Beyond The Surface

In this final episode of Beyond the Surface, Sam brings the podcast to a close with honesty about why - including her own experience of chronic illness and what it has meant for her capacity to keep showing up in this way. She reflects on the conversations that have shaped the series, the guests who trusted her with their stories, and what it has meant to hold space for the experiences of people recovering from high-control religious environments. It's a warm, candid sign-off that sits with the weight of ending something that has mattered, while leaving listeners with a clear message: the podcast may be finished, but the work of recovery continues, and every story shared here has been part of something bigger than a single show.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out Religious Trauma & Cults

Sammy (Haram Doodles) joins Sam to talk about what it meant to grow up in a Muslim household and the long, complicated process of stepping away from a faith that shaped everything — her identity, her relationships, her sense of what was expected of her. She speaks openly about the grief that sits alongside that kind of departure, the familial pressures that don't simply disappear when your beliefs change, and the particular isolation that can come with being somewhere in between who you were raised to be and who you're becoming. It's an honest, tender conversation about religious trauma beyond the contexts that tend to dominate this space, and a reminder that the ex-Muslim experience deserves just as much room in these conversations as any other.Who Is Sammy?Sammy is an ExMuslim atheist creating Haram (forbidden) doodles with and for ExMuslims. ConnectFind out more about Sammy here - https://haramdoodles.comYou can also connect on YouTube, & InstagramYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out Religious Trauma & Cults

Meliesa joins Sam to share what it was like to grow up inside the Two by Twos — a high-control religious group where conformity was everything and the gap between outward appearances and internal reality was vast. She speaks honestly about the psychological toll of an upbringing built around compliance and fear, and the hidden dynamics of abuse that can thrive in environments like this one. What makes Meliesa's story particularly compelling is what she's done with it — she's channelled her experience into creating adult picture books that explore identity and self-acceptance, and the conversation takes a genuinely moving turn when she talks about creativity as a way of reclaiming your own narrative. It's a warm, grounded episode about survival, agency, and finding unexpected ways to tell your truth.Who Is Meliesa?Meliesa Tigard, writer, educator, and survivor advocate. Her work sits at the intersection of cult deconstruction, civic organizing, and the long road back to a self that belongs to you.A survivor of the Two by Two (2x2) high-control religious group, Meliesa is the author of two allegorical picture books for adults: Little Mouse and the Purple Door — an allegorical picture book for adults about leaving a cultic community — and Little Bea and the Golden Key, for LGBTQ+ survivors. Both books have companion healing journals. Her Substack series explores mind control, financial abuse, and recovery for survivors of high-control communities.She is the founder of FocalPoint Learning Center in Wenatchee, Washington, where she has taught literacy and math for 25 years, and of Confluence Indivisible, a civic advocacy organization.The through line of all her work is the same: teaching people to recognize when their thinking is being controlled, and giving them tools to think freely.ConnectFind out more about Meliesa here - http://www.purpledoorjourneys.comYou can also connect via FacebookYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out Religious Trauma & Cults

Nicola joins Sam to talk about her experience inside the Osho Rajneesh community, a high-control group that doesn't always get the airtime it deserves and what the process of leaving and recovering from that has actually looked like. She speaks openly about the disillusionment that comes when beliefs you once held close begin to fracture, and the particular challenges of rebuilding your sense of self and spirituality in the aftermath. It's a thoughtful conversation about the role community plays in both keeping people inside these systems and in helping them heal once they're out, and Nicola brings a warmth and honesty to it that makes the harder parts of her story genuinely compelling to sit with.Who Is Nicola?Nicola Ranson is a writer and psychotherapist who has worked with survivors from multiple cults and has presented internationally on cult recovery. She has a lived experience of ten years in the Osho/Rajneesh cult in the UK, India, Canada and the United States. Her memoir, A Slice of Orange: loving and leaving the Osho/Rajneesh cult will be published by Unsolicited Press in December, 2026 and is now available for preorder. Nicola was adjunct faculty at National University for seventeen years and provided services for Survivors of Torture, International, San Diego. Ranson’s writing credits include co-writing the documentary, “Tattooed Trucks of Nepal – Horn Please!” which won Best Script at the Sicily Art Film Festival. Excerpts from her memoir have been published in the anthology Shaking the Tree: Brazen. Short. Memoir, Volumes 3 and 4.Born in the UK, Ranson grew up in Canada and now lives in California with her husband, film-maker Ron Ranson.ConnectNicola's website - https://nicolaranson.org/You can also connect via Facebook, Instagram or LinkedInYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out Religious Trauma & Cults

In this episode, Sam sits down with someone very close to home; her wife, Chrissy for an honest and personal conversation about Chrissy's journey through organised religion, from a confusing early experience of Catholicism to the demands and contradictions of Pentecostalism, and everything that unravelled along the way. Chrissy speaks candidly about navigating purity culture, the alienation that came with not fitting the mould, and the moment she was outed within her church community, an event that cost her a whole network of relationships she had relied on. It's a conversation about the very real personal toll of religious exclusion, and what therapy and self-exploration have looked like on the other side of it.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Brandan joins Sam to talk about what it was like to find belonging in a fundamentalist Baptist community at twelve years old and to be a closeted gay kid inside it at the same time. He speaks honestly about the cognitive dissonance of feeling genuinely loved by a community whose theology told him who he was amounted to sin, and the anxiety and fear that slowly built underneath that. The conversation moves through his experience of conversion therapy, the point at which he realised he couldn't keep forcing the two things to fit, and what it looked like to eventually find a spirituality built on something other than fear. It's a compelling, open conversation about identity, survival, and what it actually takes to rebuild your sense of self and faith on your own terms.Who Is Brandan?Rev. Brandan Robertson is an author, activist, and public theologian working at the intersection of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal. He serves as Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in NYC and is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Known as the "TikTok Pastor," his digital ministry reaches nearly 400,000 followers worldwide.Robertson has authored or contributed to more than twenty books on faith and justice, including True Inclusion, an INDIES Book of the Year Award finalist. His work has been featured by TIME Magazine, NBC, CNN, and The Washington Post, and he has spoken at the White House, Oxford University, and the Parliament of the World's Religions.A passionate LGBTQ+ advocate, he was named to Rolling Stone's "Hot List" and Out Magazine's 2025 OUT100. He lives in New York City and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at Drew University.ConnectBrandons Website - https://www.brandanrobertson.comFind Brandan on social media - Facebook | Instagram | YoutubeYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this solo episode, Sam sits with something that doesn't get talked about enough during Pride Month - grief. For queer people who've come out of religious environments, the celebrations of June can sit alongside a very specific kind of loss, and Sam reflects honestly on that tension: the way communal joy can sometimes make private sorrow louder, and why those two things don't cancel each other out. It's a gentle but unflinching episode that makes space for the complexity of being somewhere in between; mourning what was taken from you while also finding your way toward who you actually are.