The Luella Jonk Show

Today it's just me. And I'm angry.

I wasn't supposed to record a solo episode today. I had two guest interviews scheduled. But ten minutes before we were supposed to go live, one of them canceled. "Not feeling well." At 2 p.m. their time.

And here's the thing—I have empathy. Life happens. But this isn't just about today. This is about what I see everywhere: a catastrophic lack of discipline. A refusal to h...

In this episode, I sit down with Father John Henry Hanson, a Norbertine priest, formator, and spiritual writer from St. Michael's Abbey whose work lives at the crossroads of psychology and spirituality. Father holds a degree in psychology from Divine Mercy University, and his upcoming book The Fire and the Silence explores what it truly means to align the mind with God in a world that never stops pulling our attention away. Thi...

In this episode, Dr. James Kinross, consultant surgeon and microbiome scientist at Imperial College London, reveals why the trillions of microbes living inside us hold the key to our physical and mental health—and why we're facing an "internal climate crisis" that's changing everything. From IBS to obesity to mental health struggles, Dr. Kinross explains how our relationship with these invisible organisms determines...

I'm recording this one without makeup—not because I forgot, but because I need to practice what I'm about to preach: authentic vulnerability over comfortable validation. And what I'm seeing in my therapy practice lately has me genuinely concerned.

Couples are now bringing printed transcripts of their spouse's ChatGPT conversations to sessions. People are outsourcing their moral compass, their conflict resolution, and...

In this second conversation with Licensed Professional Counselor Eric Zeitler, we tackle one of the most frustrating dynamics in modern Catholic marriages: leadership. Or more accurately, the lack of it. Women tell me constantly that their husbands won't step up. Men tell Eric they don't know how—or worse, that they've tried and been shut down.

Eric doesn't sugarcoat it: leadership in marriage requires two things. Fi...

In this first part of a two-part conversation, Licensed Professional Counselor Eric Zeitler opens up about his innovative approach to therapy that honors both psychological science and Catholic faith. As founder of the Imago Dei Healing Institute, Eric has dedicated his practice to helping clients heal deep wounds while respecting their deeply held values—a balance many Catholics struggle to find in traditional therapy settings.

Eri...

In this solo episode, I'm addressing something that's been showing up constantly in my therapy room—and frankly, it's been irritating me more and more. Husbands are sending their wives viral videos that essentially say: "This is why I'm losing attraction to you. This is what you're doing wrong."

And I need to talk about why this isn't helping anyone.

I'll walk you through:

✅ Why sending your wife a ...

In this episode, I sit down with Brenda Prato, a canon lawyer from Malta who serves as Defender of the Bond in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and as a collegial judge in the Archdiocese of Armagh. As a married mother of two pursuing her doctorate in canon law at KU Leuven, Brenda brings both professional expertise and deeply personal insight to one of the Church's most misunderstood processes: marriage annulments.

I'll walk yo...

As I record this on December 30th, I'm not in the space of big resolutions or grand declarations for 2025. Instead, I'm sitting with what I've been noticing—about aging, about faith, about what actually sustains us when life shifts beneath our feet.

At 57 (turning 58 in February), I'm discovering something unexpected: the less I try to control, the freer I feel. It's not that life has gotten easier—it hasn't....

In this episode, health and eating psychology coach Dani Spies shares her transformative journey from chronic dieting to food freedom. As the founder and host of Clean and Delicious, Dani helps women build healthier relationships with food, body, and weight—without restriction or rigid meal plans. Her turning point? Becoming pregnant and finally giving herself permission to stop trying to "fix" her body.

I...

In this solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on something that happened between my husband and me on our recent vacation in Mexico—a moment so small, so ordinary, that you might miss it entirely. But this is exactly the kind of moment that quietly erodes long-term relationships without anyone noticing until the distance has already set in.

This episode isn't about arguing better or fixing dramatic conflicts. It's a...

In this episode, I sit down with Professor Caryn Zinn—a powerhouse nutrition researcher and registered dietitian from New Zealand who's spent over 25 years turning conventional dietary advice on its head. As a Professor at Auckland University of Technology, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Metabolic Health, and co-author of the bestselling "What the Fat?" series, Caryn has dedicated her career to helping people underst...

In this solo episode, I dive deeper into what I started exploring last week—why our minds feel so chaotic despite our best intentions. As a psychotherapist, I've watched clients struggle with scattered thoughts, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue, assuming something is fundamentally broken. But what if nothing is wrong with you? What if your faculties are simply responding to impossible demands?

I'll walk you through...

In this solo episode, I share a profound realization that's been brewing in my practice for years—one that finally crystallized after listening to two Norbertine priests discuss the spiritual roots of psychotherapy. As a registered psychotherapist, I've helped countless clients function better, organize their thoughts, and reduce their symptoms. But something always felt hollow, both in my work and in the people I serve.

I&#...

In this episode, I sit down with Sr Orianne Pietra René, a Winnipeg-born religious sister with the Daughters of Saint Paul who's bridging ancient faith and modern technology in the most unexpected ways. From her conversion to Catholicism at age 12 to a chance confession that changed everything, Sister Orianne's journey into religious life—and social media ministry—is anything but conventional.

I'll walk you through:

✅...

In this episode, I sit down with Fr. Thomas Morrow, a Catholic priest, theologian, and author whose expertise in marriage and family has helped countless couples build stronger, more resilient relationships. With a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and decades of pastoral experience, Fr. Morrow brings both scholarly wisdom and practical insight to the challenges mod...

In this deeply informative episode, I sit down with Michael Podhajsky, a canon lawyer who brings compassion and clarity to one of the most misunderstood processes in the Catholic Church—annulments. As someone who's been married for nearly 28 years and has walked alongside friends and family through divorce, I realized how little I actually understood about this process, which is why I sought out Michael on LinkedIn.

What struck ...

In this vulnerable solo episode, I'm getting real about what it means to truly trust when life feels fragile and you're hanging on by a thread. We've all heard the beautiful spiritual advice to "trust God's plan," but what does that actually look like when you're anxiously checking your phone for that email, dreading an upcoming confrontation, or second-guessing a major decision you've made?

I'm o...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Anitial'A Ware, whose story isn't theory—it's lived experience. As a former Division 2 All-American athlete, collegiate coach, and master's-educated science teacher who once identified as a lesbian for a decade, Anitial'A's journey from darkness to divine purpose is nothing short of miraculous.

What struck me as a therapist wasn't just her courage, but her absolut...