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Is it possible to spend decades studying theology and still be shackled by a lie about who you really are?

Pastor Will Reinmuth joins the show to discuss the "shackles you can't see"—the subconscious beliefs and self-protective habits that keep us from experiencing true intimacy with God and ourselves. Will describes his own 20-year journey of "knowing about" God while living in a "monster" identity, fueled by the "Garden Lie" that God is someone to be feared or managed rather than a Dad to be loved by.

The turning point? An unexpected encounter with a cinematic father in Blood Diamond that shattered his theological defenses and started him on the "18-inch journey" from his head to his heart.

This episode is an invitation to put down your "gun," drop your defenses, and explore what it means to be truly seen and fully loved.

Key Takeaways:

• The 18-Inch Journey: Why intellectual agreement is often the greatest barrier to emotional transformation.
• The Garden Lie: How our belief that "God is holding out on us" leads to a life of self-protection.
• The Face of a Father: Reclaiming your identity as a son or daughter after years of feeling like a "monster."
• Curiosity Over Fixing: Learning to lean into uncomfortable emotions rather than running from them.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Blood Diamond movie clip: Solomon Vandy and his son.
• Visit WholeheartedWayPodcast.com for more episodes and resources.

In this episode, Nathan King, Mandi Wellington and Laura Arnold discuss an emotion that shows up in all of our lives, and that most of us have a complicated relationship with. Together they explore why anger works like a check engine light, not a green light to act out, but an invitation to look underneath and discover what the heart is really saying.

Laura opens up about the wake-up moment when her young son looked at her over breakfast and asked, "Why don't you smile much, Mom?" and what it cost her to realize her anger had been running her life without her noticing. Mandi shares what happened when she went to trusted church leaders looking for help naming a deep wrong and was met with "you just need to forgive" instead of space to feel what she was feeling. And together they unpack what actually changes when we stop silencing our anger and start letting it point us somewhere real.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Anger as a Check Engine Light: Why the goal isn't to extinguish anger but to read what it's signaling underneath.
• The Hidden Cost of Silencing Anger: How suppressing anger also disappears the desires and feelings it was pointing to, and why that can quietly turn into numbness, depression, or pride.
• When "Just Forgive" Isn't the Answer: What happens when Christian communities short-circuit the conversation.
• Mom Anger and the Moment That Broke the Cycle: Laura's honest account of how becoming a parent exposed an anger she didn't know was there, and what it took to interrupt the pattern.
• The Safety of Community: Why a trusted friend can sometimes hold anger on your behalf better than you can hold it yourself.

About the Conversation

Mandi Wellington is the Operations Manager at Wellspring Group. Laura Arnold is the Director of Research and Development at Wellspring Group. Nathan King is a longtime volunteer and facilitator with Wellspring.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Voice of the Heart by Chip Dodd — the book Nathan quotes at the start, which describes anger as "possibly the most important feeling we experience as emotional and spiritual beings... the first step to authentic living."
• Wellspring Group: wellspringgroup.org
• Becoming Wholehearted by Larry Bolden and Anisa Sumlar: becomingwholehearted.org
• The Wholehearted Way Podcast: thewholeheartedway.transistor.fm

In this episode of The Wholehearted Way, host Nathan King and co-host Mandi Wellington sit down with Pastor Bobbi Lassiter, Associate Pastor at Covenant Methodist Church, to explore the life-changing shift from performance to presence.

Bobbi shares her powerful personal journey of confronting the "secret lies" that many leaders carry—specifically the gut-level belief of "I’m not enough"—and how those lies create a cycle of exhaustion and isolation. As a reluctant leader who once feared she didn't have a "seat at the table," Bobby discusses how true productivity in any organization—whether a church or a corporation—actually skyrockets when people feel known, cared for, and free to be human.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Productivity Paradox: Why slowing down to care for your soul (and your team's) actually leads to better long-term results.
• Confronting the "I'm Not Enough" Lie: How identifying childhood survival techniques can break the cycle of self-sabotage in adulthood.
• The Power of the Feelings Wheel: Moving from being "scared" of emotions to using them as a tool for freedom and connection.
• Leading with Vulnerability: Why leaders must go first in admitting flaws to build authentic, trustworthy communities.
• A Marathon, Not a Sprint: Understanding that true spiritual and emotional transformation takes time and "mustard-seed" faith.

Whether you are a high-stakes executive, a ministry leader, or someone simply tired of the "human doing" treadmill, Bobby’s story offers a roadmap out of isolation and into a life where your heart is truly aligned with the person God created you to be.

Resources Mentioned:

• Deepen your journey: Learn more about the Wholehearted Living Discipleship Program and Wellspring Group at Wellspring Group.
• The Book: Discover the framework behind these conversations in Becoming Wholehearted by Larry Bolden and Anisa Sumlar.

Join the Conversation: Subscribe for more honest talks on leadership, faith, and the path to a whole heart.

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