Ep. 068 – Flashback Friday | Wholeness in Marriage: From Codependence to Christ-Dependence with Erin Smalley
What if conflict wasn’t the enemy of marriage, but the doorway to deeper intimacy? In this powerful Flashback Friday episode, Dr. Barbara revisits a 2020 conversation with Erin Smalley, marriage counselor, nurse, and daughter-in-law of the late Dr. Gary Smalley.
Together,they explore what truly creates wholeness in marriage, not control, not avoidance, but healing the heart beneath the conflict.
This episode walks listeners through the emotional, neurological, and spiritual dynamics beneath marital triggers, defensiveness, and relational shutdown. You’ll learn how unresolved childhood wounds surface in adult relationships, why conflict escalates so quickly, and how couples can move from reactive codependence to Christ-centered maturity. Whether you’re married, single, divorced, or discerning your future, this conversation offers tools for healthier relationships rooted in truth, courage, and spiritual formation.
Related Episodes
Ep. 049 – Sticky Resentments, Spiritual Bypass and Global Forgiveness Healing with Dr. Everett Worthington
Ep. 049 - Sticky Resentments, Spiritual Bypass and Global Forgiveness Healing with Dr. Everett WorthingtonIn part two, Dr. Worthington gets really vulnerable and tells the story of forgiving the person who murdered his mother… and also the story that actually took him...
Ep. 048 – A Christ-Dependent Christmas: How Jesus Heals Fear, Control, Attachment & Family Systems with Light
Ep. 048 - A Christ-Dependent Christmas: How Jesus Heals Fear, Control, Attachment & Family Systems with LightWelcome to a Christmas episode unlike anything you’ve ever heard.Today, Dr. Barbara blends neuroscience, attachment theory, trauma-informed psychology,...
Ep. 047 – Flashback Friday | Rebuilding Trust After Destruction: When to Stay, When to Step Back with Leslie Vernick | Part 2
Ep. 047 - Flashback Friday | Rebuilding Trust After Destruction: When to Stay, When to Step Back with Leslie Vernick | Part 2: Whole Life Podcast RelaunchWelcome back to the Heart Journey Podcast – it’s Flashback Friday, Part 2 with my friend Leslie Vernick In this...
Ep. 046 – From Codependence to Christ-Dependence | Part 7: The Illusion of Control: Real Peace & a Loving God Who Holds You
Ep. 046 - From Codependence to Christ-Dependence | Part 7: The Illusion of Control: Real Peace & a Loving God Who Holds You: Whole Life Podcast RelaunchIn this powerful and gentle episode, Dr. Barbara guides us into the truth beneath our anxiety, anger, and...
Ep. 045 – The Two Kinds of Forgiveness with Dr. Everett Worthington | Part 1
Ep. 045 - The Two Kinds of Forgiveness with Dr. Everett Worthington | Part 1: Whole Life Podcast RelaunchIn this first conversation with forgiveness researcher and lover of Jesus, Dr. Everett Worthington, we talk about what forgiveness actually is, why the Bible calls...
Ep. 044 – Flashback Friday | From Destructive to Healthy: Boundaries, Mutuality & Freedom with Leslie Vernick | Part 1
Ep. 044 - Flashback Friday | From Destructive to Healthy: Boundaries, Mutuality & Freedom with Leslie Vernick | Part 1: Whole Life Podcast RelaunchIn today’s Flashback Friday on the Heart Journey Podcast, we’re serving up some leftover charcuterie board goodness...