The Heart Helper

Jodie Shannon

THE HEART HELPER PODCAST Heart work for your healing. Welcome to The Heart Helper Podcast, hosted by Jodie Shannon, founder of The Heart Helper and author of The Book of Real S**t, Flowers in the Garden, and the 40-day devotional Out of Comfort, Into Calling. In a world chasing influence, we offer something deeper: connection, conviction, and Christ. Where Healing Happens When Hearts Get Honest Rooted in biblical truth and spiritual transparency, this podcast is a sacred space for the stories that shape us. Each episode brings you honest conversations with people who have walked through alcoholism, depression, divorce, suicidal thoughts, and more, and found their way back to life through faith, forgiveness, and grace. You’ll also hear testimonies of restoration, God-ordained marriages, and the beauty of becoming who you were always meant to be. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about the process. If you’re ready to rise from where you are to where God is calling you, you’re in the right place. Award-Winning and Purpose-Driven Named Best Mind, Body & Soul Podcast by the Urban Media Film Festival, The Heart Helper Podcast exists to help you strengthen your spirit, manage your mind, honor your heart, and heighten your health. Every episode is an invitation to walk boldly in your purpose. New Episodes on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 12 PM ET  Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeart. Strengthen the spirit. Manage the mind. Honor the heart. Heighten the health.

  1. 4 days ago

    You Are Becoming What You Behold: Social Learning Theory and Scripture

    You did not just pick up your habits. You learned them through observation. In this faith-based mental health conversation, Jodie Shannon, founder of The Heart Helper and counselor in training, explores Social Learning Theory, psychologist Albert Bandura’s research showing that we learn by watching others. We observe behavior, remember it, and then model it, especially when we see it rewarded. Bandura called this observational learning, and he identified four steps: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. What we watch shapes what we do. Who we walk with shapes who we become. Science calls it modeling. Scripture calls it the company you keep. Jodie aligns the theory with four key scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:33, on why bad company ruins good moralsGalatians 5:9, on how a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and how one small influence can spread through every area of your lifeProverbs 13:20, on how walking with the wise makes us wisePhilippians 4:9, where Paul says to practice what you have learned, heard, and seen in him, showing that modeling can be used on purpose for goodScience did not discover these truths. It confirmed them. As you listen, ask yourself: Who are you watching? Who is watching you? And what patterns are you modeling based on what you have been observing? Join the Heart Helpers Prayer Call Prayer with purpose, worship with words, together. We meet every Wednesday at 7:00 AM ET. To join, email info@thehearthelper.com or leave your email in the comments and we will send you the link. Sow Into the Ministry If this episode blessed you, support the work at https://ko-fi.com/thehearthelper Stay Connected Instagram: @thehearthelperpodcast @iamjodieshannon  All links: linktr.ee/TheHeartHelper Strengthen the spirit. Manage the mind. Honor the heart. Heighten the health. Support the show

  2. 27 Sept

    Chasing God in All the Wrong Places: When the High Is Really a Hunger for the Holy

    What if the person chasing the next high isn't chasing a drug at all? What if they're chasing God and just don't know it yet? In this episode of The Heart Helper Podcast, Jodie brings together neuroscience, counseling research, and Scripture to uncover a powerful truth: the same reward circuit in the brain that lights up when we feel God's presence is the one that substances hijack. The high is a counterfeit of the Holy. With more than 44 million Americans living with a substance use disorder, this conversation walks through four movements: how we were designed with eternity in our hearts, how addiction hijacks that longing, how a substance can quietly take God's place, and how grace, healing, and treatment can lead us back to the fountain of living waters. If you've ever reached for something to quiet the ache, this one is for you. How is your heart? If you or someone you love is struggling: SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7). In a crisis, call or text 988. References Crosland, C., & Imhoff, B. (2024). [Chapter title]. In [First initial]. King-Ford (Ed.), Christian integration in counselor education (pp. 235–257). Kendall Hunt. Ferguson, M. A., Nielsen, J. A., King, J. B., Dai, L., Giangrasso, D. M., Holman, R., Korenberg, J. R., & Anderson, J. S. (2018). Reward, salience, and attentional networks are activated by religious experience in devout Mormons. Social Neuroscience, 13(1), 104–116. Jennings, T. R. (2017). The God-shaped brain: How changing your view of God transforms your life (Expanded ed.). InterVarsity Press. May, G. G. (1988). Addiction and grace: Love and spirituality in the healing of addictions. HarperCollins. Mohandas, E. (2008). Neurobiology of spirituality. Mens Sana Monographs, 6(1), 63–80. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2026). Highlights for the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-2025-Annual-Release/2025-nsduh-nnr-highlights.pdf Thompson, C. (2021). The soul of desire: Discovering the neuroscience of longing, beauty, and community. InterVarsity Press. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). Crossway. Support the show

