The Luella Jonk Show

Dr. Luella Jonk, PhD
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From the therapy room of a registered psychotherapist, dating coach and solopreneur who has tirelessly attempted a 'healthy' work-life balance for 25 years, it rarely existed for me and likely does not for most business owners, entrepreneurs and executives. The truth is relationships can really suffer. I will be interviewing expert guests who are doing things right so we can all learn to mix business with pleasure. Topics will range from building better relationships, connection, dating, and how to spread more kindness and compassion towards others while doing so. Listeners, you have the right to have passion surrounding your work while maintaining passionate relationships. You can have your cake and eat it too. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.

  1. Episode #93: Ester Munt-Brooks on Why Loving Well Is the Hardest — and Only — Thing That Brings You Peace

    2D AGO

    Episode #93: Ester Munt-Brooks on Why Loving Well Is the Hardest — and Only — Thing That Brings You Peace

    In this episode, Catholic educator Ester Munt-Brooks returns for a deeply honest conversation about what it really means to love — not as a feeling, but as a decision. From her years as a free-spirited musician in Spain who wanted nothing to do with commitment, to becoming a daily communicant, devoted wife, and mother of three, Ester unpacks what shifted — and why it took so long to look in the right place. We'll walk you through: ✅ Why the women you're comparing yourself to might actually be leading you away from peace ✅ What St. Thomas Aquinas can teach us about emotions, free will, and why love is never "just a feeling" ✅ How staying home with her children felt both wrong to her intellect and completely right in her heart — at the same time ✅ Why putting your children first might quietly be destroying your marriage ✅ The small, unsexy acts of love that bring warm feelings back when they've gone cold ✅ Why original sin was — at its root — a trust problem. And why yours probably is too ✅ What it means to be both a strong woman and a receptive one — and why you don't have to choose Whether you're a high-achieving woman who's starting to feel the weight of all that striving, a wife who has slowly drifted from her husband somewhere between school drop-offs and career deadlines, or someone who has always kept faith at arm's length — Ester speaks your language. Because she used to speak it too. 🔔 Remember: Peace is not the absence of chaos. It's the sign that you're finally loving in the right direction. Connect with Ester Munt-Brooks: 🌐 Website: https://fevaloryalegria.org 📱 Instagram: @faithwithjoytalks

    1h 4m
  2. Episode #92: Hannah Spier: Depression Is Your Body Speaking. Are You Listening?

    MAR 10

    Episode #92: Hannah Spier: Depression Is Your Body Speaking. Are You Listening?

    In this eye-opening episode, Norwegian psychiatrist Hannah Spier joins us from Zurich to share what she discovered after years of treating anxious, depressed women in outpatient clinics — and why she ultimately walked away from a high-flying career to become a stay-at-home mother of three. Hannah is the voice behind Psychobabble with Spier, where she analyzes the psychological patterns in our culture that quietly incentivize dysfunction. What started as a conversation about her clinical work turned into something far more personal — and far more powerful. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why so many women in their 30s are flooding therapists' offices — and why it's not a psychological problem ✅ How modern therapy (including CBT) has drifted toward endless validation instead of real behavioral change ✅ The moment Hannah realized she was on the same path as her most struggling patients ✅ What happened when she put her daughter in daycare at 7 months — and what it cost her family ✅ Why she calls feminism "an ideology of resentment" — and how she broke free from it ✅ The surprising statistics on Norwegian mothers extending maternity leave at their own expense ✅ How Cluster B personality disorders are rising — and what's fueling them Whether you're a woman questioning whether your career ambitions are truly yours, a therapist wondering if your sessions are actually helping, or someone who senses that our culture's prescription for female fulfillment just isn't working — Hannah offers the kind of honest, medically-grounded perspective that is rarely heard today. 🔔 Remember: Anxiety and depression are often your body speaking to you. The solution isn't always found on the therapy couch — sometimes, it's found in how you're choosing to live. ======================================================== Hannah's relevant links: Substack (Psychobabble with Spier): https://substack.com/@psychobabblewithspier?r=1rqrel&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile&shareImageVariant=image Instagram: @psychobabblewithspier — https://www.instagram.com/psychobabblewithspier/ ======================================================== 🎥 Noteworthy Videos from Hannah — Recommended Watching: ▶️ How Dark Traits Express Themselves in Women — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YOmG62tyl0 ▶️ Why Women Get Away With Narcissism (3 Patterns You'll Recognize) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXCRI6u1bl8 ▶️ Still Selling Feminism: Our Response to Diary of a CEO — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIys5zTk-xs

