IP#338 - Julia Marie Hogan - It's OK To Start With You on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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Julia Marie Hogan – It’s OK To Start With You on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Kris McGregor speaks with Julia Marie Hogan, a licensed clinical professional counselor, about her book It’s Okay to Start with You, which encourages readers to prioritize their well-being so they can fully participate in God’s calling for their lives. Hogan uses the metaphor of the airplane oxygen mask, emphasizing that taking care of oneself is essential before helping others, a principle rooted in understanding God’s love and seeing self-care as a discipline rather than an indulgence.

Critiquing superficial self-care trends and explores deeper self-care that incorporates mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects; she explains that authentic self-care is about maintaining a balanced life through practices like sleep, nutrition, and stress management. This is especially important in a society that values busyness, which can lead to burnout and detachment from self-awareness.

The book offers a structured approach, including reflection and discussion questions, making it versatile for individual or group settings. Self-care is a continual process of recalibration based on life’s seasons. For example, a person going through grief may focus on simple actions like sleep, nourishment, and prayer to help process their emotions. The book’s action plans encourage small, achievable goals, tailored to different aspects of self-care, helping readers gradually build sustainable habits.

You can find the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Embracing Spiritual Dryness: How can I welcome times when I don’t feel God’s presence as a means to deepen my trust in Him?
Guarding Against Doubt: In what areas of my spiritual journey might the enemy try to sow doubt, and how can I respond with faith?
Strengthening Virtues: Which specific virtues do I need to work on daily, and what steps can I take to reinforce them?
Humility in Prayer: How can I cultivate humility when distractions arise during prayer, acknowledging my need for God’s grace?
Creating a Rule of Life: What spiritual practices can I incorporate each day to help guide and sustain my relationship with God?
Detachment from Consolations: How can I grow in love for God by focusing less on spiritual consolations and more on selfless devotion?
Seeking Deeper Union with God: How is God calling me to deeper purification, and how can I better respond to His invitation?
Allowing Wounds to Heal: How can I offer my wounds to God as a source of healing and growth, rather than letting them be exploited by the enemy?
Learning from Saints’ Wisdom: What lessons from St. Teresa of Ávila and other saints can I apply to my own spiritual journey?
Trusting in God’s Unfailing Love: How can I remind myself daily of God’s patience, mercy, and desire for me to grow in holiness?

From the book description:

“Self-care is often misunderstood in our society. Far too many of us dismiss it as selfish pampering, and the results can be devastating for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Real self-care is anything but self-indulgent. It’s an essential discipline, rooted in the reality of who we are as God’s beloved children.

In It’s OK to Start with You, therapist Julia Marie Hogan, LCPC, makes the case for making self-care a priority beginning with reclaiming your own worth. Based on her practice as a therapist, she offers deep insights into the reasons why we neglect to take care of ourselves and provides needed tools to change our habits of thinking and acting so we can show up fully in our lives and relationships. With step-by-step instructions for building a tailored self-care plan, reflection questions, and note-taking space, this book is the ultimate guide to becoming the most authentic version of yourself.”

About the Author

Julia Marie Hogan is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Chicago. In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she leads workshops and writes on topics related to self-care, relationships, and mental health. She is passionate about empowering individuals to be their most authentic selves. You can find more of her writing online at Verily. She completed her Master’s in Clinical Psychology at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia.

IP#338 – Julia Marie Hogan – It’s OK To Start With You on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast