When Faith Feels Off: Embracing "Soul Friction" and Finding a Deeper Relationship with God | Kendall Mariah (Bonus Episode)
Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips
Diane Boden
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 12 February 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For those that are new around here, I release bonus episodes that serve a niche part of my audience. This episode is coming from a Christian perspective, so if this content is something that doesn’t fit what you’re looking for, check out the other episodes that dropped this week or join me back here next Tuesday for a conversation that you don’t want to miss!
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What happens when you follow all the “right” rules of faith - make the right friends, attend church faithfully, marry the right person, seek God sincerely - and something still feels off?
In this episode, Diane sits down with Kendall Mariah, author of This Little Fire of Mine, to talk about what she calls “soul friction” - that quiet but persistent tension between what we believe and what we’re actually experiencing. Kendall shares how growing up as a “good Christian girl” didn’t shield her from doubt, disillusionment, or the pressure to stay silent when things didn’t align. Instead of ignoring that friction, she began to lean into it - asking harder questions, speaking more honestly, and discovering a deeper, more intimate faith on the other side.
We talk about why doubt can lead to discernment, how spiritual angst can refine rather than ruin your faith, and why it’s not only safe - but transformative -to bring your anger, fear, and confusion directly to Jesus. If you’ve ever felt tension between your values and your lived experience, or wondered whether questioning means you’re doing faith wrong, this conversation is an invitation to pursue a more integrated, authentic walk with God - one anchored in conviction, not performance.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
- Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
- Connect with Kendall:
- Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/kendallmariah
- Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/kendallmariahcreativestudio
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kendallmariah
- Book: This Little Fire of Mine: How Flickers of Doubt Can Spark a Bolder, Brighter Faith
About Kendall |
Kendall Mariah is a lifestyle content creator, photographer, and brand strategist whose honest storytelling has cultivated a deeply connected online community. As a business owner, military spouse, and adoptive mom, she speaks authentically about the intersections of faith, identity, and everyday life.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | For those of you that are new around here, I release bonus episodes that serve a niche part of my audience. |
| 0:05.0 | This episode is coming from a Christian perspective. So if that's not something that you're looking for, |
| 0:09.7 | check out one of the other episodes that dropped this week or join me back here every Tuesday for content that you don't want to miss. |
| 0:16.7 | You've got the right answers, but you're not answering the right questions. And I'm like, |
| 0:22.3 | what questions are you talking about? |
| 0:26.9 | And he said, when we're a good student of art, we learn to ask good questions. |
| 0:28.4 | Questions take us deeper. |
| 0:33.9 | We start to understand the how or the why or the context of that painting. |
| 0:40.9 | And that kind of made my lid just completely bust off my head. And I was like, whoa, |
| 0:45.9 | like it was a different kind of critical thinking applied to art, you know, something where the answers weren't perfectly laid out. Like, you've got to draw some connections. You've got to do |
| 0:49.9 | a little research and digging around. This is Diane Bowden, and you're listening to the minimalist |
| 0:53.9 | moms podcast. What happens when you follow all the quote unquote right rules of faith? Make the |
| 0:59.2 | right friends, attend church faithfully, marry the right person, seek God sincerely, and yet something |
| 1:04.8 | still feels off. In today's episode, I sit down with Kendall Mariah, author of This Little Fire of Mine, to talk about |
| 1:11.8 | what she calls soul friction, that quiet but persistent tension between what we believe |
| 1:17.0 | and what we're actually experiencing. Kendall shares how growing up as a quote-unquote good |
| 1:21.5 | Christian girl didn't shield her from doubt, disillusionment, or the pressure to stay silent |
| 1:26.1 | when things didn't align. Instead of ignoring |
| 1:28.4 | that friction, she began to lean into it, asking harder questions, speaking more honestly, |
| 1:32.8 | and discovering a deeper, more intimate faith on the other side. We talk about why doubt can lead |
| 1:37.5 | to discernment, how spiritual angst can refine rather than ruin your faith, and why it's not only |
| 1:43.0 | safe but transformative to bring |
... |
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