Jul 30 • 51:43

Finding Freedomwomen and porn addiction with Dr. Joy Skarka

Episode:

Finding Freedomwomen and porn addiction with Dr. Joy Skarka

July 30, 2024 • 51:43 • Greta Eskridge

In this episode I have the absolute pleasure of talking to Dr. Joy Skarka. Joy is a leader in helping women find freedom and healing from sexual shame with her doctoral work, leading seminars and workshops with Authentic Intimacy, and now is the author of a new book on the topic, Her Freedom Journeya guide out of porn and shame to authentic intimacy.

In her book, Joy bravely shares her own journey from addiction to freedom. She educates her readers on the way porn use fuels harm, addiction and shame. But she doesnt leave us there. Instead, she offers so much help and hope to her readers who might be struggling with these issues themselves or want to help someone who is. This book is going to be such an incredible resource to many. It is going to change lives. This episode is full of so many practical tips, encouragement and hope. I am truly honored to introduce you to Dr. Joy today. And I am so proud to share this conversation with you.

Some helpful links from todays episode:

Get resources from Dr. Joys website here

Follow Dr. Joy on Instagram here

Get Dr. Joys book, Her Freedom Journey, here

Get more resources on all kinds of sexual issues from Authentic Intimacy here

Hopeful bible verse: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Some favorite quotes from todays episode:

*Look at all that God has done! Dr. Joy Skarka

*Girls use porn too. And girls need to be protected from porn too. Greta Eskridge

*If we dont talk about it for women and theyre secretly struggling, there is just so much more shame and so many more problems down the line. Dr. Joy Skarka

*Do you know what gave me the courage? Someone else went first. I heard a courageous woman share her story at a college student womens event. Until that moment, I had never heard a woman admit she struggled with sexual sin. For the first time I realized I wasnt alone and I wasnt a total freak for being a woman who struggled with sexual sin. Dr. Joy Skarka

*Really what I needed was healthier coping mechanisms. Dr. Joy Skarka

*Not only is sexual sin addictive, but it is damaging to your brain. It reconstructs your neurological pathways and bonds you to the images because God created you for intimacy. Dr. Joy Skarka

*There is more to it than just stop watching porn. You have to heal your brain and your body too. Dr. Joy Skarka

*You were not created for sex, but for intimacy. Dr. Joy Skarka

*God created us with a longing to be loved and to have intimacy that can only be met through Him. So if were turning to these fake things that are trying to give us fake intimacy, were always going to come up short and continue to have a longing for more. Dr. Joy Skarka

*By delighting in Him, you find something that doesnt just numb the pain, but heals the pain. Thats what God does. Greta Eskridge

*The good news is this: we worship a God who redeems and restores our broken sexuality. Not only does God restore the beauty from ashes, but He also restores and renews our brains. We can have hope that even if we have been negatively affected by porn, we can be healed! Dr. Joy Skarka

*We worship a God who can restore anything and thats our hope. Gods power and His healing and His miracles can restore and redeem anybodys brains. Dr. Joy Skarka

*The porn industry is purposely creating porn for women. They have a whole branded type of porn, they call it romance porn. They also have porn to draw in kids because they know if they capture them theyre going to stay with us and be our clients for decades. Dr. Joy Skarka

*Satan wants us to stay in that place of shame. He wants us to feel afraid and to feel like were cancelled because of the mistakes of our past, the decisions we made, the things that happened to us, even the things that arent our fault. He wants us to hide in that shame. And he wants us to stay quiet. But God can use our story when we bring it into the light. Greta Eskridge

*The enemy thrives in the darkness and he thrives in the shame. But if we bring it into the light, thats where the healing happens. Dr. Joy Skarka

Podcast:

The Greta Eskridge Podcast →

With Greta Eskridge

We're living in a time filled with distraction and disconnection from the things that matter most. Things like faith, family, friendship, and childhood innocence feel harder and harder to hold onto. But I believe a joyful, connected life is possible with Jesus's help because he offers us life to the full! It's time to open our eyes to the wonder God has put all around us, so join me each week on The Greta Eskridge Podcast as some of my favorite friends and I explore ways to create connection in our families and chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.

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Mar 3 • 33:09

All the News! Bring your family to Italy with us! Join my upcoming master class/book club! And more! with Greta Eskridge →

Episode 106

Well this is a very newsy kind of episode! I have so many fun and wonderful things to share with you that I had to just jump on and talk them out with you today.

First up, I did some reflecting on my book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, being out in the world for a whole year and shared the ways we have seen God work. Its been so hard at times and yet, so worth it.

In honor of the book being a year old, I am doing my first ever master class/book club (its a little of both!) with all of you! The links to sign up are below so you can jump in before the class fills up.

I also got to share our super fun family news: were taking another family trip to Italy, and we want you to come! That is right, a trip to Italy for the whole family, organized and led by Select Tours International and hosted by Aaron and myself. All the info at the link below. We cant wait for you to join us!

Lastly, if you need a trip just for you and not the whole family, consider joining me on my walking retreat in the Cotswolds this fall! It will be the most wonderful, restful, beautiful, soul filling and soul healing time. Link below for all the info!

I cant wait to see how many of you Ill get to hang out with you this year!

With joy,

Greta

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Register for my master class/book club here

Get a copy of my book Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here

Info about the family trip to Italy here

Info about the Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Feb 24 • 55:00

Learning to Rest through Personal Spiritual Retreats with Alyson Pryor →

Episode 105

Todays guest is Alyson Pryor, my real life friend and real life wise woman. Alyson is a wife and mom to 5 kids. She is also a spiritual director, a marriage and family therapist, a professor, speaker and now author of her first book! And she is more amazing in real life than she is on paper.

