87 - Why do so many Christians hide their deepest struggles from the very people who should be helping them heal?

The Church should be one of the safest places to admit that we are broken. Yet Christians struggling with addiction, anxiety, depression, sexual integrity, eating disorders, and other life-interfering thoughts, emotions, and behaviors may sit in church believing they can't tell anyone what's really happening.

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte talks with Jolie Vogliardo, author of America: The Sleeping Giant and Her Slumbering Church, about shame, spiritual awakening, and what it would look like for the Church to become a safer place for people who are struggling.

Jolie candidly shares from her own past and the shame she experienced, raising a question many people silently carry: If people really knew me and what I've done, would they still love and accept me?

Together, Rose Ann and Jolie explore why shame causes people to hide, the difference between God's loving conviction and condemnation, and how to identify someone safe enough to trust with your struggle.

The conversation also leads to an important realization: The Church isn't just the pastor or the people on staff. We are the Church.

That means each of us has an opportunity to become a safe person who responds to another person's struggle with truth, grace, compassion, and love.

If you're carrying something you're ashamed to tell anyone, this conversation is for you. And if someone has trusted you with their struggle, it's for you too.

Connect with Jolie Vogliardo

Jolie Vogliardo is the author of America: The Sleeping Giant and Her Slumbering Church, winner of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association Golden Scroll Award for Nonfiction Book of the Year.

Jolie's website: Www.pursueholiness.com

America: The Sleeping Giant and Her Slumbering Church: https://amzn.to/4z3DPgX

Resources from Rose Ann Forte

Prepare to Quit: https://amzn.to/4umJs6l
The Plans He Has for Me: https://amzn.to/3Qk3MHL
Transformed by His Promises: https://amzn.to/43PWhvf
Choose Freedom®: https://choosefreedom.today

If this episode encouraged you, please follow Say Goodbye and Imagine!, share it with someone who may need to hear it, and leave a review. Your support helps more people discover a message of hope and freedom.

Hashtags: #ChristianPodcast #ChristianLiving #FaithAndHealing #Shame #ChurchAndAddiction #ChooseFreedom

Ep 86 - What if the painful seasons of your life could lead to greater wisdom, transformation, and purpose? In Ecclesiastes 7:3–4, we're told that sorrow has a refining influence on us and that a wise person thinks about death. At first, those words may sound discouraging, but they point to a surprisingly hopeful truth: pain can interrupt our autopilot, cause us to reflect on where our choices are taking us, and help us reconsider what truly matters.

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte explores the biblical wisdom and science behind sorrow, reflection, and transformation. She shares how some of the most painful experiences in her own life became catalysts for meaningful change and examines the concepts of post-traumatic growth and meaning-making after difficult experiences.

You'll also discover why our instinct to numb uncomfortable emotions through alcohol, substances, life-interfering behaviors, or distractions can sometimes keep us from recognizing what our pain may be trying to show us.

Through the stories of Peter, the prodigal son, and King Manasseh, Rose Ann explores a pattern we see throughout Scripture: painful circumstances can get our attention, but pain alone does not necessarily transform us. Transformation can begin when we stop, become aware, reflect on what has happened, seek God's truth, and make a different choice about what comes next.

Finally, we explore the surprising second half of Ecclesiastes 7:4: Why does a wise person think about death? Because remembering that our days are limited can clarify how we want to live them.

What kind of person are you becoming? What story is your life telling? What will your legacy be? And are the choices you're making today leading you toward the life and purpose God has for you?

Stay until the end for three powerful reflection questions and a closing prayer.

Featured Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:3–4 (NLT)

Related Episode:
Episode #79, Why We Wait for Pain to Change: The Story of Manasseh
Rose Ann explores the story of King Manasseh and why sometimes it takes painful consequences to finally get our attention and move us toward change.

Featured Resource: Prepare to Quit

If you find yourself repeatedly turning to alcohol or another substance to numb uncomfortable emotions, but you aren't sure you're ready to quit, Prepare to Quit was created for this very stage of the journey. It helps you step back, honestly evaluate where you are, and prepare yourself to make a confident decision about what comes next.

https://amzn.to/4umJs6l

Additional Resources:

The Plans He Has for Me
A 12-week devotional for those seeking freedom from alcohol through biblical wisdom and daily reflection.
https://amzn.to/3Qk3MHL

Transformed by His Promises
For anyone seeking freedom from life-interfering thoughts, emotions, and behaviors through God's promises and practical action.
https://amzn.to/43PWhvf

Find additional resources and learn more about Choose Freedom at:

https://choosefreedom.today

Ep 85 - How much of your life is shaped by what other people think?