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Jay (they/them) joins Sam to talk about growing up as a pastor's kid, navigating queerness and gender identity within a family deeply embedded in faith, and what it meant to wrestle with all of that while also surviving childhood leukemia. Jay is honest about the toll of living between personal truth and family expectation, and the work it takes to find your own voice when the people closest to you can't meet you there. It's a raw, grounded conversation about identity, religious trauma, and what it actually looks like to start living on your own terms.Connect with UsConnect with Jay over on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jay.pesasYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this solo episode, Sam examines the deeply uncomfortable overlap between domestic violence and high-control religious environments. Specifically, how the same systems that teach women what love looks like also teach them not to recognise abuse when it's happening to them. From submission doctrine to male headship theology, Sam unpacks how religious frameworks don't just fail to protect women from coercive control, they actively provide the language that legitimises it. It's a sharp, necessary episode that pushes back on the tendency to treat domestic violence and religious trauma as separate issues, and reinforces why survivors navigating both deserve support that understands the full picture of what they've been through.ResourcesAustralia:1800RESPECT - National domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support. 24/7. Call 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au13YARN - Confidential crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A safe place to yarn, no shame, no judgement. 24/7. Call 13 92 76Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline - National telephone support for LGBTQ+ people who have experienced sexual, domestic or family violence. Call 1800 497 212New Zealand:New Zealand Shine - free 24/7 helpline and live webchat: 0508 744 633 / 2shine.org.nz Are You OK - free 24/7 family violence information and support: areyouok.org.nzShakti - free 24/7 multilingual crisis line specifically for migrant and refugee women at 0800 742 584US / Canada:United States The National Domestic Violence Hotline - 24/7, free and confidential. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text START to 88788, or live chat at thehotline.orgCanada ShelterSafe - sheltersafe.ca — national directory with an interactive map to find the nearest shelter or crisis service by location. Hope for Wellness Helpline - free 24/7 for Indigenous Peoples across Canada, call 1-855-242-3310 or connect online.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Elise Heerde joins Sam for a conversation that is equal parts exciting and meaningful; a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of their organisation and a heartfelt invitation into what promises to be a landmark community event for survivors of religious trauma and high-control systems. They discuss the growth of the RTC, its deepening commitment to inclusivity and to holding space for people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and what makes this upcoming event different — including an expanded international speaker lineup and a dedicated space for attendees to connect and stay connected long after the event wraps. There's also a candid conversation about what it means to grow an organisation in a way that truly reflects the breadth of the community it serves, and the courage it takes to evolve publicly - including announcing an exciting update. Connect With UsFind details about the event here - https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com/annual-eventConnect with Elise via her website or over on IGYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Psychologist Joh Knyn joins Sam for a thoughtful and nuanced conversation about dissociative identity disorder. A topic that is so often misunderstood, sensationalised, or flattened into something it isn't. Together they explore the intersection of DID and high-control environments, unpacking how trauma shapes plural identity and what genuine, affirming support actually looks like in a therapeutic context. Joh brings both clinical expertise and a deep commitment to meeting people where they are, and the conversation makes a compelling case for why the mental health field needs to rethink how it approaches and affirms plural identities rather than pathologising them. For listeners who live with DID, love someone who does, or work in a helping profession, this episode offers something rare; a conversation that takes plural experience seriously and holds it with the care it deserves.Who Is Joh?Johanna Knyn is a psychologist based in Australia who works mostly with complex trauma and dissociative identities. Her work focuses on helping both clients and clinicians make sense of experiences that are often misunderstood — including dissociation, plurality, and the impact of high-control or religious environments.She is the author of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for DID: The Workbook, one of the first published workbooks to adapt DBT specifically for people with DID. She spends much of her time providing supervision, training, and education for other practitioners. Johanna is particularly passionate about system-affirming, trauma-informed care that meets people where they are.Connect With UsFind out more about Joh here - https://www.johannaknyn.com.au/ Connect with Joh via IG - https://www.instagram.com/psychologist_joh/If you're a clinician connect into this Facebook group You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Liz Cameron, author of Cult Bride, joins Sam for a conversation that is as grounding as it is eye-opening, bringing her own story and hard-won insight to bear on the realities of life inside a high-control religious group and the long, non-linear road of recovery that follows. Together they dig into the way fundamentalist belief systems shape identity from the inside out, leaving traces that don't simply vanish when you walk away and why that complexity deserves to be named honestly rather than rushed through. Liz speaks with both vulnerability and clarity about abuse, cult dynamics, and the ongoing work of rebuilding a sense of self after years of exposure to oppressive systems, and the conversation carries a warmth that will feel like company to anyone who has ever felt alone in that process. If you're somewhere in the aftermath of leaving a high-control group, this one is for you.Who Is Liz? Liz Cameron grew up in fundamentalist Christianity and was brainwashed into the JMS cult at age 18 in 2011. Since escaping in 2013, she’s worked on slowly rebuilding her life while also helping to raise awareness of cults and assisting other cult victims. She now resides in Canberra and balances full-time professional work with cult awareness and advocacy, while also studying a psychology degree. In 2023, after flying to South Korea to film the documentary The Cult Next Door for Channel 7’s Spotlight program, Liz’s public profile grew as she began talking honestly on social media about the insidious nature of cults. In 2025 her memoir, Cult Bride, was published. ConnectConnect with Liz via InstagramBe sure to grab a copy (or listen) to Cult BrideYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this solo episode, Sam turns her attention to something that might be uncomfortable to sit with and that's the way progressive, supposedly safe communities can replicate the very dynamics of control and harm that so many of us fled organised religion to escape. Drawing on her own experiences, Sam examines how the instincts shaped by high-control environments don't just disappear when we land somewhere that looks different on the surface, and how even well-meaning communities can prioritise group harmony and reputation over genuine accountability to the people they've hurt. It's a sharp, honest look at the ways dissent gets managed rather than engaged, and an invitation to listeners to get curious about their own reflexes because the work of not repeating harmful patterns isn't a destination, it's a practice, and it starts with being willing to look at ourselves honestly.