Host Dave Harris sits down with long-time friend Lara Jackson to discuss her extraordinary journey through chronic pain, medical misdiagnoses, and profound personal trials.

Lara opens up about feeling as though her body was "broken," detailing a decade-long battle with debilitating headaches, severe eye conditions, and painful miscarriages—until a surprising Celiac disease diagnosis finally brought answers. She also candidly shares the emotional toll of caregiver burnout while supporting her husband through severe physical pain, medication-induced mania, and complex mental health challenges, all while raising three young children.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Uncovering Hidden Root Causes: How going gluten-free cured years of debilitating pain initially diagnosed as cluster headaches.

• The Heartbreak of Infertility & Loss: Processing recurrent miscarriages, postpartum depression, and the emotional weight of medical finality.

• Navigating Mental & Physical Crises in Marriage: Supporting a spouse through Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, and Trigeminal Neuralgia.

• Finding Light in the Dark: The power of prayer, faith, and how her children served as daily "miracles" that kept her moving forward.

Laura’s story is a powerful testament to human resilience, reminding us that even when we feel under the water and breathing through a straw, we are strong enough to keep surviving.

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

Dave Harris opens up about his personal journey of faith, mental health, and the defining moments that shaped his testimony. From childhood encounters with tragedy to navigating scrupulosity and returning home early from his LDS mission, Dave shares an honest reflection on why he continues to believe, even when life is far from a fairytale.

Key Topics in This Episode:

• Life-Shaping Experiences: Reflections on witnessing tragedy as a young boy and how unspoken trauma impacts mental and spiritual well-being.

• The Crucible of Scrupulosity: Facing religious OCD, feelings of inadequacy, and the difficult decision to return home early from the Wellington, New Zealand mission.

• The Anchor Point: A powerful spiritual experience at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) while hearing the account of Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

• Faith Over Perfection: Why trials aren't faith-destroyers, but invitations to stay humble, grounded, and reliant on Jesus Christ.

Connect & Share:

• Email: dave@navigatingabrokenvessel.com

• Website: navigatingabrokenvessel.com

• Socials: Search @navigatingabrokenvessel on Facebook and Instagram

  
  

  Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

What do a kindergarten Mother’s Day craft and a 300-pound studio riser have in common? Both taught host Dave Harris a hard-hitting lesson about overconfidence.In this candid episode of Navigating a Broken Vessel, Dave reflects on a recent, painful biceps tendon rupture, and the security footage that captured it, to unpack why we so easily overestimate our own abilities. From DIY disasters to creator culture on YouTube, Dave explores how our minds trick us into thinking we know more (and can lift more) than we actually can.In this episode, we explore:* The Traps of Overconfidence: How early assumptions and stubborn solo-lifting can result in surgery and a year-long recovery.* The Dunning-Kruger Effect: What science says about skill gaps, self-assessment, and blind spots.* Cultivating Intellectual Humility: Practical exercises to recognize the limits of our knowledge, adopt a growth mindset, and take a step back from our biases.* Real-World Metacognition: How evaluating our own thinking helps us handle career challenges, admit when we’re wrong, and grow as individuals.Have a story about learning humility the hard way? Email Dave directly at dave@navigatingabrokenvessel.com or visit navigatingabrokenvessel.com for past episodes. Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram @navigatingabrokenvessel!Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

In this powerful episode of Navigating a Broken Vessel, we sit down with Jourdyn Pitcher to share her extraordinary journey of faith, resilience, and survival.

Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at just 14 years old, Jourdyn faced cancer not once, not twice, but three separate times throughout her teenage and young adult years. Through 64 weeks of chemotherapy, radiation, a bone marrow transplant, 100 days in hospital isolation, and the loss of both a lung and a kidney, Jourdyn refused to put her life on hold. Instead, she chose to live fully—pursuing her education, working multiple jobs, and serving a full-time mission, against all odds.

In this episode, we discuss:

• A Three-Time Battle: Jourdyn’s medical journey from her initial diagnosis at age 14 through eight years of maintenance chemotherapy.

• Miracles & Burning Bushes: The profound spiritual moments, tender mercies, and unexpected kindness from loved ones and strangers that sustained her family.

• Overcoming Limits: How she navigated college, career goals, and a church mission while managing aggressive medical treatments.

• Beauty for Ashes: Finding deep gratitude in battle scars, navigating infertility, the joy of building a family through adoption, and celebrating over a decade cancer-free.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about finding purpose in pain, leaning on faith when the path ahead is uncertain, and discovering that what is gained spiritually can far outweigh what is lost physically.

