In this episode of Navigating a Broken Vessel, host Dave Harris sits down with Derek Barney, a Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor and owner of A Way Back Counseling.

Derek opens up about his powerful personal journey, from battling a severe pain pill addiction and a life-altering arrest to finding healing through the support of others. Now a professional counselor, he shares his "three pillars" approach to wellness—physical, mental, and spiritual—and offers compassionate advice for those struggling with depression, ADHD, and the stigma of seeking help.

• The Turning Point: Derek discusses how an injury led to addiction and how a supportive therapist helped him reclaim his life.

• The Three Pillars: Why nourishing your physical, mental, and spiritual health is essential for alignment.

• Overcoming Depression: Practical first steps for those finding it hard to get out of bed, including the power of routine and "baby steps".

• Learn About Bowie: How Derek’s therapy dog-in-training provides emotional support and comfort to clients.

• A Way Back Counseling: Learn about Derek’s clinic in Washington, Utah, and their mission to provide affordable, expert therapy.

Whether you are navigating your own "broken vessel" or supporting a loved one, this episode serves as a reminder that small successes are worth celebrating and that nobody has to walk the path to recovery alone.

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

Have you ever felt the crushing weight of unmet expectations? In this episode of Navigating a Broken Vessel, host Dave Harris dives deep into a phrase that has echoed throughout his life since seventh grade: "Capable of doing better".

Dave shares a vulnerable and honest look at his journey from being a "study hall" regular in elementary school to struggling with a 1.87 GPA in high school. He reflects on the psychological toll of perfectionism and how setting the bar at "perfect" can lead to a cycle of perpetual disappointment.

• The Mid-Term Trauma: How four simple words from a teacher in 1990 became a lifelong internal critic.

• The "Study Hall" Cycle: Memories of Mr. Oldoerp and the fear of falling short in the fourth grade.

• The Perfectionist’s Trap: A look at Dave’s career in live television and the stress of "post-mortem" meetings where anything less than flawless was a failure.

• Finding the "Game": How Dave learned to navigate higher education—earning multiple degrees by turning the challenge into a competition with himself rather than a quest for perfection.

• Be Ye Therefore Perfect... Eventually: A reflection on Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s 2017 talk and learning to embrace the "eventually" in personal growth.

Dave offers practical, grounded advice for anyone struggling to get out of bed or feeling "stuck" in their career or mental health journey. Learn why celebrating minuscule successes and "turning off the brain" to let the body take over can be the first step toward becoming unstuck.

"If we set the bar at perfection, we will always be disappointed because every single one of us is capable of doing better." — Dave Harris

Listen now to reframe your failures and find peace in the pursuit of "better."

Link to talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

Be Ye Therefore Perfect -- Eventually

Connect with the Show:

• Our web site: https://www.navigatingabrokenvessel.com

Listen to Navigating a Broken Vessel

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingABrokenVessel
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-a-broken-vessel/id1871965350
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AhjZOhsDA97bJkUjLUuI9
• Amazon/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8044ee2c-27fd-49af-b3e4-deac81905161/navigating-a-broken-vessel
• iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-navigating-a-broken-vessel-319371772/

Social:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/navigatingabrokenvessel
• Instagram: @navigatingabrokenvessel

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.

In this episode of Navigating a Broken Vessel, host Dave Harris is joined by a very special guest: his wife, Shelly. Together, they pull back the curtain on their 26-year journey, starting with the (highly debated) story of how they first met at an Institute of Religion "Dating and Courtship" class.

The conversation dives deep into the realities of maintaining a marriage while managing mental health challenges. Shelly shares her perspective on the first decade of their marriage—before Dave’s ADHD diagnosis—and how his cycle of "losing interest" in projects and careers created a pattern of frequent moves and professional shifts.

In this episode, Dave and Shelly discuss:

• The Power of Love Languages: How Shelly learned to support Dave through depressive episodes using physical touch and acts of service.

• The "Broken Vessel" Mindset: Dave’s honest reflection on feeling "broken" by his ADHD diagnosis and how he reframed it as a growth process.

• The Academic Grind: The grueling story of Dave’s 300-mile commute to finish his PhD in just four years.

• Spiritual Strength: Finding meaning in the scripture Ether 12:27 and the idea of turning weaknesses into strengths.

Join us for a candid, witty, and heartwarming look at how two people can navigate the choppy waters of life and mental health to build a stronger vessel together.

Our web site: https://www.navigatingabrokenvessel.com

Listen to Navigating a Broken Vessel:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingABrokenVessel

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-a-broken-vessel/id1871965350

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3AhjZOhsDA97bJkUjLUuI9

Amazon/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8044ee2c-27fd-49af-b3e4-deac81905161/navigating-a-broken-vessel

iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-navigating-a-broken-vessel-319371772/

Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/navigatingabrokenvessel

Instagram: @navigatingabrokenvessel

Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional, and this should not be taken as any kind of medical advice. If you need assistance, I highly recommend working with mental health professionals. I use many myself.