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Alicia joins Sam to offer a candid look inside The Truth also known as the 2x2's - a high-control religious system that receives far less public attention than it deserves. Drawing on her own lived experience, Alicia traces the gradual process of waking up to the inconsistencies within her faith community, the anxiety that accompanied that awakening, and the profound identity questions that surface when the world you were raised in begins to unravel. Together, Sam and Alicia explore the layered grief of leaving; not just a belief system, but a community, a family framework, and a sense of self that was built entirely within it. It's a conversation full of honesty and quiet resilience, and a powerful reminder that finding your way out is only the beginning of finding your way home to yourself.Who Is Alicia?Alicia is a mum and former member of the 2x2s, also known as The Truth or The Way, a secretive, international Christian sect with no formal name, no buildings, and a culture of silence that runs deep. Based in British Columbia, Canada, she's done with staying small and is now in the thick of rebuilding a life on her own terms. She's the host of We Are Unsaved, a podcast getting real about life after high-control religion.ConnectYou can connect with Alicia over on IG - https://www.instagram.com/aliciaross.creative/Listen to We Are UnsavedYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Andrew joins Sam for a conversation that is as honest as it is moving, reflecting on his journey out of a fundamentalist environment and the particular complexity of navigating that path as a queer person. Together they explore the painful dissonance between the safety and belonging religious communities can offer and the alienation that can follow when your identity no longer fits the mould and what it takes to begin rebuilding from that place. Andrew speaks to the role therapy and genuine human connection have played in reclaiming his sense of self, and the two dig into grief not as something to push through, but as a teacher in its own right. It's a rich, layered conversation that gently challenges listeners to consider what spirituality, healing, and self-acceptance might look like when they're finally on your own terms.Who Is Andrew?ANDREW SLOAN is a practising psychotherapist and leadership coach, working with people across diverse communities, multiple industries and unique businesses and circumstances. He is a Gallup® Certified CliftonStrengths® Coach and a Registered Clinical member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).Andrew is a self-confessed lifelong work in progress, constantly being reshaped by new learnings and practices, as well as the wisdom of others. He is on his journey toward a better world, one small change at a time.Andrew is based in Sydney, Australia, on Gadigal Country.ConnectYou can connect with Andrew via his website & his InstagramYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective 

Easter is supposed to be a time of joy and renewal, but for many who've experienced religious trauma, it can bring up something far more complicated. In this episode, Sam and Elise set aside the conventional Easter narrative to sit with the harder, quieter feelings this time of year can stir up, drawing on their own experiences to explore how themes of suffering, sacrifice, and mandated celebration leave lasting marks on identity and self-perception. From the emotional whiplash between Good Friday's grief and Easter Sunday's compulsory joy, to the internal pressure of feeling like you're doing the holiday "wrong," they create an honest space for the feelings that so often go unspoken. This isn't an episode about how to cope; it's an invitation to simply acknowledge where you are, and a reminder that if Easter feels more like a weight than a celebration, you are far from alone in that.Connect With UsConnect with Elise via her website - https://www.eliseheerde.com/ and over on Instagram You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Naomi shares her journey of leaving the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) world and navigating life after such a high-control environment. She talks openly about the emotional and psychological toll of religious trauma, including the difficulties of estrangement from family and the fear that comes with questioning deeply ingrained beliefs. The conversation highlights the importance of self-kindness, prioritising mental health, and reclaiming autonomy, while also exploring the opportunities for growth, empowerment, and building relationships on one’s own terms after leaving a strict religious system.Who Is Naomi?Naomi Norton is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Missouri and Kansas, an AAMFT-Approved Supervisor, and the founder of Hope for Healing Therapy in Kansas City. She holds a PhD in Family Therapy, with research focused on how white fundamentalist evangelical Christianity conceptualizes mental illness. Her work includes developing a White American Fundamentalist Evangelical Power and Control Wheel, inspired by the Duluth Model.Naomi has worked in the mental health field for nearly a decade across psychiatric hospitals, child welfare, and intensive in-home therapy. She specializes in working with individuals and families impacted by religious trauma, spiritual abuse, faith deconstruction, and complex mental health concerns. She is trained in DBT and EMDR and is deeply committed to helping people heal from harmful religious systems while reclaiming their identity, autonomy, and sense of safety.ConnectFind out more about Naomi via her website - https://www.hopeforhealingllc.org/You can also find her over on FacebookYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Tristan shares what it was like growing up in the 2x2's, a high-control religious group that shaped much of his early life. He reflects on the strange mix of freedom and restriction in his childhood, and the confusion that can come from trying to make sense of both the good memories and the harmful parts of that upbringing. Tristan talks about the lingering impact of indoctrination, while also acknowledging the ways his experiences helped him navigate life outside the group once he left. It’s a thoughtful conversation about holding complexity, making sense of a religious past, and the importance of talking openly about these stories so people don’t have to process them alone.Who Is Tristan?Former 2x2 cult member (NZ). On a mission to understand and educate on religious trauma, religious abuse, coercive control, high control groups and navigating mental health.Connect With UsFind Tristan over on Youtube, Instagram & FacebookYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

This solo episode is basically me unapologetically loving Wicked and unpacking why it hits so hard for anyone who’s left a high-control religion. I talk about my deep connection to Elphaba; the “problem,” the scapegoat, the one who won’t stay small and how her story mirrors the experience of choosing authenticity over belonging. We explore the grief and liberation that come with being cast as the villain for stepping outside the system, and why that narrative feels painfully familiar for so many of us.I also spend time with Glinda, because it’s never that simple. She represents the ache of staying, the love tangled up with fear, loyalty, image, and the cost of not leaving. Through Wicked, I reflect on propaganda, scapegoating, and the way systems decide who is “good” and who is “wicked.” It’s theatre kid energy meets religious trauma processing and honestly, it makes sense of more than it probably should.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Sam chats with Katie about what it actually looks like to rebuild life after religious trauma, especially coming out of a strict Catholic environment. Katie shares how growing up in rigid faith shaped her identity, leaving her stuck in perfectionism, people-pleasing, and constantly second-guessing herself. Together, they unpack the idea of redefining spirituality outside organised religion; shifting it from rules and performance into something personal, embodied, and genuinely life-giving. The conversation also gets practical, exploring small ways people can reconnect with themselves through hobbies, rituals, and everyday choices, reminding listeners that recovery isn’t about having it all figured out; it’s about slowly learning to trust your own voice again.Who Is Katie?Katie Krier is a Spiritual Wellness Coach who helps people rebuild identity and personal sovereignty after religion. Her work supports those disentangling from religious conditioning and learning to live from their own inner authority.Connect with usKaties website - https://katiemkrier.com/start-hereConnect via Facebook, LinkedIn & InstagramYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

