The Faith Filled Therapy Podcast

Can we really heal from the things that have shaped us? What does it mean to renew your mind after trauma? And how can we learn to live from love rather than spending our lives trying to earn it?
In this episode of the Faith-Filled Therapy Podcast, Jo Hargreaves is joined by pastor, author and former NFL player Dr Derwin L. Gray for a powerful conversation about trauma, healing, identity and the transforming love of Jesus.
Derwin shares openly about growing up surrounded by addiction, abuse and violence, his journey from professional football to faith, and the healing that followed. He and Jo explore how biblical truth can reshape our thoughts, nervous system and lived experience, helping us face pain while replacing the lies we have believed with truth.  
Drawing from his new book, It’s Time To Heal: Four God-Given Steps To Restore What Life Has Shattered, Derwin offers a hopeful, Christ-centred invitation to face what has happened to us without allowing it to define who we become. 

Key Takeaways
You cannot heal from what you will not reveal. Derwin talks about the importance of becoming honest about what has happened to us, and sometimes what we have done, rather than hiding or minimising our pain. Healing begins with bringing our real story into the light. 
Your past can shape you without defining your future. Trauma is real and its effects matter, but Derwin challenges the idea that our past gets to “take the ink pen and write our future.” What happened to us is part of our story, but it does not have to become our identity. 
Renewing your mind is a repeated practice, not a one-time moment. Jo and Derwin explore neuroplasticity, taking thoughts captive and learning to recognise the difference between thoughts that speak against us and the truth of who we are in Christ. 
Healing is not toxic positivity. Renewing the mind doesn't mean pretending painful experiences did not happen. It means facing what is true while also allowing the truth of Scripture to reshape our beliefs, thoughts and behaviours. 
We can learn to live from love rather than for love. Derwin describes the security that comes from knowing we are already loved by God, including at our worst. Instead of performing for acceptance, we can begin to live from a place of belovedness. 
Our brains can learn new patterns. Derwin shares how practices he first learned as a professional football player eventually helped him understand neuroplasticity and the process of replacing deeply rooted beliefs with biblical truth. 
Healing can change more than one generation. Derwin shares his hope that people will interrupt patterns of hurt, toxicity and trauma so that what is passed to future generations is health and blessing instead. 
Jesus is at the centre of wholeness. Jo and Derwin discuss healing as something that encompasses spirit, soul and body. Therapy, neuroscience and spiritual disciplines can all have a place, while the conversation continually points back to relationship and union with Christ. 

About Dr Derwin L. Gray
Dr Derwin L. Gray is the co-founding and Lead Pastor of Transformation Church, just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the recipient of the John M. Perkins Justice Award, an award given to a visionary leader whose life and work exemplify the principles of biblical justice.
Derwin is also an award-winning author whose books include How to Heal Our Racial Divide: What the Bible Says, and What the First Century Christians Knew about Racial Reconciliation, Lit Up With Love: Becoming Good-News People To A Gospel-Starved World, and his new release, It’s Time To Heal: Four God-Given Steps To Restore What Life Has Shattered.

Connect with Derwin & Resources
Website: DerwinLGray.com
Instagram, Twitter & Facebook: @derwinlgray
Transformation Church: transformationchurch.tc
New Book: It’s Time To Heal
Derwin’s new book, It’s Time To Heal: Four God-Given Steps To Restore What Life Has Shattered, releases 8 September.
In the episode, Derwin shares the four-part HEAL framework at the heart of the book:
H — Be honest about what happened to you or what you did.
E — Expect pain on the journey.
A — Accept what happened to you without letting it define you.
L — Live from love, not for love. 
He describes the book as an invitation to healing, bringing together union with Christ, neuroscience, spiritual disciplines, grace and real-life stories. 

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, you can watch it on YouTube here: YouTube Link

For free resources, reflections, and regular encouragement, come join me over on Substack. You’ll also find the option to subscribe to The Faith-Filled Collective — a monthly space for women who are pursuing wholeness and holiness. 
You can also find my e-books and webinar links here
Love and hope
Jo

How does faith shape the brain? Can neuroscience help us understand spiritual growth? And what does epigenetics have to do with transformation?
In this episode of the Faith-Filled Therapy Podcast, Jo Hargreaves is joined by author, speaker and leadership expert Dr Chuck Coker to explore the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, psychology and biblical wisdom.
Together, they discuss emotional intelligence, spiritual formation, Gen Z’s search for authenticity, the science of worship, and how God’s design for spirit, soul and body points us towards wholeness. Chuck also shares insights from his book, A God-Shaped Mind: The Neuroscientific Path to Spiritual Maturity, which explores spiritual development through both Scripture and brain science.

Key Takeaways
Faith and neuroscience don’t have to be competing conversations. Jo and Chuck explore how our understanding of the brain can offer another lens through which to consider spiritual growth and transformation. 
We are designed as whole people. The conversation considers the interconnectedness of spirit, soul, brain and body, and what that means for living a full and flourishing life. 
Spiritual maturity is an ongoing process. Chuck explores stages of spiritual development and how growth can shape the way we think, relate to others and invest in the next generation. His book develops this journey from “spiritual infant” through to “spiritual parent.” 
Emotional intelligence and spiritual formation are deeply connected. Chuck and Jo discuss emotional intelligence alongside the Fruit of the Spirit and the role relationships play in our development. 
Neuroplasticity and epigenetics open up fascinating questions about transformation. Chuck explains his understanding of how our experiences and spiritual formation interact with biological processes. 
Gen Z is looking for authenticity, not perfection. Chuck reflects on a generation seeking truth and reality, and on a God whose love is based on relationship rather than performance. 
Community and discipleship matter. Transformation isn't simply about acquiring information. Chuck emphasises intimacy, accountability and meaningful relationships as important parts of spiritual maturity. 

