Why Am I Still Stuck? Getting to the Root and Healing with God with Heather O’Brien

What if the reason you’re still struggling isn’t because you haven’t prayed enough—but because God wants to take you deeper? Heather O’Brien, author of Heal with God, shares how the Lord led her into a more Spirit-led approach to healing that looks beyond symptoms and gets to the root. We talk about uncovering hidden lies, asking God better questions, hearing His voice more clearly, and praying with greater precision over patterns that seem impossible to break. Heather also shares the story behind her book and the courage it took to turn what God had taught her into a resource that could help others experience freedom.

Heather's contact info:

Website - heatherobrien.net

Heal with God Workshop: heatherobrien.net/workshop

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Transcript

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Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked Podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope for your soul. Please help me welcome Heather O'Brien to the show. I am so excited to have her on today again. We spoke back in April of last year, 2025, because you know, if you're listening three years from now, 2025, episode 129. So I'm so excited to have her back today. There is a very powerful reason she is back. I can't wait for her to share more. But could you just share just a little bit about yourself for those who didn't hear you last year before we get into where the Lord has led you in this time?

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Yeah. So I'm a wife, boy mom, a three, homeschool mom, author, podcast host, and a spirit-led healing coach is maybe the way to say it. And the the simplest way to explain that is I help Christians who love Jesus, but they're still stuck, stuck managing something that they know Jesus died for them to be free of. And it's my passion and desire for them to actually experience the freedom that they're longing for.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Yeah, so good. I I just love you dearly. I know last year, if you guys go back and listen to the episode that we did, I was walking through quite a few, quite a few valleys all happening at one time. And I was able to work with Heather and her program. It was just so beneficial to help me continue on the path that I'm on. So thank you again for that. Yeah. I I did reach out to her. I I think I'd seen something about something that you have recently released. And I was like, hey, would you like to come back on and share? So tell us about your new book, first of all. And then how did it come to be? Was that what was the process like? I always love to ask authors like, what was the process like? And had had you always thought you'd write a book? Kind of

Why Heal With God Became A Book

SPEAKER_00 2:10

tell us all the things about this new book.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Yeah. I didn't want to write it because I've already written several. And it's one of those things, like, I thought I was done. I thought I thought, like, couldn't couldn't the last one be done? And I actually was going through a course with just learning how to be a better podcast coach and stuff like that and host. And throughout that, I just decided to make a course. And the course is the whole Heal with God book. And I I mapped it out, turned, made it into video trainings, I added coaching to it. And then God was knocking on my door asking me to turn it into a book. And I kept saying, No, no, no. I even had prophetic words from other people saying it's time to write that next book. And I was like, You're not hearing God. Uh and I just, I don't know, do you ever get where you're just like, eh, I don't, I don't want to do, I don't know what's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Well, we were we were just talking about this, right? Before we got started with because we're we both have podcasts, and the Lord was calling both of us to start or you know, come back or start for me doing video podcasts. I'm like, not not really interested. Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

This is the same thing. I was like, no, I already did that because it's a whole thing, and I know how much of a whole thing it is. This is book number, oh, it might be five. I lost count because I have it might be like book number nine with all the workbooks that I have because I have books with workbooks and I count them separately. Do you well? I mean, they're books, right? They're whole they're whole masterpieces. Yeah, absolutely. So anyways, this one this came about because it's a combination of all my books and all the coaching in one central hub instead of you know by topic or or something like that. I it's everything in one thing, and I really like a paper product because it's gonna outlive me. That's true. That's so true. It's really, and even the the video course, I keep thinking, I'm like, no one in my family knows how to keep that going if I pass away when I pass away. Right. And so this is that in paper form, and it will outlive me. And that that feels it feels substantial. It feels like there's weight behind that. And I know the program is really powerful right now, and it's helping people in really powerful ways. Yeah, but the book is there too for the person, maybe like me, who likes to try the free or the low cost version first, or sure. I like to DIY a thing, and that's what this book will let you do.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yeah, how long did it take you to write the book? Or kind of you're almost gathering everything, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah, well, so I already had it all in a course, and so I took the transcripts of all of my videos and was able to easily edit it. And that's what I felt like the Holy Spirit kept reminding me, Heather, this isn't gonna be like the other ones. You're not starting from scratch. I had transcripts of all of the workshops, so I do monthly workshops, which you are a huge part of. Kristen's the one who's like, hey, you should do this monthly after my first or second one. And I ran with that. I started doing it monthly. And so I had transcripts of all of those experiences, and that translated into a book actually quite easily. I I'm not gonna say I didn't do anything, but a there was an ease about it. There it was completely different than writing any of the other books, so I didn't have to remember stories, I could go and take that transcript and yeah, I still had to turn it into book worthy content, but it it would the process was I already knew exactly every chapter

Turning A Course Into A Book

SPEAKER_01 6:05

because it was mapped out in my course. I already knew that I had these testimonies and they just had to fit. I don't know where they're gonna go, where they're gonna go. And I already knew activations because I have it in my course. I already actually had a whole workbook to go with the course. So I just had to make it, I made the workbook more better too. And so of course I want to do both. So I have a big now. The workbook's not for purchase unless you're in my course, but now I it feels so complete. When you join the program, I'm gonna send you the printed book and workbook to go with it because a lot of people want it in their hands, but there's a digital version too.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

So yeah, so you you just recently print like have the workbook in print as well.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

It was only in digital too. So I because I had I was like, you have to get both, like you know, I'm I was all in.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Okay. Wow. Now, did you self-publish or did you work with a publisher?

SPEAKER_01 6:59

I did it all myself. I'm like a one-man show. I had other people edit. I actually, I don't know if this is a business podcast, but I actually had a book launch team. And because of the book launch team, they were just on my email list. Anyone who raised their hand, I'm like, if you love to read, I'm gonna give you an advanced copy and it's a proof. And you have permission to go through it with a fine-tooth comb and tell me where you see anything that needs an a little uplift. And I had three or four people come back with full edits, and I was like, whoa, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:38

Wow. So that that might be a key for somebody who, you know, I feel like maybe even part of this episode today is somebody who's maybe wanted to write a book that it just like that word stuck, like they're stuck. They're like, I can't do that. Like, what are some of the lies maybe that you even were hearing as you were in the midst of this book in particular?

SPEAKER_01 8:01

My biggest one for this one was it never worked before. It didn't work. In other words, I it didn't have the output that I thought it could. You know, I thought I get the uh you write the book. I remember my second book, I finished, I got it all in print, and I was like, look, God, look what we did. And he, I remember him loudly in my spirit saying, You're halfway done. And that put me on a trajectory of learning how to market the book. And so I learned, I tried my best, I joined programs, I got the coaching. And that's when I mean, I by the time I got all the coaching, I had already released another book since then. And it had, I don't want to say flop, but I want to say I just don't know how to get it anywhere. But since I joined all the programs, I started learning how to podcast and be a guest and things like that. I'm like, huh. Well, I do know people now, I do know how to interview now. I do have a lot more skills now, and I felt like God was just saying this is completely different. And when I figure out how to do this one, it'll help the other ones sell too.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

So that's so good. Would you mind would you mind sharing like a little snippet of like going from that place of kind of being stuck and outputting your books from before to like what it's looked like for you now? I know you mentioned doing podcasts and like you're on here because I was like, let's get you on. Like you didn't come to me. I'm like, let's get you on. But are you approaching you know other podcasters? Like, what have you found to be one of the best ways to get your message out? Because it's important.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

It is important. Well, the book before this one is the one where I started working with coaches to figure out how to do better marketing. And so, because of that, I started learning how to send podcast pitches. And I said to I'm I've even gotten on some TV shows like Christian television. Yes. And because I learned how to pitch. So it's I had all those people in my back pocket, and I just started the process again. Hey, I love being on your show before. I've got a new book out. I'd be honored to be on your show and tell your audience about this again. What you know, whatever I said. And that opened the door for I think 40 or more interviews on repeat.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

20 to 40. And then I joined the pod match to get more people in the bucket. And I'm like, it it kind of helps match you in a way that you can't do in your own strength. So it really helps up the game. I'm podcast interviews is really my go-to for marketing. There's probably a lot of other ways, but I am an online business, and that's really what works for me