For the 100th story episode, the roles flip a little as Sam steps into the guest seat and hands the hosting mic over to Matt, creating space to share more of her own lived experience of religious trauma. Together, they reflect on the complicated grief that comes with leaving high-control faith communities, not just losing beliefs, but losing belonging, identity, and sometimes entire support systems through shunning and judgment. The conversation moves through the emotional weight of trying to re-enter those spaces, the loneliness that can follow choosing authenticity, and the slow process of finding connection again with people who truly understand. At its heart, this milestone episode is about loss, resilience, and what it looks like to rebuild a sense of home after everything familiar falls away.Connect With UsYou can find Matt over at https://mgacounselling.com.au/ or on FacebookYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Stacy shares her long and complicated relationship with fundamentalism and evangelical Christianity, starting with a childhood shaped by strict values rather than overt religiosity, and moving into a born-again faith she found as a teenager while searching for belonging. What initially felt like connection and purpose slowly became transactional, where her worth was measured by how much she served, showed up, and stayed in line. She talks openly about the mental health toll of living under constant religious expectation, and the quiet ways doubt began to creep in long before she felt able to name it. The unraveling accelerated through experiences of betrayal in her church and the broader disruptions of COVID, forcing her to reckon with a faith that was no longer sustainable. This episode is about listening to that inner knowing, grieving what’s lost, and finding the courage to choose yourself when the system you trusted starts to fall apart.Who Is Stacy?Stacy is a 64 year old woman who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s with a fundamental non religious upbringing who then got involved at 19 with fundamental evangelical Christianity and stayed for 40 years! Left it all 3 years ago.ConnectConnect with Stacy over on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stacy_singledecker/You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Ben shares his story of growing up in a small town in New Zealand, where Christianity initially felt like safety and belonging; until his queerness made that same faith feel threatening and conditional. He opens up about the pressure of staying closeted, the impact of religious trauma, and the fear of rejection that shaped his sense of self. Ben also speaks about a turning point during his time in prison, where unexpected spiritual experiences helped him reconnect with a version of faith that affirmed rather than condemned him. Throughout the episode, we explore how community, friendship, and supportive relationships can become lifelines in recovery, especially when rebuilding identity after incarceration and learning to live more openly and authentically.Who Is Ben? NZ born Australian who lives in Naarm/Melbourne. Ex gymnast, ex church leader, ex raver and an ex convict. He is currently in his coaching era, both in the gym and in the workplace. Co-host of the Queerfully Made podcast.ConnectConnect with Ben over on IG - https://www.instagram.com/bennynicholson/You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Brianna shares her journey growing up in a high-control religious environment and the impact of her mother leaving a restrictive sect while pregnant. She reflects on the effects of purity culture, shame around sexuality, and years of believing she had a sex addiction. Brianna discusses reclaiming her identity, separating her beliefs from her upbringing, and finding empowerment. The episode closes with a message of hope, emphasising the importance of self-discovery and the value of personal stories.Who Is Brianna?Brianna Bell is a Canadian journalist and essayist whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe & Mail, CBC, and more. Brianna's memoir, God Lover, will be published by Toronto's Dundurn Press in 2027. ConnectBrianna's Website - https://www.briannabellwriter.com/Connect on socials - Substack, Threads, or InstagramYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Sam sits down with Scott, a journalist and author, to discuss his latest book examining the rise of megachurches and their ties to Christian nationalism. Scott shares his experiences growing up in a Southern Baptist megachurch and explores the power dynamics that often leave congregants feeling voiceless. The conversation highlights systemic issues within megachurch culture, including the exploitation of members, the use of hope as a tool of control, and the consequences of silence around abuse. Scott emphasises the importance of validating the experiences of those harmed and amplifying collective voices to challenge these structures. The episode closes with reflections on accountability, transparency, and the need for communities where individuals feel seen and heard, offering validation and encouragement to anyone navigating trauma within church environments.Who Is ScottScott Latta is an award-winning journalist who has spent a decade reporting for humanitarian organizations on conflict, displacement, and climate change around the world. His essays and reporting have been featured in The Believer, CityLab, Modern Farmer, and The Southampton Review, which awarded him the Frank McCourt Memoir Prize. He lives in Oregon.ConnectScotts website - https://www.scottlatta.comConnect with Scott via Substack: Gods of the Smoke Machine, Bluesky: @scottlatta.bsky.social or Twitter: @swlattaYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, I’m joined by Louise for a raw and honest conversation about intimate partner abuse, faith, and the long road back to self-trust. Louise shares how love, control, and religious beliefs became tangled together, making it hard to recognise abuse while she was inside it. We talk about the ways faith and religious language can be used to justify manipulation, silence doubt, and keep people stuck in harmful relationships, as well as the deep confusion that comes from trying to reconcile pain with beliefs about love, forgiveness, and endurance. Louise reflects on the barriers she faced when seeking help, the role of community (both helpful and harmful), and what it’s taken to reclaim her sense of agency and worth. This episode offers validation for anyone navigating similar dynamics and gently names the courage it takes to leave, heal, and begin again.Who Is LouiseLouise grew up on, and lives on, Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne Australia. Her story is about the domestic abuse she experienced in a 'Christian marriage', and the influence of Christianity and the churches she was a part of, including a cult, in enabling the abuse.ConnectYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In part two of Chris’s story, we explore the shift from denial to self-acceptance as a queer person shaped by faith. Chris reflects on how embracing authenticity accelerated his journey, and how connecting with others who had already walked this path made healing feel possible. We talk about the grief that comes with recognising lost time spent under shame, conversion ideologies, and trying to survive within unsafe religious systems, as well as the complexity of redefining relationships built around a false version of self.The conversation also turns toward Chris’s role in advocacy against conversion practices. He shares the emotional weight of stepping into public action, driven by responsibility rather than visibility, and the power of survivor-led movements in creating change. This episode weaves together personal healing and collective action, highlighting how community, truth-telling, and courage often go hand in hand.Connect with ChrisFor information on SOGICE - https://sogicesurvivors.com.auTo connect with Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-csabs-67152b224/Connect with Sam You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

