The Narrow Path

Hello and welcome to the second season of The Narrow Path! Loretta and Nathan speak with 47-year-old husband, father of five, churchgoer, farmer, and owner of a trucking company Aaron Lee about the journey to cope with repressed childhood trauma. When he was young, Aaron experienced sexual abuse, which manifested itself throughout his life in the form of pornography addiction, shame, and anger. Today, he shares how, with the help of his family, his faith, the strong men in his life, and a pivotal men’s retreat, he was able to uncover the long-hidden source of the brokenness that he feels and to help let himself heal. Episode Highlights: [0:00] Intro and language and content disclaimer. [2:49] Aaron describes his family, professional, and religious life. [3:49] Aaron’s young life growing up in the church with an aloof father and supportive mother. [5:52] Reflecting on a series of traumatic childhood experiences that Aaron had locked away. [9:30] The long-lasting effects that sexual abuse and porn addiction had on Aaron. [17:27] Reflecting on victimhood. [19:00] Aaron’s feeling of “waking up” when his daughter was born. [20:54] The men’s retreat that opened Aaron’s eyes.   Episode Resources:  Kentuckianacontainer.com/ Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to the second season of The Narrow Path! Loretta and Nathan speak with Rebecca Grignon-Reker, who is a wife, mother of two (soon to be three!), daughter of a preacher, and employee of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation. Nearly twenty years ago, Rebecca’s husband, a police officer, was wounded in the line of duty. When he passed away in the hospital, Rebecca’s world was shattered. In this discussion, Rebecca shares with us the journey through anger, pain, doubt, and, ultimately, acceptance that she walked in order to become the pillar of inner strength that she is today.    Episode Highlights:  [1:58] Rebecca introduces herself and her family. [3:37] Rebecca’s upbringing as the daughter of a pastor in Kentucky. [6:14] How Rebecca’s father’s removal from the church when she was ten years old damaged her trust in religion. [9:21] How being homeschooled enriched her spiritual education. [10:31] The tragic dissolution of Rebecca’s first marriage. [17:53] Working through anger at God and depression as a 27-year-old widow. [20:10] The answered prayer that lifted Rebecca’s spirits.  [24:55] How Rebecca has moved on to her second marriage and growing a family. [27:03] Rebecca’s experience working through anger to cope with the losses in her life. [31:47] How Rebecca’s reluctant trip to the women’s retreat helped her find deeper self-understanding. Episode Resources:  Kentuckianacontainer.com/ Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to the second season of The Narrow Path! Loretta and Nathan speak with mother, wife, and school teacher, Erin Whitaker, about her journey to self-acceptance through surrender. For most of her life, Erin felt pressure to be “perfect.” It wasn’t until she matured into adulthood that she realized the only person applying that pressure was herself. Join us for a discussion about what acceptance can look like when one lets oneself rest in God’s care. Episode Highlights: [1:58] Family, work, and farm life. [3:34] Growing up as a child of divorced parents. [9:11] Feeling pressure to be “perfect” at all times as a result of divorce trauma. [12:17] How a major failure in high school strengthened Erin’s faith. [15:50] Decision to let go of perfectionism and trust in God. [18:20] How being a wife and a mother has affected Erin’s anxiety. [19:21] How the women’s retreat helped Erin find inner peace. Episode Resources: Kentuckianacontainer.com/ Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to the second season of The Narrow Path! Loretta and Nathan speak with wife, nurse practitioner, and mother of two dogs, Whitney Brandstetter today about her journey through family struggle, self-deprecation, and religious questioning to find love and self-acceptance. Whitney shares how, even during her darkest seasons, she never let her own inclination to self-sabotage get the best of her and how reconnecting with Jesus’ love provided her salvation. Episode Highlights: [1:58] Nathan introduces Whitney and provides a disclaimer for sensitive audiences. [3:50] Whitney discusses how her normal childhood was turned upside-down when she was ten years old. [8:11] We learn how Whitney’s sister’s pregnancy changed the dynamic in their house. [11:13] Whitney shares the shift that she and her family felt in their religious life after the baby was born. “Things quickly started to spiral.” [13:23] Whitney describes her relationship with her nephew. [16:56] Whitney reflects on the challenges of her college and post-college journey. “I think I formulated this opinion that man just left.” [26:02] We hear how Whitney finding the love of her life in her husband helped her accept herself.  [32:32] Whitney shares how her experience on the weekend retreat re-kindled her relationship with Jesus and her healthiest self. “You can mess up, but I still love you.” Episode Resources: Kentuckianacontainer.com/ Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to the second season of The Narrow Path! Today, Nathan and Loretta speak with Sara Semenick. A wife of 14 years, the mother of three boys, a woman of faith, and a Marriage and Family Therapist, Sara discusses battling the internal and external pressures to be perfect that she has felt throughout her life. She shares how her family, social, and religious worlds throughout childhood and young adulthood all reinforced the idea that she was worthless if she was not perfect, and how those feelings shaped her interactions with the world. Now in her thirties, Sara tells us how she managed to identify and escape her cycle of negative thinking in order to come to a healthy place within herself. Episode Highlights: [1:58] Nathan introduces the second season and provides a disclaimer for sensitive audiences. [3:13] “Every family gathering is a big family gathering.” Sarah discusses how growing up in small-town Illinois laid the foundation for her life. [7:59] Sara reflects on how her father’s withdrawn, aloof nature shaped her relationship with attention.  [9:55] We hear a traumatizing event that Sara experienced in kindergarten and what she drew from it. [13:21] “If you mess up, you’re going to make me look bad.” Sara delves into how the pressure to be perfect that her mother perpetuated shaped her worldview and actions. [21:12] “I honestly didn’t know who I was.” We learn about Sara’s experiences in Bible college, and the fallout afterwards. [27:07] “It’s been a difficult road. I feel like I’ve been very hard on my kids, unknowingly.” Sara shares the negative effects that her relationship with perfection produced during the early years of her marriage and motherhood. [34:04] Sara details the depression that she felt after becoming a stay-at-home mom and how advice from her husband served as a catalyst for change. [36:44] “Looking in the mirror is really what I had to do.” We learn the steps that Sara took, and is continuing to take, to develop a better relationship with herself. Episode Resources: Kentuckianacontainer.com/ Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to The Narrow Path Podcast! In today’s episode, Nathan and Loretta speak with husband, dad, granddad, and Manager of Patient Experience at the Medical Clinic of Fort Knox, Ronnie Postleswait. He shares his lifelong struggle with isolation and fear of being alone, as well as his path to understanding and overcoming those demons. In a refreshing conversation about the internal conflicts that men often feel reluctant to express, Ronnie, Nathan, and Loretta dig into what it means to “be enough.” Episode Highlights: [1:58] *Disclaimer on the unfiltered language used and topics discussed on this show. [2:33] Ronnie shares the experience of his life growing up in a “Leave it to Beaver household.” [5:35] We learn how Ronnie’s family moving from an urban setting to rural Bullitt County when he was thirteen years old impacted his life. [8:01] Ronnie details how becoming an EMT led him to find friends and become a husband and father. [12:33] “That legal bond does not bring somebody close to you.” We learn about how two divorces and a car accident pulled Ronnie into a depression, and the steps he took to pull himself out. [17:14] Ronnie looks back on what led him to the men’s retreat and what he got out of the experience. “I found out everybody has baggage.” [21:27] “I’m not judging people at face value anymore.” Ronnie describes how three years of attending men’s retreats have helped his empathy grow and flourish. Episode Resources: Kentuckianacontainer.com Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to The Narrow Path Podcast! Today, Nathan and Loretta speak with nurse practitioner and family woman Rachel Weedman about her struggles with depression and how taking a Liminal retreat helped her heal. Rachel describes how the realities of life stepped in during her lifelong quest to be what she thought was the ideal Christian woman, wife, and mother. Join us as we hear how Rachel walked through the fire of life and learned that her story is worth being told. Episode Highlights: [2:00] We learn about Rachel’s personal life as a wife, mother, and nurse practitioner; and how the pandemic has affected her work. [3:55] Rachel speaks about how her relationship with her parents formed a connection between her sense of self-worth and body weight. [10:18] “I just didn’t fit completely in.” Rachel details how her identity as a “good Christian girl” led her to feel a bit outcast after high school. [11:56] We hear how Rachel’s strong drive to live the ideal personal and professional life met enormous obstacles during the first year of her marriage and during the births of her children: “2018 came crashing down for me, personally.” [18:07] Rachel describes what she and her husband did to start turning her mindset. [23:14 “He modeled it… so I’m like, ‘I want that!’” Rachel shares how her husband’s experience with a Liminal men’s retreat inspired