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With You in the Weeds: Where Faith Meets Mental Health

Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, difficult relationships, or wondering how your faith connects to your mental health? With You in the Weeds is a faith-based mental health podcast hosted by a team of licensed counselors and pastors who weekly help real people navigate the hardships of life.

Co-hosts John Tinnin (MDiv, MFT), Lynn Roush (LPC), Shay Roush (MDiv), and Austin Conner (MDiv, PLPC) bring both clinical expertise and pastoral wisdom to honest, practical conversations about the issues you’re actually facing: anxiety, trauma, marriage, parenting, forgiveness, grief, singleness, narcissism, addiction, stress, and more.

This isn’t therapy, but it’s the next best thing! If you’ve ever wished you could be a fly on the wall and listen to a team of Christian counselors thoughtfully address what you’re going through, this podcast was made for you.

This podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Please seek independent medical or counseling support for personal health concerns.

New episodes every week. Visit withyouintheweeds.com to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and to access our small group study guides, free downloads, and other mental health resources.

This podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Please seek independent medical or counseling support for personal health concerns.

Copyright: © All Rights Reserved

Latest Episodes:

Alcohol-Free: Finding Health and Healing with Aric Bremer Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Is alcohol hindering your relationship with God or loved ones?

As part of our Managing Your Addictions series, John Tinnin and Shay Roush welcome Aric Bremer, mid-Missouri radio personality and co-host of the podcast Blended, Blessed and Always a Mess. Aric’s path to sobriety emerged while coping with grief and loneliness, and was shaped by a desire for deeper and healthier relationships with his family and God.

Aric recounts his 25-year struggle with alcohol, which intensified after the tragic loss of his bonus daughter, Hallie, in 2022. Drinking to numb grief strained his relationships, but naming his struggle (“if you can name it, you can tame it”) led to sobriety 13 months ago. His choice was driven by a commitment to his wife Angie, their kids, and his faith, along with a growing awareness of how much he had to lose if he didn’t make a change.

No longer having alcohol as a way to cope with negative feelings, Aric found that taking walks was an effective way to manage cravings and build community with other men. Going alcohol-free has improved his sleep, sharpened his spiritual focus and allows him to be more present with his children in a way he never was before.

Although you may not be ready to go alcohol-free, you will be encouraged to reflect on alcohol’s role in your life and consider: am I ready to be on a path of health and healing?

Read Aric's blog at Miles For Him or check out our episode Relationship Red Flags, where Lynn Roush interviews Aric's wife, Angie Phillips, to discuss the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship.

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Do I Have a Drinking Problem? Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Has anyone ever asked you about your drinking? Have you ever tried to cut back on alcohol?

Drinking is a culturally accepted way to relax, unwind, celebrate or manage stress. And no one intentionally decides to have a drinking problem. It’s usually a slow drift—one drink here, a few more there—and before you know it, alcohol might be playing a bigger role in your life than you intended.

But how can you know if it’s a problem?

In this enlightening episode of our ongoing series, Dealing with Your Addictions, John and Austin talk about the very common issue of drinking alcohol and how to figure out if it’s a problem in your life.

You’ll hear about:

How drinking affects your brain and body
A biblical view of alcohol
Questions you can ask yourself about drinking
Paying attention without feeling shame

The goal of this episode isn’t to heap guilt on anyone or to say you can’t ever enjoy a glass of wine or a beer. Instead, it’s about understanding what alcohol really does to your brain and body so you can be honest with yourself about your relationship with alcohol.

This powerful conversation could be a game changer for you or someone you love!

What Alcohol Does to Your Brain, Body and Health - from the Huberman Lab on YouTube

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Why Can't I Just Stop My Addiction? with David Koch Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever tried to stop a destructive habit, only to find yourself even more tightly bound than before?

In this perceptive episode of our ongoing series, Dealing with Your Addictions, Austin sits down with David Koch, a licensed professional counselor, certified sex therapist, and director of program operations at Crossroads Counseling Centers in St. Louis, Missouri. David teaches on addictions and brings both professional expertise and personal vulnerability to the conversation.

Together, Austin and David explore the realities of addiction—what it is, how it develops, the role that contributing factors play, and why recovery is such a complex and often painful journey.

As you listen, you will get a behind-the-scenes look at:

What’s going on in someone’s life before an addiction starts
The chemical ways that addiction affects the brain
How someone can recover from an addiction
Shattering myths about addiction

Whether you’re personally wrestling with addiction, walking alongside someone who is, or simply wanting to better understand this issue, you’ll appreciate the honesty, hope, and practical insight this episode has to offer.

It turns out that struggling with addiction doesn’t make you a failure—it just means the healing part of your story hasn’t been written yet.

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What Fuels Your Addiction? Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

Why does addiction feel like an unstoppable river, sweeping you or someone you love further downstream?