I absolutely loved talking to Alyson about her new book, Come Away and Rest, a Guide to Personal Spiritual Retreats. Alyson shares how she started seeking rest through spiritual retreats as a tired mom of young children, being cared for by 2 kind nuns at a house in a suburban neighborhood. Its a funny and tender story and led Alyson on a journey of discovery that she needed these quiet retreats not just to get a break from being a mom, but to know God in a deeper way.

I learned a lot in this episode and found myself inspired to take a quiet spiritual retreat of my own as it is something I have never done. I know youll love learning from Alyson too!

If youre looking for a restful retreat combined with lots of beauty and some adventure, consider joining me, Greta, on my upcoming Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds this September. It will be a time for deep thought, soul care, celebration, healing or just experiencing the joy of being in a new and beautiful place with like minded companions. Find out more info right here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Find Alysons book here

Find Alysons website here

Find Alyson on Instagram here

Find info on Gretas walking retreat here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Feb 17 • 1:2:04

Praying for Our Kids with Intention with Brook Mosser →

Episode 104

I love episodes where I get to talk with my friends. And this episode is one of those. Brook Mosser co-leads Intentional ministries with his wife Elizabeth, is an author, speaker and podcast host. Brook Mosser is also one of my dear friends--honestly like a brother to me. We make each other laughthough hes a thousand times funnier than I am. But what I love and appreciate most about Brook is how honest he is, how kind and generous, and how he points people to Jesus over and over again. And this episode is all about that.

We talk about all kinds of things: hormones, yes he talked hormones with me, adult ADD, his upcoming retreat with Intentional Fatherhood, and especially the book he just wrote, Sowing a Hidden Seed: Daily Prayers for Your Childs Spiritual Growth. You are going to love this episode and get a lot of good stuff out of it. I am so glad to share my buddy Brook with you again.

Be sure to check out the links below to get connected to all the good things we talk about.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Find Brooks book here

Find Brook on Instagram here

Find The Intentional Fatherhood podcast here

Find tickets to The Intentional Fatherhood retreat here

Find The Intentional Parents podcast here

Find Gretas book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here

Find info about Gretas upcoming Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Feb 10 • 47:21

Learning to Let our Kids Go with Grace and Joy with empty nest coach Pamela Henkelman →

Episode 103

Oh this episode could not feel more relevant to me right in this very moment! I have a house full of teens and young adults, my first child to be getting married and Im nearly done with my many years of being a home school mom. There is a lot of joy in this time of my life, but also so much change and we all know change is hard. And the empty nest years sure are filled with change.

Thats why I am so excited about this conversation with empty nest coach, Pamela Henkleman. Pamela is a wise, gracious and joy filled guide to any mom on this journey. You might think this conversation doesnt apply to you because your kids are little, or in elementary school, but Pamela and I also talked about how to prepare our hearts for the empty nest days, no matter what stage of parenting were in. Not with mourning and sadness, but with the knowledge that its our job to send our kids out in the best way possible.

I also asked Pamela to share what we have to look forward to in the empty nest years because it cant all be doom and gloom, right? The good news, its not! Youll love hearing the moment I realized there were some things I am really looking forward to in my empty nest years. I know youll get a lot out of this episode and love getting to know Pamela.

Be sure to give her a follow and to share this episode with a friend. And leave a review of the podcast too, if you havent done that yet!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Find Pamelas website here

Find Pamela on Instagram here

Find Pamelas podcast here

Find Pamelas coaching here

Find info on Gretas Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here

Get your copy of Gretas latest book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Feb 3 • 1:3:05

What the Body Teaches the Soul about Breath, Exercise, Sex and God s Design for Healthy Habits. with Justin Earley →

Episode 102 It was so good to have my friend Justin Earley back on the show today! If you missed the last episode with Justin and Brook Mosser, hosts of the Intentional Fatherhood podcast, you can listen to it here. It is a fun one and you dont want to miss it.

In episode 102, Justin and I dive into his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life. I loved reading Justins book. As you can imagine, that made it hard to narrow down what parts of the book to focus on. But ultimately, I asked Justin if we could focus on the chapters of his book that covered 3 specific topics: breath, exercise and sex. It was such a good conversation! I walked away learning so much and I know you will too.

As always, please share this episode and if youve never left a review of the podcast, do that today too! Id be so grateful. And if you havent yet picked up your copy of Its Time To Talk to Your Kids About Porn, consider this your weekly reminder to do so. You can find your copy here. 2026 is your year to have these conversations with your kids! Thanks for listening friends. I cant wait to see you next week!

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

Find Justins website here

Find Justin on Instagram here

Find Justins book here

Find the Intentional Fatherhood podcast here

Find tickets to the Intentional Fatherhood retreat here

Find info about Gretas Womens Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

About the Host

Greta Eskridge

Greta Eskridge is a second-generation homeschooler, an author, a speaker, and a podcast host. Greta’s faith in God is the lens through which she sees the world.

Greta loves encouraging parents to pursue joyful, connected parenting. And she is passionate about helping families create connection in a disconnected world through things like purposeful adventures, online safety, and keeping their eyes wide open to wonder. Greta firmly believes that “joy is the serious business of heaven” and is on mission to chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.

Greta lives in sunny southern California with her artist husband, Aaron, and their four kids–1 young adult and 3 teens. Greta loves nature, books and coffee and her favorite place to be is on a hiking trail.

More from Greta →