Self-Publishing And Building A Launch Team

SPEAKER_01 11:36

for right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Well, if you could share, I would love for you to just highlight, of course, your program and your course and and just really what you're leaning into right now. You mentioned doing monthly, I'll call it monthly gatherings where you're helping people heal. Tell us kind of where you're at right now and what people can like step into with you.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Yeah, so I'm helping Christians who love Jesus, but they know they're stuck and they're managing something that they know Jesus wants to heal. So it could be procrastination, it could be intrusive thoughts, depression, anxiety, OCD thoughts, like thoughts on a loop. There's a lot of things that we deal with on a regular thing, we manage. We manage what really we shouldn't have to manage. It could even be like health things. You know that you know what to do, but you just can't do it, whatever, or addictions and things like that. So, what I do is I help Christians hear God clearly to understand what is at the bottom of the struggle, what's the real struggle? It's not because that we all know what the symptom is. We see it, we can name it that's procrastination, but we think it's just a discipline issue, for instance. When God really wants to say there's a belief issue, there's maybe there's beliefs, maybe there's bitterness, maybe there's unforgiveness, maybe there's you know agreements that have been made in the spirit. And so we I help you to slow down, hear God's voice, uncover the root, and then know the next right step. So there's lots of next steps that you could take, but if you don't know why you're taking them, you'll take a million steps. For instance, you you'll pray a lot of prayers at something. God, please take this away. God, give take the desire away. God, fix this relationship, heal this relationship, heal this back problem. And all those prayers are great. I love them. I love that you're praying, but they're not working. And my heart's desire is for you to understand what it looks like to hear God's voice so that you're not just throwing a million prayers out on repeat, but you're praying precise prayers that actually bring fruit and healing that you're looking for, relief that you're looking for. So all of that is in the Heal with God book monthly. I offer the Heal with God program or workshop, which is a preview to the program. Okay, so the the workshop is the live preview. It's I'm coaching someone live on the spot. They've they're I'm not picking them on the spot. They've raised their hand in the background. They have said, hey, pick me, pick me. And so you can come and watch me pick them. You can come and just be a fly on the wall and observe what's really going to happen, or you can sign up for the free life coaching if you want. I don't ever randomly choose anyone, but if you have signed up for it and you're present, then you have a chance for the free life coaching. And I just take you through the heel with God approach. So the approach is assessing the situation, finding out what lies there are, looking at the consequences to you staying stuck. But it's all by hearing God's voice. And so you can go to heal with Godworkshop.com and you can sign up for that workshop anytime you're ready. There's an a new one every month, heal with Godworkshop.com. And it's a preview to the Heal with God program. And so in the program, it's the same as in the book. The program is going to teach you the Heal with God approach. Basically, let me just dumb it down for a minute. I'm gonna teach you how to

Marketing That Actually Works For Authors

SPEAKER_01 15:11

pray by asking God questions. Sometimes you don't even know what questions to ask. And so this is that. I'm kind of spoon feeding you. Ask this question and then listen, let's see what God says. Sometimes we don't know. We we don't just we don't know. We don't know. I I remember one one of my famous things that I re recall is this c this student of mine, she would so upset that she was still managing this symptom of being stuck to alcohol. She's like, I don't want to do this anymore. But I prayed and it and God's not taking it from me. Almost like she was mad at God. And I get that. But I but I I remember asking her, what if you what prayers have you been praying for? And she's like, Well, God take the desire away from me. And I was like, Well, what if there's another prayer to pray? Should be open to that, yeah, and and yeah, and so we prayed different prayers to get different results, and God did take it from her, but he ultimately showed her why she ever wanted it in the first place.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

So that's what that's my heart's desire is to help Christians get unstuck.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

It's beautiful, and you're you're really helping them to go deeper. It's not just the surface level, it's it's discovering what is beneath the surface to help you. Exactly. Like I always think of plants, right? Yes, I love plants. I mean, fully like kind of digging in, you have to go and cut things off so that they can grow. And it's like, okay, what what lives do we need to cut off here? What what what does the dirt need? Do you need some sun and some water? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Sometimes people just need water.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