  3. 12 Aug

    Pruned for Purpose: Becoming the Man God Called You to Be with Blue Franswa

    What happens when a man loses everything — and still chooses to rise? In this powerful episode of The Heart Helper Podcast, host Jodie Shannon sits down with legendary luxury photographer Blue Franswa for one of the most honest and moving conversations we have ever had. Blue opens up about his Haitian heritage, what growing up as a child of a hearing impaired parent taught him about strength, and navigating a world that does not always make room for you. He gets real about the bad decisions that could have derailed his destiny, the season where he lost everything he loved — his family, his business, his footing — and what it looks like to rebuild when all you have left is faith. But this episode is about more than the comeback. Blue speaks directly to men who are carrying weight they were never meant to carry alone. He challenges the idea that vulnerability is weakness and instead invites men into something deeper — acknowledgment. Feeling what you feel. Finding a sacred community that can hold you while you heal. Too often men are handed armor and told to keep moving. On this episode we give men something different. A place to exhale. A place to be honest. A place to soften their shoulders. If you are a man in the middle of your storm, or you love one — this episode is for you. Connect with Blue Franswa: Instagram: instagram.com/bluefranswa LinkedIn: linkedin.com/bluefranswa Facebook: facebook.com/bluefranswa Website: www.bluefranswa.com Subscribe to The Heart Helper Podcast so you never miss a conversation that could change your life. Host: instagram.com/iamjodieshannon Show: instagram.com/thehearthelperpodcast Website: www.thehearthelper.com Support the show

  4. 26 Jul

    They Buried the Abuse. She Buried the Shame. | Healing Unapologetically with Fierra Johnson

    On this episode of The Heart Helper Podcast, host Jodie Shannon sits down with Fierra Johnson-Graham, co-author of Mirror Wounds: A Mother and Daughter's Journey to Healing — a raw and unflinching memoir told in the alternating voices of a mother and daughter bound by love, scarred by trauma, and determined to find freedom. Darlene and Fierra share parallel yet intertwined stories of childhood abuse, family secrets, and the generational silence that kept them bound. Through letters to their younger selves, they pull back the veil on shame and survival — showing that healing is possible even when the scars run deep. This is one of those conversations that will stay with you. In this episode we discuss: The story behind Mirror Wounds and what it meant for a mother and daughter to write their truth together in alternating voicesHow sexual abuse within a family creates wounds that are silently passed down — and how that silence secretly destroys families generation after generationWhat happens when the person who hurt you is a family member, and that same person has harmed others, yet no one has had the courage to speakHow shame thrives in silence — and how truth is the door to freedomThe mirror wounds Fierra discovered her mother was carrying — and how their healing became intertwined across generationsWhy Fierra made the conscious decision to get well not just for herself, but to properly steward the gift God placed inside her and to show up whole for her childrenThe truth that you cannot carry hurt and expect it not to bleed on the people you loveHow to heal unapologetically — giving yourself full permission to pursue wholeness without shrinking for the comfort of othersThe benefits of therapy and why getting professional support is not a sign of weakness but an act of courage and self-stewardshipHow Fierra stopped being a victim and became a victor — and how she did it with GodThis episode is for anyone who: Has been carrying a wound they were told to keep quietLoves someone who is still in their silenceNeeds permission to stop smiling while brokenHas been hesitant about therapy and needs to hear why it changed everythingNeeds to know that healing is not just possible — it is available to them right nowWhile wounds may mirror from mother to daughter — healing, too, can be mirrored and multiplied. Fierra's story is proof. STAY CONNECTED WITH US Show The Heart Helper Podcast Host Jodie Shannon Guest Fierra Johnson Get your copy of Mirror Wounds Join Fierra's Safe Space Support the show

