When Purity Culture Taught You to Fear Your Own Body

Linda Kay Klein, author of Pure, grew up in purity culture. It took years to unlearn the shame. This is a conversation about navigating the messy middle of major life changes after religious trauma. About the transition anxiety that comes when you're trying to rewrite the messages your body absorbed before you could even name them. For anyone deconstructing purity culture and realizing the grief isn't just about what you were taught — it's about who you became to survive it. Linda shares how purity culture creates anxiety around sexuality, relationships, and your own body. You'll hear why overthinking every physical sensation kept her trapped, how to set boundaries around religious family expectations, and what it means to rebuild self-trust when shame was wired in as protection. This is about starting over in your relationship with your body, your faith, and yourself. In this episode: - How purity culture creates body shame and sexual anxiety - Why religious trauma shows up as overthinking and hypervigilance - Grief for the version of yourself that believed the lies - Setting boundaries with families who still reinforce purity messaging - Starting over in relationships after deconstruction - Navigating major life changes in belief AND body image - Faith transition and healing from sexual shame - Emotional regulation after religious trauma Get Connected & Support the Show: - Listen to the companion podcast: It's Both- Guided Meditations for Anxiety, Emotional Regulation, & Real Life Transitions - Follow Linda Kay Klein on Instagram & visit her website - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation