Fr. Shenan Boquet shares why fathers play a vital role in their children's emotional, academic, and spiritual development. We discuss a recent University of Virginia (UVA) report showing that children with involved dads perform better in school, have fewer behavioral issues, and enjoy stronger mental health.

Fr. Boquet also explores the tragic impact of fatherlessness, how it affects children's ability to relate to God as Father, and the importance of both mother and father figures in forming virtue. We dive into cultural trends that degrade men, distort authentic masculinity, and contribute to a growing fatherhood crisis.

This conversation addresses how pornography, media portrayals of manhood, and the breakdown of family affect men and their ability to form healthy relationships. Learn how St. Joseph and Jesus serve as models of true masculine virtue, and why our world needs men to rise up as fathers, mentors, and spiritual leaders.

Listen now to learn how to restore fatherhood and authentic masculinity in our communities!

💬 Leave a comment below: Who is your favorite father figure from a book, movie, TV show, or the life of a saint? Young boys need models. Share your favorite men—real or fictional—who’ve modeled strength, love, and virtue!

Fr. Boquet's Spirit & Life Article: The Father’s Heart: Healing the Wounds of a Fatherless Generation | Human Life International

UVA Report: UVA - Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids Report.pdf

Living the Culture of Life

In this powerful episode, we welcome Claudia Perez Bustamante, a Catholic trauma therapist and member of the Freedom Coaching team. Claudia courageously shares her personal story of healing from a hidden struggle—sexual compulsion rooted in past trauma.

Claudia explains how sexual trauma impacted her brain and family relationships—and how faith, neurobiology, and trauma recovery tools helped her find lasting healing. As a Christian trauma therapist, she offers deep insights into what causes trauma, how the nervous system stores pain, and why true sexual addiction recovery must involve the body and soul.

If you or someone you love has faced struggles with lust, shame, or compulsive habits, this conversation offers hope, healing, and practical steps toward freedom.

Topics include:

• The link between sexual trauma and addiction

• How trauma affects the nervous system and the brain

• How trauma therapy and the spiritual life work together to bring healing

• Hope for anyone seeking sexual addiction recovery

💬 Claudia's story is raw, emotional, and filled with hope. Don’t miss this episode if you’ve ever wondered how faith and neuroscience can work together to bring about healing and sanctification.

Follow Claudia on Instagram: Claudia Pérez Bustamante (@corazon_a_pruebadebalas) • Instagram photos and videos

Freedom Coaching's Website: Freedom Coaching | Catholic Pornography Coaching

📢 Support HLI's Mission! Give here: Give the world another pro-life leader | Human Life International

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Full episodes available on all major platforms: Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more.

🎙️ Or listen directly on our website: Human Life International | Pro-life. Catholic. Global.

Help us proclaim the truth about life, family, and human dignity.

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:30 Joining Freedom Coaching

06:49 Underlying Causes of Sexual Compulsion

08:02 Claudia's Story

12:52 Encounter with Christ

16:35 Impact of Trauma Therapy

18:20 How Porn Hurts Families

23:44 Hope for Parents

25:17 How Neurobiology Affects Relationships

31:51 What Causes Trauma?

36:20 Trauma Triggers

39:38 Healthy Relationships

41:22 Sanctification & Healing

42:22 Learning to Process Emotions

45:53 Spiritual Healing

47:10 What is Brainspotting?

1:01:36 Is Porn Compulsion Always Rooted in Trauma?

Living the Culture of Life

What does Rerum Novarum say about human dignity, the family, just wages, and Catholic social doctrine? And how does this fit into a Culture of Life?

In this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet breaks down the key principles of Rerum Novarum, the landmark 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII that laid the foundation for modern Catholic Social Teaching.

With the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, who invoked Rerum Novarum in his very first address, we explore what this could mean for the Church’s engagement with urgent modern issues: demographic winter, falling birth rates, AI, the collapse of the family, and global economic injustice.

This episode covers:

• What is Rerum Novarum?

• Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching (human dignity, subsidiarity, solidarity)

• The Church’s teaching on the just wage (and how this could help turn the demographic winter around)

• How Catholic social doctrine intersects with sexual morality and pro-life ethics

• How Pope Leo XIV might apply these teachings to modern crises—including artificial intelligence and the population crisis

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👉 Subscribe for future episodes of Living a Culture of Life

👉 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultureoflife_podcast/

👉 Follow us on X (Twitter): https://x.com/cultureoflife_p

🎧 Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts

Full episodes available on all major platforms: Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more.

🎙️ Or listen directly on our website: https://hli.org

📢 Support the Mission

Help us proclaim the truth about life, family, and human dignity.

👍 Like | 💬 Comment | 🔁 Share | 🔔 Subscribe

Living the Culture of Life