Sunburnt Souls: A Christian Mental Health Podcast

Dave Quak
  • 5.0 (1)
  • CHRISTIANITY
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Sunburnt Souls is a Christian mental health podcast exploring faith, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and emotional resilience through honest conversations and biblical hope. Hosted by Pastor Dave Quak, an Aussie pastor living with bipolar disorder, the podcast explores what it really looks like to follow Jesus through the highs, lows, and everything in between. Each episode shares powerful stories, biblical encouragement, and practical tools for navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, and mental wellness as a follower of Christ. Whether you’re battling darkness, searching for joy, or trying to make sense of faith and mental illness, you’re not alone. Sunburnt Souls is a safe, unfiltered space for honest conversations about Christian mental health. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. 🌐 Learn more at sunburntsouls.com

  1. 2D AGO

    Suffering, Anxiety and Christian Meditation | Finding Peace in Pain with Dr Joshua Knabb

    Pain shows up whether we invite it or not and trying to outrun it usually makes it louder. I sit down with Dr. Joshua Nabb, a clinical psychologist and professor, to talk about what happens when suffering shatters your assumptions and forces bigger questions about faith, healing, and hope. Joshua shares his own story of early trauma, depression, and anxiety, plus the surprising role Christian therapy played in helping him name what hurt and start putting the pieces back together. We dig into a deeply biblical view of emotions that many churches still struggle to hold. Sadness, fear, and anxiety are not automatically spiritual failures. They can be signals that reveal what we value, what we have lost, and what we think is at risk. We talk about lament as a Christian mental health practice, including Psalm 88 and the honesty of the Psalms where the darkness does not neatly resolve. That honesty can be the start of freedom because it trains us to bring the whole truth into God’s presence. Then we get practical with Christian meditation and contemplative prayer that stay anchored to Scripture and the Christian tradition rather than borrowed spirituality. Joshua explains how to train attention with short Bible promises, how to work with intrusive thoughts without getting into a losing fight, and why the Jesus Prayer can feel like real time “soothing” instead of magical problem removal. We also address the “Is meditation New Age?” concern head on and point to the rich heritage of biblical meditation across Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant history. We close with what Joshua is researching next, including a Holy Spirit focused alternative to loving-kindness meditation built around the fruit of the Spirit, plus where to find his free guided practices and resources. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who is struggling, and leave a review so more people can find hope and tools that actually work. If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    31 min

  2. APR 26

    The Pressure to Be Perfect Is Killing Your Faith (Part 2) | Sarah Wiseman

    In Part 2, the conversation goes deeper. Sarah Wiseman opens up about anxiety, depression, motherhood, and the reality of navigating mental health while trying to follow Jesus. From panic attacks to hormonal struggles like PMDD, this is the stuff most people don’t talk about — especially in church. We also talk about raising kids while you’re struggling, dealing with criticism, and why your weakness doesn’t disqualify you from being used by God. This is real faith — not filtered, not perfect. In this episode:  Anxiety and depression in everyday life  Mental health during pregnancy and motherhood  PMDD and the hormonal side of mental illness  Raising kids while you’re struggling  Owning your mistakes and repairing relationships  Why weakness doesn’t disqualify you  Living with faith even when healing isn’t instant A standout moment in this episode is the honesty around mental health — not hiding it, but bringing it into the light where God actually meets people  CONNECT Listen to more episodes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sunburnt-souls-a-christian-mental-health-podcast/id1728936182 Follow Sarah Wiseman:  https://www.instagram.com/sarah.a.wiseman/ Listen to “Sit Down With Sarah”:  https://open.spotify.com/show/0LGxpsG9HXCtVjb5A0P1mR If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    33 min

  3. APR 19

    The Pressure to Be Perfect Is Killing Your Faith (Part 1) | Sarah Wiseman

    She expected shame and found love instead. Sarah Wiseman joins us to talk about the kind of faith that doesn’t wait for you to get polished, cleaned up, or “qualified” before God shows up. We trace her story from being the responsible church kid to hitting a wall of heartbreak, addiction, and the party lifestyle, then walking back into church and realizing grace meets you while you’re still messy. If you’ve ever thought, “Once I fix this, then I’ll come back to God,” this conversation offers a different path. We also dig into the hard, modern reality of doing ministry while managing mental health. Sarah opens up about anxiety and depression, the sting of online criticism, and the exhausting pressure some Christians feel to sound perfect theologically. We talk about why weakness is not disqualifying, why one harsh comment can drown out a thousand kind ones, and why character matters more than influence. For anyone searching for a Christian mental health podcast that actually feels human, we keep it honest without turning it into despair. Then the discussion gets intensely practical: panic attacks in public, telling your kids “I’m anxious” instead of barking orders, and the complicated world of pregnancy mental health. Sarah shares her experience with prenatal anxiety and depression, PMDD, progesterone intolerance, and medication decisions while pregnant, plus the guilt and identity loss that can come with those seasons. We also talk about Scripture as a real support in the fight, while still making room for the seasons where you don’t have the strength to fight at all. If this helped you feel less alone, subscribe to Sunburn Souls, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find faith and mental health conversations like this. If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    34 min

  4. APR 12

    AuDHD: When Autism and ADHD Collide. Week 2 of 2 with Raeleigh Kemp

    If you have ever sat in a church service thinking, “Why can’t I just hold it together,” this conversation is for you. We get honest about neurodiversity and mental health in real life, where good intentions are not enough and belonging has to be built on purpose.  Rayleigh Kemp joins us again to talk about raising her son Zane with autism and ADHD, and what churches can do to become sensory friendly without making families feel like a problem to manage. We dig into practical inclusion: a quiet space with softer lighting, earplugs at the door, permission to worship from the foyer, and ministry teams who come to a person instead of forcing a high pressure walk to the front. Along the way we challenge the silent rules that label regulation as “disrespect,” especially when headphones or an iPad are the very tools that help a dysregulated nervous system settle.  We also zoom out to school pressure, burnout, and the power of diagnosis. Rayleigh explains hypervigilance, masking, anxiety, and why “lazy” can actually be overwhelm and ADHD. We talk about how accommodations and self knowledge can restore hope, and why discipling kids does not have to be heavy: reading Scripture together, letting questions come when they come, and keeping prayer normal in everyday moments.  If this helps you, share it with a parent, a pastor, or a friend who needs more grace than advice, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    35 min

  5. APR 5

    AuDHD: When Autism and ADHD Collide. Week 1 of 2 with Raeleigh Kemp

    Church can be a place of healing, and it can also be the loudest, most demanding room a neurodivergent kid walks into all week. Raeleigh Kemp joins me to talk about faith and mental wellbeing in a way that gets painfully practical: what happens when your child loves God but struggles with sensory overload, separation anxiety, and the pressure to “fit in” on Sunday. Raeleigh shares her story of growing up in a Jesus-loving family, sensing there was more of the Holy Spirit, and becoming the person people naturally trust with hard truths. From there we move into parenting and neurodivergence, including an ADHD diagnosis, ongoing anxiety, and later an autism diagnosis. We talk honestly about autistic burnout, why medication can be a life-giving support, and how quickly school can become unsafe when systems prioritize compliance over understanding. We also dig into inclusive church and what real belonging requires. What would it take for kids ministry and church leadership to be educated in neurodivergence and inclusive practice? How do we connect kids who cannot tolerate a crowded room, or who cannot handle kids church, without making them feel like problems to manage? Raeleigh offers grounded ideas, from flexible spaces to simple alternatives like kicking a ball outside while talking about Jesus, and we come back to a core Christian question: who do we make room for, and why? If you care about Christian mental health, parenting neurodivergent children, autism and ADHD support, or building a church that welcomes the whole family, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. Books a session with Raeleigh today If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    34 min

  6. MAR 29

    The “Strong One” Is Struggling: Christian Mental Health with Susie Holt

    You can be the person everyone counts on and still feel like you’re barely holding it together. Sitting down with Susie Holt, we get honest about the gap between what people see and what’s really happening inside, especially when you’re a public voice, a mum, a leader, or the “strong one” in your community. We talk through Susie’s faith journey and the moment she realised church attendance isn’t the same as a relationship with Jesus. From there, the conversation turns practical and personal: growing up with a mum diagnosed with bipolar disorder, what healthy treatment and consistency can look like in a family, and how those early experiences shape the way we cope as adults. We also name the stuff that often stays hidden in Christian spaces: anxiety, depression, stress, and the pressure to mask so nobody worries. Susie shares what it’s like navigating ADHD in marriage, including hyperfocus, time blindness, and the communication changes that help when emotions run high. We dig into people pleasing, identity, fear, and the work of parenting with humility so healing can actually happen, not just get avoided. We close with a prayer for peace, purpose, and the courage to become more grounded in who God created you to be. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s been carrying a lot, and leave a review. What part of the conversation hit closest to home for you? If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    32 min