her to go on her own. [26:08] We hear about Rachel’s Liminal retreat experience, and what she participated in afterward to continue helping herself heal. Episode Resources: Kentuckianacontainer.com Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to The Narrow Path Podcast! Today, Nathan and Loretta speak with their friend Becky Koch about her lifelong path to self-discovery. In an emotionally powerful discussion, Becky reflects on the pivotal events in her life that have shaped and challenged her sense of what it means to be a “good person,” including her ongoing struggle to push through societal pressures about body image and self-worth. She also recounts the trauma that she is experiencing during the pandemic, and how her faith continues to serve as a guiding light through it all.  We hope you find as much inspiration in Becky’s story as we did. Episode Highlights: [2:00] *Disclaimer about some non-kid-friendly content in this show. [3:12] We meet Becky as she explains some of the ins and outs of her work as a nurse practitioner, as well as an overview of her personal life. [6:04] Becky shares the story of her childhood growing up as a Catholic schoolgoer in Kentucky, and what happened at nine years old that shaped her sense of self-worth for the rest of her life. [10:19] “I always just assumed that I had to be the ‘good child’ in order to get Jesus and God’s love.” We hear how Becky’s early experiences influenced her relationship with her heavenly father and her peers. [17:33] “You’re worthy. You don’t have to believe all the lies that you’re hearing.” Becky recounts how getting baptized at 23 lifted a weight off her shoulders. [24:35] We learn how Becky’s attempt to shape her perfect life led to an ill-fated marriage. [32:41] Becky shares how her marriage blew up during the pandemic and what she did to pick up the pieces of her life. [40:11] “I left that weekend feeling hopeful.” We hear how one weekend at a women’s retreat gave Becky the first glimpse of hope since her marriage ended. [45:47] Nathan and Loretta close the show by expressing their gratitude to Becky for sharing her story, staying strong, and refusing to wallow when her life gets hard. Episode Resources: Kentuckianacontainer.com Liminalwork.com

Hello and welcome to The Narrow Path Podcast! In our inaugural episode, our hosts, Nathan and Loretta speak with Bill Weedman. As a lifelong martial artist, eventual follower of Christ, and dedicated pastor, Bill explores how his journey through various disciplines has shaped his life and views on the world around him. We hear his story of rising from a challenging and largely fatherless upbringing, to facing the challenges of navigating manhood, religion, confidence, personal responsibility, and ultimately, how to lead a life of purpose.    Join us as Bill looks back on his bumpy and inspiring road.   Episode Highlights: [0:00] We set the stage for our first episode by exploring the nature of light and dark, and the roles they play in our ever-changing lives. [2:00] *Quick disclaimer on the unfiltered language and content used in this show. [2:46] We meet Bill as he gives context to what many call “the Legend of Bill Weedman,” focusing on how growing up with an estranged father shaped his youth. [8:15] “I will never be afraid again.” Bill shares how a deeply fearful moment that he experienced at the age of twelve led to a vow that guided the rest of his life. [14:05] We learn how Bill translated his feelings of inadequacy and confusion over ideas of “what men do” into a healthy dedication to martial arts. [18:20] Bill discusses his early development in martial arts, and how his views on fighting and himself changed throughout the process.  [23:25] “Chet was the first person who truly loved me unconditionally… That was my first encounter with Jesus.” We hear about the man who led Bill out of Satanism and became his father figure through the power of genuine love. [28:41] Bill shares challenging decisions he had to make at 18 when he got his girlfriend pregnant. [31:30] “I always told myself, ‘I will not be like my dad.’” We learn about how Bill met his wife, Peg, at 22, shortly after joining the police department, and how those experiences created deep conflict within his identity and marriage. [39:16] “I preached and spoke to children. I poured my life into it.” Bill explains how he strove to turn his life around by committing himself to his church and faith.  [45:19] Bill wraps up this episode by reflecting on the revelations that he started to let himself see on a life-changing men’s retreat. “I was in a cage and Jesus opened the door.” Connect with us here: Kentuckianacontainer.com

Jesus tells us that the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult. This makes sense because life is hard. It is not a question of if, it is more of a question of when. When will life throw you a curveball? When will life hit you with tragedy? When will it feel like the weight of the world is crashing down on you? Some of you can think of that time as you read this. For some of you, that time is right now.