As part of our “Dealing With Your Addictions” series, hosts Austin Conner and John Tinnin explore the streams that fuel addiction by combining their years of ministry and counseling experience to help you navigate the invisible forces at work in your life.

They identify 5 streams that contribute to the addictive cycle:

Genetics
Upbringing/attachment
Choice
Cultural influences
Cosmic/spiritual forces

Then they explain how shame is a hidden undercurrent that runs beneath this powerful river and intensifies the struggle with feelings of unworthiness and isolation. Addiction drowns out God’s love and presence, but there are important takeaways from this conversation that you can put into practice:

First, map your personal "rivers"—assess which streams in your life contribute to your struggle and journal their influence.

Second, embrace your agency, however small, and ask yourself, “Am I ready to change?”

Third, seek connection over isolation. No matter how hard you try, you can’t do it alone.

Finally, rest in Scripture’s promises—Romans 8:1 (there is no condemnation for those in Christ), 1 John 2:1 (Jesus is your advocate), and Matthew 11:28 (Jesus offers rest for those who are exhausted by the struggle)—and pray for God’s strength, knowing he’s already there with you in the weeds.

Our hope and prayer is that when you listen to this episode, you will leave with a desire to show others (and yourself) compassion, a greater sense of humility given the complexity of addiction, and tangible reminders of hope that health and healing are possible.

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Why You Do What You Don’t Want to Do Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

Why do you keep chasing the very thing that chains you down? The dopamine rush from drinking, shopping, binge eating or mindless scrolling is fleeting and leaves you feeling emptier than before. But, you feel helpless to make a different choice.

The title of this episode captures the heart of the human dilemma for every person - not just someone caught in the throes of addiction. We all have an idea of what we’re supposed to do, and sometimes we actually do it. But then other times we all get in our own way and don’t deliver. In fact, we often do the exact opposite of what we know we should do.

Hosts Austin Conner and Shay Roush kick off the second episode of our "Dealing with Your Addictions" series by peering through a biblical lens at the age-old struggle of why we do what we don’t want to do. Drawing from Romans 1, they frame addiction not just as a clinical trap but as desires with deeper roots—a misguided quest for fulfillment apart from God, where good gifts like money or sex twist into controlling idols that promise salvation but deliver bondage.

As you listen, you’ll come to understand the spectrum of addictions, from "little a" habits like hiding shopping sprees to "capital A" devastators like raging alcoholism or destructive drug use, all rooted in unhealed hurts and the illusion of a "warm hug" from temporary relief. Yet this conversation offers a profound hope: No matter your past or number of relapses, in Christ you're washed, sanctified, and justified—God's love remains steadfast, unshaken by our harmful habits.

When you take the first step of radical honesty and bring your hidden struggles into the light, you’ll learn that God’s love is greater than your addiction and doesn’t change your identity in Christ as a beloved child of God.

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Addiction: The 6 A's You Need to Know Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

Do you ever feel like you want to escape from reality? Do you find yourself repeating habits that cause more problems than they solve? We think that addiction is a universal struggle that is also a surprising gift that can lead you closer to God.

We are kicking off a new series called"Dealing with Your Addictions" because we want to empower you to face yourself honestly by helping you understand the complex world of addiction. Listen as hosts Lynn Roush and John Tinnin introduce the six A's of addiction so you can gain insight into the reasons behind your deepest struggles. We emphasize that addiction is not an unforgivable sin but can actually be a gift that, when explored, reveals the heart’s deepest needs for God’s love and healing.

The 6 A’s you need to know are:

Avoidance: Using substances or behaviors to escape painful emotions or realities, like shame, emptiness, loneliness or guilt.

Affect Regulation: Seeking quick fixes (e.g., alcohol, social media) to manage intense emotions instead of processing them.

Attachment: Unmet needs for being seen, soothed, safe, and secure drive reliance on substances or processes as pseudo-comfort.

Abuse: Escalating use to harmful levels, chasing diminishing rewards due to the brain’s rewiring.

Adverse Consequences: Negative impacts on relationships, health, work or finances from escalating conflict and stress.

Addict Brain: Defense mechanisms (rationalization, denial) and neurological changes (e.g., dopamine craving that brings temporary satisfaction) perpetuate addiction.

We invite you to get curious through this series as we explore a biblical perspective on addiction, and dive into specific addictions such as alcohol, marijuana, sex and porn, food, shopping, gambling, religion and the many other ways we seek comfort through substances or behaviors.

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Bridging the Expectation Gap with Steve Cuss Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

Do you believe God loves you but struggle to feel it? Or do you wrestle with the need to control everything while believing God is in charge? If you’re stuck in the gap between what you believe and what you experience, this episode is for you!

