Episode 232 · May 19, 2026
Laura Lentz: Navigating Heartbreak and Healing
with Laura Lentz, Author, speaker, and interior designer
37 min
Laura Lentz: Navigating Heartbreak and Healing
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In this episode
In this episode I sit down with Laura Lentz, and I have to tell you—she was so raw and vulnerable, I'm still thinking about our conversation. Laura and her husband Carl walked through one of the most public marriages crises imaginable when infidelity made national headlines, and instead of running from it, they chose to do the hard, slow work of healing. Five and a half years into that journey, they're releasing a deeply honest new book called Overcoming Infidelity, and I'm so grateful she shared her part of the story with us.
We talk about what "doing the work" actually looks like—the daily check-ins, the therapy, the learning to be vulnerable when trust has been completely shattered. Laura opens up about discovering she was codependent, about putting herself last for years, and about how she finally learned that when she takes care of herself first, everyone around her gets the best of her. I love that. There's so much here for anyone in a marriage, not just those walking through betrayal.
And because Laura is a whole person beyond her pain, we also talk about how she rediscovered her God-given gifts and talents through an interior design business that a friend basically launched for her in an afternoon. It's a beautiful reminder that community can pull something out of you that you didn't even know was there. If you're sitting in a hard season right now, I want you to hear her: there is light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going.
Key takeaways
- Healing after betrayal is a journey, not a moment—Laura and Carl are five and a half years in and still doing the work, season by season.
- Real intimacy isn't just sex or closeness; it's vulnerability, honesty, and no secrets. That became their most powerful tool for rebuilding trust.
- Try the four-question check-in: How am I feeling emotionally, physically, spiritually, and sexually? No 'fine,' 'good,' or 'great' allowed—say something real.
- If you're walking through this, the betrayer has to choose to do the work themselves—you can't assign it to them, and you have to do your own healing too.
- Loving yourself first isn't selfish. When Laura learned to stop being codependent and put herself first, her husband and kids got the best of her.
- When supporting a hurting friend, ask the three H's: Do you want to be heard, helped, or hugged? Most people just need love and listening, not advice.
- Rediscovering something that's just for you—like Laura's interior design business—can be both a lifeline and a way to remember you have more in you than you think.
Chapters
- 00:00Thanks to sponsor World Travel Service
- 01:30Welcome and intro to the podcast
- 02:30Nancy sets the stage for Laura's story
- 04:30Laura shares her background and the news of their book, Overcoming Infidelity
- 08:00Why she chose to stay and what 'doing the work' means
- 12:00What their marriage looked like before—asleep at the wheel
- 16:00Learning she was codependent and putting herself first
- 18:00Intimacy as a connection system: vulnerability and check-ins
- 21:00The four-question daily check-in practice
- 24:00Starting her interior design business and rediscovering herself
- 28:00Audience Q&A: how they came to Tulsa and found community
- 33:00How to support a friend in crisis—the three H's
- 37:00Does the length of an affair matter? Closing thoughts
“It's called Overcoming Infidelity because we don't feel like we have overcome it fully—it's a journey. I think we'll always be on that journey.”
“When I put myself first, my husband gets the best of me, my kids get the best of me. A lot of times we do it the other way around, and that just doesn't work out too well.”
“It took me three years to say 'I forgive you' verbally with my mouth.”
“Do you want to be heard, do you want to be helped, or do you want to be hugged? Sometimes that's all someone needs.”
Resources mentioned
- WebsiteWorld Travel Service
About Laura
Author, speaker, and interior designer
Laura Lentz is an Australian-born author and speaker who, alongside her husband Carl, helped build the first Hillsong Church in New York City. After a deeply public season of betrayal and healing, she and Carl wrote Overcoming Infidelity to help other couples navigate restoration. She now lives in Tulsa, where she also runs an interior design business.
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