    57 min
  3. Episode #91: Fr. Joseph de Viveiros on Why Lent Should Humble You, Not Make You Proud

    MAR 3

    Episode #91: Fr. Joseph de Viveiros on Why Lent Should Humble You, Not Make You Proud

    In this episode, I sit down with Father Joseph de Viveiros, a priest of the Congregation of the Resurrection and chaplain for the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. Father brings decades of pastoral experience—from directing liturgy for World Youth Day 2002 with John Paul II to now caring for his 94-year-old mother with dementia—and his insights on Lent cut straight through the surface-level stuff we've been getting wrong for years. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why Lent is about transformation, not willpower—and why the palms that become ashes hold the secret ✅ The two types of fasting nobody talks about—and why one of them you should never stop doing after Easter ✅ Why giving up chocolate is fine—but only if you're filling that emptiness with what actually matters ✅ How fasting from evil (gossip, harsh words, judgment) is the real fast God wants from us ✅ Why Pope Francis is calling us to "disarm our language" this Lent—and what that looks like in practice ✅ The difference between suffering we create and suffering that just comes our way—and how both can be redemptive ✅ Why showing up matters more than you think—and what Father's 94-year-old mother taught him about presence ✅ How we've become isolated in a hyperconnected world—and why getting to Mass is about becoming who you were made to be Whether you're trying to figure out what to give up for Lent, struggling with discipline in a world of endless comfort, or wondering why showing up to church even matters anymore, Father Joseph offers wisdom that's grounded in real life, real suffering, and real transformation. This isn't about perfection. It's about conversion. 🔔 Remember: Fasting from things that are good creates space for God. But fasting from evil? That's the fast you keep forever. ======================================================== Fr. Joseph de Viveiros's relevant links: Instagram: @fr.josephcr Location: North Bay, ON Canada

    51 min
  4. Episode #90: Discipline Gave Me Freedom. And It Can Give You Yours Too.

    FEB 24

    Episode #90: Discipline Gave Me Freedom. And It Can Give You Yours Too.

    Today it's just me. And I'm angry. I wasn't supposed to record a solo episode today. I had two guest interviews scheduled. But ten minutes before we were supposed to go live, one of them canceled. "Not feeling well." At 2 p.m. their time. And here's the thing—I have empathy. Life happens. But this isn't just about today. This is about what I see everywhere: a catastrophic lack of discipline. A refusal to honor commitments. An entire generation that wakes up asking, "How do I feel today?" instead of "What did I commit to today?" I'll walk you through: ✅ Why your morning routine reveals everything about the rest of your life ✅ The difference between emotional connection and "emotional safety"—and why one of those terms is destroying your relationships ✅ How Instagram reels are scattering your thoughts like a snow globe—and why that's the same pattern I see in trauma survivors ✅ Why your feelings should never drive your behavior (and what should instead) ✅ The one thing I'm doing for Lent that will change everything—and why you should too ✅ How discipline gives you freedom (yes, really) ✅ Why farmers don't quit when the weather's bad—and what that has to do with your marriage Whether you're tired of breaking your own commitments, exhausted from letting your emotions run your life, or drowning in the noise of conflicting advice on social media, this episode is a wake-up call. Discipline isn't punishment. It's structure. It's freedom. It's the difference between drifting and living intentionally. 🔔 Remember: God gave us free will—the most beautiful gift. That means you have a choice every single day. To love is a decision. To forgive is a decision. To show up and do the hard things is a decision. Park your feelings aside and do what you committed to do.