  7. MAR 22

    Teen Mental Health in Church: What We’re Missing

    Church can be the last place people admit they’re struggling. I share a new live session from a Brisbane church where we talk honestly about faith and mental health, from the quiet pain adults carry to the rising pressure crushing many teens. Along the way I tell a story about meeting a man with Tourette syndrome and what his experience reveals about loneliness, stigma, and how quickly a community can pull away when life gets messy. I also open up about living with bipolar disorder and why we have to stop treating mental illness like a discipleship defect. We wouldn’t tell someone their diabetes proves they lack faith, yet anxiety and depression often get that treatment. We work through a simple, practical theology of suffering and then get specific about what churches can change: reducing social pressure, creating spaces to step out and breathe, and training people to check in with care instead of judgment. If Sunburnt Souls has helped or blessed you in any way, can I ask a small favour? Would you consider telling someone about the podcast, reposting an episode link, or bringing it up over dinner with a mate sometime? Word of mouth is how this podcast spreads. We don’t have the budget for advertising, so every share genuinely helps more people discover the conversations we’re having around faith and mental health. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    27 min

  8. MAR 15

    Top 10 Questions Christians Ask Me About Faith and Mental Health

    The questions people ask about mental health and Christianity are usually the ones we're all thinking about anyway. So I’m answering them plainly, with zero filter or desire to be eloquent.  We start with why Sunburnt Souls exists and why I believe the church still has a few stigmas to stomp on. Mental ill health isn’t proof you’re evil or being punished by God. It’s an ailment, and the right response is love, kindness, and encouragement. I also share where I’m at with bipolar right now, why “mostly recovered” isn’t the goal, and why the way forward can feel unbelievably boring. Sleep on time. Eat well. Move your body. Stick with your doctor’s advice. The flywheel matters, and it builds momentum over time. I also talk about pushback, family boundaries, and the guests who have impacted me most, including stories that reveal how pressure can warp what relief feels like. Then we get into the heavy stuff: what I do when someone reaches out with a confronting situation like suicidal ideation, why I always point people to a GP or emergency care, and why debriefing tough conversations is part of staying healthy. I finish with some behind-the-scenes honesty about publishing decisions, finances, and why word of mouth is how this podcast grows. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find faith-based mental health support. 🙏 IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us keep producing Christian mental health podcasts and resources that bring hope to listeners around the world and breaks the stigma in the Church. 👉 Donate to Sunburnt Souls. ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 🧠 NEW ONLINE COURSE: Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health A 28-day, FREE journey to help you: Embrace your identity in JesusBuild life-giving spiritual rhythmsNavigate anxiety, depression, and burnout with honesty and grace👉 Start your 28-day journey today 📩 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Get weekly encouragement, bonus podcast clips, and faith-informed mental health resources in your inbox. 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter ⭐ LEAVE A REVIEW Love this episode? Your review helps others discover faith-based mental health resources and find hope for their journey. Listen and Rate on Apple PodcastsListen & Rate on SpotifySunburnt Souls is produced by Pretty Podcasts — a Christian mental health production where faith meets real life through stories ...

    23 min
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Sunburnt Souls is a Christian mental health podcast exploring faith, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and emotional resilience through honest conversations and biblical hope. Hosted by Pastor Dave Quak, an Aussie pastor living with bipolar disorder, the podcast explores what it really looks like to follow Jesus through the highs, lows, and everything in between. Each episode shares powerful stories, biblical encouragement, and practical tools for navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, and mental wellness as a follower of Christ. Whether you’re battling darkness, searching for joy, or trying to make sense of faith and mental illness, you’re not alone. Sunburnt Souls is a safe, unfiltered space for honest conversations about Christian mental health. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. 🌐 Learn more at sunburntsouls.com

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