This episode explores the impact of religious trauma on personal identity, focusing on Chris’s experience as a queer person raised within fundamentalist Christianity. Chris reflects on growing up in a Charismatic Baptist church, where emotionally intense healing practices and fear-based teachings shaped his early understanding of faith and selfhood. He shares how messages about sexuality, particularly the framing of homosexuality as broken or demonic deeply affected his mental health, contributing to years of shame, anxiety, and OCD. As the conversation unfolds, Chris speaks candidly about the painful process of reconciling faith with his authentic self, and the emotional fallout of realising that the beliefs meant to save him were also causing harm. The episode highlights the complexity of healing from religious trauma and the importance of honest conversations about faith, sexuality, and recovery for those navigating similar paths.Connect with ChrisFor information on SOGICE - https://sogicesurvivors.com.auTo connect with Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-csabs-67152b224/Connect with Sam You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

This episode delves into the complexities of navigating the Christmas season, particularly for individuals grappling with religious trauma. I reflect on both nostalgia and discomfort that arises during this festive period, articulating what I miss from my past experiences within a church context, alongside the burdens I no longer wish to bear. The conversation emphasises the duality of memory; acknowledging the beauty in the rituals and community while simultaneously rejecting the pressures and emotional manipulations that often accompanied them. This episode serves as a space for shared reflection, encouraging acceptance of both the joys and challenges that accompany this time of year.You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this bonus episode, Sam sits down with ex-Mormon therapists Ashley and Melissa to unpack the latest season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives through the lens of religious trauma and deconstruction. Drawing from both their lived experience and clinical work, they discuss the heavier themes woven through the show; sexual assault, childhood trauma, purity culture, and the emotional toll of life inside a high-control religious system. Ashley shares how confronting it can be to watch stories that echo her own, while Melissa highlights the importance of understanding the hidden dynamics that shape these women’s lives. Together, they explore what healing can look like after Mormonism, the power of community, and why compassion is essential for anyone navigating their way out of a restrictive faith.Who are Ashley & Mellissa?Ashley Buckner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Utah and California. Specialising in a form of trauma therapy called Brainspotting that works to help people find more regulation in their nervous system. She has the additional speciality of religious trauma and faith transitions. Ashley was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (aka: the Mormon Church) and later left in 2008.~~~Mellissa Perry Hill, MS, LPC is a therapist, supervisor, educator, and founder of Inner Compass Counseling & Consultation, LLC—a Gilbert-based practice specializing in Mormon religious trauma, Mormon faith transitions, and nervous-system-centered recovery after high-control religion. As a clinician who left the LDS church herself, Mellissa blends lived experience with deep clinical training in EMDR, IFS-informed care, DBT, and trauma-responsive narrative work. Her approach is warm, grounded, slightly sassy, and rooted in the belief that healing begins when we stop outsourcing our authority and start listening inward.Mellissa has been featured on multiple podcasts, panels, and professional mental-health platforms, where she speaks about the intersections of spiritual abuse, identity reconstruction, complex family dynamics, and the physiology of trauma. She is also the author of the Faith Transition Journal on Amazon and hosts an online clinician community dedicated to ethical, inclusive, anti-shame mental-health care.Outside the therapy room, Mellissa is a mom of three, a sunrise yogi with a soft spot for nervous-system regulation flows, and an unapologetic lover of big books—the kind that sit proudly on your nightstand whether you’re actively reading them or spiritually absorbing them through osmosis.Her work centers on helping people return to themselves: to the body, to intuition, to inner authority, and to a sense of safety strong enough to hold both the grief and expansion of a faith crisis. Whether she’s supervising clinicians, running groups, creating educational content, or speaking on air, Mellissa reminds people that their inner compass isn’t broken—just waiting to be reclaimed.Connect With UsFind out more about Ashley via her website – https://www.ashleybucknerlmft.com/aboutYou can also connect over on InstagramYou can find out more about Mellissa via her website - http://www.inner-compass-counseling.com/You can also connect over on Instagram You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this follow-up episode, Liz and Jesse open up about parenting after faith deconstruction, an experience filled with both healing and unlearning. They reflect on how leaving a high-control church reshaped their ideas of authority, discipline, and what it means to raise kids with curiosity instead of fear. Through personal stories, they share the challenges of guiding children who question everything and the beauty in watching them form their own beliefs. Together, they unpack the shift from obedience to openness, from control to connection, and the daily work of letting their kids feel the full range of being human - joy, pain, doubt, wonder, all of it. It’s a heartfelt conversation about breaking cycles, choosing authenticity, and raising children who feel free to be fully themselves.Connect With UsTo learn more about Liz & Jesse or The Practice Co head to their website.You can follow along over on Instagram – @thepracticecoYou can download The Practice Co on Apple or AndroidYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Liz and Jesse join us for a deeply honest conversation about what it means to deconstruct faith while rebuilding a relationship that began inside a high-control church. Liz shares her experience growing up as a pastor’s daughter and the shock of discovering her father’s double life, a revelation that shattered her worldview. Jesse reflects on his eclectic spiritual background and the dissonance of questioning the beliefs that once defined him. Together, they unpack the toll of purity culture, the weight of community expectations, and the struggle to find themselves beyond performance and dogma. Through it all, their friendship has been the anchor that’s held them steady through deconstruction and healing. What emerges is a story of liberation, self-discovery, and rediscovering joy in the simple things.Connect With UsTo learn more about Liz & Jesse or The Practice Co head to their website.You can follow along over on Instagram – @thepracticecoYou can download The Practice Co on Apple or AndroidYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Jeremy shares his experience of growing up within a strict Lutheran sect, offering a candid look at how faith, identity, and his late AuDHD diagnosis intersected throughout his life. From early moments of doubt at just ten years old to the long process of deconstruction that followed, Jeremy reflects on the challenges of navigating a belief system that often discouraged questioning and individuality. The conversation explores how environments rooted in rigid doctrine can stifle self-expression and perpetuate cycles of shame, while also shedding light on the unique ways neurodivergent experiences shape one’s relationship with faith and community. Jeremy reveals the courage it takes to unlearn deeply ingrained beliefs and reclaim a sense of autonomy, offering listeners a deeply human story of resilience, awareness, and healing.Who Is Jeremy?Jeremy Schumacher is a therapist, educator, and coach. Jeremy specialises in couples counselling, religious trauma, and sports performance, bringing warmth, adaptability, and depth to his work. Outside the therapy room, he’s often outdoors with his wife, two boys, and three dogs or happily nerding out about books, music, and the psychology of superheroes.Connect With