What if we can’t truly understand ourselves until we tell our stories?

In this episode of the Made for People podcast, I sit down with Christian psychologist and author Curt Thompson to explore how friendship, vulnerability, and storytelling shape our mental and spiritual well-being. We discuss what a mentally healthy mind looks like, why we have a deep desire to be known, and how placing our lives in vulnerable relationships can bring clarity and healing.

We discuss:

✔️ Why we can’t understand ourselves until we tell our stories

✔️ How keeping secrets wastes neuropsychiatric energy

✔️ Why friendship liberates creativity in work and life

✔️ How being seen can literally heal your brain

✔️ Why you’re never writing or telling your story alone



Join us for this fascinating conversation on how deep relationships transform the way we see ourselves, tell our stories, and experience healing.

📖 Want more? Grab a copy of Made for People and Curt Thompson’s books, The Soul of Shame and The Deepest Place, wherever books are sold.

💬 Let’s Connect! Follow me on Instagram @justinwhitmelearley and join the conversation.

What if friendship plays a bigger role in our lives—and in our faith—than we’ve ever realized?

In this episode of the Made for People Podcast, I sit down with Rebecca McLaughlin, author of Confronting Christianity and No Greater Love, to explore how friendship is at the heart of evangelism. Drawing from her latest book, Rebecca unpacks how Jesus redefined love, why friendship is more than just a social luxury, and how deep relationships can be a powerful witness in a skeptical world.

We discuss:

✔️ The unsung role of friendship in all of our stories—and why it matters more than we realize

✔️ How friends can shape our children in ways we may not have considered

✔️ Some surprising nuances in C.S. Lewis’ thoughts on friendship and what they mean for us today

✔️ How friendship is a way of evangelism and a means of welcoming the outsider

Join us for this conversation on why friendship matters more than ever—and how it can transform our approach to inviting people into Christianity.

📖 Want more? Grab a copy of Made for People and No Greater Love wherever books are sold.

💬 Let’s Connect! Follow me on Instagram @justinwhitmelearley and join the conversation.

What if salvation isn’t just about a personal relationship with God—but about friendship with others? What if the New Testament invites us to see friendship as something deeper, even covenantal?

In this second episode of the Made for People Podcast, we sit down with New Testament scholar Wes Hill to explore why Jesus framed salvation in terms of friendship and how Scripture challenges our modern understanding of relationships.

We discuss:

✔️ How the New Testament blurs the lines between friends and family

✔️ Why covenant friendship is essential—not optional—for the Christian life

✔️ How marriage and friendship should complement, not compete with, each other

✔️ Why geography matters when it comes to building deep relationships

✔️ The practical ways to spend more time with friends in daily life

✔️ How forgiveness is the essential ingredient to real friendships that last

Join us for this conversation on why we’re all made for friendship—and why seeing it as part of salvation might change everything.

📖 Want more? Grab a copy of Made for People wherever books are sold.

💬 Let’s Connect! Follow me on Instagram @justinwhitmelearley and join the conversation.