"What...what are those?"

Don't miss this harrowing tale of escape, invisibility, and survival from Dr. Julia Sadusky 🫎😱

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Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

"There is literally nowhere else on the face of the earth I'd rather you go than to me."
~ Dr. Julia Sadusky

• Why do so many well-meaning Catholic parents freeze when it comes to talking to their kids about sex?
• What do you actually say when your child comes home asking about their classmate’s parents?
• How do you talk to your kids about pornography before they encounter it?

In episode 99 of This Whole Life, Pat and Kenna welcome back Dr. Julia Sadusky, licensed clinical psychologist, author, and one of the most trusted Catholic voices in the space of sexual formation. Julia wrote not one but two books to help Catholic parents have these conversations well: one for kids ages zero to nine, and one for teens. This episode is the one your group chat has been needing.

Julia doesn't make this scary or clinical. She walks Pat and Kenna through the common obstacles that stop parents cold, and then gives them real tools. Actual scripts. Practical language for everything from explaining genitalia to a toddler, to responding when your child asks why their friend has two dads, to having the pornography conversation before it becomes a crisis.

The goal isn't a perfect talk. The goal is a relationship where your child knows you are the first place they go.

Dr. Julia Sadusky is a licensed clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and adjunct professor based in Littleton, Colorado. Her clinical work and research focus on sexual and gender development and trauma-informed care. She holds a bachelor's from Ave Maria University and a master's degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Regent University.

Episode 99 Show Notes

Reflection Questions

Chapters:

• (00:47) — Introduction and welcome
• (07:30) — Highs and Hards: life lately
• (11:10) — Why Julia wrote the books
• (16:53) — The biggest obstacles parents face
• (24:09) — Why your child's reaction in the moment doesn't measure your success
• (31:34) — It's not one talk — it's a thousand small moments
• (36:20) — What to say when your child asks about two dads
• (43:30) — Talking to your kids about pornography before they encounter it
• (47:59) — A vision of hope for parents
• (50:30) — Challenge by Choice

Links and Resources:

• Start Talking to Your Kids About Sex (Ages 0–9) — Dr. Julia Sadusky
• Start Talking to Your Kids About Sex (Teens) — Dr. Julia Sadusky
• Dr. Julia Sadusky — Website
• Talking With Your Teen About Sex online course

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

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Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

Communication in marriage is important.

Especially when it involves someone recently released from prison.

Peter & Debbie Herbeck are back with some hilarious stories of (mis)communication & forgiveness.

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

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Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

"The love of Christ was the magnetic force that really drew us together."
~ Debbie Herbeck

• What does it actually take to keep Christ at the center of a marriage through decades of real life?
• What do you do when one spouse is further ahead in faith than the other?
• How do you build a family culture that passes faith down to the next generation?

In episode 98 of This Whole Life, Pat and Kenna welcome Peter and Debbie Herbeck, a couple with nearly 40 years of marriage, four children, and 12 grandchildren. Their story is anything but ordinary. Debbie grew up Jewish, came to faith at the University of Michigan, and paid a real price to follow Jesus. Peter came from a Catholic family shaped by both great love and the wounds of an alcoholic home. When they met, they were both already fully committed to the Lord individually, before they ever considered committing to each other.

What followed was a marriage built not on ideal circumstances, but on a shared decision to put Jesus first, even when it was hard, messy, and costly.

In this conversation, Peter and Debbie share the practical rhythms that kept their marriage rooted through busy seasons of parenting and ministry, what they say to couples where one spouse simply isn't on the same page in faith, and how they built a culture of honor in their home that their grandchildren are now carrying forward.

This is the kind of wisdom that only comes from decades of saying yes to the Lord together.

Peter Herbeck is the Vice President and Director of Missions for Renewal Ministries. Debbie Herbeck is the founder and executive director of Be Love Revolution and Pine Hills Girls Camp, and a speaker whose journey from Judaism to the Catholic faith has inspired thousands.
Together they are co-authors of Lessons from the School of Love: Building a Christ-Centered Marriage.

Episode 98 Show Notes

Reflection Questions

Chapters:

• (01:27) - Introduction and welcome
• (07:30) - Highs & Hards: life lately
• (09:40) - How Peter and Debbie met
• (18:30) - Blending two very different backgrounds in marriage
• (26:30) - Keeping Christ at the center: practical rhythms
• (39:30) - When one spouse is trailing behind in faith
• (50:30) - The culture of honor in your home
• (58:55) - Challenge By Choice

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

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Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

"We love you, St. Charbel."

Who knew those words might have been the ones to save her baby's life?

Listen in to this moving story from St. Faustina Maria Pia!

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

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Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

“The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is — trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.”
~ Jesus, to St. Faustina

- Why is it so hard to trust God?
- What does it mean to say “yes” when life doesn’t make sense?
- How do we trust God in suffering, uncertainty, and silence?

In episode 97 of This Whole Life, Kenna and Pat are joined by Sister Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. of the Sisters of Life to explore one of the most important and challenging aspects of the spiritual life: trust.

Drawing from her personal story, Sister Faustina shares how a season of suffering and spiritual dryness led to a profound encounter with Jesus that changed everything. In that moment, she realized that trust is not about understanding our circumstances, but about entrusting ourselves to a Person.

Together, they unpack the deeper meaning of trust, the fear of vulnerability, and the struggle to believe that we are truly loved. The conversation also explores how trust impacts our relationships, our prayer life, and our ability to live fully in the present moment.

Whether you are in a season of clarity or confusion, this episode offers a powerful invitation to stop striving for control and begin surrendering to the love of God.

Chapters

• (01:30) - Introduction and welcome
• (06:30) - Highs & Hards: life lately
• (10:30) - Introducing the topic of trust
• (18:45) - Sister Faustina’s background and vocation story
• (27:30) - Encounter with Jesus in suffering
• (33:30) - Writing the Litany of Trust
• (40:00) - Why vulnerability and trust are difficult
• (48:00) - Trusting God vs trusting others
• (55:30) - Living in the present moment with God
• (01:01:30) - Challenge By Choice
• (01:03:00) - The Litany of Trust (prayer)

Links and Resources:

• Litany of Trust – Sister Faustina Maria Pia
  https://sistersoflife.org/litany-of-trust/
• Jesus, I Trust in You: A 30-Day Retreat with the Litany of Trust
  https://stpaulcenter.com/store/jesus-i-trust-in-you-a-30-day-personal-retreat-with-the-litany-of-trust
• Sisters of Life
  https://sistersoflife.org/
• This Whole Life Podcast Website
  https://thiswholelifepodcast.com

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

Follow us on Instagram & Facebook

Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

Grandmothers can have a beautiful impact on us, even when our families are far from perfect.

Kenna brings stories of her two grandmothers in this heartfelt storytellers episode!

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

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Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.

But don't worry, she can still see.

Addy Diaz returns to This Whole Life to share a hilarious story of gaming, shame, and vulnerability. Listen in!

Support the show

Thank you for listening, and a very special thank you to our community of supporters!

Visit us online at thiswholelifepodcast.com, and send us an email with your thoughts, questions, or ideas.

Follow us on Instagram & Facebook

Interested in more faith-filled mental health resources? Check out the Martin Center for Integration

Music: "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller. Used with permission.