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God + Mental Health PodcastAuthor: Roslyn Rene
God Mental Health Podcast is a show for all things mental health and Christ. We discuss how therapy can aid in helping us healing from our past and how God can assist us in that effort. We will discuss different topics, interviews, and reflection sessions from the host, Roslyn Rene, own therapy sessions. Language: en Genres: Christianity, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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How High Performers Can Set Boundaries Without Guilt, with Dr. Jessica Houston
Wednesday, 29 July, 2026
Show NotesMost high performers don't recognize burnout until their body forces them to stop — and for Dr. Jessica Houston, that recognition took years of overextending herself to outrun a childhood shaped by poverty and survival mode. In this episode, Dr. Jessica joins Roslyn to talk about healing from a condemning image of God, learning to trust him instead of perform for him, and building the self-awareness it takes to set real boundaries. If you've ever felt like rest is something you have to earn, this conversation is for you.Scripture Referenced2 Corinthians 9 (NLT) — Roslyn references this passage on being a "cheerful giver," noting that giving (or saying yes) reluctantly or out of obligation reflects a heart posture God doesn't want for us. She ties this to the idea that even our yes should come from a cheerful, willing place rather than fear of disappointing others.Links & Resources MentionedDr. Jessica Houston's website: drjessicahuston.comBook: Give Your All Without Losing Yourself: The High Performance Guide to Sustainable Success — Dr. Jessica's newly released book, available on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Includes a full chapter titled "Value Your Yes."Book: Women's Secrets: It's Time to Stop Suffering in Silence — Dr. Jessica's first book, written as part of her own healing process.Episode SummaryDr. Jessica Houston is a keynote speaker and self-leadership strategist based in Atlanta. In this conversation, she shares the layered story behind her work: a physically abusive relationship in college, years of infertility met with two unexpected pregnancies (including one after being told she had only a 5% chance of conceiving naturally), and a childhood marked by poverty, homelessness, and domestic conflict that she didn't fully recognize as trauma until she became a school social worker.Growing up in survival mode. Dr. Jessica didn't realize her family had experienced homelessness until she was an adult working in trauma training — she had assumed "homeless" only meant someone living on the street, not a family staying with relatives after an eviction. She discusses how this conditioning followed her into adulthood: even after achieving financial stability, she found herself anxious over small expenses and unable to expect good things to happen to her, because she'd been conditioned for lack and stress rather than blessing.A condemning view of God. Dr. Jessica also opens up about growing up in a strict, "condemning" church environment where she believed God was primarily watching for her mistakes — right down to feeling guilty for listening to secular music or saying a curse word. She describes spending roughly a decade rebuilding her relationship with God on her own terms, praying specifically that he would reveal who he actually is to her, rather than relying on what she'd been taught about him. She's candid that in the process of healing from religious condemnation, she noticed herself becoming judgmental of others in the same way — a pattern she had to confront in herself.Writing as obedience. Her first book, Women's Secrets, began as an act of obedience rather than a business plan — she describes God waking her up at 3 and 4 a.m. prompting her to be honest about her struggles. The book became the foundation for her speaking career and eventually her business, though she's candid that it took years of learning the "CEO side" of things — niching down, building an audience, and understanding that a book alone doesn't build a business.High performing and burnout. The conversation moves into the heart of Dr. Jessica's newest book: why high performers overextend themselves. She names two core drivers — the desire to win, and the fact that overgiving is socially rewarded while overworking rarely draws criticism. She unpacks the internal dialogue behind it ("If I don't do this, who will? I don't want to let them down") and the early warning signs people miss: chronic exhaustion that isn't fixed by sleep, irritability with loved ones, forgetfulness, restlessness in bed, and working through exhaustion rather than resting.The spiritual cost of burnout. Dr. Jessica speaks directly to what unmanaged burnout does to a person's relationship with God — he gets pushed to the back burner, only approached when something is needed, rather than being a daily priority. Her personal practice for combating this is giving to herself first, meaning she spends time with God before the rest of the household wakes up, before she's pulled into meeting everyone else's needs.Understanding capacity. She defines capacity as the amount of pressure or responsibility a person can carry without becoming overwhelmed, stressed, or burned out — and argues most people don't know their own capacity because they're afraid of disappointing others or being seen as selfish.The three questions before saying yes. From the "Value Your Yes" chapter of her new book, Dr. Jessica shares the three questions she asks herself before agreeing to anything:Do I actually want to do it?Do I have time to do it?Will taking this on push me into overwhelm?Roslyn connects this practice to the biblical concept of giving cheerfully rather than reluctantly (2 Corinthians 9), noting that the pause between being asked and answering is where the real work — and the real heart-posture check — happens.Boundaries as self-protection. Dr. Jessica describes using a personal filtering system before taking anything on: Does this align with my values? Does it move me toward what I actually want, or am I just doing it to be liked? She frames boundaries not as guarding herself from other people, but as "guarding me from me" — protecting herself from her own instinct to overgive.Who the book is for. Dr. Jessica closes by describing Give Your All Without Losing Yourself as a book for the person everyone calls on — the go-to friend, family member, or leader who is quietly running on empty while still showing up for everyone else. Her central message: self-leadership means being honest with yourself about who you are and what you need, rather than waiting for someone else to give you permission to rest.Follow Roslyn:Youtube: Click HereInstagram: Click HereAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