That's very true. And so when I start the program, or you start with a book, the very first thing is just kind of laying the foundation with Jesus being the cornerstone. And sometimes you just need to read your Bible every day. Yeah. Sometimes you need that reminder that you need community in your life. And the Heal With God program will do that. So we'll meet weekly, and you'll be there with a group of other people who are Christians who are struggling too. You're not the only one struggling. Sometimes we just need that reminder. Sometimes we literally need sun, or we need eight hours of sleep, or we need to drink some water instead of soda. There are some basic principles that we just need to be reminded of. And Jesus being the cornerstone of everything. I even remember like this last week in my group coaching program, I was saying, you know, I feel like God just wants me to ask you some basic questions. Are you, let's go back to the basics? You've already been through like their alumni, they've already been through the program. Like, are you still reading your Bible every day? And one of them was like, Oh, yeah, I she's she was feeling called to do uh do it deeper and do it around her husband and do it around and and not feel that conflict. And so even that is a conflict for some of us. Like we're worried about what other people think. We've got people in our life who aren't saved and we don't want to rub them the wrong way. I totally get that. And so yeah, we we gotta under undercover, uncover all of those lies that we're believing in and see what's really what's really keeping us stuck.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Yeah. Well, I I just love your heart and I would love for you to just share. Do you have another book in like do you have another book in the hopper that you're thinking of? You don't have to tell us what it is, but I feel like you're just constantly gonna have new books that are gonna come. Do you do you've probably already seen that?

SPEAKER_01 18:46

You're hilarious. I'm like, listen, we just got this one done. I'm so oh like my weekends are finally free. I can do another project. I what here's the funny thing in the about the author section of my book, you'll learn a lot about me, but I'll go ahead and share here. I grew up in with it being very difficult for me to comprehend. I actually was on I was in remedial classes.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Really?

SPEAKER_01 19:15

Yeah, and I it learning didn't come easier for me. And so I obviously did not like to read books. When I was about 29-ish, 30-ish years old, I had a friend and I was going through my healing journey. She gave me a prophetic word, and and I remember laughing

Spirit-Led Healing And Precise Prayers

SPEAKER_01 19:36

at her, but she said, I see this bookshelf, and you've got all of these books, and I'm pulling them out, and they're all written by you. And I laughed. I was like, I don't even like to read it, alone write a book, right? And now I've I've got supernatural weight loss, no fear allowed, no if you're allowed workbook, but how, but how workbook, heal with God, with God workbook. I probably missed one along the way, and I think that's that was seven pieces of art that I've put together. So I I I don't have another one in the hopper. Okay, I'm really gonna the heal with God is like very comprehensive, all in one, but I have a desire to go back to my beginning babies when I didn't know what I didn't know and refresh them. Okay, I think that might be the next projects because supernatural weight loss is actually my number one seller. Everyone wants that book. Really? It's great at the at the title. I mean, I knew when I was going up. It was very drawing in. People just buy it from they just go to Amazon, yes, please. They don't know me from Adam. They bought it. So it's continually selling, like, yeah. Wow. So I need to update it because it's when I it's just uh it's it's a beautiful work of art, but it it could be better.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Okay. Is it is it challenging? And this is just a question maybe for those who've written a book that maybe have thought about doing it. Have have you looked into like the complexity of of updating a book? Is it complex?

SPEAKER_01 21:13

Well, no, I've gone back and then I fixed them before. So yeah, it's it's not that because I do everything on Amazon with KDP, and so I made my own covers. I could update the cover, I could update the complexity, would be where I've copyrighted them with that name and having to go back and but otherwise I could go update descriptions, I could update the insights. You could I could update them anytime. Anytime I find a a spelling error or anything, I just go update the manuscript.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

I mean, why wouldn't you? Yeah, I love that. So it's it's not as challenging as maybe some people might think. Nope. Well, I think you're you're the perfect author in God's like I I just love the underdogs, you know, the ones who, you know, maybe back in high school, you remember the yearbook. I don't know if you guys had this at your school, but it was like most likely too. Right? Did you have I wasn't on any of those lists, yeah. I I mean there there could be a most unlikely, like for me, it's like most unlikely to have a podcast. Like, would you share a little bit about your podcast as well? Like before that, like would you have ever seen yourself doing a podcast?