    42 min
  5. Episode #89: Fr. John Henry Hanson on The Fire and the Silence—How Prayer, Psychology, and Interior Life Transform Everything

    FEB 16

    Episode #89: Fr. John Henry Hanson on The Fire and the Silence—How Prayer, Psychology, and Interior Life Transform Everything

    In this episode, I sit down with Father John Henry Hanson, a Norbertine priest, formator, and spiritual writer from St. Michael's Abbey whose work lives at the crossroads of psychology and spirituality. Father holds a degree in psychology from Divine Mercy University, and his upcoming book The Fire and the Silence explores what it truly means to align the mind with God in a world that never stops pulling our attention away. This conversation stopped me in my tracks—and I think it will do the same for you. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why psychological order alone leaves us empty—and what actually fills the rooms of the soul ✅ How interior silence isn't passive—it's one of the most demanding and transformative things you can practice ✅ The difference between creating order in your mind and creating life in your mind ✅ Why therapy works—and where it reaches its limits without something deeper ✅ How cognition either opens or closes the door to genuine spiritual growth ✅ What a life shaped by prayer, discipline, and silence actually looks like from the inside ✅ Why removing something from your life is never enough—and what you need to replace it with Whether you're someone who has done the therapy, read the books, done the work—and still feel like something essential is missing—or you're simply curious about what a deeply interior life looks like in practice, Father Hanson offers something rare: wisdom that is lived, not just spoken. 🔔 Remember: You can have a perfectly ordered house and still have an empty home. What fills the rooms matters just as much as the order you create in them. ======================================================== Fr. John Henry Hanson's relevant links: St. Michael's Abbey: https://www.stmichaelsabbey.com Link to Father Hanson's interview on St. Michael's Abbey's YouTube Channel For US residents only: Pre-order The Fire and the Silence through this link on Scepter Publishing's Website.

    1h 14m
  6. Episode #88: Dr. James Kinross on Why Your Gut Holds the Secret to Your Mental Health (And Most Doctors Miss It)

    FEB 10

    Episode #88: Dr. James Kinross on Why Your Gut Holds the Secret to Your Mental Health (And Most Doctors Miss It)

    In this episode, Dr. James Kinross, consultant surgeon and microbiome scientist at Imperial College London, reveals why the trillions of microbes living inside us hold the key to our physical and mental health—and why we're facing an "internal climate crisis" that's changing everything. From IBS to obesity to mental health struggles, Dr. Kinross explains how our relationship with these invisible organisms determines our wellbeing far more than we realize. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why your microbiome is like an orchestra playing a symphony to your body—and what happens when it goes silent ✅ The shocking truth about antibiotics: how childhood exposure shapes lifelong health (and what to do if you need them now) ✅ Why IBS isn't actually about your bowel—it's a gut-brain problem that starts in childhood ✅ The fiber rule that reduces your risk of nearly every chronic disease (and why carnivore diets are terrible for your gut) ✅ How travel, stress, and sleep deprivation completely shift your microbiome—and why some people's IBS vanishes on vacation ✅ The real problem with microbiome testing and how to know if yours is actually useful ✅ Why extreme diets and quick fixes fail—and what actually works for long-term gut health Whether you're struggling with digestive issues, trying to understand the mind-body connection in your practice, or simply want to optimize your health, Dr. Kinross offers clear, science-backed insights that cut through the "wild west" of wellness trends. His message is urgent yet hopeful: we can become conservationists of our own internal ecosystem. 🔔 Remember: You are as microbial as you are human. A diverse diet equals a diverse microbiome equals a longer, healthier life. There are no hacks—only understanding. ======================================================== Dr. James Kinross's relevant links: Website: https://www.jameskinross.com Instagram: @DrJamesKinross Book: Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome (Penguin, 2023)

    1h 15m
  7. Episode #87: We're Choosing a Machine Over the People Right in Front of Us. And It's Ruining Us.

    FEB 3

    Episode #87: We're Choosing a Machine Over the People Right in Front of Us. And It's Ruining Us.