  5. 21 Jun

    The Empress of Entrepreneurship | Honeysuckle Moon on Faith, Floods & Legacy

    The Empress of Entrepreneurship | Honeysuckle Moon on Faith, Floods & Legacy L'Angela Lee, also known as Honeysuckle Moon, is not your average entrepreneur. Born from deep Louisiana roots and shaped by Jamaican culture and Rastafarian philosophy, she built a plant-based skin spa in the historic West End of Atlanta as a love letter to her city and her community. Then the flood came. What could have ended everything became the catalyst for a bigger vision. Grounded in faith, motherhood, and an unshakable refusal to quit, L'Angela shares the raw and real journey of building a wellness brand that serves the whole person — body, mind, and spirit. In this episode, host Jodie Smith sits down with Honeysuckle Moon to talk about what it truly means to be a powerful woman, how Jamaica and Rastafarianism shaped her approach to wellness, and why she believes your greatest setback is simply preparation for your greatest legacy. She did not just survive the flood. She is building an empire from it. If you have ever felt like giving up, this episode is for you. Topics Covered: The origin of Honeysuckle Moon and her roots in culture and communityHow Jamaica and Rastafarianism influence her life and brandOvercoming a devastating business setback with faith and purposeEntrepreneurship, motherhood, and preserving yourself through it allWhat it means to be a powerful woman on your own termsHer international expansion as a wholesale wellness distributorNew episodes of The Heart Helper Podcast drop regularly. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Learn More Vist Honeysuckle Moon  Follow @Honeysucklemoon Book Eco Therapy Jamaica Retreat Visit The Heart Helper Follow @thehearthelperpodcast Follow @iamjodieshannon Support the show

  6. 7 Jun

    Prepared, Surrendered, Filled and Overflowing | Going Deeper with God | ft. Bri Boyd

    Prepared. Surrendered. Filled & Overflowing. | ft. Life Coach Bri Boyd Twelve years of suffering. Lamps burning low. A river with no end. What do they all have in common? They all point to one truth — God is not withholding. He is flowing. But there is a move you have to make. If you have been running on empty, trying every solution, and still coming up short — this episode is for you. If you have been going through the motions but feel like something is missing in your relationship with God — this episode is for you. If you are ready to stop standing on the bank and actually step into what God has for you — this one is for you. In this conversation, Jodie sits down with life coach Bri Boyd to walk through three powerful scriptures that tell one story — what it looks like to be prepared, surrender everything, and come out filled and overflowing. The Woman with the Issue of Blood had been suffering for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, on treatments, on answers that never came. She was ceremonially unclean, isolated from her community, and had no business being in that crowd. But she had heard about Jesus — and faith without action is dead. So she moved. She pressed through the crowd, reached out, and touched the hem of His garment. The power that went out of Him met the faith that was moving in her. Jesus stopped, turned, and called her Daughter. She didn't just receive healing — she received her identity back. The Ten Virgins remind us that intimacy with God is not something you can borrow. Matthew 25:1-4 tells us five were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil. The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. Preparation is not a one-time event — it is a daily, sustained posture of staying close to Him. You cannot pour from an empty lamp, and you cannot enter on someone else's relationship with God. Ezekiel 47 gives us a picture of what full surrender looks like. A river flows from the threshold of the temple — ankle-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep, then too deep to cross. This is the river of God. Living water. Where it flows, everything lives. The invitation is not to stand on the bank and admire it. Step in, go deeper, and let it carry you. We decrease. He increases. We empty ourselves and He fills us with living water that overflows into everything around us. In This Episode: Why preparation is a daily posture, not a one-time actHow the woman with the issue of blood models faith with actionWhat it means to decrease so God can increaseHow to stop standing on the bank and go deeper with God"Where the river flows, everything will live." — Ezekiel 47:9 "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, rivers of living water will flow from within them." — John 7:37-38 If this episode blessed you, share it with someone who needs to hear it and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. Stay Connected  Guest: Bri Boyd, Life Coach @BriBoydCoaching Host: Jodie Shannon @IamJodieShannon | Show: The Heart Helper Podcast @thehearthelperpodcast www.thehearthelper.com The Heart Helper Podcast is faith-rooted conversations for women ready to move from being to becoming. Support the show

About

THE HEART HELPER PODCAST Heart work for your healing. Welcome to The Heart Helper Podcast, hosted by Jodie Shannon, founder of The Heart Helper and author of The Book of Real S**t, Flowers in the Garden, and the 40-day devotional Out of Comfort, Into Calling. In a world chasing influence, we offer something deeper: connection, conviction, and Christ. Where Healing Happens When Hearts Get Honest Rooted in biblical truth and spiritual transparency, this podcast is a sacred space for the stories that shape us. Each episode brings you honest conversations with people who have walked through alcoholism, depression, divorce, suicidal thoughts, and more, and found their way back to life through faith, forgiveness, and grace. You’ll also hear testimonies of restoration, God-ordained marriages, and the beauty of becoming who you were always meant to be. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about the process. If you’re ready to rise from where you are to where God is calling you, you’re in the right place. Award-Winning and Purpose-Driven Named Best Mind, Body & Soul Podcast by the Urban Media Film Festival, The Heart Helper Podcast exists to help you strengthen your spirit, manage your mind, honor your heart, and heighten your health. Every episode is an invitation to walk boldly in your purpose. New Episodes on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 12 PM ET  Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeart. Strengthen the spirit. Manage the mind. Honor the heart. Heighten the health.