Welcome back to Holistic Health with Melissa, where faith, science, and whole-person healing come together for women ready to step out of survival mode and into the freedom Jesus intended.

Today, I'm joined by the incredible Tina Smith — licensed social worker, psychotherapist, certified EMDR therapist and consultant, author, and founder of both a thriving counseling practice and a nonprofit providing subsidized long-term care. Tina is also the heart behind Sword and Grace, a coaching space helping women leaders reclaim their voice, heal old wounds, and stand strong in their calling.

In this powerful conversation, we unpack:

• how neuroscience affirms scripture and reveals God's design for healing
• the truth about EMDR and why it is not New Age, witchcraft, or hypnosis
• why trauma gets stored in the nervous system and how the body holds the score
• the misconception that "just pray harder" is the solution to trauma
• why Christians often fear somatic work and how understanding the body actually deepens faith
• how God uses relationship, safety, and connection as part of the healing process
• the shame Christians carry when healing doesn't come the way they expected
• practical ways to understand triggers, stress responses, and God's design for emotional restoration

If you've ever wondered how faith fits with trauma therapy, EMDR, the nervous system, or somatic healing, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

You were created to heal — and today's conversation will show you how.

To connect with Tina:
Coaching for Women at www.swordandgrace.org
Purchase Book at https://a.co/d/2LbEkZ7

To join the next free 3-day Mind-Body Healing Workshop: https://holistichealthbymelissa.com/MindBodyHealingWorkshop

Ready to heal anxiety using science, scripture, and somatic work — without pills or protocols? Apply for a free clarity call: https://holistichealthbymelissa.com/discovery-information-form

LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED

In this powerful episode of Holistic Health with Melissa, I sit down with Ondrea Lynn, author of The Christian Women's Weight Loss Victory Plan and host of the Christian Women's Weight Loss podcast, ranked in the top three percent globally.

Ondrea shares her raw, emotional, and deeply redemptive story of childhood abuse, shame, New Age deception, broken relationships, and decades of trying to heal through diets, fitness, supplements, and self-help. None of it worked until Jesus healed her soul.

Together we talk about:
• How trauma creates unworthiness, shame, and emotional blocks that no diet can fix
• Why so many women stay stuck in yo-yo patterns even when they "do everything right"
• How childhood trauma dysregulates the nervous system and sabotages health
• Ondrea's radical deliverance moment and the instant healing she experienced
• Why emotional healing, deliverance, and nervous system regulation must come before nutrition
• The triune design of God and how spirit, soul, and body must align for true transformation
• The importance of letting Jesus into the places the walls have been built
• How Christian women can rise in their Kingdom assignments when their health is restored

This is one of the most powerful testimony-based episodes yet. If you are carrying trauma, shame, emotional weight, or a cycle of self-sabotage, this conversation will show you what is possible with Jesus and why healing the soul is the missing piece to lasting health.

Interested in joining the next free 3-day Mind-Body Healing workshop? Sign up here: https://holistichealthbymelissa.com/MindBodyHealingWorkshop

Want to work together? Apply here: https://holistichealthbymelissa.com/discovery-information-form

Connect with Ondrea:
www.ondrealynn.com
www.ondrealynn.com/win
Get her book here: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=iTNs7mdOk7nAYtofUp6kN29MpJv0GxI6qG9htRuaRv2

In this solo episode, Melissa dives deep into why she hates the word "goals" — and why it may be keeping you stuck in frustration, overwhelm, and striving for something that always feels just out of reach. She unpacks the concept from The Gap and the Gain and explains how measuring your life against an idealized future actually robs you of your peace and progress.

Instead, Melissa invites you to replace "goals" with intentions — a shift that anchors you in identity, alignment, and flow instead of force and pressure. You'll learn how to recognize when you're in "the gap," how to return to gratitude and growth, and how to set intentions that come from who you truly are rather than who you think you "should" be.

If you're tired of chasing the next thing and ready to live from intention, identity, and peace — this episode will speak to your soul.

Sign up for the next Mind-Body Healing Workshop: https://holistichealthbymelissa.com/MindBodyHealingWorkshop

Interested in joining the Rooted-Rewired-Restored woman group program, with the next cohort launching January 19? Click here to sign up: https://holistichealthbymelissa.com/discovery-information-form