What happens when you love God, you’re praying, you’re reading your Bible…and you’re still hurting?

In this episode of The Business of Inner Peace, I’m joined by trauma-informed master coach, author, and ReCLAIM founder Chel Cartmill for a powerful conversation about healing after covert emotional abuse, divorce, betrayal, and the loss of the life you thought you were going to have.

Chel shares her own journey through a decade of covert emotional abuse and the traumatic aftermath of divorce—and how that experience eventually led her to help others rebuild their confidence, reconnect with themselves, and step into who God created them to be.

We talk about what covert emotional abuse can actually look like, why it can leave you questioning your own reality, and how people-pleasing, suppressed emotions, and survival mode can disconnect us from our bodies and our own inner knowing.

But we also go somewhere I believe the Church desperately needs to go.

What if healing isn't simply about praying more, reading more Scripture, or trying harder to have enough faith?

What if God designed us with a mind, body, nervous system, emotions, and spirit—and healing can involve all of them?

Chel and I explore nervous system regulation, somatic work, breathwork, neuroplasticity, boundaries, self-love, and the importance of learning to receive instead of constantly giving from depletion.

We also talk about something many Christian women quietly wrestle with: the fear that certain healing practices are somehow “too woo” or “New Age,” even when they can be understood through the incredible way God designed the human body.

If you’ve ever wondered why you still feel stuck despite doing “all the right things,” this conversation is an invitation to release judgment, become curious about what your body may be communicating, and discover what healing can look like when faith, neuroscience, and the body are allowed to work together.

You were created as a whole person. Your healing gets to include your whole person, too.

In this episode, we talk about: • What covert emotional abuse looks and feels like • Gaslighting, people-pleasing, and losing trust in yourself • Rebuilding your identity after divorce or relational trauma • Why survival mode affects more than your thoughts • Nervous system regulation and somatic healing • Faith, breathwork, meditation, and the fear of “New Age” practices • Why emotions aren't something Christians need to fear • The difference between loving others and giving from depletion • Learning to love yourself without abandoning your faith • How mind, body, and spirit can work together in healing

Chel Cartmill is the founder of ReCLAIM, a transformational Christ-centered 12-week healing program for men and women navigating the loss of a spouse through death or divorce, and the author of Spider On My Neck, a memoir about deceit, betrayal, and learning to trust your intuition again.

CONNECT WITH CHEL

Website: www.chelcartmill.com ReCLAIM: www.pathtoreclaim.com

What if healing from trauma isn’t just a spiritual journey or a psychological one—but both?

In this episode of The Business of Inner Peace, I’m joined by Dr. Deb Gold, trauma specialist, empowerment coach, national speaker, and author of Wired for Redemption, for a fascinating conversation about the intersection of neuroscience, trauma healing, and biblical truth.

Dr. Deb shares her extraordinary journey from being a 14-year-old runaway and homeless teenage mother to earning her PhD and helping other women heal from trauma. We explore how painful experiences can create neurological patterns that continue influencing our thoughts, relationships, and nervous system long after the original danger has passed.

But those patterns don’t have to be permanent.

We talk about neuroplasticity, nervous system regulation, creating new neural pathways, and why understanding what is happening in the brain can actually deepen our understanding of Scripture and our relationship with God.

One of my favorite parts of our conversation is Dr. Deb’s explanation of Peter and the charcoal fire. She offers a fascinating perspective on the way Jesus returned Peter to a sensory reminder of his denial—not to shame him, but to restore and recommission him. It’s a beautiful picture of what healing and redemption can look like.

We also talk about:

• Why familiar patterns can feel safer than healthier ones • The role of the amygdala and prefrontal cortex in trauma responses • Why safety is foundational for emotional and spiritual healing • Breathwork and meditation through a biblical lens • EMDR and inviting Jesus into the healing process • Immanuel Prayer and memory reconsolidation • How repetition helps create new neural pathways • Why trauma may shape your responses without defining your identity

If you’ve ever wondered how neuroscience and Scripture fit together—or why you can deeply love God and still struggle with old emotional patterns—this conversation is for you.

You were fearfully and wonderfully made, with a brain capable of learning, changing, and healing.

Connect with Dr. Deb Gold: Visit drdebgold.com and look for Wired for Redemption and its companion workbook on Amazon.

And remember: you are seen, known, and loved.

Hey Sweet Friend!

Have you ever walked away from an argument thinking...

"Why did I say that?"

Or maybe you shut down completely, replay the conversation for hours, or can't think of what you wish you'd said until you're in the shower.

You're not crazy.

And you're probably not a terrible communicator.

In this episode, we explore what actually happens inside the brain and nervous system during conflict—and why trying to resolve a disagreement while you're emotionally activated often creates more hurt instead of more healing.

You'll discover why your body needs emotional first aid before your relationship needs another conversation.

If you've ever longed to respond with more peace, wisdom, and connection instead of reacting from overwhelm, this episode will give you a completely different way to think about conflict.

• Why your nervous system changes the way you communicate

• The difference between reacting and responding

• Why some conversations should wait twenty minutes

• What emotional first aid actually looks like

• How reconnecting with God changes the way you show up in conflict

❤️ Marriage Emotional First Aid Kit

When conflict happens, you don't always need another marriage course.

Sometimes you simply need help finding your way back to peace.

The Marriage Emotional First Aid Kit is a simple audio resource designed for the moments before the conversation, after the fight, and when emotions begin to spiral.

👉 https://marriage-first-aid-kit.lovable.app

Website: https://inhispresence.life

Instagram: @thebusinessofinnerpeace

Facebook Group: In His Presence

#ChristianMarriage #MarriageConflict #ChristianRelationships #NervousSystem #ChristianMentalHealth #MarriageAdvice #FaithAndNeuroscience #EmotionalHealing #ChristianWomen #HealthyMarriage #Communication #ConflictResolution #MarriageHealing #ExperiencingGod