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”)
Recent Episodes
Episode 27: Thriving After Cancer with Amor Traceski
Amor Traceski is a two-time cancer survivor, motivational speaker, life coach, and author of The Cancer Patient's Reference Manua…
Episode 26: Pursuing Vitality When Your Body Hurts with Terry Tucker
Terry Tucker is an international podcast guest on the topics of motivation, self-development, and mental health. He has been a co…
Episode 25: Pursuing Finding Your Voice with Joyfully Cricket
Joyfully Cricket began her journey of transformation at the age of 20 when she experienced a personal tragedy. She made the choic…
Bonus Episode: Jonny McCoy's Story (Accompanies Episode 24)
This is the episode that contains Jonny's story. It accompanies episode 24. This story documents abuse suffered over the first de…
Episode 24: Pursuing Mental Health with Jonny McCoy
In October 2009, I witnessed a suicide while being unlawfully detained in a jail cell in Columbia, S.C. Although my case garnered…
Episode 23: Pursuing Calm When You Feel Anxiety
Jenna has been a therapist specializing in OCD and anxiety + related conditions since 2008. She's always been an anxious child an…
Episode 22: Pursuing Peace While Parenting (or any time)
Instagram: @coparentingwiththeuniverse Get Back To Peace Kit For Moms Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/melissaebken)
Episode 21: Pursuing Your Story with Perry Power
Perry Power is a storyteller, author, coach, and charity co-founder. Ranking up 2.3M likes and 125k followers on TikTok, Perry's …
Episode 20: Pursuing Healthy and Happy Habits
Jason Harwood has worked with hundreds of small businesses around the world. His input on happier habits has helped many achieve …
Episode 19: Pursuing a LEGACY
“Curator of a Bigger Vision Within,” Mark Smith specializes in speaking from his personal experience of trials and tribulations i…
Episode 18: Pursuing Health When It Seems Too Hard
David Hernandez is passionate, inspiring, and motivated. He believes that each of us was designed to live a life of purpose. He t…
Episode 17: Pursuing College Savings For Kids
Brad Baldridge is a College Funding Specialist who has helped thousands of families plan and save for college with smart and prov…
About the Host
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.