Between the Covers Podcast

Let's talk about taking ownership. With the conversations I have with clients, one of the threads that is strewn throughout their experiences is a desire to only take ownership of their follies or that taking ownership of their successes is prideful. It doesn't have to be this way. We can be confident in our abilities tell others that we have succeeded at a goal and we can also choose to not beat ourselves into a bloody pulp when we do something wrong. Heroes are those who own their shortcomings and successes.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

To wrap up our look at purity culture, we are going to talk about love and lust today. I grew up believing that lust was a bad trait and therefore something was wrong with me if I ever had something that could remotely be qualified as a lustful thought. Turns out, that's not true. Lust is a feeling and like most feelings, I can choose to act on it or not. Same with love. Let's see if we can break down the unfair comparison between love and lust and see if they share more common ground than we give them credit for.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Content Warning: this episode is going to mention specific biblical scriptures and I discuss the impacts purity culture on sex and sexuality, specifically in the Christian faith tradition. Take care of yourself while listening to this episode. If you need to, skip it and come back later, or leave this episode in the archives. Trust your body to know whether it's a worthwhile topic to dive into.
Let's continue our discussion of purity culture, this time looking at the notion that for most Christian women, they are obligated to have sex with their husband or else they will leave their man open to being tempted by pornography or affairs. This creates an orgasm gap where the majority of women don't experience a sexual orgasm throughout their entire lives, not to mention the immense body shame that comes from the messages women and girls receive from purity culture and how bad sex is, until you're married of course. By then, the damage is done.
We're going to see how we can turn this marvelous experience of sexual intimacy into play rather than obligation. How can everyone involved have fun? Let's remove the stigma that sex is bad and make it beautiful again.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

For this month's hero study, we are interviewing Corey Seemiller, an author, podcaster, speaker, and professor who recently released a book titled The Soulmate Strategy: My Imperfect Plan to Conquer Heartbreak and Find True Love. Seems fitting for our February study. We talk about overcoming grief, heartbreak, and what she did to find love in the course of a year. Join our conversation for some fun stories, inspiration, and affirmations, especially if you are experiencing heartbreak or struggling to find a romantic partner.
You can get a copy of Corey's book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Soulmate-Strategy/Corey-Seemiller/9798896360681
You can find Corey's podcast, Rock that Relationship, here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0oNHpJlAFTInCnkp85ELjP
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Content Warning: this episode is going to mention specific biblical scriptures and examples of self-harm, shame, and trauma from purity culture, specifically in the Christian faith tradition. Take care of yourself while listening to this episode. If you need to, skip it and come back later, or leave this episode in the archives. Trust your body to know whether it's a worthwhile topic to dive into.
Let's talk about a purity culture belief in the Christian tradition that it's more important to be holy than happy and what it can look like to reverse this notion. In my effort to follow a more "holy" path around sex and sexuality, all I received was shame and terrible hatred for myself and others. Body shame, even body dysmorphia, hiding sexual exploration, and judgement, or even punishment, for a private thought life is often what people received in an abstinence only world around sex.
What does it look like to seek happiness instead? I share some of my own insights and experiences around this topic, so buckle up. We're going on a wild ride this February!
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about changing our air and water, something that came to mind when I heard others refer to our upbringing as "the air we breathe" or "the water we swim in." You can think of it also as it's all been a part of the zeitgeist. In my work, having someone with an outside perspective can help to shed a light on what we deemed as "normal" when it could be better and healthier. We often are unaware of the influences in our lives until we step away from them. This can be challenging as it forces us to take a look at our preconceived notions and beliefs to look at them from a new perspective. Let's get into what can happen when we change the air we breathe and the water we swim in.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about broadening our sources that we take in. In a recent experience, I had a spiritual guide challenge me on some of the doom and gloom I've been experiencing thanks to all the political garbage going on, mental health struggles, and despair for the future. Thanks to Rob Bell and his Robcast, he broadened my perspective with his own insights and it helped me get out of a slump.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about our comfort zone, and more importantly, how can we stretch ourselves to leave it. I've shared this before how we can struggle to make some of the changes that we wish to in our lives because it'll take us out of what we are comfortable with. While this is absolutely normal and helpful at times, it can also keep us stuck. If we stick with what we know, we know what we're going to get in the end. Is that working for you? Is it helping you get where you want to go? Personally, that answer is both yes and no because there are some changes I've made in my life to reach these goals while others remain left simmering on the back burner until they eventually burn out because of my own neglect.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

For this month's hero study, I had the privilege of interviewing Michael Marshall, aka Marsh, from the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He's a podcaster, editor of The Skeptic magazine, and Project Director of the Good Thinking Society. He's a prolific skeptic and researcher who is great at asking the right questions to get people thinking about their perspectives on life. I first heard about him from guest spots on the God Awful Movies podcast and have enjoyed listening to him also on the Know Rogan Experience and The Skeptics with a K podcasts as well. We talk about conspiracy theories, putting people on pedestals and dangers of that kind of hero worship, and the value of looking at the world through curiosity and compassion.
https://www.skeptic.org.uk/https://www.knowrogan.com/https://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcastshttps://goodthinkingsociety.org/https://www.knowrogan.com/
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about our nervous system and the information it tells us. In a society that values our ability to logically think our way through life's problems and challenges, there is so much value in relying on our gut and nervous system to let us know when something isn't right. Our nervous system knows more than we often give it credit for and it can do so much to keep us safe. We talking about something that has kept us as a species alive for thousands of years. It's worth listening to.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social
Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.
Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call
Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources
"Nonstop"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/