, please leave a review. It helps another woman carrying something in silence find this show. And if you know someone who needs to hear that hiding doesn't have to be the end of her story, share this episode with her. New episodes drop every Monday.

Why does rejection still make you feel like you're not enough, even when nothing about you has changed? This is the final letter in the Open Letter series, written for the woman who's spent a lifetime bracing for the door to close, in friendships, in family, in love, in every room she's ever walked into. This episode weaves in Lesson 8 of Kingdom Happily Ever After: How the Gospel Redefines Good Enough. A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to rejection, shame, and self-worth, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, or how to heal from rejection as a Christian woman, you are exactly who this show was made for. Free first step: My Path Method, a 5-day faith and focus experience at mypathtowholeness.com/mypathmethod Go deeper: Kingdom Happily Ever After at kingdomhappilyeverafter.com Connect with Me: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected] Website: mypathtowholeness.com

Why do I stay after I already know the truth? This episode is for the woman who got her confirmation, the proof, the pattern, the plain truth, and stayed anyway. Melanie Reyes, Certified Faith-Based Coach and your Focus Bestie, reads an open letter addressing emotional sobriety, trauma bonds, and identity in Christ for women carrying the shame of staying after they already knew. This episode explores what it means to guard your heart after confirmed harm, how shame shows up differently once denial isn't an option anymore, and why walking away from proof you already have is still grief work, not just a decision. Free next step: My Path Method, a free 5-day coaching experience. mypathtowholeness.com/mypathmethod Go deeper: Kingdom Happily Ever After, the 20-lesson guide to emotional freedom. kingdomhappilyeverafter.com   A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to confirmation, red flags, and trauma bonds, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, or a podcast about staying after you already knew the truth, you are exactly who this show was made for.   Connect with Melanie: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected] Website: mypathtowholeness.com New episodes every Monday.

Why do I keep going back to what I know isn't good for me? This is an open letter for the Christian woman stuck in a cycle, whether it's a relationship, an ex, or a family dynamic she keeps returning to even though she knows it's breaking her. In this episode: Why familiar chaos can feel safer than real peace The difference between the relief that follows an apology and the peace God actually offers Why healing means choosing the decision to not go back, not another promise it'll be different Mentioned in this episode: Kingdom Happily Ever After by Melanie Reyes, Lesson 1: When Love Becomes a Drug kingdomhappilyeverafter.com Don't know where to start? My Path Method is my free 5-day experience for faith, focus, and your next step: https://www.mypathtowholeness.com/mypathmethod A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to breaking toxic cycles and choosing peace over chaos, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a faith based podcast for women healing from codependency, or a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, you are exactly who this show was made for. Connect with Me, Melanie Reyes: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected] Website: mypathtowholeness.com New episodes every Monday. Real with Melanie Podcast | Faith, Mental Health and Focus for Women

Why do I still feel guilty when God has already forgiven me? If you're a Christian woman asking that question, this open letter is for you. We talk about shame, guilt, and the difference between conviction and condemnation, and why your past was never meant to be a prison. In this episode I speak directly to the woman carrying condemnation for things God already redeemed, the one who has disqualified herself before anyone else could. I share how I could not tell the difference between the voice of conviction and the voice of condemnation for years, and what finally set me free. I also read from Kingdom Happily Ever After, my 20-lesson guide to emotional sobriety, specifically Lesson 15: Shame, Guilt, and the Lies They Whisper. If shame has been narrating your story, this is your reminder: forgiveness is freely given, but freedom must be chosen. God doesn't rehearse what He's already redeemed. A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to shame, guilt, and the difference between conviction and condemnation, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, or a podcast about letting go of shame and guilt from your past, you are exactly who this show was made for. Don't know where to start? My Path Method is my free 5-day experience for faith, focus, and your next step: https://www.mypathtowholeness.com/mypathmethod Get the book: kingdomhappilyeverafter.com Connect with Melanie: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected] Website: mypathtowholeness.com

Why do I feel behind in life? If you're a Christian woman asking that question, this open letter is for you. We talk about comparison, God's timing, and why your worth was never measured by a man-made timeline. In this episode I share the therapy question that exposed where I had built my identity, and how anchoring my identity in Christ, not milestones, changed my emotional healing. I also read from Kingdom Happily Ever After, my 20-lesson guide to emotional sobriety, specifically Lesson 18: Living From Identity, Not Insecurity. If you've been stuck in comparison, watching everyone else move ahead in career, relationships, or healing, this is your reminder: delay is not denial, and God's timing is not late. A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to comparison and God's timing, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, or a podcast for women who feel stuck and behind in life, you are exactly who this show was made for. Get the book: kingdomhappilyeverafter.com Connect with Melanie: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected] Website: mypathtowholeness.com New episodes drop every Monday.

