The Life After Podcast
by The Life After Podcast, Brady Hardin
Conversations with Courageous People Deconstructing Christian Beliefs | Brady Hardin interviews guests about their faith deconstruction, unraveling religious indoctrination, spiritual abuse experiences, religious trauma, the rebuilding of a personal community after leaving Christian Fundamentalism, and much more.
Episodes
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What if I’m Thought of That Way? (Fatphobia x Embodiment) with Erin H.
In this episode, Brady and guest Erin discuss fatphobia, eating disorder recovery, and embodiment. If you'd like to donate to Brady's GoFundMe for expenses related to his family's legal battle and more, please visit https://gofund.me/13befd41 or email him at [email protected] for direct...
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Deconstructing Yourself (Neurodiversity x Eating Disorder Recovery) with Michelle
After a break lasting over a year and a half, Michelle joins Brady to discuss deconstructing neurodiversity and eating disorder recovery. If you'd like to donate to Brady's GoFundMe for expenses related to his family's legal battle and more, please visit https://gofund.me/13befd41 or email him at...
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Don’t Dis My Ability (Differently-Abled x Trans) with Dustin VanDyke (HBO’s We’re Here)
CW: Spiritual, emotional, and physical abuse toward someone who is differently-abled and mention of suicide attempt Dustin VanDyke (featured on HBO's We're Here Season Two finale) is differently-abled and trans. Dustin was restricted from being themselves while in an abusive home, but now they…
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Unbuckling The Bible Belt (Classic Episode Re-Release) with Jamie Lee Finch
With one more new episode left in 2021, here's a classic episode with Jamie Lee Finch and my former co-host Chuck Parson. Before the new episode, if you're able, check out the Season Two finale of We're Here on HBO. My next guest is Dustin VanDyke and was featured in that episode. You won't want…
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Focus on Our Chosen Family (Coming Out x Coparenting) with my ex-wife, Jessi McCracken
For this very special Thanksgiving episode, my ex-wife Jessi McCracken joins the show to deconstruct her high-pressure charismatic upbringing, the saga of our marriage and divorce, how Purity Culture sets unhealthy relationship expectations, coming out as queer, the life-altering power of…
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Know Better (Reason x Mental Health) with Vi La Bianca
Vi La Bianca (Skeptic Generation co-host) joins Brady to deconstruct reason's relationship with mental health, rapture anxiety, being neurodiverse, and how to set boundaries with people AND beliefs. With Special Intermission Interview Guest, Sherman the Dog from Adventures in Odyssey. Find Vi's...
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What Can Be (Queer Theology x Sci-Fi) with Taj M. Smith
Spiritual and leadership coach Taj M. Smith joins Brady to deconstruct Queer Theology, transitioning, and how his love for sci-fi shapes his outlook of the future. They also discuss the Star Trek Next Generation episode, Darmok. With Special Intermission Interview Guest, "Angel" from Netflix's...
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The Wrong Kind of Woman (Outsider x Spiritual Abuse) with Julianne King
Julianne King (Poet and old friend of Brady) deconstructs her LIFE AFTER spiritual abuse with intensely manipulative church leaders. A major event occurred while in the youth group and another afterward. Also, Julianne shares her theory about how the musical Cats represents Evangelicalism. Find...
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You Gotta Let It Flow (Courage x Queerness) with Jamar Rogers
Singer, Activist Jamar Rogers joins Brady to deconstruct his radiant LIFE AFTER repressing his queerness, receiving a positive HIV diagnosis, appearing on American Idol & The Voice, and learning to silence his inner critic so he could return back to himself. Jamar shares passionate wisdom on how...
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Bonus Episode: The Importance of Storytelling (From Fireside Creators YT Channel) with Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas and Catherine Wilcox
Sheri invited me to be on her YouTube Channel, FireSide Creators, alongside Catherine Wilcox, who has an M.A. in English Rhetoric and has researched the role of storytelling as a healing and community-building practice for individuals recovering from religious abuse and trauma. Here's the audio...
