Naming Your Limits As a Tool For Hope: Anxious Times, Part 4 (#391)

Naming Your Limits As a Tool For Hope: Anxious Times, Part 4 (#391)

From Religion on the Mind by Dan Koch

April 2, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

The episode explores the concepts of the impossible and the desirable through personal experiences of motherhood, illness, and religious change, ultimately leading to a more hopeful perspective.

Co-host Kristen Tideman and I work through the final two legs of Emmy van Dersen's triad — the impossible and the desirable — using Kristen's new motherhood, MS diagnosis, and ongoing religious change as real, lived test cases for the framework. In the Patron-only second half, We move from naming what we can't have, to excavating the values underneath those wishes, to identifying what we actually can do about it — and end up somewhere more hopeful than either of us expected. Highlights: The impossible vs. the merely difficult Extracting values from unmet wishes Religious change and lost sense-making MS diagnosis, grief, and clarified priorities Spiritual grounding after deconstruction Anxious Times Episode Part 1⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Anxious Times Episode Part 2⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Anxious Times Episode Part 3 ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/dancoke/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/DanKoch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Faith deconstruction resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soyouredeconstructing.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/dankoch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email about the "sliding scale" for…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Koch

Guest: Kristen Tideman

Topics covered

  • motherhood
  • multiple sclerosis
  • religious change
  • values
  • grief
  • hope

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • spirituality
  • deconstruction
  • priorities
  • grief
  • values
  • hope

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