SPEAKER_01 22:26

No. I I started back in 2016, and it was really just because God started giving me messages and I was. Teaching Sunday school class, and I was like, these messages are fire, like they've got to go somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

My husband helped me figure that out. And I I did it up until the free account was full. Okay. I was like, well, that was fun. Those messages are out there. Yeah. I didn't know what I didn't know. I look back and I'm like, oh, I wish I just I wish I just stuck with it and was paid $20 a month. I mean, come on. It's really literally $20 a month to host a podcast or something like that. So yeah, I I started and my podcast has been rebranded so many times I don't remember. The title has changed over and over. But I'm sticking with this. The the name of my title of my show now is Heal with God. I feel like it encompasses everything that God has put me on this earth to do for this season. And so it's it's sticking, it's sticking with the book, with the workshop, with the program. I feel like it's locked in. It's it's easy, it's simple, it makes sense. So I help over on the podcast, I help Christians get on stock with spirit-led healing by hearing God's voice. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

Well, I love everything you're doing. It's so like all-encompassing. It's beautiful. I I do feel like in and how many years has this been between like your first book and you said 2016, so 10 years ago for the podcast. Uh-huh. When was your first book released?

SPEAKER_01 23:55

I think I wrote the first book in 2014. 2014. 2014 for 2016, yeah.

unknown 24:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

So like a little over 10 years ago. And you would say now, would you say 2016? Do you feel like it's it's like everything has come together at this point? I feel like when would you say that kind of started to do the last two years?

SPEAKER_01 24:20

It really having a coach. Yeah. If I could be really having a coach changes things up, and that's why I'm so passionate about being a healing coach. I I know you can pray, I know you know how to declare, you know how to read your Bible. I'm not teaching you those things, I'm teaching you how to get unstuck because you're you know how to do all the things, just like I knew how to have a podcast, I knew how to push all the buttons, but I didn't know how to push the buttons and have effectiveness. So there's a different level of effectiveness that came

Workshop Invitation And Final Encouragement

SPEAKER_01 24:51

in 2024 whenever I started working with a coach. And the same thing is possible for the Christians who want to get unstuck with God. Join the program, join the workshop, get the book, do something with someone else who's already a step ahead of you because it can help you get unlocked in a in a brand new way that you didn't even know was possible.

SPEAKER_00 25:09

Absolutely. Well, everybody, I want you to go back, episode 129, back from April of 2025, go listen to Heather's story. And we covered a lot more. But as we like wrap up today, I would love for you to share based on that one person who's listening in today, and obviously there's more that are listening. But if you hear somebody just come to mind, just think of that person come to mind. What would you love to say to them today to encourage them? Any words of wisdom?

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Yeah, I would say you're not crazy, you're not broken because you've tried it so many times and it should have worked by now. You're not failing. You you want that healing, you know what's possible. You want to get unstuck in whatever area of life that is. Maybe it's business. I feel like we've talked a lot about business today. Maybe you want to write that book. And you, but you feel stuck, you feel frozen, you maybe fear's in the way. That doesn't mean you're disqualified, and it doesn't mean that God hasn't called you to do it just because it's hard. It might mean that God wants to heal a root that you haven't quite uncovered yet. And I want to tell you, fear's not who you are, anxiety is not who you are. That shame is not who you are. Jesus is still a healer, he's still speaking, and he still knows exactly how to lead you to the next right step. So I would encourage you, if you're looking for the next right step, that's why I created the Heal with God Workshop. You can join the free live workshop where I'm going to walk you through the spirit-led approach to get to the root of the issue and then know what to pray next. Go to heal with Godworkshop.com. And I am praying. I I would love to just kind of pray over you right now. I pray that I'm seeing the word stuck really, really big. And I feel like God is ready to get you unstuck. But it's almost like there's a there's a barrier there. And I'm speaking to that barrier to be revealed to you. If you know the name of the barrier, like fear of what? What are you afraid of? Shame about what? What are you ashamed of? Scared about what? What are you really afraid of? What's really at the bottom of that? So I'm praying right now that God would reveal to you the name of the thing that's been holding you hostage and stuck in Jesus' name. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

Thank you, Heather. You're amazing. We'll probably have to have you back on again when your next book comes out or movie. Who knows what's coming next? Like God is on the move. Come on. Right. Right. Well, I'm going to close with the anchoring verse for Hope Unlocked. It's may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. And that's Romans 15, 13. So thank you again, Heather. You are amazing. And thank you for being a brave voice who's setting so many free. I'll be back with another episode next week. Thanks again. Bye.