Welcome to our Pursuing Uncomfortable Family!
Pursuing Uncomfortable with Melissa Ebken

Pursuing Uncomfortable with Melissa Ebken

This weekly podcast addresses the issues that keep us awake at night. Am I a good enough mom/dad/spouse? Am I living up to my potential? Am I giving my kids what they need to be successful in life? What will my parents need from me as they age? Am I a good co-parent? How can I handle confrontations better? All of these things make life difficult and uncomfortable! Let’s lean into all the uncomfortable and yucky stuff to find a path forward to a life we really want to live. (Music by Joe Calindrino, “September’s Realm”)

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Recent Episodes

May 31, 2023

Episode 82: Pursuing Parenting ADHD Children with Avigail Gimpel

On this episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, we hear from special education teacher and author, Avigail, whose personal experience with ADHD has led her to develop a three-pronged approach to managing ADHD symptoms. She emphasizes the importance of being patient and …

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May 24, 2023

Episode 81: Pursuing Life with Humor with Bee Baumann

On this episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, we explore the idea that creativity has no age limit and can be expressed at any time in life. Our guest, Bee Baumann, a nontraditional midlife beginner, shares her journey of discovering her potential …

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May 17, 2023

Episode 80: Pursuing Vitality When Life Knocks You Down with Joanne G…

In this episode of our podcast, we delve into the life of our speaker, Joanne Greene, who is currently in "act three" of their life. This is her favorite stage, where she gets to do what she wants, such as …

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May 10, 2023

Episode 79: Pursuing These 16 Things For Our Kids with Luke Grimm

On this episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, we hear from Luke Grim, a retired army veteran turned high school teacher who discusses the importance of preparing kids for independent living. From his own experience struggling with finances and household management when …

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May 3, 2023

Episode 78: Pursuing an Addiction-Free Teenager with Richard Capriola

On this episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, we dive into the world of teenage drug use and substance abuse. Our guest speaker, Richard Capriola, who has over two decades of experience in substance abuse counseling, sheds light on the dangers of …

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April 26, 2023

Episode 77: Pursuing YOUR Path with Stephenie Zamora

Stephenie is a firm believer in following one's own desires and values in order to achieve true success. She understands the importance of eliminating subconscious stoppers that hinder growth and limit potential. Stephenie encourages individuals to examine their winning strategies …

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April 19, 2023

Episode 76: Pursuing Nightmare Success with Brent Cassity

Brent Cassity is the author of the Book Nightmare Success: Loyalty, Betrayal, Life Behind Bars, Adapting, And Finally Breaking Free: A Memoir. He is a host of the popular podcast Nightmare Success In and Out. Brent was an inn...

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April 12, 2023

Episode 75: Pursuing A Non-Violent Path with Brad Mewhort

On this episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, Brad Mewhort speaks about his experiences with violence as a young boy and the impact it had on his life as an adult. He discusses the cycles of violence and the societal systems that …

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April 5, 2023

Episode 74: Pursuing Breaking the Silence: Empowering Youth Through F…

On this episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, Mollie Leivars speaks openly about her experience with bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts. She shares how she overcame these challenges and transformed her pain into a passion for creating films that shed light on …

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March 29, 2023

Episode 73: Pursuing Health, Faithfully with Karis Meier

Karis and her husband have four children and reside in Northern Virginia. She holds a BA in Christian Education and a MA in Counseling. She is a wife, mother, author,counselor, and speaker. Karis has struggled with chronic il...

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March 22, 2023

Episode 72: Pursuing A Happy and Healthy Life with Dr. Sanjib Nandi

Sanjib’s passion is to share his journey and help others live a healthy, fulfilling life. One of the ways he is living his passion is by founding LUVO, the first app ever to offer vibrational meditation. Our belief is that …

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March 15, 2023

Episode 71: Pursuing Healthy Happiness X 2 with The Therapy Twins

Joan and Jane bring their humorous approach to mental health to the Pursuing Uncomfortable Podcast.

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About the Host

Melissa EbkenProfile Photo

Melissa Ebken

Podcaster, Pastor, Author, Coach

Melissa was called into ministry, much to her surprise, after becoming a biologist and serving for ten years in the IL Army National Guard as a utility helicopter mechanic, the first woman to do so. She has served in Illiopolis and Niantic since 2001.
Melissa is at home in the difficult spaces of peoples’ lives, willing to listen and to walk with those who struggle and suffer. She is a trained coach and has consulted with churches in conflict. Her current pursuits include founding a Virtual Assistant training academy, forming a ministry co-op to better serve small churches, supporting nurses to thrive in stressful climates through building emotional intelligence, and guiding people who are ready to lean into and overcome difficult challenges and experiences in their lives.
She authored a book Teach Us To Pray: An Ancient Model For a Modern Day, and has a podcast called Pursuing Uncomfortable.