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Don‘t Be a Dick (Ethics x Real Life) with Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas
Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas (activist, ally) joins the show to discuss "God" (and why she uses quotes), how an injustice done by a church toward her family pushed her to care deeply about religion, and her perspective on Deconstruction Culture as someone who left fundamentalism years ago…
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The RED Flags of Ted Dekker (Christian Celebrity x Grooming) with Emily Dukes
Content Warning: This episode includes mentions of sexually predatory behavior and the retelling of a racial, anti-fatness comment Emily Dukes joins The Life After to tell how her love for Christian fiction put her on the path to be groomed (use of privileged relationships to normalize exploiting…
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Chuck‘s Goodbye (Reflection x Show‘s Future) with Chuck Parson
Welcome to The Life After Podcast Season 3! Chuck Parson joins the show one last time as co-host to catch up, announce his departure, and tease his next steps. Stay tuned this season of The Life After Podcast for more important conversations with courageous people about deconstructing Christian...
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Bonus Catch-Up Conversation: Alice Grecyzn
Alice Grecyzn (actress and upcoming author) re-joins Chuck and Brady to update her life since the recording of the last episode months and months ago. Follow her important work helping deconstructors at www.daretodoubt.org. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find...
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Dare to Doubt (Courage x Self-Discovery) with Alice Grecyzn
Alice Grecyzn (actress and upcoming author) joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life after homeschooling as a PK, the Toronto Blessing (a charismatic movement in the 90's), and an almost-wedding pressured upon her by prophecy. Follow her important work helping deconstructors at...
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We Were Sanctified Holy Rollers (Trauma-Informed x Forgiveness) with Suandria Hall
Denver-based counselor and coach, Suandria Hall, joins Chuck and Brady to unpack her Life After. Suandaria's father was a preacher. So much of her life was entrenched in church culture, filled with rules and expectations. After learning beyond what the Bible could offer, she became interested in...
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Distanced Socializing (COVID x Meaning-Making) with Chuck and Brady
The Life After Podcast Hosts, Chuck Parson (R) and Brady Hardin (L), take a pause on their backlog of upcoming episodes to have a special, no-guest episode to address Coronavirus. In this episode, they discuss: -how to keep End-Time anxiety at bay during current events -recommendations for…
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Sheltered and Exposed (Sexual Discovery x Trusting Yourself) with Victoria Lynn Myers
Victoria Lynn Myers (model) joins Chuck and Brady to unpack her life after! She grew up in a very strict, Independent Baptist home with many, many rules, but Victoria noticed she didn't value the beliefs over her experience like those around her. When her church community showed obsessions with...
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Growing Smaller (Disordered Eating x Therapy) with Laura M.
CW: Anorexia Chuck and Brady are joined by Laura M, who opens up about her childhood struggling in silence with a Fundamentalism-fueled eating disorder. Laura, like many women raised in Christianity, was taught to be silent and smaller. When tragedy struck her family, she developed anorexia out…
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Bye Jesus (Post-Christian Spirituality x Spiritual Abuse) with Carrie Maya
CW: This episode includes mentions of race-based physical abuse, racial slurs, sexual abuse, and mention of childhood violence. Carrie Maya, calling from Australia, opens up to Chuck and Brady about her life after leaving a high-demand Charismatic community, spiritual abuse, and life-long...
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Uncomfortable Confessions (Preacher‘s Kid x Sexual Exploration) with Ronna Russell
Ronna Russell joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life after strict Pentecostalism and oppressive Purity Culture. Her saucy memoir, The Uncomfortable Confessions Of a Preacher's Kid, tells her story of not fitting into Christian culture's idea of what a woman should be and how she found her true...
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Black Nonbelievers (Religious Family x Black Church Culture) with Elle Reneé
Elle Reneé of St. Louis Chapter of Black Nonbelievers joins Chuck and Brady in the studio. Elle's step father was a pastor for multiple churches of varying denominations and current pastor of a nondenominational church, and some of their church services would go all day long. All of this made...
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Ambiguous Loss (Grieving x Counseling) with Janice Selbie
Counselor ("counsellor" for the Canucks) Janice Selbie joins Chuck and Brady for a insightful, practical conversation on grieving God. Janice came from a ultra-Fundamentalism background that became hyper-charged after marrying her now ex-husband. While working at a bookstore, she befriended a…
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Dying Out Loud (ALS x Secular Fortitude) with Dave Warnock
Dave Warnock shares with Chuck and Brady about facing his mortality after leaving Christianity and being diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease. He's creating new meaningful relationships and learning to savor the moments of life as an Atheist. They also discuss the pretzels they twisted...
