The Luella Jonk Show

Episode #91: Fr. Joseph de Viveiros on Why Lent Should Humble You, Not Make You Proud

In this episode, I sit down with Father Joseph de Viveiros, a priest of the Congregation of the Resurrection and chaplain for the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. Father brings decades of pastoral experience—from directing liturgy for World Youth Day 2002 with John Paul II to now caring for his 94-year-old mother with dementia—and his insights on Lent cut straight through the surface-level stuff we've been getting wrong for years.I'll walk you through:✅ Why Lent is about transformation, not willpower—and why the palms that become ashes hold the secret✅ The two types of fasting nobody talks about—and why one of them you should never stop doing after Easter✅ Why giving up chocolate is fine—but only if you're filling that emptiness with what actually matters✅ How fasting from evil (gossip, harsh words, judgment) is the real fast God wants from us✅ Why Pope Francis is calling us to "disarm our language" this Lent—and what that looks like in practice✅ The difference between suffering we create and suffering that just comes our way—and how both can be redemptive✅ Why showing up matters more than you think—and what Father's 94-year-old mother taught him about presence✅ How we've become isolated in a hyperconnected world—and why getting to Mass is about becoming who you were made to beWhether you're trying to figure out what to give up for Lent, struggling with discipline in a world of endless comfort, or wondering why showing up to church even matters anymore, Father Joseph offers wisdom that's grounded in real life, real suffering, and real transformation. This isn't about perfection. It's about conversion.🔔 Remember: Fasting from things that are good creates space for God. But fasting from evil? That's the fast you keep forever.========================================================Fr. Joseph de Viveiros's relevant links: Instagram: @fr.josephcr Location: North Bay, ON Canada

Episode #90: Discipline Gave Me Freedom. And It Can Give You Yours Too.

Today it's just me. And I'm angry.I wasn't supposed to record a solo episode today. I had two guest interviews scheduled. But ten minutes before we were supposed to go live, one of them canceled. "Not feeling well." At 2 p.m. their time.And here's the thing—I have empathy. Life happens. But this isn't just about today. This is about what I see everywhere: a catastrophic lack of discipline. A refusal to honor commitments. An entire generation that wakes up asking, "How do I feel today?" instead of "What did I commit to today?"I'll walk you through:✅ Why your morning routine reveals everything about the rest of your life✅ The difference between emotional connection and "emotional safety"—and why one of those terms is destroying your relationships✅ How Instagram reels are scattering your thoughts like a snow globe—and why that's the same pattern I see in trauma survivors✅ Why your feelings should never drive your behavior (and what should instead)✅ The one thing I'm doing for Lent that will change everything—and why you should too✅ How discipline gives you freedom (yes, really)✅ Why farmers don't quit when the weather's bad—and what that has to do with your marriageWhether you're tired of breaking your own commitments, exhausted from letting your emotions run your life, or drowning in the noise of conflicting advice on social media, this episode is a wake-up call. Discipline isn't punishment. It's structure. It's freedom. It's the difference between drifting and living intentionally.🔔 Remember: God gave us free will—the most beautiful gift. That means you have a choice every single day. To love is a decision. To forgive is a decision. To show up and do the hard things is a decision. Park your feelings aside and do what you committed to do.

Episode #89: Fr. John Henry Hanson on The Fire and the Silence—How Prayer, Psychology, and Interior Life Transform Everything

In this episode, I sit down with Father John Henry Hanson, a Norbertine priest, formator, and spiritual writer from St. Michael's Abbey whose work lives at the crossroads of psychology and spirituality. Father holds a degree in psychology from Divine Mercy University, and his upcoming book The Fire and the Silence explores what it truly means to align the mind with God in a world that never stops pulling our attention away. This conversation stopped me in my tracks—and I think it will do the same for you.I'll walk you through:✅ Why psychological order alone leaves us empty—and what actually fills the rooms of the soul✅ How interior silence isn't passive—it's one of the most demanding and transformative things you can practice✅ The difference between creating order in your mind and creating life in your mind✅ Why therapy works—and where it reaches its limits without something deeper✅ How cognition either opens or closes the door to genuine spiritual growth✅ What a life shaped by prayer, discipline, and silence actually looks like from the inside✅ Why removing something from your life is never enough—and what you need to replace it withWhether you're someone who has done the therapy, read the books, done the work—and still feel like something essential is missing—or you're simply curious about what a deeply interior life looks like in practice, Father Hanson offers something rare: wisdom that is lived, not just spoken.🔔 Remember: You can have a perfectly ordered house and still have an empty home. What fills the rooms matters just as much as the order you create in them.========================================================Fr. John Henry Hanson's relevant links: St. Michael's Abbey: https://www.stmichaelsabbey.com Link to Father Hanson's interview on St. Michael's Abbey's YouTube ChannelFor US residents only: Pre-order The Fire and the Silence through this link on Scepter Publishing's Website.

