From Homelessness to Hope: Cristina Baker’s Story of Redemption
Release Date: 06/09/2025
"But What If I'm the 99th?" — A Conversation with J.M.D. Myers
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this powerful episode, J.M.D. Myers shares her personal journey with OCD — a journey that for years was misread as a spiritual problem. Growing up in a devout Christian family in Massachusetts, JDM was a child who took her faith seriously. But what looked to others like legalism or being overly judgmental was actually undiagnosed OCD. For years she carried the weight of that misidentification, feeling like something was fundamentally wrong with her spiritually — and the guilt that came with it. It wasn't until much later in life that she finally received a proper diagnosis of OCD....
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Still Here: Adam Flesner’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this episode of the Fresh Hope for Mental Health Podcast, Pastor Brad interviews Adam Flesner about his powerful story documented in his book, . Adam shares his journey with bipolar disorder, beginning in 2011 while he was in college. At first, doctors believed he was struggling with depression and prescribed an antidepressant, which triggered his first manic episode and eventually led to a bipolar diagnosis. Adam openly discusses the difficult years that followed as he searched for the right medication and eventually found stability. However, after graduating from college, he decided to...
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Hope Ignited: Maria I. Morgan’s Journey Through Anxiety, Depression, and Faith
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this episode, Pastor Brad talks with author and speaker Maria I. Morgan about her powerful journey through anxiety and depression. Maria shares how her first experience with anxiety and depression began in 2006 after a car accident. During that season she sought help quickly and spent about nine months receiving medication and therapy, but the deeper root of her struggles was not discovered at that time. Years later, in 2020, Maria faced a second and much more severe episode after caring for her mother-in-law who had dementia. During this difficult period, she experienced intense...
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Finding Hope with Bipolar Disorder: Donavan Wallenburg’s Story
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this episode, Pastor Brad interviews Donavan Wallenburg, a faith-based mental health advocate living with Bipolar I disorder. Donavan shares his personal journey, including his struggles with alcohol that began in high school, the impact of his parents’ divorce at age 18, and later his use of marihuana. He also reflects on the devastating loss of his younger sister, which led him into a deep depression and eventually his first manic episode. Through proper diagnosis, treatment, and a renewed relationship with God, Donavan found hope and healing. Today, he shares his story to encourage...
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Finding God in the Wilderness: A Conversation with Dustin Kleinschmidt
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this episode, Pastor Brad interviews Pastor , author of The Wilderness Way. Dustin shares his personal journey of faith, beginning with a childhood marked by trauma and growing up without a Christian background. As a teenager, he encountered Jesus through a Christian youth group, where he found the sense of community and belonging he had been missing. During his college years, God continued to shape his life by placing mentors and people around him who discipled and encouraged him in his faith. During that time, Dustin also met his wife, and together they began building a beautiful...
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Overcoming Insomnia: Faith-Based Sleep Habits with Dr. Benjamin Long
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
Here are engaging, listener-friendly podcast notes you can use on the site, in emails, or for social media: Episode Description In this episode, Pastor Brad sits down with Dr. Benjamin Long, a sleep medicine physician and author of Sleep Habits Journal: Practices, Prayers, and Devotions to Ease Your Sleepless Nights. If you’ve struggled with insomnia, restless nights, or simply want to build healthier sleep habits for your physical and emotional well-being, this conversation is for you. Together, Pastor Brad and Dr. Long discuss how habits, and spiritual rhythms affect our ability to...
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Finding Hope Through Anxiety: A Conversation with Cody Deese
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this episode, Pastor Brad interviews , a pastor from Georgia and author of Discovering Your Internal Universe. Cody opens up about his lifelong struggle with anxiety, which began in childhood. At 40 years old, he received his first diagnosis of panic disorder — the moment that marked the beginning of a deep and challenging journey toward healing. He shares how he tried numerous approaches — from professional help to various methods and diets — but his real breakthrough came when he began addressing unprocessed pain. By revisiting his childhood memories through imagination and...
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Escaping the Trap of Unprocessed Pain
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
This week, Pastor Brad sits down with his long-time friend, Jimmy George, the Executive Director of Fresh Start Omaha! For years, Jimmy served as a pastor at Relevant Church, and now he is dedicated to seeing people set free from the debilitating effects of offense, hurt, and loss. In this powerful conversation, Jimmy explains the dangerous, subtle ways that unprocessed pain holds us captive. He describes how old wounds can manifest as: A self-focused life. A victimhood mentality. Patterns of self-sabotage. Negative thoughts and rumination. False identities built out of past...
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Healing from the Inside Out: Trauma, Faith, and the Power of IFS
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
Do you feel like a part of you is stuck in the past, carrying wounds you can't seem to shake? In this profoundly important episode, Pastor Brad welcomes Dr. Audrey Davidheiser—a leading expert who is helping people find deep soul healing. Dr. Davidheiser, a licensed psychologist in California and certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist (PhD, Fuller), specializes in guiding survivors of trauma toward wholeness, including those grappling with the unique and often-misunderstood pain of religious trauma. Drawing from her powerful experience—which includes founding a counseling center...
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Finding Hope Through Bipolar Disorder – Interview with Ruby Lucas
Fresh Hope for Mental Health
In this episode, Pastor Brad interviews Ruby Lucas, author and mental health advocate. Ruby was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 19, but her struggles with anxiety began much earlier in childhood. Her teenage years were marked by depression, sadness, and panic attacks. While studying abroad, Ruby experienced her first manic episode, which led to her diagnosis. The following years were challenging—marked by denial, lack of proper treatment, psychosis, and even times when people took advantage of her vulnerability. But God broke through. Ruby’s story is one of faith, hope, and...
info_outlineIn this powerful episode, Pastor Brad sits down with Cristina Baker, author, speaker, and passionate follower of Jesus. Cristina shares her incredible story of redemption—one marked by a difficult childhood, abuse, homelessness, and addiction.
Years ago, Cristina encountered the miraculous love and power of God through a group of faithful intercessors who led her to Christ and taught her how to pray. Her life was radically transformed, and she now shares hope and encouragement with others through her testimony and writing.
Cristina is the author of two inspiring books: Hope in 60 Seconds and A Minute of Hope, where she offers short, faith-filled messages that speak life into the darkest places.
This is an episode you won’t want to miss—and one you’ll definitely want to share!
🔗 Learn more about Cristina at cristinabaker.com
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