Episode 181

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Published on:

4th Nov 2025

Is Empathy Fostering Anxiety?

The idea that enough pain motivates change is dangerous. While sufficient pain might prompt a person to change, it might also keep them from changing. Why?

Because pain can migrate from being an experience to becoming an identity.

Young women today are especially wrestling with this because significant and ongoing anxiety has become the "norm." While we want to bring empathy and compassion to this issue, are we promoting the very problem we want to solve by failing to bring truth?

I explore change and a specific application to the issue of anxiety in today's episode.

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About the Podcast

Live Only True Stories
Grow spiritually strong, emotionally healthy, and relationally wise by aligning your internal stories with truth.
The stories we tell ourselves impact every area of our life.
We begin telling ourselves stories as children--about ourself, others, life, God. We continue adding to our stories as adults.
Live Only True Stories empowers people to learn to investigate their stories. Keep those that are true. Change those that aren't.

Research-informed and Biblically sound insights offer real hope and help for growing spiritually strong, emotionally healthy, and relationally wise.

Stephanie brings depth and winsomeness, authority and vulnerability. A wife, mom, mother-in-law, and Nana, Stephanie is a speaker and writer who loves helping others flourish.
Learn more at her website, https://www.stephaniepresents.com/

About your host

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Stephanie Smith

Stephanie knows from experience good intentions aren't enough to be spiritually strong, emotionally healthy, and relationally smart--or to raise kids who are. She shares powerful Scriptural principles and science-backed insights into human behavior to equip people to grow good intentions into godly impact.

Stephanie's authenticity creates immediate connection with audiences both virtual and on the stage, while gracious authority provides clarity and confidence for listeners. Her leadership experience includes being a certified Primal Question coach, Christian school founding board member and teacher, homeschool cooperative founder, and Teen Theater Director.

Stephanie is a wife, mother of five grown sons, mother-in-law of four, and Nana to a growing tribe of awesome grandkids. She is committed to Psalm 17:17-18, proclaiming God's power to generations through wisdom forged in real life.