Top 5 Christian Mental Health Podcast Episodes You Need to Hear
In This Episode:
Hosted by Pastor Dave Quak from the Gold Coast, Sunburnt Souls is a Christian mental health podcast breaking stigma and creating a safe space for honest faith conversations. Each episode dives into the messy intersection of mental illness and discipleship, revealing that Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be “fixed” — He meets us right where we are.
Through authentic storytelling and theologically grounded hope, Sunburnt Souls invites listeners to rediscover grace, purpose, and identity in Christ. Whether you live with anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, or trauma, these five episodes capture the heart of the movement — faith in the middle of the fire.
1. Navigating the Wilderness with Jesus – Bronwen Healy
Few conversations embody hope in suffering like Bronwen Healy’s. A motivational speaker, counsellor, and author, Bronwen shares her powerful journey through years of wilderness — marked by grief, uncertainty, and deep loneliness — and how she discovered Jesus’ presence even when everything else fell away.
In this conversation, Bronwen reminds listeners that wilderness seasons are sacred spaces, not signs of failure. Her story offers a roadmap for those walking through burnout, heartbreak, or loss, teaching us to find purpose in the pause and strength in surrender.
Key Takeaways:
God is near in silence and solitude.
The wilderness is not wasted — it grows our roots deeper.
Renewal often begins right after surrender.
Why Listen: This episode will renew your confidence that God is still working even when life feels barren.
2. Schizophrenia, Faith & Business – Loving Jesus While Running a Startup
In one of the most courageous interviews on Sunburnt Souls, Tomas Heligr-Pyke opens up about living with schizophrenia while running a business and nurturing a growing faith. Together, Dave and Tom dismantle the myth that mental illness disqualifies someone from purpose. They explore hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, and how Tom uses prayer, gratitude, and honesty to anchor himself in reality and grace.
This episode blends raw vulnerability with practical wisdom, offering spiritual and emotional tools for anyone balancing faith, work, and mental health challenges. Tom’s faith amid confusion shines as a testament that Christ holds steady even when the mind wavers.
Highlights:
Grounding practices for anxiety and delusion.
Gratitude as a weapon against fear.
Why authenticity heals more than hiding ever will.
Why Listen: A must-hear for anyone seeking to integrate faith with mental illness recovery, entrepreneurship, or leadership.
3. Women in Ministry: Calling, Church Stigma, and Mental Health – with Jess Quak
In this deeply personal episode, Jess Quak — pastor, wife, and co-leader of Living Temple Christian Church — joins Dave to talk about the reality of being a woman in ministry. They unpack the emotional weight of leadership, the struggle for recognition in traditional spaces, and the unseen toll it can take on mental health.
Jess brings humour, humility, and grace as she reflects on the highs and lows of decades in church life — from moments of empowerment to seasons of exhaustion. Together, she and Dave explore how women can lead boldly without losing themselves, staying grounded in spiritual practices that restore rather than drain.
Why It Matters:
Women in ministry often carry emotional labour unseen by others.
Calling doesn’t eliminate pain — it deepens dependence on God.
Faithfulness matters more than titles or platforms.
Why Listen: This episode is both a mirror and a map for women navigating leadership, identity, and resilience in the church.
4. ASD, ADHD, and Faith in Ministry – Robbo’s Journey to Finding Strength in Neurodiversity
This uplifting conversation with Andrew “Robbo” Robinson, content manager at Vision Christian Radio’s, explores how autism and ADHD can become unexpected strengths in ministry. Robbo shares how neurodiversity shapes his communication, creativity, and spiritual sensitivity — showing that God’s power shines best through difference.
Dave and Robbo unpack the beauty and challenges of neurodivergent faith: managing sensory overload, navigating burnout, and finding peace in structure and purpose. The episode celebrates every listener who has ever felt “too much” or “not enough,” affirming that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Takeaways:
Neurodiversity is a divine design, not a disorder to hide.
Routine, rest, and faith rhythms sustain spiritual focus.
God uses every kind of mind to reflect His image.
Why Listen: An empowering reminder that uniqueness is part of the kingdom’s beauty — not a barrier to belonging.
5. Faith, Mental Health & Ministry – Ralph Mayhew on Depression, Pastoring, and Finding Joy in Jesus
Few conversations capture the soul of Sunburnt Souls like this one with Ralph Mayhew — pastor, author, and creative who’s battled depression while leading in ministry. Together, Dave and Ralph unpack the pressures of Christian leadership, the loneliness of pastoral burnout, and the beauty of rediscovering joy in Jesus.
Ralph speaks honestly about anxiety, self-doubt, and the courage it takes to keep preaching when your inner life feels broken. They talk about medication without shame, Sabbath without guilt, and the importance of spiritual rhythms that work in real life.
This episode offers practical hope for pastors, leaders, and believers learning to live authentically with mental illness while holding onto faith. It’s grace without performance — and joy rediscovered in surrender.
Highlights:
How to preach grace while feeling personally unworthy.
Medication and therapy as faithful stewardship, not weakness.
Building sustainable spiritual disciplines that fit real life.
Why Listen: Deep, healing, and theologically rich. A lifeline for anyone facing burnout or disillusionment in ministry.
Faith, Mental Health, and Hope for the Future
Across these episodes, a single truth stands out: Jesus walks with us through it all — in burnout, in stigma, in love, in relapse, and in renewal. Faith doesn’t remove the struggle; it transforms it.
Sunburnt Souls exists to break the silence around mental illness in the Church and to remind every listener that grace is still greater than pain. These five episodes are just the beginning — but they reflect a growing movement of believers who refuse to hide their humanity from God.
Feeling anxious, burnt out, or spiritually dry? This free 30-day devotional offers daily reflections, journal prompts, and water for the thirsty soul.
