Loss by Suicide

Warning: This episode discusses pornography addiction and may not be suitable for all listeners.

How do we break the stronghold of addiction when it becomes deeply attached to our lives? What do we do when the pain of our past resurfaces through patterns of addiction?

Drew Boa didn’t fully realize how much pain he was carrying beneath the surface until his struggle with pornography began to threaten the relationships he valued most. As he started to uncover and process that pain, he recognized how often he had looked for healing and identity in places other than God.

It was through surrendering both his pain and identity to God that the grip of pornography on his life began to loosen. Over time, he experienced genuine freedom. His book, Outgrow Porn: Find Lasting Freedom Without Fighting an Exhausting Battle—A Man’s Guide to Healing, offers men a pathway toward that same kind of lasting transformation.

In this episode, Davey and Drew explore the deeper roots of sexual addiction, the vital role of compassion and self-awareness in the healing process, and why authentic community is so powerful in breaking cycles of addiction.

If you or someone you love has struggled to find freedom from pornography, this conversation offers hope—reminding us that lasting freedom begins by understanding our identity in Jesus.

How do you break free from an abusive cycle when it feels like there’s nowhere else to turn? How can God take the pain of the past and transform it into purpose as you rebuild your life after trauma?

For former public official, TV show host, and speaker Carolene Mays, imagining the life and leadership she would one day have seemed impossible while trapped in an abusive marriage. Escaping that relationship wasn’t easy—but on the other side, God took her pain and transformed it into a story of resilience and influence. Today, Carolene has served in politics, built successful businesses, hosted a television show, and mentored countless women and minority leaders to thrive. Throughout it all, she shares the struggles she endured and how God used every hardship to shape her path—truly showing that He wastes nothing.

In this episode, Davey and Carolene explore how to overcome the trauma of abuse, why noticing who needs encouragement matters, and how leadership in any context is ultimately an overflow of what God is doing within us.

If you’ve ever wondered how God might be connecting your past to the work He has for you now, this conversation will inspire you as you see how God takes our pain and uses it to transform us into leaders who uplift and empower others with purpose.

WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers.

How do you get back up when life seems determined to knock you down? What does it look like to move toward the fire of adversity and pain in our lives instead of running from it?

For author and pastor Shawn Johnson, the challenges of growing up in a home marked by addiction, battling his own addiction and suicide attempts, and later facing crippling anxiety and panic attacks felt like more than enough fires to walk through. But recently, he found himself facing an entirely new one: an incurable brain disease that has forced him to lean fully into pain, surrender control, and trust God more deeply than ever before. In his new book, Kiss the Fire: 7 Ways to Get Back Up When You Want to Give Up, Shawn shares his journey and offers hope-filled wisdom for continuing forward when everything in you wants to quit.

In this honest and vulnerable conversation, Davey and Shawn discuss how God uses the pain of our past to prepare us for the purpose ahead, why stepping out of hiding and sharing our struggles can be so powerful—especially as leaders—and how community sustains us when new challenges arise in our lives.

If you feel surrounded by the flames of pain, trauma, and uncertainty, this episode will help you keep moving toward hope—and show you how to kiss the fire.

WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers.

How do you find hope again when the pressure of life builds to an unbearable level? What does it look like to find confidence in God’s love instead of worldly success?

Like many leaders, Pastor Charles Metcalf found himself at a breaking point. After the challenges of 2020 left him spiraling and the relentless pressures of life in ministry caused him to question his calling—and even led him to consider ending his own life—he knew something had to change. Through the support of friends who encouraged him to get the help he needed, a reframing of his spiritual life around how God truly saw him, and the development of new, healthy rhythms, Charles began to emerge from the fog of anxiety and depression. In that healing, he encountered a life-changing truth: God chose him. That message ultimately became the foundation of his book, God Chose Me: Untouchable Confidence for the Unstoppable Christian.

In this episode, Davey and Charles discuss how many leaders find themselves at a crossroads under the pressure of ministry, why we need friends to point us back to Christ when we’re at our breaking point, and how simple shifts can lead to lasting healing.

If you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed, wondering how you could possibly keep going, this conversation will remind you that you are not alone—that God sees you, and most importantly, that God chose you for whatever He has called you to do.

WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide and suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers.

How do you experience Jesus fully after coming to Christ? How can you continue to experience Him when life is full of pain and difficulties?

Naeem Fazal has an incredibly powerful testimony of how he first encountered Christ. Born into a Muslim family, Naeem experienced a supernatural experience as a young adult that forever changed the trajectory of his life. The cost was significant as he grew to know Jesus more intimately—eventually becoming a pastor—and faced being disowned by his loved ones. Later, he walked through his father’s attempted suicide and the sudden loss of his brother-in-law, moments that ultimately allowed him to show his family how they, too, could encounter Jesus in a personal and transformative way. In his book, Tomorrow Needs You: Seeing Beauty When You Feel Hopeless, he explores how fear can be our greatest enemy and how life with Jesus leads us into a new way of living—not from fear, but from love.

In this episode, Davey and Naeem talk about the supernatural and spiritual warfare, the differences between the Western and Eastern Christian experience, and how to navigate the estrangement that can arise when you choose to follow Christ.

If you’ve ever longed for a deeper connection with Jesus in the midst of hardship, this conversation will encourage you that—even in your wrestlings—you can find the intimacy with Him that your heart desires.