Aundi Kolber: Strong like Water

“We are worthy to be listened to and attuned to. That is a valid and necessary human need. And the beauty is that it actually makes us able to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.” — Aundi Kolber

Therapist Aundi Kolber returns to talk with us about cultivating inner strength, paying attention to our needs, and ways to stay grounded in God's love.

Many of us have been raised with the idea that strength means pushing your own limits in order to achieve your goals. But what if there was another way? A way that honored your needs while also cultivating strength? In this conversation, author and therapist Aundi Kolber walks us through a fresh vision of strength as we discuss her book Strong like Water: Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move through Hard Things — and Experience True Flourishing. This is Aundi’s third time on the podcast and I’m so glad she is back with us. Aundi’s deep faith informs her understanding of strength, and the tools she suggests for growth are very relevant for anyone facing hard things while also desiring to stay grounded in God’s love. Our conversation takes a deep dive into psychology as Aundi describes three types of strength and their roles in the context of healing from trauma. We touch on the concept of comparative suffering and we also discuss the way our nervous systems affect our bodily responses. Aundi generously shares a few strategies to use as “compassionate resources” — the term she uses for those practical tools that help us care for our emotional needs. And if you listen to the end of the podcast, I’ve included a bonus from our conversation in which Aundi talks with us about how to distinguish between self-care behaviors and numbing behaviors in ourselves.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

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