Most of us have experienced the fear of criticism, rejection, or not fitting in. Sometimes it keeps us from speaking up. Sometimes it causes us to hide our gifts. And sometimes it influences life-changing decisions without us even realizing it.

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte explores Proverbs 29:25 and the warning that "fearing people is a dangerous trap." Through the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15, you'll discover how approval-seeking can lead us away from God's best and why learning to trust God more than human opinion leads to true freedom.

You'll also learn the neuroscience behind why rejection hurts, why our brains crave acceptance, and how renewing your mind helps you make decisions based on God's purpose instead of other people's approval.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why the fear of people's opinions can become a dangerous trap.
• What King Saul's story teaches us about approval-seeking.
• The neuroscience of belonging, rejection, and peer pressure.
• Why conformity often competes with God's calling on your life.
• How Romans 12:2 provides the pathway to renewed thinking.
• Reflection questions to help you recognize whose voice is influencing your decisions.

Featured Scriptures

• Proverbs 29:25
• 1 Samuel 15
• Romans 12:2

Resources

Choose Freedom® Program:
https://choosefreedom.today/direct

Choose Freedom®:
https://choosefreedom.today

Prepare to Quit:
https://amzn.to/4umJs6l

The Plans He Has For Me:
https://amzn.to/3Qk3MHL

Transformed by His Promises:
https://amzn.to/43PWhvf

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may be struggling with the fear of other people's opinions.

Ep 84: What do you do when life doesn't go according to plan?

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte explores 1 Peter 4:12-13 and discusses why many people return to unhealthy habits during difficult seasons. Whether the struggle is alcohol, overeating, gambling, pornography, excessive screen time, avoidance, or another life-interfering behavior, stressful events often expose the coping strategies we have practiced for years.

Many people point to a difficult circumstance as the reason they re-engaged in a behavior they wanted to leave behind:

"I had a fight with my spouse."
"I was lonely."
"I was overwhelmed."
"I got bad news."

But what if the event wasn't the real reason? What if the event simply revealed what we were prepared to do when life became difficult?

Drawing on biblical truth, neuroscience, and practical habit-change strategies, Rose Ann explains why the brain naturally defaults to familiar solutions during times of stress and how we can prepare ourselves to respond differently. You'll learn how to identify the lies that often precede unhealthy behaviors, renew your mind through intentional practice, and develop healthier responses before the next trial arrives.

Most importantly, you'll be challenged to ask a different question. Not:

"How do I make this feeling stop?"

But:

"Who do I want to become?"

Because the goal is not simply to stop a behavior. The goal is to become the person God created you to be.

In This Episode:

• Why Peter tells us not to be surprised by life's trials
• The common lies that often lead to unhealthy behaviors
• How stress activates familiar brain pathways
• What neuroscience teaches us about renewing the mind
• Why preparation matters more than willpower
• How to use your future identity to guide present decisions
• Practical alternatives when temptation strikes

Featured Scripture:
1 Peter 4:12-13 (NLT)

Resources Mentioned

Prepare to Quit
https://amzn.to/4umJs6l

The Plans He Has For Me
https://amzn.to/3Qk3MHL

Transformed by His Promises
https://amzn.to/43PWhvf

Choose Freedom Resources
https://choosefreedom.today

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, share it with a friend, and consider leaving an honest review. Your support helps more people discover the hope, healing, and freedom that are possible through renewed thinking and faith in Christ.

Ep 82 - In this heartfelt episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Choose Freedom coach Layne shares a deeply personal reflection as she approaches six years free from alcohol. She was previously interviewed on the podcast - listen to that episode here - https://choosefreedom.today/alcohol-free-coach-laynes-story/

Layne opens up about how putting alcohol aside helped her reconnect more deeply with her faith, hear God's direction more clearly, and step into a calling that had been waiting for years. Since choosing the alcohol-free lifestyle, she has written and published three books, including her newest book, More Than a Mocktail: A Fresh Approach on a Timeless Tradition.

