Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

In a culture that often treats sexual abstinence before marriage as outdated, unrealistic, or merely rule-following, Dr. Carol sits down with author, professor, and researcher Dr. Emily McKnight, lovingly known as Dr. Em, for an honest conversation about why waiting for sex before marriage still matters, and why it's about far more than behavior. Dr. Em shares her own journey from sexual brokenness to conviction-led abstinence, and how that season shaped her relationship with God, her sense of identity, and ultimately her marriage. Together, they explore the deeper purpose of sexual integrity and the kind of character it forms in us over time.


This conversation also tackles the real-world challenges of singleness, dating, desire, and early marriage. Dr. Carol and Dr. Em discuss how abstinence can cultivate communication, trust, friendship, and discernment long before the wedding day, and why sexual intimacy in marriage is a journey to grow into, not a finish line to cross. Whether you're single, dating, engaged, or wrestling with your own difficult sexual story, this episode offers hope-filled wisdom for pursuing sexual wholeness, resisting cultural pressure, and seeking God's best without settling for less.

Connect with Dr. Emily McKnight on her website, faculty page, Facebook, or Instagram
Find Dr. Em's book The Don't Before I Do

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries In-Person Intensives    
Interested in a one-on-one format? 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 honest and hope-filled Q&A episode, Dr. Carol tackles some of the most tender and complicated questions surrounding faith, sexuality, betrayal, intimacy, and emotional healing. From pornography and painful marriage dynamics to shame, loneliness, and the longing for deeper connection, this conversation explores what it means to be fully human while following Jesus. Along the way, Dr. Carol addresses an often-overlooked question: If Jesus was fully human, what does that mean for understanding desire, embodiment, and intimacy today?

Drawing from both Scripture and neurobiology, this episode moves beyond behavior management into the deeper work of wholeness. Dr. Carol explains why transformation requires more than head knowledge—it requires bringing your whole self into the presence of Jesus, including your emotions, wounds, fears, and desires. Whether you're struggling in your marriage, carrying hidden shame, or longing to experience God more deeply, this conversation offers compassionate insight and practical hope for healing, connection, and lasting change.

For further resources, check Dr. Carol's articles here:
Learning from How Jesus Handled His Need for Intimacy
7 Ingredients to Rebuilding Trust Between You and Your Spouse
How to Consecrate Your Sex Life to Jesus Daily
From Hurt to Whole: The Power of Making the Choice to Heal
Is My Marriage Toxic?
Being With Jesus in Ways that Bring Transformation
Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries In-Person Intensives - Experience true healing and wholeness in a safe environment as you unpack your story around intimacy and relationships while inviting Jesus to be part of that story.    
Interested in a one-on-one format? 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 enlightening episode, Dr. Carol and Beth Broom dive deep into the complexities of trauma and its profound impact on relationships, particularly within the Christian community. Beth shares her unique perspective, distinguishing between traumatic experiences and the internal responses that shape how we process pain including how to rebuilding trust. Together, they explore the Christian Trauma Healing Network and the SAFE model—an innovative framework designed to offer accessible resources for trauma survivors and their supporters. The conversation reminds us of the importance of bringing our pain and emotions before God, framing this act as both a step of faith and wisdom.
You can connect with Beth Broom on her website, Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.      
Check out the Counsel for Life podcast Beth Broom co-hosts with Eliza Huie.     
Find out more about the Christian Trauma Healing Network


Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries In-Person Intensives - Experience true healing and wholeness in a safe environment as you unpack your story around intimacy and relationships while inviting Jesus to be part of that story.    
Interested in a one-on-one format? Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol.       
 
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can send a confidential message here.

What if the reason you still feel stuck spiritually isn't a lack of information, but a lack of integration? In this monthly feature, Dr. Carol, Avery Montgomery, and Zion Montgomery explore why so many sincere followers of Jesus may know the right answers intellectually yet still struggle with fear, shame, disconnection, or recurring unhealthy patterns. Together they unpack the difference between a faith that lives only in the left brain—focused on logic, information, and performance—and the kind of whole-brain connection that actually leads to transformation. Because becoming like Jesus requires more than learning about Him; it requires being with Him.

Drawing from both neuroscience and spiritual formation, this episode explores how the right brain shapes identity, emotion, attachment, and experience, and why slowing down is essential for real healing and growth. The conversation offers practical ways to engage God more fully through prayer, Scripture, embodied practices, confession, and authentic community. If you've ever wondered why trying harder hasn't produced lasting change, this episode offers a hopeful invitation into a different way of relating to God, yourself, and others—one rooted not merely in knowledge, but in connection.

Find out more about Dr. Carol Ministries In-Person Intensives     
Interested in a one-on-one format? Find out more about individual coaching with Dr. Carol.       
Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can send a confidential message here.

What if the church's approach to relationships between men and women has been doing more harm than good? In this episode, we sit down with author Bronwyn Lea to unpack the ideas behind her book Beyond Awkward Side Hugs — a thoughtful challenge to the rules-heavy, fear-driven culture that has left many Christians, especially singles, feeling like second-class members of the body of Christ. Bronwyn makes the case that healthy, embodied community isn't built on caution tape and rigid boundaries, but on an inner transformation of character that allows men and women to relate to one another as true brothers and sisters in Christ.

We also dig into some of the more countercultural ideas in Bronwyn's work — from the healing power of non-sexual touch, to what it truly means to be a "friend to a marriage," to how church leaders can break down gender silos and create the conditions for genuine belonging. As loneliness reaches epidemic levels in our culture, Bronwyn argues the church is uniquely positioned to a powerful antidote  — but only if it's willing to move past awkwardness and into authentic, whole-person community. This is a conversation that will challenge how you think about friendship, integrity, and what it truly means to live as brothers and sisters in Christ.


More from Bronwyn Lea on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn
Find Bronwyn's book Beyond Awkward Side Hugs: Living as Christian Brothers and Sisters in a Sex-Crazed World 
 
More about Dr. Carol Ministries:
Dr. Carol Ministries In-Person Intensives. A multi-day way to experience true healing and wholeness in a safe environment as you unpack your story around intimacy and relationships while inviting Jesus to be part of that story.   
Individual coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural based perspective.  

Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can send a confidential message here.