Why "Doing All the Right Things" Isn't Healing You (Heather O'Brien)Why "Doing All the Right Things" Isn't Healing You (Heather O'Brien)
Sober on Purpose
The conversation appears to focus on Heather O’Brien’s experiences with anxiety, depression and addiction, and her way of praying beneath symptoms to reach the roots of pain. It also seems to highlight practical, faith-based tools for hearing God, setting loving boundaries and pursuing healing as a Christian who still feels stuck.
43:51•21 Aug 2026
Why Doing All the Right Christian Things Still Leaves You Stuck
Episode Overview
- Pray beneath the symptom by treating depression, anxiety or addiction as signals pointing to deeper beliefs, not as the final problem.
- Combine scripture and the Holy Spirit’s guidance — “the word plus the spirit equals truth” — when discerning God’s voice.
- Use simple daily rhythms, such as brief Bible reading or listening while doing chores, to put God first without piling on pressure.
- Recognise that boundaries are acts of love towards God, others and yourself, rather than punishment or rejection.
- Focus on your own healing journey, trusting that personal change can positively influence relationships and family life.
“If you really want to understand why the symptoms are, you've got to pray and see that the symptom is a signal and not the conclusion.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Tanya Gioia and Heather O’Brien leans into that question by looking at the emotional and spiritual roots beneath addiction, anxiety and depression.
Heather, a spirit-led healing coach and host of the Heal with God podcast, talks openly about years of unexplained panic attacks, vomiting in her sleep, and a doctor finally saying, “I think you’re depressed.” Medication dulled the symptoms for seven years, but as Heather says, it “never got down to the root of why I was sad.” Her story will especially resonate if you’ve ever loved Jesus, gone to church, “did all the things” and still felt stuck.
You’ll hear how Heather began inviting God into her emotional life, not just her Sundays. She explains her simple two-lane approach to hearing God: “I believe the word plus the spirit equals truth.” That means Bible time and practical everyday worship (sometimes while unloading the dishwasher), paired with curious, honest questions like, “God, why do I still want this?” Her smoking story is a striking example for anyone dealing with addiction.
After quitting for ten years but wanting a cigarette every day, she set aside time to ask God what was really going on. In a five-minute encounter, she says God exposed hidden agreements such as “they might not be my friends if I don’t smoke,” and those beliefs lost their hold.
Tanya and Heather also talk about boundaries as acts of love, healing from trauma without being left in pain, and why focusing on your own healing can quietly shift the people around you (including in marriage and family life). If you’re tired of praying for the symptoms—“God, take the addiction away”—and wondering why nothing changes, this episode might be the nudge to start asking what your struggle is signalling.
What could happen if you invited God into the parts of your story you’ve been afraid to touch?
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