What if the place where you expected to find God became the place where you were hurt? For some women, spiritual wounds can affect much more than their relationship with a church. Spiritual trauma and wounding can affect your ability to pray, how you engage with the Bible, your willingness to be in community, and even your ability to trust God. The stakes are high!

In this NEW Bold, Brave & Beautiful podcast episode, I'm honored to speak with Colleen Ramser, author of The Shattered Soul: Restoring Wholeness and Rebuilding Your Faith After Spiritual Trauma. She's an EMDR-certified licensed professional counselor and trauma specialist who works at the intersection of trauma and faith. Most of all, Colleen brings both professional expertise and personal experience as a survivor of trauma to this important conversation.

We talk honestly about spiritual abuse and the ways these experiences can shape how we see ourselves, other people, and God. Colleen also shares what healing can look like when we refuse to minimize what happened but also don't want our wounds to have the final word. If you've experienced spiritual hurt or if you love someone who has.

This powerful conversation offers compassion, honesty, and hope. My prayer is that this episode reminds you that being wounded by people does not mean you have to walk away from God.

Resources From This Episode:

The Shattered Soul

Colleen's Website

Colleen's Facebook Page

Here, Not There Podcast Hosted by Colleen Ramser

Colleen Ramser, MA, is an EMDR-certified licensed professional counselor (LPC), speaker, and writer who meets Christ followers at the intersection of trauma and faith. She is a sought-after trauma specialist—particularly on issues of spiritual abuse, domestic abuse, and complex trauma—and she has spent years journeying with souls in the church and within the scope of her clinical practice. Colleen also frequently speaks to pastors, ministry leaders, organizations, and other mental health professionals who desire to help survivors individually and to address systemic harm. She has appeared on podcasts such as The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill and The Slow Work. As a survivor of trauma, Colleen is a compassionate witness on the journey, bringing not only her clinical expertise but also a deep knowing of dark nights and the breath of new mercies. Colleen lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and two kids and enjoys being swallowed up by God's beautiful landscapes and catching a good pun.

Know a woman who needs this reminder that God's love is steady even when life isn't? Share this episode with her!

Bold, Brave & Beautiful releases new episodes on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.

Find all the episodes in the podcast archive at BarbRoose.com/podcast

Barb Roose is a Christian speaker, Bible teacher and author who helps overwhelmed women stop carrying the things God never asked them to carry so those women can experience God's peace, freedom, and purpose. She speaks nationally and internationally at conferences and retreats, including Aspire Women's Events, ECPA Leadership Summit, Proverbs 31 COMPEL and She Speaks Conference. Barb is the author of seven Bible studies, including Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle, and five books, including Stronger Than Stress. She hosts the Bold, Brave & Beautiful podcast and writes her weekly Happy Monday devotional. Barb is the proud mom of three adult kids. She lives in northwest Ohio and prefers to eat dessert first.

What happens when you know God loves you, but your circumstances make it hard to believe that He cares?

In this episode of Bold, Brave & Beautiful, I'm joined by mother-daughter authors Amy Bragg Carey and Anna Marie Carey, authors of Claimed by God: Thirty Declarations of Your Identity in Christ.

You know how much I care about saying the hard things with hope! That's exactly how Amy and Anna came to our conversation. I was impressed and appreciative of their willingness to be vulnerable about their own struggles with self-doubt, identity, and difficult seasons. They didn't offer simple answers or pretend that declaring God's truth makes life's hard circumstances disappear. Instead, they shared honestly about what they've learned: God's love is true and steady even when our circumstances are anything but.

Amy and Anna Marie talk about what it looks like to anchor our identity in Christ when we're struggling to believe what God says about us, why our words matter, and how declaring Scripture can help reshape our perspective—even before our circumstances change.

If you've ever found yourself wondering, "If God really loves me, why does my life feel like this?" I think you'll find comfort in their courage and honesty.

Resources From This Episode

Connect with Amy and Anna Marie via email: president@friendsuniversity.edu.
Claimed by God on Amazon

Amy Bragg Carey (EdD, Azusa Pacific) is the president of Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. She serves on the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities board and the International Friends Missions board. Amy lives in Kansas with her husband, Bryan.

Anna Marie Carey (BS, University of Northwestern, St. Paul) is a songwriter, copywriter, and video producer. She is also the worship director at The Gathering Community Church in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Anna lives in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

Know a woman who needs this reminder that God's love is steady even when life isn't? Share this episode with her!

Bold, Brave & Beautiful releases new episodes on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.

Find all the episodes in the podcast archive at BarbRoose.com/podcast.

Barb Roose is a Christian speaker, Bible teacher and author who helps overwhelmed women stop carrying the things God never asked them to carry so those women can experience God's peace, freedom, and purpose. She speaks nationally and internationally at conferences and retreats, including Aspire Women's Events, ECPA Leadership Summit, Proverbs 31 COMPEL and She Speaks Conference. Barb is the author of seven Bible studies, including Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle, and five books, including Stronger Than Stress. She hosts the Bold, Brave & Beautiful podcast and writes her weekly Happy Monday devotional. Barb is the proud mom of three adult kids. She lives in northwest Ohio and prefers to eat dessert first.

Why do some believers seem so alive with joy in Jesus, while you feel... meh? Or worse, a little cynical? Verses like Psalm 34:8 tell us to "delight in the Lord," but does that actually work in real life?

In this episode, I'm sitting down with my friend Stephanie Rousselle. She's a powerful Bible teacher, host of the Gospel Spice podcast, and author of the new book Awaken Delight: Satisfying Your Soul's Longing for God. Stephanie shares her powerful story of coming to faith as a former atheist raised in a hedonist culture in France, and how that journey led her to a life motto of "God's glory, our delight!"

Together, me and Stephanie unpack what Psalm 34:8 really means, why delight isn't about getting what you want from God, and how delight can be sensory, tangible, even "luscious" perspective that can fire up your faith. So, if your faith has gone flat or you're longing to feel alive in Jesus again, this conversation will help you reclaim it.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

Link to Awaken Delight

Stephanie's Gospel Spice website

Connect with Stephanie on Instagram

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Stephanie Rousselle is a Bible teacher, speaker, host of the Gospel Spice podcast, and founder of Gospel Spice Ministries. Born and raised in France, Stephanie is a former atheist whose life motto is now "God's glory, our delight!" Having resided in four different countries during her lifetime, she now lives with her family in Pennsylvania.

About Your Host:

Barb Roose is a Christian speaker, Bible teacher and author who helps overwhelmed women stop carrying the things God never asked them to carry so those women can experience God's peace, freedom, and purpose. She speaks nationally and internationally at conferences and retreats, including Aspire Women's Events, ECPA Leadership Summit, Proverbs 31 COMPEL and She Speaks Conference. Barb is the author of seven Bible studies, including Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle, and five books, including Stronger Than Stress. She hosts the Bold, Brave & Beautiful podcast and writes her weekly Happy Monday devotional. Barb is the proud mom of three adult kids. She lives in northwest Ohio and prefers to eat dessert first.