Rooted and Established

During the Christmas season, we are surrounded by all the loveliness and sparkle we can imagine. Everything seems to shimmer and sparkle with the twinkle of lights and colorful decoration. But what happens when we ourselves do not feel merry and bright? What happens when we can't seem to get in the Christmas spirit? We can feel like Christmas isn't even meant for me this year. We may decorate like Christmas is for the holly and jolly, but in truth, Christmas came for those in the dark, for those surrounded by darkness hoping for the Light of hope and freedom of deliverance. Wherever your spirit is this Christmas season, we hope this reflection encourages and comforts you as you remember Christmas isn't just for those who are merry and bright. Christmas is meant for us all who are finding our way in the darkness believing in the hope and the fulfillment of the Light of the World. If you are interested in learning more about Cultivate Counseling and our additional emotional health resources, go to www.cultivateatlanta.com .

We need friendship in our lives.  In fact, studies show we are mentally and physically healthier when we have belonging and connection.  So how do we create this needed and desired connection in adulthood?  How do we make and sustain friendships amidst all of our responsibilities, schedules, and demands for our time and attention? In this episode, Mazi interviews therapist Sarah Collins and Corrie Inman as they discuss how to cultivate belonging and connection in adult friendship. They cover such topics as: *The challenges of making and sustaining friends in adulthood*The different types of loneliness we experience*The characteristics of a good friend and how to become and make that type of friend*The feelings that come with growing apart from friends and why we never talk about how much that can hurt We hope this episode encourages, validates, and equips you to cultivate more meaningful connection. If you are interested in learning more about Cultivate Counseling and our additional emotional health resources, go to www.cultivateatlanta.com.

We all know that perfectionism is not possible, yet so many of us keep striving and reaching for that brass ring. We mask our attempts at perfection with secret codes like "I know I can't be perfect, I just want to do my best" or "I know perfection isn't possible, I just like to be really productive." These secret codes lead us to attach our worth to our production and performance and we end up ever striving rather than living from the truth that we are loved and worthy. In today's episode, Mazi shares how 40 ounces of water and her own journey through IVF led her face to face with the damaging impact of her secret code perfectionism and how we all can find peace and freedom.

As we continue to live through a global pandemic, many of us are experiencing a lot of feelings, maybe even more than we normally do. And probably these feelings are intense and quickly changing. Why are we feeling so much and so intensely right now? What purpose do feelings serve in our lives? Are some feelings unhealthy or unchristian? How do we learn to acknowledge our feelings and respond productively to stressful situations. Join in this episode as Mazi answers these questions, as well as looks at why emotion, and letting ourselves experience all our emotions, leads to a fuller, richer life.

As we move into Easter weekend, we wanted to give you a special episode to help prepare your heart for the hope of Easter. The three days of Easter weekend represent the cycle we live in throughout our lives- there is the unthinkable loss/tragedy of Friday, followed by the questions, grief, despair of Saturday, and then the redemption/healing of Sunday. It seems like we spend a lot of our time in Saturday, in The Middle. The Middle is the in between. It is after the crisis but before the new chapter. The Middle comes after the tragedy but before the triumph. In today's episode, Mazi talks about how to live in The Middle, the spiritual wrestling that often comes with this season, and how to find comfort and hope in the assurance of a redemptive Sunday.

Hope is a sustaining force in our lives, a light to illuminate the darkness. How do we access hope when it feels far away or elusive? How can we respond to cynicism and despair when they arise? In this podcast episode, Cultivate staff therapist Sarah Collins, MS, MDiv, APC, NCC explores some of the challenging aspects of holding onto hope in times of difficulty and offer guidance for the practice of cultivating hope.

We believe stories are important. We especially believe YOUR stories are important. Your story does not need to be complete, you don’t have to know the ending or have it all wrapped up in a pretty bow, but we believe chapters of our story are worth sharing because we learn and grow from one another's stories. We hope you enjoy today's storyteller, Mary Beth Walker, as she shares how she navigated a year of significant change in her life.You will love hearing Mary Beth’s wisdom and humor as she shares what she learned about herself, her faith, and how to face uncertainty with courage.

Change is a certainty in our life, but change brings anything but certainty to our lives. Whether we choose the change or it is thrust upon us, change brings forth a host of thoughts and feelings. How can we learn to handle change so that we can move forward with confidence rather than stay gripped by anxiety? In today's episode, Mazi Robinson shares how we can learn to handle change despite the unknowns and uncertainty and cultivate confidence and clarity for our future.

Do you ever feel lonely or disconnected? Not invited? Not included? We are “connected” to more people than ever before, yet many report feelings of disconnection from quality, meaningful friendships. Loneliness is a growing epidemic in our culture. When we feel lonely, we try to distract ourselves and fill the empty spaces in our lives to avoid it, but loneliness ends up taking a toll on our emotional well-being. On today's episode Miriam Ryan discusses why we struggle with loneliness and how to cultivate meaningful connections in our hyper-connected world.

What do stubbed toes and a broken heart have in common? A lot! When we are injured, our natural inclination is to hide, to protect the wound. But it is only when we let light, love, and air reach a wounded place that it can begin to heal. In today's episode, we talk about how to break free of the silence and isolation that can keep our stories and our heart wounds hidden.

What do you need to hear? What do you need to remember? Whatever we repeat to ourselves will become fact in our lives. If we repeat lies, those lies will wreak havoc in our lives. If we repeat love and encouragement, then we will live from that place and experience a positive shift in our thinking and feeling. In today's episode we talk about the power of a word, a phrase, a quote, a song, even an image to help us remember and stay grounded in truth and hope.

What does it mean to be in exile? To be in exile means to be away from one’s home, to be in foreign territory. Have you ever felt "far from home" in your life, in your relationships? We feel our exiles much more keenly during the Christmas season. When your “Christmas Card” doesn’t look like everyone else’s or doesn't look like you expected it to, it can feel like nails screeching down the chalkboard of your heart, and we can certainly feel in exile. Join us for today's episode as we discuss two things to remember if we are feeling in exile this Christmas season.

Every expert, every book will tell you that gratitude is the gateway to joy. And that is true. But what happens when you don't feel grateful? What happens when you know there is goodness around you, but you struggle to access gratitude because you are struggling so much under the weight of the things you are not grateful for. In today's episode, Mazi will discuss how we navigate feeling simultaneously grateful and ungrateful and learn to hold both of those realities in the palm of our hand.

The holidays are festive but they can also trigger our sadness and grief for what has been lost or hasn't come to fruition. At Cultivate's November Gathering, Miriam Ryan shared wise words on how to find the brightness of the season by holding onto the promise of Immanuel, God with us, even when we feel like we are walking in the darkness.

How do we thrive through the holidays when we are faced with the festive, stressful, and unexpected? Enjoy this live recording from the November Cultivate Gathering of our panel discussion with Mazi Robinson, Monica DiCristina, Meghan Toups, and Susan Negri as they share insights and tips on how to not just survive the holidays but truly thrive!

How do we heal? We hear a lot about healing, but what does that actually mean? How do we heal an anxious heart, broken trust, a depressed mind, a ruptured relationship? What does that process look like? Is it quick? Is it easy? Why does it sometimes feel like things get worse before they get better? And why do we have to experience pain and hurt in the first place? We hope you'll enjoy this talk from our September Cultivate Gathering as Mazi Robinson discusses the process of healing- how we do it, the misunderstandings around it, and why healing is possible for every one of us.