About Dr Chuck Coker
Dr Charles “Chuck” Coker, PhD, DMin, SPHR, is the founder and CEO of LifeThrive Performance Systems and has more than 35 years of experience across leadership, teaching and ministry. His work brings together neuroscience, psychology and biblical wisdom to help people grow emotionally, spiritually and personally. 
He is also the founder of Yesha Ministries and author of A God-Shaped Mind: The Neuroscientific Path to Spiritual Maturity, which explores how brain science and biblical truth intersect in the journey towards spiritual maturity.

Connect with Chuck & Resources
Website: ChuckCoker.com 
Book: A God-Shaped Mind: The Neuroscientific Path to Spiritual Maturity
Chuck’s book is available now in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Walmart and Target as places where listeners can find it. 
If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, you can watch it on YouTube here: YouTube Link

Special resource for Faith-Filled Therapy listeners:
Purchase a copy of Dr Chuck Coker’s A God-Shaped Mind and send a screenshot of your proof of purchase to cwcoker@lifethrive.com to receive a complimentary 16-week Bible study designed to accompany the book. 

For free resources, reflections, and regular encouragement, come join me over on Substack. You’ll also find the option to subscribe to The Faith-Filled Collective — a monthly space for women who are pursuing wholeness and holiness. 
You can also find my e-books and webinar links here
Love and hope
Jo

Exploring the Mind-Body Connection with Dr. Lee Warren
Join us in this insightful episode as Dr. Lee Warren, a renowned neurosurgeon, shares his unique perspective on neuroscience, faith, and mental well-being. Discover how understanding the brain can deepen our spiritual walk and improve mental health.In this episode:
 
The role of neuroplasticity and how deliberate mental practices can reshape our brains
Practical strategies for self-regulation based on Scripture and neuroscience
The fascinating interface of mind, brain, and spiritual life
How suffering can refine us and give purpose, supported by biblical perspective
The impact of hope on neurochemistry and resilience
Exploring the concept of the mind’s location and its connection to eternity
The significance of wonder and awe in mental health and spiritual life
 
Key Takeaways:
 
Dr. Warren’s blend of neuroscience and faith points to the importance of managing thoughts through intentionality and the biblical practice of taking every thought captive.
The “self-brain surgery” metaphor emphasises deliberate mental strategies to address emotional and spiritual health.
The reticular activating system filters our perceptions; belief modifies the signals we focus on, shaping our reality.
Moments of wonder and awe, especially in the right brain hemisphere, are vital for mental health and spiritual connection.
Hope activates motivational neurochemicals, empowering us to undertake meaningful change, even in suffering.
The biblical concept of “renewing the mind” aligns with neuroplasticity principles—changing thought patterns through deliberate action.
The distinction between mind and brain underscores that thoughts are not exclusively generated by physical brain activity, offering hope and freedom.
Suffering, when reframed, can lead to character development and hope, as supported by both Scripture and science.
 
Dr. Lee Warren's Website
 
Self Brain Surgery Book 
Lectio 365 Prayer App
Podcast
Substack Newsletter
 
For free resources, reflections, and regular encouragement, come join me over on Substack. You’ll also find the option to subscribe to The Faith-Filled Collective — a monthly space for women who are pursuing wholeness and holiness. 
You can also find my e-books and webinar links here
Love and hope
Jo

Hello to you. 
After a short break, the podcast returns with an honest and gently reflective episode about waking up feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and physically on edge. From that real-life moment, this conversation explores what it means to regulate your nervous system in a way that is both deeply therapeutic and rooted in faith.
Blending neuroscience with scripture, you’ll be guided through simple, grace-filled practices like breath prayer, gratitude, singing, and getting outside, reminding you that your body isn’t a barrier to God, but part of how you were designed to heal, connect, and feel safe.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in your head, weighed down by anxiety, or simply exhausted, this episode offers a gentle reminder: you make sense, and there is a way through.
For free resources, reflections, and regular encouragement, come join me over on Substack. You’ll also find the option to subscribe to The Faith-Filled Collective — a monthly space for women who are pursuing wholeness and holiness. 
You can also find my e-books and webinar links here
Love and hope
Jo

In this episode, Jo Hargreaves, faith-filled therapist and writer, is joined by Dr Perrianne Brownback for a thoughtful conversation about the left and right hemispheres of the brain, moving beyond pop-psychology myths into something far richer and more meaningful.
Together, they explore how simplistic ideas about being “left-brained” or “right-brained” have been largely debunked, while also uncovering the profound truth that how our brain processes the world really does matter. Drawing on the work of psychiatrist and philosopher Ian McGilchrist, this conversation looks at the distinct roles of each hemisphere, and why the left hemisphere was never designed to operate independently, but to be guided and interpreted through the right.
This episode invites listeners to reconsider how they think, perceive, and make meaning, not just cognitively, but relationally and spiritually. It’s a grounding, curiosity-stirring conversation that connects neuroscience, lived experience, and faith, offering a deeper understanding of how we attend to the world, to God, and to ourselves. 
You can follow Perianne's work here and purchase her book here
For free resources, reflections, and regular encouragement, come join me over on Substack. You’ll also find the option to subscribe to The Faith-Filled Collective — a monthly space for women who are pursuing wholeness and holiness. 
You can also find my e-books and webinar links here
Love and hope
Jo