By Andy Hale
This week on the CBF Podcast Conversation, Andy welcomes Dr. Erin Devers for a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about identity, self-understanding and the hidden mental habits that shape the way we see ourselves. A licensed psychologist and professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, Devers explores the intersection of psychology, spirituality and personal narrative in her new book, Unbiased Self. Together, they unpack how cognitive biases influence not only our politics or perceptions of others, but also the quiet stories we tell ourselves every day.
Throughout the episode, Devers examines concepts like the “spotlight effect,” comparison bias, inherited narratives and the exhausting cycle of self-criticism many people carry without realizing it. Rather than calling listeners toward perfection, she offers a more gracious invitation: to approach our inner lives with curiosity instead of shame. Drawing from both clinical insight and spiritual reflection, she explores how many of us mistake exhaustion for moral failure, confuse humility with self-rejection or live according to scripts we never consciously chose.
At the heart of this conversation is the belief that healing and self-awareness are not solitary pursuits. Devers argues that becoming an “unbiased self” requires honest relationships, compassionate truth-telling and the willingness to see ourselves clearly while still believing we are worthy of love. This episode offers wisdom for anyone trying to untangle the narratives they’ve inherited and move toward a life marked by greater presence, freedom and grace.
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This podcast is presented by:
- Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work: Social workers can be found addressing the full scope of the human experience in churches, schools, prisons, government agencies, senior living centers, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies.
- Baptist Seminary of Kentucky: BSK equips leaders through their Homegrown Initiative, offering ministry leaders training and growth that fits into their busy schedules.
- The Gardner-Webb School of Divinity: The Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity aims to equip, nurture, encourage, and support men and women for their very best service in the Kingdom of God.
- The Center for Congregational Health: Strengthening congregations through consulting, leadership coaching, and intentional ministry.
- The Baptist House of Studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary: Exists by God’s grace to educate, inspire, and support generations of bold, faithful servant leaders as they seek actively to participate in God’s mission in the world.
- Community Transformation Center: Through educational opportunities, community conversations, and research initiatives in collaboration with universities and local leaders, PBACTC is at the forefront of integrating spiritual care into holistic community development.
- Creation Justice Ministries: Creation Justice Ministries equips churches to turn conviction into faithful action with Scripture-based resources, worship guides, and community support to pursue environmental justice and care for God’s creation.
- Dawnings: Through prayerful discernment, storytelling, and collaborative visioning, Dawnings helps churches rediscover their calling and imagine their next chapter—guided by trained facilitators and grounded in God’s ongoing story.
- Congregational Ministries Team of CBF Global: Through coaching, resources, and collaborative support, CBF’s Congregational Ministries Team helps churches and ministers cultivate the five traits of thriving—Rooted Relationships, Compelling Clarity, Holy Tenacity, Strategic Agility, and Dynamic Collaboration—for faithful and flourishing ministry.
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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina. He’s also served as CBF’s Church Start Specialist, the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton, and the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. Follow on Twitter @haleandy.