Steve and Lisa Cuss Navigate the Four Spaces of Anxiety and Deeper Connectivity
Steve Cuss is joined once again by his wife and fellow counselor, Lisa Cuss, for a practical conversation on the Four Spaces of Anxiety and how these shape our relationships, leadership, and faith. Building on recent Being Human dialogues with Toni Collier and Dr. Les Parrott, Steve and Lisa unpack the hidden assumptions that fuel reactivity, disconnection, and stress. Steve and Lisa explore how faith, vulnerability, and intentional community can break anxiety’s grip and create healthier families, churches, and neighborhoods.
Episode Resources:
Steve & Clarissa Moll discuss the Four Spaces of Anxiety
Explore Toni Collier’s website
Toni Collier’s Don't Try This Alone
Toni Collier’s Broken Crayons Still Color
Toni Collier’s Brave Enough to Be Broken
Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott’s Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts
Dr. Parrott and Judah Smith’s Bad Thoughts: A Preacher and a Shrink's Guide to Reclaiming Your Mind and Soul
Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott’s website
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
41:11
--------
41:11
Dr. Les Parrott Challenges Empathy Myths in Christian Circles
World-renowned relationship expert Dr. Les Parrott sits down with host Steve Cuss for a raw discussion about reclaiming your mind and soul. Parrott shreds toxic beliefs about empathy, parenting, and vulnerability that have infiltrated Christian culture, replacing them with a vision for emotional and spiritual health that actually works. Together, Steve and Dr. parrott dissect the razor-thin line between empathy and enmeshment, reveal how technology can fuel genuine human connection, and unpack why hearing God’s voice without shame is a game-changer.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott’s Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts
Dr. Parrott and Judah Smith’s Bad Thoughts: A Preacher and a Shrink's Guide to Reclaiming Your Mind and Soul
Pastor Judah Smith’s instagram
Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott’s website
David Brooks’ How to Know a Person
Steve & Clarissa Moll discuss the Four Spaces of Anxiety
The Gospel of Mark (ESV)
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:
Capable Life Newsletter
Join Steve at an upcoming intensive:
Capable Life Intensives
Explore more CT with our free newsletters: christianitytoday.com/newsletters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
43:28
--------
43:28
Toni Collier Heals from Childhood Wounds and Adult Betrayal
Discover how anxiety weaves its way into every corner of life—and how to break free. Host Steve Cuss sits down with Toni Collier, founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, for a raw conversation on her journey from brokenness to healing and redemption. Together, they unpack how faith, authentic community, and radical vulnerability can transform deep wounds—like “parentification,” betrayal, and infidelity—into powerful testimonies of hope and resilience. This episode continues Steve’s exploration of the Four Spaces of Anxiety and showcases the need to stop the spread of reactivity.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Explore Toni’s website
Toni Collier’s Don't Try This Alone
Toni Collier’s Broken Crayons Still Color
Toni Collier’s Brave Enough to Be Broken
Explore North Point Ministries
Explore the work of Dr. Curt Thompson
Timothy Keller’s The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
Listen to Steve and Clarissa Moll Set up The Four Spaces of Anxiety
Watch Steve explain The Four Spaces of Anxiety
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:
Capable Life Newsletter
Join Steve at an upcoming intensive:
Capable Life Intensives
Explore more CT with our free newsletters: christianitytoday.com/newsletters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
49:31
--------
49:31
Clarissa Moll & Steve Cuss Navigate Anxiety, Reactivity, and Emotional Freedom
The Four Spaces of anxiety and emotional freedom take center stage as Being Human kicks off a new monthly appearance from Bulletin moderator Clarissa Moll, who flips the script and interviews Steve Cuss. Together, they’ll shape the conversation threads that future episodes will explore every four weeks. This month, Steve unpacks the wildfire spread of anxiety and lays out practical disciplines to disrupt reactivity and foster emotional resilience. Rooted in biblical wisdom and grounded in everyday experience, Clarissa re-introduces Steve’s transformative “four spaces” framework—a must-hear for anyone seeking peace, clarity, and connection in a chaotic culture.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Explore Clarissa Moll’s website
Read Clarissa Moll’s Substack
Listen to The Bulletin
Watch Steve explain The Four Spaces of Anxiety
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:
Capable Life Newsletter
Join Steve at an upcoming intensive:
Capable Life Intensives
Explore more CT with our free newsletters: christianitytoday.com/newsletters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
46:06
--------
46:06
Jimmy Carnes: Triangulation, Human Sizing, and Why Steve Light’s a Candle
Jimmy Carnes, a Capable Life trainer, joins Steve Cuss—Anxiety Expert & Creator of Capable Life—for a raw, practical conversation about how unseen emotional patterns like triangulation and interconnectedness can complicate leadership and relationships. Together they explore what it means to lead without having the answers, and why “being human-sized” is more powerful than pretending to be in control. They unpack how lighting a candle can bridge the gap between belief and the felt presence of God.
Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders:
Capable Life Newsletter
Join Steve at an upcoming intensive:
Capable Life Intensives
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From Christianity Today, Being Human with Steve Cuss is Christian counseling in podcast form. Steve Cuss, a former trauma and hospice chaplain, pastor, and leadership coach, guides listeners with a gospel-informed journey of discovery into the world of emotional health: everything from anxiety and reactivity, to triangulation, overfunctioning, and the Enneagram.
USA