The Cost of Your Calling: Pastor Aljenon Cooper on Healing from Family Trauma and "Giving Up On Purpose"

What happens when the people who are supposed to protect you abandon you? And more importantly, how do you stop bleeding on the people who didn't cut you?In this episode of The Jay Walker Podcast, we sit down with Pastor Aljenon Cooper to discuss his powerful new book, Giving Up On Purpose. We don't sugarcoat the pain of his childhood—we get straight to the trauma of being given up for adoption while his younger sister was kept, and the deep emotional scars that followed. Pastor Cooper gets incredibly real about initially rejecting his calling to the pulpit, his 40-day fasts for clarity, and how he ultimately surrendered to a destiny he spent years running from.We also hold modern religious culture accountable. We break down how the 2020 pandemic forced ministries to evolve beyond their physical four walls to survive, the danger of treating the church like an exclusive country club instead of a hospital for the broken, and why spiritual leaders must prioritize raw authenticity over simply "looking the part".Podcast Sponsor DealsCode for ALL brands: JAYWALKER HyperNatural: 20% OFFPremium, naturally performing apparel. Eco-luxury for the modern man. Yarok Plant-Based Beauty: 15% OFF100% Vegan & organic hair care that nourishes the scalp and serenades the senses. Katie Waltman Jewelry: 20% OFFTimeless, handmade jewelry and effortless fashion with artisanal craftsmanship. Love, Indus: 21% OFFLuxury skincare mixing ancient rituals with modern technology for radiant skin. AKILA: 10% OFFIndependent, handmade eyewear from Los Angeles with a modern frame of mind. Cozy Earth: 41% OFFThe world's softest bamboo bedding and loungewear. Temperature-regulating luxury. Eric Javits: 20% OFFDesigner hats and accessories that blend uncompromising craftsmanship with sun protection See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.