Impossible Beauty

Dr. Charlotte Ord is a UK-based Counselling Psychologist who specializes in helping adolescents and adults with issues around body image, eating disorders, self-esteem and self-acceptance. She was formerly an international strength and conditioning coach and was twice named UK Personal Trainer of the Year.In today’s episode, we discuss the current resurgence of diet culture, the complexities around the increased usage of GLP-1s, the unhelpful conflation of weight and health, and how the inundation of weight loss ads might be impacting our relationships with our bodies. Dr. Ord also discusses her book entitled, Body Confident You, Body Confident Kid, including ideas for how we might help ourselves and the children in our lives move toward increased body confidence.So, if you long to feel more grounded in a culture that seeks to stir up, then profit on body insecurities, this episode is for you.Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

What if the Life of God, His very Spirit, is actively at work in our lives, our hearts, and in the world around us right now? And what might it be like to cultivate an attentiveness and language for such movement in our lives? These are the topics I dive into on today’s episode with Jeremy Sims.Jeremy is a professor of spiritual formation at Southeastern University, where he leads the Doctor of Ministry and Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership programs. He previously served in pastoral ministry for twenty-five years and most recently authored, The Way of the Spirit: Recognizing and Responding to God’s Subtle Movements. In our time together, Jeremy discusses what the Holy Spirit is, why it’s important to notice God’s movement in our lives, and how we might begin to do so. So, if you’ve ever wondered if God sees you or is at work in your life or in the lives of those around you, this episode is for you.Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Diet and wellness culture often lead us to fear or restrict certain foods or amounts. Food is often seen as something to be optimized or controlled. But what if we began viewing food from a completely different lens-one of gratitude, abundance, enjoyment, and even deep meaning? That is the conversation I dig into with Andrew Camp in today’s episode.Andrew Camp is a former chef and pastor, who holds a master’s degree in spiritual formation and soul care. Andrew also hosts The Longest Table Podcast, where he explores how the intersection of food and faith can foster community and connection.In our time together, we explore the themes of food, hospitality, and the table in the Biblical narrative, as well as tensions around food and the table in modern-day society. I was also fascinated by our discussion on the transformational, even mystical, elements we might experience around the table. For me, this conversation was refreshing and intriguing. I hope the same is true for you.Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

To “delight” in something or someone is to experience deep joy or to turn toward something with great affection and priority. But what does it mean to delight in God and why does it matter for our faith, for our lives? Those are the questions we tackle in today’s episode with Stephanie Rousselle, a French-born Bible teacher, speaker, host of the Gospel Spice podcast, and founder of Gospel Spice Ministries.  In our time together, Stephanie shares how delight is central to the life of faith, how beauty and delight are deeply connected, how we might remain open to delight amidst life struggles, and what moved her to convert to Christianity from atheism in her late teenage years.If you’ve perhaps lost your delight in God, never really experienced it in the first place, or are experiencing a season of discouragement, this episode is for you.**Learn more about Stephanie’s book, Awaken Delight here.Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Dr. Elizabeth or Liz Hall is Professor of Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University in La Mirada, California, where she researches and teaches at the intersection of suffering, meaning-making, and Christian spirituality. For over 30 years she has been exploring how faith and psychology can work together to help people flourish—especially amid suffering. She also coauthored Relational Spirituality with her husband, Todd, and has published over 150 academic works.In my time with Dr. Hall, we discuss her most recent book, entitled When the Journey Hurts: Finding Meaning in Suffering for Heart, Mind, and Soul. In her book, and in our time together, she shares about her own personal experience with breast cancer and her learnings from her extensive research on suffering. Specifically, she discusses how suffering can lead to flourishing, how she holds on to God’s goodness and beauty amidst life’s difficulties, and how suffering can open us up to God’s presence.  Truth be told, I was surprised to come away from this conversation on suffering feeling inspired and hopeful. I deeply hope it does the same for you.Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.