UsFind out more about Jeremy on his website - https://wellnesswithjer.com/You can connect over on Instagram or YoutubeTune in to Jeremy's podcast Your Therapist Needs TherapyYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Brandie opens up about her experience within a commercial cult operating under the guise of a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme. She reflects on the allure of belonging and empowerment that initially drew her in, and the eventual disillusionment that came with realising the manipulative dynamics at play. Brandie explores the guilt, fear, and loss of autonomy that many, especially young mothers face in these high-control environments. Her journey of leaving the MLM world and rebuilding her sense of self offers a powerful reminder of the importance of self-forgiveness, critical awareness, and community support in reclaiming one’s identity beyond coercive systems.Who Is Brandie?Brandie is a student psychotherapist in clinical supervision, and MLM recovery advocate. She believes everyone deserves freedom of mind, so she speaks out about abuses of power and coercion perpetrated by MLM scams.Connect With UsFind out more about Flipping The Pyramid Connect with Brandie over on Substack or Instagram You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this powerful episode, Cheryl shares her courageous journey of escaping the Exclusive Brethren, a high-control religious community marked by isolation and fear. Born into a life defined by strict rules and emotional repression, Cheryl recounts her childhood in rural Saskatchewan, revealing experiences of sexual abuse, indoctrination, and deep psychological control. Leaving the group at just 17, she began the long, painful process of reclaiming her freedom and sense of self. Through raw honesty and reflection, Cheryl offers insight into the emotional toll of religious trauma, the importance of community in recovery, and the transformative power of therapy. Her story stands as a moving testament to resilience, healing, and the human capacity to rebuild after unimaginable loss.Who Is Cheryl? Cheryl Bawtinheimer (née Hope) is a survivor of child sexual abuse who escaped the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church at 17. She now speaks internationally about the hidden harms of high-control religious groups and works to support and empower other survivors and insiders still stuck in the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.Connect With UsYou can connect with Cheryl over on Facebook or Instagram For a one-stop shop for the Get A Life Podcast head to their website - https://www.get-a-life.net/You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Raised in an unorthodox Mormon family, Ashley shares her journey of navigating faith, identity, and the pressures of patriarchal religious structures. In this conversation, she reflects on the tension of growing up with a non-Mormon father, the weight of expectations within her community, and the shame that often accompanied rigid doctrine. Now a therapist specialising in religious trauma, Ashley offers candid insight into the process of deconstructing harmful beliefs, reclaiming identity, and finding empowerment beyond the confines of Mormonism.Who Is Ashley?Ashley Buckner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Utah and California. Specialising in a form of trauma therapy called Brainspotting that works to help people find more regulation in their nervous system. She has the additional speciality of religious trauma and faith transitions. Ashley was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (aka: the Mormon Church) and later left in 2008. Connect With UsFind out more about Ashley via her website - https://www.ashleybucknerlmft.com/aboutYou can also connect over on Instagram You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Shunned after leaving the Geelong Revival Center, Jodie shares her journey from the insular world of fundamentalist faith to a more expansive and authentic sense of self. She reflects on the love and community she once knew, alongside the rigid expectations and lack of critical thought that shaped her childhood. Candidly exploring the pain of shunning and the challenge of rebuilding relationships, Jodie offers a powerful story of resilience, healing, and the courage it takes to reclaim identity beyond the confines of a high-control church.Who Is Jodie?Born & raised in high control pentecostalism (GRC, of 'pray harder' and Vic Inquiry fame!), 4 generations deep. Jodie left in her 40s with her family. Her dad was a pastor who spoke up about bullying within ministry, and they got kicked out because they had them stay in their home. They suffered some extreme shunning & witnessed some impressive hypocrisy in the church. Now out for almost 3 years and thriving.Connect With UsConnect with Jodie over on InstagramYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Lauren’s story begins with the role of golden child, expected to keep the peace in a high-control family by silencing her own needs and striving for parental approval. Over time, this weight collided with her growing awareness of politics and social justice, sparking questions that clashed with her upbringing and eventually led to estrangement. Her journey captures both the grief of losing family ties and the strength found in choosing authenticity, offering hope to anyone navigating the painful, but liberating, path of self-discovery.Who Is Lauren? Lauren Smallcomb is a certified Mind-Body Practitioner whose journey as a healer began at 20 when she became a registered nurse, dedicating a decade to caring for patients in the ER. She later expanded her expertise to become a birth doula and, eventually, a nutritional therapist. In 2020, after making the difficult decision to walk away from a dysfunctional family system, Lauren embarked on a transformative process of rebuilding her mind and body through brain retraining and trauma healing. This journey inspired her to become a certified Mind-Body Practitioner. Her newfound sense of empowerment prompted Lauren and her therapist husband to establish Flourish Therapy, with the intention of helping others heal and thrive after childhood trauma. Born and raised in upstate New York, they now make their home in Northern Thailand with their children, two dogs, and a cat.Connect With UsFind out more about Lauren via her website - flourishtherapy.kartra.com/page/goldenchildYou can also connect on Instagram, Facebook, and SubstackYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Hana, known online as the Suburban Witch, shares her journey of deconstructing a Pentecostal upbringing in Australia and the lasting impact of religious trauma. The conversation explores her childhood experiences of indoctrination, including purity culture, conformity, and the pressure to tie self-worth to rigid belief systems. Hana reflects on the psychological toll of growing up in a high-control religious environment and the courage it takes to reclaim identity beyond it. Through her story, listeners are invited into a deeper understanding of the resilience and healing that comes with unlearning harmful teachings and embracing authenticity, making this episode a powerful offering for anyone navigating faith, identity, and recovery.Who Is Hana? Hana is a professional Tarot reader, Astrologer & Witch who helps spiritual seekers go from feeling confused, blocked and overwhelmed to feeling confident, connected and clear in their path through a variety of mediums. She hosts the podcast ‘Witch Talks’ interviewing key Witches in the community, has a thriving YouTube channel with content from Spellcrafting, Tarot tutorials, Witchcraft basics and even details her own journey from Pentecostal Christian to proud Witch.Connect With UsFind out more about Hana and her work via her website - https://www.suburbanwitchery.com Connect via Facebook, Instagram & YoutubeYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Rachel shares her story of being immersed into the IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles), where the teachings of Bill Gothard shaped her understanding of faith, identity, and community in deeply controlling ways. She reflects on how the subtle mechanisms of spiritual abuse left lasting impacts on her ability to trust, belong, and feel secure in herself, even after leaving. As Rachel traces her gradual disentanglement from the IBLP framework, she sheds light on the resilience required to unlearn harmful teachings and rebuild a life outside of rigid religious control. Her