Letting Go (Full Episode - Archive)Letting Go (Full Episode - Archive)
Relational Recovery
Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about letting go of control, trusting God and others, and choosing growth over comfort in the recovery journey. Their discussion links Christian faith, everyday family life and practical psychology to show how courage and acceptance can ease anxiety and support lasting change.
28:25•13 Jul 2026
Letting Go of Control: Trust, Courage and a Life Worth Living
Episode Overview
- Letting go is about releasing the need to control everything while still actively doing what is right.
- True trust includes accepting that many outcomes are outside personal control, especially other people’s behaviour.
- Chasing comfort as the main goal tends to increase anxiety, isolation and dissatisfaction, rather than relief.
- Growth and recovery usually involve acute, short-term discomfort that leads to long-term health, not chronic, festering pain.
- Trusting God and trustworthy people is essential for a "life worth living", even though past hurts can make trust difficult.
“Comfort is not a bad outcome, but it’s a really terrible thing to aim for.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on Relational Recovery brings together Wes Thompson and Austin Hill to talk honestly about "letting go" when life feels out of control, especially for those wrestling with addiction and unwanted behaviours.
Wes opens with Matthew 16 and focuses on Jesus’ call to deny ourselves, not because we’re "so terrible and unlovable", but because, as he puts it, "it’s only in this relinquishing of control to God that we actually find what it is that we’re looking for, which is true life and peace." The episode leans into a Christian blend of spirituality and psychology, unpacking how trust, control, and acceptance show up in real recovery work.
You’ll hear them challenge the cliché "let go and let God" with some much-needed nuance. Austin explains that letting go isn’t passive or lazy: "We should still do our best and try our hardest to live the lives that God created us to live," while recognising that other people’s actions aren’t under our control.
They link this directly to the exhaustion of trying to control others and the anxiety that comes from carrying weight the soul was never meant to bear. Both hosts share family stories – parenting daughters with growing emotions and making decisions with consequences – showing how trust in God and in trustworthy people is often uncomfortable, but necessary.
They contrast chasing comfort with pursuing "a life worth living", arguing that growth and recovery always involve some kind of acute, constructive pain. For anyone in recovery, or supporting someone who is, this chat offers a grounded reflection on how courage, trust and acceptance can reshape your relationship with fear, anxiety and control. It might leave you asking: where do you need to loosen your grip and let God and good people into your story today?
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