Are you grieving a version of your life that never happened? This is an open letter for the woman mourning what could've been, not the person, but the dream. The version of your life you built in your heart that God never showed up for the way you planned. If you've ever stayed loyal to a fantasy longer than was good for you, this letter was written for you. Faith, healing, and emotional sobriety. After a six-year hiatus, Real with Melanie Podcast is back with the Open Letter series, six letters for Christian women navigating grief, codependency, toxic relationships, and the journey to emotional freedom and wholeness in Christ. In this episode: Why letting go of a dream is harder than letting go of a person What faith, fear, and control actually look like from the inside Permission to grieve what never happened and start over without calling it failure   Mentioned in this episode: Kingdom Happily Ever After by Melanie Reyes, Lesson 17: Surrendering the Fantasy kingdomhappilyeverafter.com Want a personal letter in your inbox every Monday? The FIT Focus Newsletter is where I share journal-led reflections, biblical truth, and practical steps for women walking their own path to healing and wholeness. It's not a marketing email. It's a letter from me to you. Join at mypathtowholeness.com. A little about this show: Real with Melanie is a faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and the journey to wholeness in Christ. Every episode speaks into codependency recovery, shame and guilt, boundaries, people pleasing, and identity in Christ, the real stuff so many of us carry quietly. This episode speaks to grief and faith, and to letting go and releasing control, part of the larger journey toward emotional freedom and focus. If you searched for a faith based podcast for women healing from codependency, or a Christian podcast for emotional healing and mental health, you are exactly who this show was made for.   Connect with Melanie: Instagram: @msmelaniereyes Email: [email protected] Website: mypathtowholeness.com   New episodes every Monday. Real with Melanie Podcast | Faith, Mental Health and Focus for Women

A faith-based podcast for Christian women navigating mental health, emotional healing, and codependency recovery is officially back. After a six-year hiatus, Melanie Reyes returns to Real with Melanie with raw honesty about why she stepped away and what's different this time. This short episode is your invitation back in. New episodes start soon, diving into shame, fear, codependency, and identity in Christ through Scripture-rooted Open Letters and real conversation. Want healing content delivered straight to your inbox every week? Join the FIT Focus newsletter at mypathtowholeness.com. And if today's words stirred something in you, Kingdom Happily Ever After walks through 20 biblical lessons in emotional freedom and codependency recovery. Grab it at mypathtowholeness.com. Faith + Intentions = Transformation.

Gratitude is so important but particularly in times like we are currently facing in this world. Listen in as I talk with entrepreneur, mama, wife and author of The Gratitude Journal Jessica Lewis.   Jessica helps parents develop appreciative, mindful and Christ-centered families in minutes a day.   Grab her gratitude journal for kids here: www.amazon.com/shops/JessicaLewis   Keep in touch with Jessica Lewis IG: @gratitudegiveslife Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gratitudegiveslife/   Wanna chat further? Email: [email protected] IG: @msmelaniereyes Twitter: @msmelaniereyes Facebook: www.facebook.com/realwithmelanie Join our women's community: www.facebook.com/groups/faithcoffeeandjournal 

Got Enemies? Get Back At Your True Enemy: In today's episode Dominick and I discuss what it really means to have enemies, how should we handle offenses and how God does take care of his children.   Dominick Garcia is the creator of the men's Bible Study named "Arm Yourself," and owner of Pure Love & Health Ministries with his wife Victoria, a ministry dedicated to helping men and women heal from past hurts; mind, body and spirit.   Keep in touch with Dominick IG: @pureloveandhealth Facebook: www.facebook.com/womenofpurityandpeace   Wanna chat further? Email: [email protected] IG: @msmelaniereyes Twitter: @msmelaniereyes Facebook: www.facebook.com/realwithmelanie Join our women's community: www.facebook.com/groups/faithcoffeeandjournal