honesty offers listeners both insight into the lingering effects of spiritual abuse and hope in the possibility of healing, as she speaks to the ongoing process of reclaiming identity, truth, and freedom on her own terms.Who Is Rachel?Rachel Lees is an award-winning New Zealand writer in Tauranga and the author of “Sacred Grooming”. The online memoir details her experience of being hand selected at 20 and groomed over years by American fundamentalist cult leader Bill Gothard of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). As one of the whistle-blowers which led to the downfall of the Christo-fascist organisation and resignation of the leader, and then filing a lawsuit against Gothard in 2015, Rachel withstood many personal attacks against her. She is passionate about speak more on predatory grooming and the healing that comes from the pursuit of justice.Connect With UsYou can connect with Rachel on Instagram or SubstackYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Scott, a Japanese American, reflects on his journey of navigating faith, race, and identity within evangelical Christianity. His parents adopted the church as a path to assimilation after the trauma of their own internment during World War II, a legacy that shaped his childhood in predominantly white spaces where he often felt alienated. While evangelicalism offered belonging, it also demanded conformity, leading Scott to eventually question its contradictions and begin the hard work of deconstruction. He shares the emotional labor of disentangling belief from dogma, and how cultural trauma, racial identity, and political realities like Christian nationalism complicate that process. Scott speaks candidly about the loneliness and struggle of leaving faith, but also about the healing found in community and the freedom of embracing uncertainty. His reflections point toward a spirituality grounded not in rigid certainties but in authenticity, compassion, and the courage to hold space for mystery.Who Is Scott?Scott is a 4th generation Japanese American author, musician, and podcaster. Creator/host of Chapel Probation and co-host of The Horny Chapel, Asians in Baseball, and Let's Talk About Text with Blake Chastain. Author of Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University. Composer and editor at Axis Mundi Media with Brad Onishi.Connect With UsScott's Website - http://rscottokamoto.comConnect via Facebook or Instagram You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Sally shares her journey of recovering from her time in Providence, a high-control cult that exploited her search for belonging. From her childhood as a Vietnamese immigrant to the manipulative dynamics that drew her into the group, Sally reflects on how cults prey on vulnerability and maintain control through fear and psychological tactics. Her story sheds light on both the personal cost of spiritual abuse and the broader patterns of coercion within such movements. Through honesty and courage, Sally also speaks to the process of healing, finding community, rebuilding identity, and reclaiming hope after trauma.Who Is Sally? Sally is a Vietnamese-Chinese-Australian counsellor with lived experience of cult trauma, supporting ex-Providence and Shincheonji members for over five years. She offers trauma-informed counselling and exit support to help people rebuild safety, reconnect with themselves, and rediscover their own values. Connect With UsYou can connect with Sally via her website - https://www.ahavacounselling.com.au/ You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

T shares their powerful story of spending over two decades in a coercive Sufi group and what it meant to finally walk away. We talk about the search for belonging that can draw people into high-control spaces, the manipulation and fear that keep them there, and the emotional cost of suppressing identity for the sake of faith.T reflects on cultic vows, spiritual betrayal, and the resilience it took to reclaim their truth and embracing their sexuality during the pandemic and navigating today’s hostile climate around trans and reproductive healthcare. Their story is one of both heartbreak and renewal, showing how healing and self-definition are possible even after deep religious harm.Who Is T?Born in the US, T graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1993. Once a gay feminist liberation theologian, they later spent over two decades (1997–2020) in a coercive Sufi Muslim group in the American Midwest, where obedience to a “living guru” became central to their life. After leaving during the Covid pandemic, T has been reclaiming their sense of self and voice. They are now an activist and a PhD candidate in performance, bringing both lived experience and academic insight to their work as they continue the process of recovery and transformation.Connect With UsFor all details surrounding T and his performance pieces head to - https://quityourcult.net You can also connect via Facebook, Instagram or YouTubeYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Janice shares her story of growing up in religion, specifically a Pentecostal family in Canada, where vibrant expressions of faith like speaking in tongues were part of daily life. Raised by parents transformed by their beliefs, she navigated the tension between familial love, purity culture, and the pull of individual identity, a journey that would eventually inspire her to write Divorcing Religion. Janice reflects on pivotal moments, from high school relationships that sparked a crisis of faith to a “back to Jesus” chapter that ultimately gave way to deconstruction. We discuss the emotional toll of leaving fundamentalism, the comfort she found in new secular communities, and the healing role of open conversation, resources like Dr. Marlene Winnell’s work. Through candid reflections on family boundaries, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, Janice offers a heartfelt look at religious trauma and the resilience it takes to move beyond it, leaving listeners with both hope and a sense of solidarity.Who Is Janice?Janice is a Registered Professional Counsellor. Founder of CORT (Conference on Religious Trauma) and Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture. Host of the Divorcing Religion Podcast. Author of Divorcing Religion: A Memoir & Survival Handbook, Creator of SEX & POWER Speaker Series. She spent 40 years as a devout Christian. Divorced religion (and her pastor-husband) about 15 years ago and never looked back! Now her life is devoted to helping others recover from religious trauma and embrace this one beautiful, messy, delicious life.Connect With UsFind all you need on Janice's website - https://www.divorcing-religion.com/You can find CORT over on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ComeToCORTYou can also connect over on Instagram or FacebookYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, I sit down with Elise as she reflects on her experience growing up in a Pentecostal mega-church and the long, layered process of leaving a high-control religious community. She shares how fear and obedience were embedded in her early beliefs, and how that shaped her sense of self for years. As we talk through the pivotal moments that led to her deconstruction, Elise opens up about the inner conflict, grief, and eventual freedom that came with walking away from faith. We also explore how finding the right language became a powerful part of her healing, because sometimes, putting words to your experience is the first act of reclaiming it. This conversation is an invitation to anyone who’s ever struggled to name what happened to them, and a reminder that defining your own story can be a radical, grounding act.Who Is Elise? Elise Heerde (she/her) is a Certified Coach who helps people recover from religious trauma and cultic systems. Her work is grounded in lived experience, professional training, and a passion for creating safe, judgment-free spaces with a splash of sarcasm. Elise blends authenticity and hope in all she offers. Co-founder of The Religious Trauma Collective (Australia/New Zealand) Her memoir Holy Hell: Saved So Hard I Needed Therapy was released May 2025.Connect With UsYou can find out more about Elise via her website – https://www.eliseheerde.comOr you can connect over on Instagram or FacebookYou can purchase her book Holy Hell: Saved So Hard I Needed Therapy over on AmazonYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this deeply moving episode, Erica shares her story of growing up in a religious household in Canada