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Be Excited to Grow into God's Version of You

Keywords

mental health, mental illness, therapy, coaching, personal growth, faith, God's design, emotional well-being, Forward Path, resilience

Forward Path with Melissa – Episode 1: Be Excited to Grow into God’s Version of YOU

Episode Overview

Melissa Gendreau (licensed therapist & Christian coach) explains the crucial difference between mental illness and mental health, therapy vs. coaching, and why neither should become your identity. Inspired by Ed Mylett’s powerful idea that God has already designed a perfect version of you, this episode is a rallying cry to stop settling, lay down the “little gray cloud,” and get excited about stepping into the abundant life God pre-planned.

Key Takeaways

  1. Mental Health vs. Mental Illness
    • Mental Health = feeling comfortable with yourself, positive feelings toward others, and functioning well in daily life.
    • Mental Illness = a brain dysfunction that acts like a filter (depression cloud, anxiety lens) and interferes with living a full life.
    • We’ve normalized the cloud instead of cheering each other toward freedom.
  2. The Danger of Mental Illness as Identity
    • 1 in 5 Americans now take mental-health meds (up 6.4% in the last year).
    • Struggles are becoming badges instead of bumps in the road.
    • Some teens/young adults fear getting better because their friendships are built on shared pain—they worry healthy = losing friends.
  3. Victim of vs. Survivor of
    • Victim = “This happened and it defines me.”
    • Survivor = “This happened… and I moved forward.”
    • God created us for a growth mindset and abundance, not stagnation or victimhood.
  4. Therapy vs. Coaching (Quick Comparison)      
    • Therapy 
      • Goal: Move from mental illness → mental health
      • Starting point: Often crisis/safety (suicidal thoughts, self-harm, etc.)
      • Focus: Healing the past
      • End game: Work myself out of a job—client no longer needs me
    • Christian Coaching  
      • Goal: Move from mental health → God’s best version of you 
      • Starting point: Already functioning well but hungry for more 
      • Focus: Designing & stepping into your future 
      • Ongoing partnership to keep growing  
  5. Melissa’s Therapy Template for Christian Clients (2 Peter 1:5–6)
    1. Faith → 2. Goodness → 3. Knowledge → 4. Self-Control → 5. Perseverance → 6. Godliness (She walked clients through these stages, always aiming for independence.)
  6. The Spark That Birthed Forward Path
    • Ed Mylett (on his podcast): “God has already created a perfect version of you. Your entire life is the process of becoming as close to that version as possible.”
    • Life’s mess, brokenness, and other people’s choices may have knocked you off the path… but as an adult you get to step back on.
    • Ephesians 2:10 – “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
  7. God Didn’t Create You to Settle
    • He gave you specific gifts, talents, passions, and promptings on purpose.
    • Every day you abide and grow is one step closer to the version of you that will glorify Him most and feel the most alive.

Quotable Moments

  • “The opposite of shame isn’t normalization—it’s support toward freedom.”
  • “You were never meant to wear your struggle as a badge of honor forever.”
  • “God has already designed a perfect version of you—get excited to become her/him!”

Scripture Referenced

  • 2 Peter 1:5–6
  • Ephesians 2:10

This Week’s Challenge

  1. Listen to the quiet (or loud!) promptings you keep feeling.
  2. Grab a journal and write down:
    • The big dreams that scare/excite you
    • The passions that keep bubbling up
    • The areas you feel God nudging you to grow
  3. Get excited—because every step forward is one step closer to the perfect version God already sees.

Call to Action

  • Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode.
  • Share this episode with one friend who needs permission to dream again.
  • Join the Forward Path with Melissa Ultimate Forward Path Growth Bundle – courses, weekly live Q&A, daily faith/marriage/purpose prompts, private group, group coaching, and more → melissagendreau.com

Connect with Melissa

Until next Monday—keep shining, keep growing, and keep moving forward God’s way!

Chapters

00:00 Be Excited to Grow into God's Version of You
00:40 Introduction
02:00 Mental Health vs Mental Illness
05:09 Mental Illness as an Identity
07:46 Victim vs Survivor
08:33 The Role of Therapy in Mental Health
09:43 2 Peter 1:5-6
16:50 Coaching for Growth and Development
17:30 Ed Mylett - God's Perfect Version of You
19:15 Becoming God's Version of You
20:23 Outro