But this episode is not only about quitting drinking. It is about what happens afterward.

Layne explores the question many people face once alcohol is removed: Now what? For many, alcohol was connected to ritual, relaxation, celebration, social comfort, and the transition out of stress. When it is gone, something meaningful needs to be built in its place.

Through the lens of faith, creativity, history, and intentional living, Layne invites listeners to think beyond deprivation and begin imagining a richer alcohol-free life. She shares how old beverage traditions, herbal drinks, mocktails, hospitality, journaling, nature, and meaningful rituals can become part of a beautiful new rhythm.

This episode is an invitation to stop focusing only on what you are leaving behind and begin asking what God may be calling you toward.

In This Episode

Layne shares:

How her life changed after choosing the alcohol-free lifestyle
Why quitting drinking is only one part of the journey
The deeper question that often follows: "Now what?"
How alcohol can mute awareness, purpose, and spiritual clarity
Why meaningful rituals matter after alcohol is removed
How her new book More Than a Mocktail was born
The connection between alcohol-free living, creativity, faith, and purpose
Three reflection questions for prayer and journaling

Reflection Questions from the Episode

1. What parts of your life may be muting your ability to hear God's direction, purpose, or calling more clearly?
2. After removing something unhealthy from your life, what meaningful rituals, habits, or connections could you begin building instead?
3. What gifts, dreams, or deeper parts of yourself might be waiting to emerge if you created more space for reflection, intention, and alignment with your values and faith?

Resources Mentioned

Choose Freedom Program
The Plans He Has For Me
Prepare to Quit
Transformed by His Promises
Layne's coaching through the Choose Freedom Provider section
Layne's book: More Than a Mocktail: A Fresh Approach on a Timeless Tradition

#ChooseFreedom
#AlcoholFreeLifestyle
#ChristianSobriety
#LifeAfterAlcohol
#MoreThanAMocktail

Ep 81 - Have you ever cried out "How long, God?" — waiting for healing, freedom, a prodigal child to return, or relief from something that has taken over your life? In this episode, Rose Ann opens a devotional she just finished on Psalm 13 and unpacks David's raw, honest cry to God. She explores the Hebrew word qavah (the true meaning of "wait"), the neuroscience of hope and dopamine, and why your waiting season is not empty — it is where a thread becomes a rope.

In This Episode:

• Psalm 13:1–2 and what David's lament gives us permission to do
• Why Scripture doesn't tell us exactly when David wrote this psalm — and why it doesn't matter
• The Hebrew word qavah: waiting is not passive — it means to bind, twist, and intertwine
• Chalaph: the trade — your exhaustion for His strength
• Isaiah 40:31 and what the original Hebrew actually reveals
• Ecclesiastes 4:12 — a cord of three strands
• Lamentations 3:25 — the Lord is good to those who qavah
• Two kinds of "how long" waiting for people in recovery
• The neuroscience of hope: why dopamine fires on anticipation, not pleasure
• David praising before the rescue came — and what that does to the brain
• Three reflection questions and a closing prayer

Scripture References:

• Psalm 13:1–2, 5–6
• Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
• Ecclesiastes 4:12
• Lamentations 3:25

Resources Mentioned:

• 📺 YouTube video: "The Promises of God: What the Original Hebrew Actually Reveals"]
• 🎙️ Previous episode: Willing But Not Yet Ready [INSERT LINK]
• 📖 The Plans He Has for Me — 12-week devotional for anyone struggling with alcohol or other substances
• 📖 Prepare to Quit — the eight spiritual keys to finally getting ready, includes personal workbook, Audible version, and three bonus core concepts from the Choose Freedom program not available anywhere else [INSERT AMAZON LINK]
• 📖 Transformed by His Promises — 12-week companion devotional challenge for life-interfering thoughts, emotions, and behaviors
• 💻 Choose Freedom Program — structured coaching journey with a trained coach

Reflection Questions:

1. What is your "how long" prayer — the one you have carried so long you have almost stopped saying it out loud?
2. What lie have you been believing that keeps you returning to the same place?
3. If this pattern disappeared tomorrow, what would you actually want your life to look like — and what would that hope catalyze in you?