and then moving to Australia, a childhood shaped by fear, guilt, and shame. Her reflections offer insight into the painful journey of untangling self-worth from the expectations of family and faith. We talk about what it means to deconstruct beliefs that were never truly yours, the shame that purity culture breeds, and the disconnection from one’s own body and desires that can follow.Erica’s journey is also shaped by her experience of being neurodivergent, adding another layer to the complexity of surviving high-control religious environments. She opens up about body image, sexuality, and the long road to self-compassion, especially when society and religion have tied your value to your purity. And in a surprising twist, Erica’s discovery about her biological origins prompts a fresh reckoning with her past.This conversation is for anyone listening who’s ever wrestled with identity, family, or faith. Her story is a reminder that healing is messy, layered, and worth every step.Who Is Erica?Erica Webb is a registered counsellor, somatic exercise coach and highly sensitive person. She supports other highly sensitive women to discover their sensitivity superpowers and more confidently navigate the tricky bits of being a sensitive person in an often insensitive world. Erica combines her training in Behavioural Science, Counselling, and various mindful movement modalities, along with her understanding of the nervous system’s role in trauma, pain and high sensitivity. She focuses on Self-Compassion, Kindness and Curiosity as key components to foster resilience as a sensitive human navigating the world. Erica works with clients 1-1 and in her online membership space, the SelfKind Hub. She is also host of the podcast SelfKind with Erica Webb and cohost of the podcast Midlife Unfiltered: The Season of Me.Connect With UsYou can learn more about Erica on her websiteConnect with Erica on both Facebook & InstagramYou can also listen to Erica’s Podcasts SelfKind & Midlife Unfiltered: The Season of MeYou can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Growing up in the Mormon church, Daisy was expected to follow the rules - and bring her siblings back into the fold. But beneath the surface of religious rituals and gender expectations was a deeper struggle with mental health, body image, and the pressure to be the “good girl.” In this episode, Daisy opens up about the impact of purity culture, the silence around emotional wellbeing, and the loneliness of living in a community that misreads pain as a spiritual flaw.Her story explores what happens after you leave: the guilt, the shame, the slow work of finding yourself again. Daisy shares how writing, community, and coming out as bisexual became lifelines in her journey toward freedom. This conversation is a tender and honest look at what it means to untangle your identity from a faith that tried to define it for you.Who Is Daisy?Daisy lives in the Utah Valley with her husband and three kids. When she’s not writing her next book, she’s reading, cooking, and spending time with her family. Her love of writing has been prominent since childhood, and she’s always felt a call to share her stories, as well as been encouraged to by her late grandpa. A hopeless romantic since she first saw The Phantom of the Opera at age eight, she’s been writing her own romances ever since!She’s a former member of a high demand religion and hopes to bring light to the issues of the church in which she was raised, while also telling beautiful stories about life after leaving.As a fat woman, body inclusivity is extremely important to her, so most of her FMCs, and some of her MMCs, will be fat baddies who get their HEA. She’s also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and it’s important to her that everyone who reads her books feels safe and welcome.Connect With UsYou can find more about Daisy on her website - https://www.daisywren.com/Or you can connect over on Instagram.You can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Luke grew up as the youngest of five, navigating family dynamics and a complicated relationship with faith. His journey from rural Canada to a deeply evangelical college in the U.S. brought him face-to-face with teachings that clashed with his emerging queer identity. In this episode, Luke shares candid reflections on conversion therapy, the pressures of purity culture, and the emotional toll of trying to conform in high-control religious spaces.Through humour, honesty, and vulnerability, Luke tells the story of finding his way back to himself. From shame and suppression to joy and self-expression, this conversation is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we stop hiding and start healing.Who Is Lucas?Lucas Wilson is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto Mississauga and was formerly the Justice, Equity, and Transformation Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Calgary. A survivor of conversion therapy, he is the editor of Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy. He is also the author of At Home with the Holocaust: Postmemory, Domestic Space, and Second-Generation Holocaust Narratives, which received the Jordan Schnitzer First Book Publication Award. His public-facing writing has appeared in The Advocate, Queerty, LGBTQ Nation, and Religion Dispatches, among other venues. Connect With UsFind more about Lucas here - https://utschools.academia.edu/LucasWilson You can connect on socials Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedInYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au To connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

This episode shares the powerful story of Grace, whose journey through religious trauma and identity is deeply intertwined with her experience of asexuality. Raised in a strict Calvinistic Baptist church, Grace was taught doctrines like total depravity and original sin, which left her believing she was fundamentally broken. These messages shaped her early understanding of self-worth, shame, and sexuality.Her story is a reminder of how difficult it can be to explore identity when your framework for understanding yourself is steeped in fear and control. Through it all, her connection to nature and a more agnostic spirituality has offered peace. Who Is Grace?Grace was born in England, moving to Aotearoa at age 13. She was homeschooled throughout her upbringing in a conservative Christian family, though she no longer identifies with the faith. These days, she resonates more with agnostic or atheist perspectives.Grace is neurodivergent and lives with anxiety and depression, and she’s currently awaiting an ADHD diagnosis. She is a survivor of child sexual assault and purity culture, and speaks openly about the long-term impacts of both. Grace identifies as asexual and demisexual and is married to an incredible man. She’s aesthetically attracted to both men and women (though she’ll tell you women take the lead there).She’s currently studying psychology and working toward a career that reflects her lived experience and deep empathy for others.Connect With UsYou can connect with Grace via InstagramYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Michelle shares her story of growing up in a non-traditional Southern Baptist environment and how it shaped her sense of self. While her experience didn’t always match mainstream ideas of Southern Baptism, it still carried its own form of control and complexity. Through honest conversation, we explore how religious identity can look different for everyone and how stepping away from it can open the door to deeper self-understanding. This episode is a reminder that faith journeys are rarely simple, and there’s power in questioning what we’ve been taught.Who Is Michelle?Michelle F. Moseley is a licensed clinical mental health counsellor providing therapy in North Carolina, USA. She specialises in working with individuals who have experienced spiritual abuse and religious trauma, having her own lived experience of both. Michelle's work also includes HAES-aligned body image services, adult ADHD/Autism assessments, and educational workshops for a variety of audiences. Connect With UsFind out more about Michelle via her website - https://michellefmoseley.com/You can also connect on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedInYou can find out more about Sam on her website - www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.auTo connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservicesWant to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective