The holidays have a way of stirring up old thoughts, old emotions, and old coping patterns. Family gatherings, financial pressure, grief, loneliness, and anxiety can all collide at once—and when anxiety rises, the mind often reaches for the same “solution” it always has. Porn isn’t the problem. It’s the relief valve we’ve learned to pull when tension feels unbearable.

In this episode of the Free From Porn podcast, Richard Young teaches a simple but powerful practice that changes everything: learning to observe your thoughts instead of fighting them—and relaxing around the feelings they trigger. You’ll discover why resisting or suppressing anxious thoughts actually makes them stronger, how to step out of the mental “roller coaster,” and what it looks like to take thoughts captive by staying present, relaxed, and grounded in Christ.

As you head into the busy Christmas season, this episode will help you:

• Understand why anxiety—not desire—is the real driver behind porn use
• Learn how to observe thoughts without identifying with them
• Practice relaxing your body and nervous system when triggers arise
• Experience how peace replaces compulsion when tension is released
• Walk through the holidays conscious, free, and no longer medicating stress

This isn’t about trying harder or fighting your mind. It’s about learning how to live from peace—where thoughts lose their power, urges pass, and freedom becomes your new normal.

Justin shares two hilarious stories of almost joining a cult—and we use them to unpack why old thoughts, temptations, and guilt still show up even when you’re walking in freedom. Learn how to “unsubscribe” from old mental patterns, retrain your mind’s algorithm, and stop taking every thought personally so you can keep walking in the freedom Christ already gave you.

n this episode of the Free From Porn podcast, host Richard Young dives into one of the most overlooked pressure-cookers of the year: the holiday season. For many, Thanksgiving and Christmas bring joy… but they also bring stress, old triggers, family dynamics, and emotional weight that can feel overwhelming.

But what if those very triggers were invitations—not setbacks?

Richard unpacks why moments of pressure are often the same moments that used to drive you to medicate with porn… and how this season can become a sacred opportunity to renew your mind, release old patterns, and walk in the peace that’s already yours in Christ.

From Paul’s words in Philippians 4 to the practice of getting alone with God in the “secret place,” this episode shows you how to turn holiday anxiety into holy ground. You'll learn how to:

• Bring your anxieties to God instead of numbing them
• Recognize triggers as opportunities for transformation
• Let the peace of God guard your heart and mind
• Build new habits of freedom in the moments that used to break you
• Step back into family settings with calm, clarity, and Christ’s life flowing through you

Whether you're listening before Thanksgiving or weeks afterward, this conversation will help you walk into any environment—family gatherings, stressful moments, old memories—with peace, gratitude, and unshakeable identity.

This holiday season, your buttons aren’t setbacks.
They’re invitations to freedom.

In this episode of the Free From Porn Podcast, Justin and Richard kick things off with a hilarious question: “What’s the manliest thing you’ve ever done?” What starts as jokes about peeing standing up and awkward gym compliments quickly turns into a story that nearly ends in disaster—Richard almost drowning at a Hawaiian beach because he fought the waves instead of letting himself float.

But that moment becomes the doorway into a much deeper conversation about white-knuckling, rumination, anxiety, and why so many men exhaust themselves trying to “fight the waves” of life, urges, or stress.

Justin breaks down the real meaning of Philippians 4:13 (hint: it’s not about doing backflips for Jesus), and together they unpack why:

• Most people aren’t sinning because they’re evil—they’re medicating because they’re overwhelmed.
• Trying to out-think your anxieties only drags you deeper into the rip current.
• Freedom isn’t found in controlling the waves—it’s found in learning to float.

If you’ve ever felt like life is “lifeing,” like you're trying to fix circumstances you can’t fix, or like your urges spike the moment stress rises, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

You don’t need more force.
You don’t need more self-hatred.
You don’t need to swim harder.

You need to learn the art of endurance, peace, and floating with Jesus in the middle of the waves.

This episode will show you how.

Tune in now.

In this episode of the Free From Porn Podcast, Richard Young unpacks one of the most counterintuitive truths about freedom — that trying harder often makes things worse. Drawing from psychology and Scripture, Richard explains the “law of reversed effort,” showing how willpower alone can reinforce the very habits you’re trying to break.

You’ll learn why striving, white-knuckling, and obsessing over sin only deepen the struggle — and how true transformation happens when you relax into grace.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated that your best efforts still lead to failure, this episode will help you understand why. You’ll see that freedom isn’t found in more effort — it’s found in changing the picture you hold of yourself.

Key themes:

• Why trying harder reinforces bad habits
• The law of reversed effort and imagination vs. will
• How identity in Christ rewires your behavior from the inside out
• The power of relaxing into grace instead of striving for freedom

Listen now to discover how to stop fighting for freedom and start living from it.

What happens when freedom turns into permission? In this raw and hilarious episode, Richard and Justin unpack how a single conversation years ago threw Richard off course and why it’s so easy to swing between guilt and license when you’re learning to live free from p*rn.

From a wild story about a dad discovering his son’s “Free From P*rn” charge on the family bank statement to a deep dive into Galatians 5 and 2 Peter 1, the guys reveal how comparison, immaturity, and misplaced focus can subtly sabotage real freedom.

This episode is for anyone who’s tried to escape shame, only to drift into apathy. You’ll discover the middle ground where grace empowers growth, not excuses, and learn why your freedom is secure even as you practice self-control.

Listen if you’ve ever thought:
“If I’m free, why do I still fall?”
“Is grace just letting me off the hook?”
“How do I stay out of guilt and complacency?”

Have you ever noticed that the moment you start doing something new, stressful, or outside your comfort zone, the urges to look at prn suddenly show up again? In this honest and vulnerable episode, Richard opens up about why launching the Free From Prn coaching program actually increased his urges. Joined by Justin Khoe, they unpack why stress often becomes a hidden trigger and how to process it without escaping.

Together they explore:
• Why p*rn isn’t the problem, it’s the solution you’ve been using
• How stress and new challenges can surface old habits
• The biblical path to regulating emotions without shame
• What Philippians 4 teaches about anxiety, prayer, and peace
• A simple, powerful breathing practice that calms your body and centers your heart in Christ

This episode will remind you that stress isn’t your enemy—it’s an invitation to slow down, breathe, and experience the peace of God that guards your heart and mind.

Listen now to discover how freedom looks even in moments of pressure.

Most people would rather hide than admit they’re struggling with porn—but what if talking about it is the very thing that breaks its power?

In this episode of the Free From Porn Podcast, Justin and Richard get real about embarrassment—why we feel it, how it keeps us stuck, and what happens when we finally stop pretending. Joined by their friend David Hunte, who battled porn for over 40 years, they unpack the role of shame, identity, and community in finding lasting freedom.

David shares how understanding who he is in Christ—and learning to take thoughts captive—transformed decades of secrecy into a testimony of freedom. From “trying harder” to “standing fast in liberty,” this conversation will help you see that your struggle doesn’t define you, and you don’t have to hide anymore.

🎧 In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why talking about your porn struggle isn’t embarrassing—it’s freeing
• How guilt, shame, and condemnation keep you silent (and stuck)
• The identity shift that ends the cycle for good
• Why community and confession are crucial to walking in victory
• How to renew your mind when temptation hits

If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t talk about this”—this episode is your permission to stop hiding. Freedom starts with honesty.