    I'm recording this one without makeup—not because I forgot, but because I need to practice what I'm about to preach: authentic vulnerability over comfortable validation. And what I'm seeing in my therapy practice lately has me genuinely concerned. Couples are now bringing printed transcripts of their spouse's ChatGPT conversations to sessions. People are outsourcing their moral compass, their conflict resolution, and even their emotional intimacy to large language models. And here's what terrifies me: these tools are designed to always agree with you, to validate you, to keep you comfortable and coming back for more. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why ChatGPT's constant validation is training us to be weaker, not wiser—and what virtues we're losing in the process ✅ The four-letter word (ending in K) that Dr. Anna Lembke says is essential for relationships, and why AI is replacing it ✅ How couples are choosing the comfort of a machine over the necessary discomfort of real conversation ✅ Why feelings have been promoted to the highest authority—and how that's destroying our ability to live morally ✅ The difference between being affirmed and being guided, between feeling understood and being told the truth ✅ What patience, perseverance, repentance, and humility have to do with your marriage's survival (and why AI will never ask these of you) I'm not anti-technology—I use ChatGPT myself for grocery store calculations and meal planning. But when it comes to relationships, moral discernment, and the formation of your character, we need to understand what we're surrendering when we choose algorithmic comfort over human connection. Featuring insights from psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke's conversation on The Diary of a CEO about the "drugification of human connection" and addiction to digital validation. 🔔 Remember: A machine that always agrees with you is not your friend. It's not a guide. And it can never replace your conscience. Real love—the kind that sustains a marriage and builds a family—requires the very things AI will never demand from you: patience, sacrifice, humility, and the willingness to be wrong. The danger isn't that machines will become too powerful. It's that we'll become too passive—handing over our agency, our judgment, and our conscience, not because we're forced to, but because it feels easy. ======================================================== Dr. Anna Lembke reference: Psychiatrist and author of "Dopamine Nation" Featured on: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett Topic discussed: Addiction, dopamine, and the drugification of human connection through AI

    50 min
  8. Episode #86: Eric Zeitler (Part 2) on Why Your Husband Won't Lead—And What's Really Stopping Him

    JAN 27

    Episode #86: Eric Zeitler (Part 2) on Why Your Husband Won't Lead—And What's Really Stopping Him

    In this second conversation with Licensed Professional Counselor Eric Zeitler, we tackle one of the most frustrating dynamics in modern Catholic marriages: leadership. Or more accurately, the lack of it. Women tell me constantly that their husbands won't step up. Men tell Eric they don't know how—or worse, that they've tried and been shut down. Eric doesn't sugarcoat it: leadership in marriage requires two things. First, a willingness to sacrifice—to fall on the sword first, to put your comfort second. Second, the ability to make a final decision and commit to it. But here's what most people miss: good leadership isn't authoritarian. It requires curiosity, communication, and humility. It means listening to your wife, understanding what's happening in your home, and making decisions together even when you're the one who has to take final responsibility. We also dig into why so many men resort to sending their wives Instagram reels or YouTube videos instead of actually talking. Spoiler: it's not because they're trying to be hurtful. It's because they don't know how to ask for what they need. They're comparing themselves to other men, feeling powerless, and searching for a script that will finally make them feel heard. I'll walk you through: ✅ What leadership actually means for a husband—and why it's not about being a tyrant ✅ Why fear (not laziness or apathy) is the real reason men won't step up ✅ How women unknowingly shut down their husband's authority—and what to do instead ✅ The role of recognition and appreciation in helping men feel seen (and why it matters more than you think) ✅ Why social media is poisoning marriages with unrealistic expectations on both sides ✅ How Eric and his wife navigated major career risks during pregnancy—and why trust mattered more than stability ✅ The discipline dilemma: why consistency between spouses is more important than being "the tough parent" Whether your husband feels paralyzed by fear, you're frustrated by his silence, or you're both stuck in a pattern of criticism and withdrawal, this conversation offers real, practical insight into what's breaking down—and how to rebuild with humility, curiosity, and faith. 🔔 Remember: Marriage is risk. Leadership is risk. But stability doesn't come from avoiding risk—it comes from trusting each other enough to take it together. ======================================================== Eric's relevant links: Website: https://imagodeihealinginstitute.com Instagram: @imagodeihealinginstitute

    59 min
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About

From the therapy room of a registered psychotherapist, dating coach and solopreneur who has tirelessly attempted a 'healthy' work-life balance for 25 years, it rarely existed for me and likely does not for most business owners, entrepreneurs and executives. The truth is relationships can really suffer. I will be interviewing expert guests who are doing things right so we can all learn to mix business with pleasure. Topics will range from building better relationships, connection, dating, and how to spread more kindness and compassion towards others while doing so. Listeners, you have the right to have passion surrounding your work while maintaining passionate relationships. You can have your cake and eat it too. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Luella Jonk, PhD
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    224
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    The Luella Jonk Show

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