Episode #88: Dr. James Kinross on Why Your Gut Holds the Secret to Your Mental Health (And Most Doctors Miss It)

In this episode, Dr. James Kinross, consultant surgeon and microbiome scientist at Imperial College London, reveals why the trillions of microbes living inside us hold the key to our physical and mental health—and why we're facing an "internal climate crisis" that's changing everything. From IBS to obesity to mental health struggles, Dr. Kinross explains how our relationship with these invisible organisms determines our wellbeing far more than we realize.I'll walk you through:✅ Why your microbiome is like an orchestra playing a symphony to your body—and what happens when it goes silent✅ The shocking truth about antibiotics: how childhood exposure shapes lifelong health (and what to do if you need them now)✅ Why IBS isn't actually about your bowel—it's a gut-brain problem that starts in childhood✅ The fiber rule that reduces your risk of nearly every chronic disease (and why carnivore diets are terrible for your gut)✅ How travel, stress, and sleep deprivation completely shift your microbiome—and why some people's IBS vanishes on vacation✅ The real problem with microbiome testing and how to know if yours is actually useful✅ Why extreme diets and quick fixes fail—and what actually works for long-term gut healthWhether you're struggling with digestive issues, trying to understand the mind-body connection in your practice, or simply want to optimize your health, Dr. Kinross offers clear, science-backed insights that cut through the "wild west" of wellness trends. His message is urgent yet hopeful: we can become conservationists of our own internal ecosystem.🔔 Remember: You are as microbial as you are human. A diverse diet equals a diverse microbiome equals a longer, healthier life. There are no hacks—only understanding.========================================================Dr. James Kinross's relevant links: Website: https://www.jameskinross.com Instagram: @DrJamesKinross Book: Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome (Penguin, 2023)

Episode #87: We're Choosing a Machine Over the People Right in Front of Us. And It's Ruining Us.

I'm recording this one without makeup—not because I forgot, but because I need to practice what I'm about to preach: authentic vulnerability over comfortable validation. And what I'm seeing in my therapy practice lately has me genuinely concerned.Couples are now bringing printed transcripts of their spouse's ChatGPT conversations to sessions. People are outsourcing their moral compass, their conflict resolution, and even their emotional intimacy to large language models. And here's what terrifies me: these tools are designed to always agree with you, to validate you, to keep you comfortable and coming back for more.I'll walk you through:✅ Why ChatGPT's constant validation is training us to be weaker, not wiser—and what virtues we're losing in the process✅ The four-letter word (ending in K) that Dr. Anna Lembke says is essential for relationships, and why AI is replacing it✅ How couples are choosing the comfort of a machine over the necessary discomfort of real conversation✅ Why feelings have been promoted to the highest authority—and how that's destroying our ability to live morally✅ The difference between being affirmed and being guided, between feeling understood and being told the truth✅ What patience, perseverance, repentance, and humility have to do with your marriage's survival (and why AI will never ask these of you)I'm not anti-technology—I use ChatGPT myself for grocery store calculations and meal planning. But when it comes to relationships, moral discernment, and the formation of your character, we need to understand what we're surrendering when we choose algorithmic comfort over human connection.Featuring insights from psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke's conversation on The Diary of a CEO about the "drugification of human connection" and addiction to digital validation.🔔 Remember: A machine that always agrees with you is not your friend. It's not a guide. And it can never replace your conscience. Real love—the kind that sustains a marriage and builds a family—requires the very things AI will never demand from you: patience, sacrifice, humility, and the willingness to be wrong.The danger isn't that machines will become too powerful. It's that we'll become too passive—handing over our agency, our judgment, and our conscience, not because we're forced to, but because it feels easy.========================================================Dr. Anna Lembke reference: Psychiatrist and author of "Dopamine Nation" Featured on: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett Topic discussed: Addiction, dopamine, and the drugification of human connection through AI