Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

In this candid and "spicy" conversation, Dr. Carol sits down with Matt and Jen Schmidt to explore how couples can have healthy, mature conversations about sex in marriage. Addressing a topic many couples avoid or only discuss in terms of conflict or frustration, this episode expands listeners' vocabulary, mindset, and comfort in talking openly about intimacy. Together, they unpack both theological and practical perspectives on married sex, discuss common barriers to connection, and offer insights into how couples can move toward greater closeness, understanding, and fulfillment.

Drawing from their own journey and their work through Intimate Covenant, Matt and Jen share why they believe Christian marriages should model an extraordinary sex life and how couples can begin cultivating that vision. The conversation offers encouragement for those navigating challenges such as emotional barriers, negative patterns, or unresolved struggles around sexuality, while pointing listeners to additional resources for growth, healing, and transformation. This episode invites married couples to embrace a richer vision of intimacy within their relationship.

Note: this episode is candid without being graphic. And it does not specifically address trauma, infidelity, or similar issues.

Connect with Matt and Jenn Schmidt through their website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Find their Intimate Covenant podcast.

Check out Dr. Carol's article Having the Sex Talk - With Your Spouse
Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

In this wrap-up episode to our AI and the Soul series, Dr. Carol explores how algorithms and artificial intelligence are shaping not just our habits but our souls, offering "relationship prescriptions" for navigating the growing influence of digital technology. She examines how the digital world subtly "disciples" us, training us to expect life to be easy, quick, constantly stimulating, and within our control, while real growth, spiritual formation, and the way of Jesus are often slow, difficult, and beyond our control. While emphasizing that AI itself is neither good nor bad, she warns that its influence is never neutral, raising concerns about diminished mental capacity, weakened emotional self-regulation, and the erosion of authentic intimacy with others and with God when technology becomes a substitute rather than a tool.
 
This episode will challenge you to examine how technology is forming your values and behaviors, and encourages thoughtful boundaries that prioritize spiritual growth, authentic connection, and becoming more like Jesus in a digital age.

For 7 simple (though not guaranteed to be easy) keys to living more Fully Alive, get your free pdf download here.

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

In this thought-provoking conversation, Jason VanRuler joins Dr. Carol to explore the growing influence of artificial intelligence on human relationships, intimacy, and spiritual life. Together they examine emerging trends, such as young people forming "relationships" with AI, and discuss what defines genuine connection, including truth, challenge, authenticity, and emotional depth. While AI can offer affirmation, the conversation highlights its limitations as a "yes man" that cannot replace the vulnerability and growth found in real human relationships. They also unpack how technology and social media can encourage curated identities, distract from authentic intimacy, and tempt people to settle for surface-level connection rather than meeting deeper relational needs.

The episode also offers practical and spiritual guidance for cultivating real intimacy in a digital age. VanRuler shares how self-awareness, honesty, and small steps toward vulnerability, along with practices like prayer, can help individuals grow in authentic connection with God and others. The discussion addresses the spiritual risks of overreliance on AI and encourages discernment in using technology as a tool rather than a substitute for relationship. Listeners will also discover practical habits for setting healthy digital boundaries, protecting presence, and prioritizing what matters most.

Connect with Jason VanRuler on his website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Find Jason's book Discovering Your Communication Type: The 5 Paths to Deeper Connections and Stronger Relationships       

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Christianity has always been an embodied faith—rooted in presence, touch, community, and shared life. But we now live in a world of digital discipleship, online relationships, and increasingly, AI-shaped interactions. What does this mean for the church, for our spiritual formation, and for the kind of community our hearts were made for?


In this episode in our series AI and the Soul, Dr. Carol sits down with Jay Kim, pastor and author of Analog Church and Analog Christian, to talk about why physical presence matters more than ever. They discuss how AI and digital tools can help or hinder real-life connection, what gets lost when faith becomes mediated through screens, and how followers of Jesus can cultivate embodied practices in a culture of instant convenience.

If you're longing for deeper connection, wondering how AI will affect Christian community, or trying to navigate technology with wisdom, this episode offers both challenge and hope.

Find out more about Jay Kim on his website, Facebook, X, or Instagram
Find Jay's book Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age      


Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.

Artificial intelligence is becoming woven into everyday life – our work, our personal lives, even our emotional and spiritual reality. But what does this technology do to us as people made in the image of God?

In this first of our series on "AI and the Soul", Dr. Carol talks with Dr. John Dyer, professor, author, and leading thinker on theology and technology, about how our tools shape our souls. You'll hear why AI is a helpful tool, but also how it quietly forms our desires, habits, and spiritual practices in ways we rarely notice.

Together they explore what makes humans unique, how AI might influence discipleship and our relationship with God, and how Christians can use emerging tools wisely without losing what makes us wonderfully human. This conversation will help you wrestle with how AI may be discipling you in ways you don't realize, and provide a thoughtful, theologically grounded perspective on this hot topic.


Find out more about Dr. John Dyer on his website or through his Dallas Theological Seminary page.  

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries in-person intensives - a safe place to unpack your story around intimacy and relationships, and experience Jesus coming into your story to bring healing and wholeness.       
Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can send a confidential message here.