Bold, Brave & Beautiful Podcast with Barb Roose

So many Christians struggle with mental health, and yet we still struggle to talk about it without shame. If you've ever struggled with anxiety, depression or sadness because no one understands, this episode is for you.
In this honest and deeply compassionate conversation, Barb is joined by author Jean Neely to discuss her book Christ in the Abyss: Cultivating Deep Faith amid Depression and Despair. Drawing from her own decades-long journey with mental health challenges, Jean offers a powerful reminder: God's presence isn't reserved for when we feel strong—it meets us right in the depths of our pain.
Together, they explore how Christians can approach depression and mental health with honesty and faith, what to do when struggles begin to shake your beliefs, and how to navigate doubt when God feels silent. This episode offers reassurance that God sees you and loves you, even at your lowest points.
 
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
Connect with Jean on Facebook
Connect with Jean on Instagram
Christ in the Abyss: Cultivating Deep Faith amid Depression and Despair
Visit Jean's Website
Read from Jean's Substack
 
ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST
Jean Lee Neely is a Korean American writer and educator. She has degrees in comparative literature from the University of California, Irvine and Sorbonne University in Paris and a PhD in English literature from the University of Southern California. Jean writes regularly on issues of mental health and faith for Faith and Leadership, a resource from the Duke Divinity School for Christian leaders. She has also written for Sojourners, Inheritance, the Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC), and Christians for Social Action. She has taught seminars on navigating the intersections of faith, spiritual formation, and mental health for college students and Christian faculty. She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.

In this powerful and hope-filled conversation, Barb speaks with counselor, spiritual director, and author Sheila Wise Rowe about her book Seeds of Racial Healing: Fifty-Two Devotions for Navigating Through Trauma. With over thirty years of experience counseling trauma survivors and ministering to marginalized communities, Sheila offers a deeply compassionate, trauma-informed approach to addressing both personal and systemic racism through the lens of Scripture.
They talk about how racial trauma impacts the body and soul, why rest and resilience are essential for Christians of color, and how being rooted in God's Word can nurture healing and justice. 
If you are seeking Christian encouragement, spiritual formation, and practical tools for navigating racial trauma, this conversation offers hope, wisdom, and a path toward renewal.
 
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
Connect with Sheila on Facebook
Connect with Sheila on Instagram
Seeds of Racial Healing: Fifty-Two Devotions for Navigating Through Trauma
Visit Sheila's Website
 
ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST
Sheila Wise Rowe (MEd, Cambridge College) has over thirty years of experience offering counseling and spiritual direction to individuals, couples, leaders, and trauma survivors. Sheila also spent a decade ministering to unhoused and abused women, children, and youth in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she was a lay pastor and taught Christian counseling and trauma-related courses. Sheila is a speaker, trainer, and writer, authoring the award-winning Healing Racial Trauma and Young, Gifted, and Black. She and her husband, Nicholas Rowe, live in Boston, Massachusetts, and coauthored Healing Leadership Trauma.

Can having a hobby help you connect more to the heart of God?
In this episode, Barb is joined by author Brianna Lambert to talk about her book Created to Play and how our hobbies can become meaningful expressions of worship. They explore why play is often misunderstood in Christian culture, how it forms us spiritually, and the unique roles we step into through our hobbies—from creator and curator to restorer and connector. Brianna also invites us to see play not as a distraction from purpose, but as a pathway to delight, community, and deeper connection with God.
If you've ever felt guilty for enjoying your hobbies or wondered how they fit into your faith, this conversation will give you a whole new perspective on joy, rest, and worship.
 
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
Connect with Brianna on Instagram
Created to Play: How Taking Hobbies Seriously Grows Us Spiritually
Visit Brianna's Website
 
ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST
Brianna Lambert is a writer and author from a rural community outside Indianapolis. Her articles and essays have appeared in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Common Good, Mere Orthodoxy, and elsewhere. Brianna also serves on staff at Gospel-Centered Discipleship and writes for the women's ministry at her local church. You might find her backpacking, camping, waterskiing, or starting a brand-new hobby with her husband and three children.

Are you craving a life that actually matters—one that goes beyond just getting through the day?
In this episode, Barb speaks with author Crickett Keeth about what it looks like to live with true purpose and eternal significance. Based on her Bible study, Living Out a Life that Matters, they explore how the apostle Paul modeled a life of depth, impact, and faithfulness—and how we can do the same today.
If you feel stuck in the day-to-day or are longing to live with deeper purpose, this episode will encourage you to pursue a life of meaning and impact, right where you are.
 
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
Connect with Crickett on Instagram
Connect with Crickett on Facebook
Living Out a Life that Matters: An 8-Week Study in 2 Timothy
Visit Crickett's Website
 
ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST
A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Crickett Keeth is the author of several women's Bible studies, including On Bended Knee, Before the Throne, and Living Out a Life That Matters. Crickett has served in ministry to women for decades on staff with Cru and large churches in Dallas and Memphis (Women's Ministry Director). She teaches at her church in Memphis and also equips and trains other women's ministry leaders. Crickett is a sought-after speaker at women's conferences and retreats. Find free resources to encourage you in your walk with God at www.crickettkeeth.com.

Are you craving a life that actually matters—one that goes beyond just getting through the day?
In this episode, Barb speaks with author Crickett Keeth about what it looks like to live with true purpose and eternal significance. Based on her Bible study, Living Out a Life that Matters, they explore how the apostle Paul modeled a life of depth, impact, and faithfulness—and how we can do the same today.
If you feel stuck in the day-to-day or are longing to live with deeper purpose, this episode will encourage you to pursue a life of meaning and impact, right where you are.
 
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
Connect with Crickett on Instagram
Connect with Crickett on Facebook
Living Out a Life that Matters: An 8-Week Study in 2 Timothy
Visit Crickett's Website
 
ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST
A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Crickett Keeth is the author of several women's Bible studies, including On Bended Knee, Before the Throne, and Living Out a Life That Matters. Crickett has served in ministry to women for decades on staff with Cru and large churches in Dallas and Memphis (Women's Ministry Director). She teaches at her church in Memphis and also equips and trains other women's ministry leaders. Crickett is a sought-after speaker at women's conferences and retreats. Find free resources to encourage you in your walk with God at www.crickettkeeth.com.