Connect with Navigating a Broken Vessel:

• Email: Dave@navigatingabrokenvessel.com

• Website: navigatingabrokenvessel.com

• Socials: Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @NavigatingABrokenVessel

Are you carrying the weight of having to be perfect? In Episode 26 of Navigating a Broken Vessel, Dave Harris dives into scrupulosity, religious OCD, and the distinction between LDS culture and doctrine. Learn why we aren't expected to be flawless in this life, how grace actually works, and why pre-sin guilt only fuels anxiety.

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

Host Dave Harris sits down with guest Kimberly Villalta to broach a topic as vital as it is heavy: surviving severe marital trauma, navigating systemic abuse, and finding the ultimate path back to light.

Kimberly opens up with incredible vulnerability about her 15-year marriage, mapping out the slow, subtle shift from emotional manipulation to severe domestic and sexual abuse. She shares the harrowing reality of recognizing the danger she and her four young sons were in, the complex role her faith played in her survival, and the absolute courage it took to finally listen to the spiritual prompting that told her it was time to leave.

What We Discuss in This Episode:

• The Boiling Frog Analogy: How psychological and physical abuse subtly escalates over time without the victim realizing the danger.

• Survival & Coping Mechanisms: The unique, real-time strategies Kimberly used to protect her household and find moments of safety during the darkest years.

• The Turning Point: The undeniable spiritual prompting that finally gave Kimberly the clarity and strength to safely exit the marriage.

• Navigating Complex Grief: Processing the overwhelming waves of both trauma and profound relief following her ex-husband's tragic suicide.

• Restitution and Rebuilding: How deepening her relationship with the Savior allowed Kimberly to find true healing, piece her family back together, and step into a beautiful, supportive new chapter.

Content Advisory: This episode contains honest, detailed discussions regarding emotional abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide. We believe these stories of survival are vital to share, but discretion is strongly advised.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).

Lastly, please note: The content of this episode should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, we highly recommend working with mental health professionals.

Dave Harris takes us on a nostalgic trip down tech memory lane—from the era of pagers and "dumb phones" to the dawn of the smartphone. While the iPhone felt like absolute heaven when it first arrived, Dave poses a heavy question we all secretly ponder: Has the smartphone secretly destroyed our lives?

Frustrated with the constant pull of the digital world, Dave decided to fight back using the very weapon that trapped him. He locked down his device using the iOS Screen Time feature, leaving only talk and text active. The result? A spectacular, miserable failure. From easily bypassed restrictions to accidentally locking himself out of his remote work tools, Dave shares a hilarious and relatable look at why tech-based solutions rarely solve tech-based problems.

Key Highlights From This Episode:

• The Digital Evolution: Tracking the personal journey from late-90s video production pagers to the modern pocket supercomputer.

• Technological Determinism: Exploring the theory that technology drives human behavior and dictates our morning routines, rather than the other way around.

• Unintended Consequences: A look at how noble inventions (like highway cable barriers or smartphones) can create completely unforeseen detriments to society.

• The Attention Economy: Breaking down the psychological traps of social media and the age-old truth: "If you aren't paying for the service, your attention is the product."

• Lifting the Digital Weight: How Dave successfully reclaimed some peace of mind by radically altering his notification settings.

Dave's Takeaway: We cannot depend on technology to cure a problem caused by technology. True digital freedom doesn't come from a new app or focus mode—it requires personal responsibility and the willingness to simply step away.

Connect With the Show:

Do you feel like your smartphone owns you? Have you found a way to successfully outsmart your screen time? Dave wants to hear your solutions!

• Email:dave@navigatingabrokenvessel.com

• Social Media: Find Navigating a Broken Vessel on Facebook and Instagram

• Web:navigatingabrokenvessel.com

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

Dave Harris sits down with a very special guest—his daughter, Jaycee.

Jaycee opens up completely about her raw, emotional, and grueling five-year journey with infertility. Diagnosed with both endometriosis and PCOS as a teenager, she candidly shares the physical pain, mental exhaustion, and unique heartache of trying to grow a family when your own body feels like a "broken vessel."

In this episode, Dave and Jaycee discuss:

• The Power of True Support: How Jaycee's husband, Brandon, stood by her side without ever making her feel broken, and why she felt an overwhelming pressure to apologize for her diagnosis.

• The Emotional Rollercoaster: Navigating the heartbreak of three failed IUI cycles, shifting to IVF, and the agonizing suspense of the "two-week wait."

• Grieving the Invisible: The devastating impact of a false positive pregnancy test and learning to heal from a loss that was never visibly there.

• A Shift in Perspective: Reframing life's heaviest trials not as punishments, but as profound spiritual "learning experiences."

Whether you are currently walking the difficult path of infertility, have experienced the complex world of IVF, or want to understand how to better support a loved one, Jaycee’s vulnerability, humor, and resilience offer a powerful beacon of hope.

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.