We are excited to share this interview because we know it will speak to the common dynamics that show up in our relationships and spiritual journey. Host Austin Conner invites pastor and author Steve Cuss to share about his book The Expectation Gap, offering strategies to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

Most of us experience a disconnect between our faith and daily life, which is what inspired Steve to address relational patterns that fuel addiction and spiritual stagnation. Using the Systems Theory, Steve identifies the relational dynamics of: Reactivity, Assumptions, Stuck Patterns and Attempted Solutions as a map for understanding how and why we get discouraged in our faith and disconnect from others.

This conversation also highlights the false needs of Control, Perfection, Knowing the Answer, Being There for Others and Seeking Approval, and how they drive anxiety and block God’s comforting presence. You will learn how to cultivate micro-habits that replace chaos and striving with awareness and stillness.

If you want to learn more or find Steve’s Life-Giving List, visit stevecusswords.com or read Steve’s book The Expectation Gap.

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"Everyone Deserves a Second Chance" with Dan Hanneken Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

When Dan Hanneken started reading a bible in a prison cell, he had no idea how God’s grace could offer a second chance for anyone willing to change.

This is the final episode in our “Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself” series, and we end with the incredible story of how Dan Hanneken found God in an unlikely place. Host Shay Roush interviews Dan as he shares how his own journey, marked by addiction, three prison stints and a life-changing encounter with God’s grace inspired him to create In2Action, a ministry that offers practical and relational support to men entering the community from prison.

Dan’s turning point was when he “broke up with God” because he believed that he couldn’t try hard enough, memorize enough bible verses or be good enough to make his life better and stay out of prison. That’s when he finally understood the deeper meaning of grace: your best efforts aren’t enough to create and sustain personal transformation. Dan recognized that a relationship with God wasn’t a means to an end, but that a relationship with God was the basis for finding his identity as a fully loved and accepted child of God.

Taking a leap of faith, Dan founded In2Action, a faith-based nonprofit that supports men recently released from prison with housing, life skills, and community integration. Starting with a single rented house, the ministry now offers over 60 beds and a Reentry Opportunity Center, achieving a remarkable recidivism rate in mid-Missouri below 10% compared to the county’s 43%.

Dan recognizes that success goes beyond staying out of prison—it’s about fostering belonging through creating community and opportunity for social transition. This remarkable story is a reminder that loving our neighbors by giving them a second chance allows them to rebuild their lives, find purpose and meaning, and come to understand the depth of God’s love and the power of belonging in his family.

Visit in2action.org to learn how to join this transformative work.

Welcoming a Child Who Needs a Home with Kari Hopkins Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

At Coyote Hill, every child’s life is a worthy investment.

Host John Tinnin sits down with special guest Kari Hopkins, Chief Operating Officer of Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself” through the ministry of fostering. Kari shares how Coyote Hill, a faith-based ministry, restores childhoods for kids in foster care by providing stable, loving homes.

Despite the challenges that come with fostering, Kari believes that every child is created in the image of God and worthy of a safe and caring home. Coyote Hill’s mission is to bring back simple childhood joys like bike rides and playgrounds, countering the chaos many kids face. With specialized training, foster parents are encouraged to see the child’s needs behind their behaviors, while providing security through consistent care towards the goal of reunification or adoption.

Success at Coyote Hill is measured by the smiles on the faces of children who are experiencing stability and connection through parents who are willing to step into the calling of foster care. For those not ready to foster, Kari suggests respite care—short-term hosting to give foster parents a break—or supporting families with meals, donations, or time.

There is nothing closer to the heart of Jesus than caring for a child who needs a home, which is a biblical call that everyone can be a part of in one way or another. If you want to learn how to take a step to supporting the efforts of Coyote hill, visit coyotehill.org to learn how small acts of love can transform a child’s life.

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Serving Your City One Person at a Time with Shelly Mayer Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

Can one day change your city for the better?

Listen in as host Shay Roush sits down with Shelly Mayer, Care Ministry Director at The Crossing, to explain how one annual event called For Columbia unites 55 churches and over 2,100 volunteers to serve the people of Columbia, Missouri, in a single day.

This initiative includes diverse projects from landscaping for elderly homeowners and painting in residential or community centers, to delivering food to those with dwindling resources and rehabbing homes for the most vulnerable in our city. Putting differences aside, For Columbia fosters unity among local churches and is a unique opportunity to make a powerful impact with many hands tackling huge tasks to meet the felt needs in our community.

Shay and Shelly also discuss how many of the care ministries at The Crossing have evolved over the years to meet people where they are hurting, whether it’s in Divorce Care, Grief Share, One-to-One Care, Single Moms, Cancer Care and more. Many practical ministries now exist to offer simple yet profound ways to show care, proving small acts of service can be multiplied to impact the church family and the community beyond.

Loving your neighbor as yourself may not be an easy task, but when you link arms with others on the same mission, you can change a city one person, and one day, at a time.

Do you want to get involved on a Care Serving Team at The Crossing? click here.

Are you ready to get plugged into a support group within our Care Ministry? click here.

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