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Unloose (Queer x Creativity) with Nightlightr
Nightlightr (Leighton Pustejovsky, rap artist) cuts loose with Chuck and Brady about leaving Christian Fundamentalism after decades of repressing his homosexuality. The three discuss how they had reframed their sexualities to fit within the faith and how discussions on the "unchanging"...
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Many Love (Polyamory x Authenticity) with Katelyn Boyles
Some people don't fit into the boxes. Katelyn Boyles (she/them/he) joins Chuck and Brady to tell their story of self-discovery after living in a home plagued by rigid Fundamentalism. Now married and practicing ethical polyamory, Katelyn encapsulates the importance of living with authenticity....
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Born Again Again (Campus Ministries x Deconstructing while Married) with Katie + Joe Bauer
Katie and Joe Bauer, married and newly-deconstructing, join Chuck and Brady to discuss campus ministries, speaking in tongues, questioning the faith, critically examining if they were brainwashed, not wanting to lose their faith, doubling down on doubt with service, the complex feelings of...
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Parenting Forward (Raising Kids x Ethical Values) with Cindy Wang Brandt
Cindy Wang Brandt, author of Parenting Forward, joins the show to discuss how deconstructing parents can pass values to their children without relying on fear and indoctrination. Find out more about Cindy's work, including her book and podcast, on her website, cindywangbrandt.com. Connect with…
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Everyone‘s Agnostic (Ex-Pastor x Rebuilding Community) with Cass Midgley
Cass Midgley, former pastor and a host of Everyone's Agnostic Podcast, joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his faith deconstruction, how he found his co-host, blind spots developed from being brought up in Patriarchy, turning from Presbyterian to Baptist, the slippery slopes of allowing yourself to...
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Lost in Translation (Bible Translation Industry x Being Free to Love) with Doug Demick
Doug Demick joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his past with Wycliffe Bible Translators, not wanting to preach the Gospel as a Christian, rapture anxiety, marriage while deconstructing, his brush with missions, being more free to love people post-fundamentalism, and how seeking the Holy Spirit and...
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You Are Your Own (Embodied Trauma x Healing) with Jamie Lee Finch
Fan-favorite Jamie Lee Finch returns to the show! She joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her new book on Religious Trauma Syndrome from Christian Evangelicalism, "You are Your Own." They discuss her experience writing, the unresolved trauma held by our bodies, instilled fear of hell, needs they had...
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Contact Evangelism (Childhood Religious OCD x Intention Communities) with Nikki Mayeux
Guest Nikki Mayeux joins Chuck and Brady to dish on reality house dramas🔥, childhood religious OCD and anxiety😟, intrusive thoughts😵, contact evangelism🏈, inner voice♾️, faith deconstructing while married👫, and intentional communities 🗑️ (Crust Punks for Jesus?)! Episode begins with a…
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Cults Inside Out (Deprogramming x High Pressure Communities) with Rick Alan Ross
Renowned cult deprogrammer and expert Rick Alan Ross Ross joins Chuck, Brady and special guest host Corey Pigg (Season 1, Episode 20, host of Failed Missionary) to discuss the everything related to harmful cult communities. From how to define a cult and how they work, to assessing what is and…
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Leaving the Fold (Religious Trauma x Breaking Free) with Marlene Winell, PhD
Dr. Marlene Winell (human development consultant, educator, and writer) joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life-changing book, "Leaving the Fold," and her ground-breaking research on Religious Trauma Syndrome. They discuss how and why people are often trapped in Christian Fundamentalism and…
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Religion of Trauma (Biblical Origins x Psychedelics) with Andrew Jasko
Andrew Jasko (lifeafterdogma.org) joins Chuck and Brady. He tells his story growing up passionate about Christian Fundamentalism and leaving it all behind. They discuss the Charismatic Movement, damage of sexual repression, the mind-blowing origins of Yahweh and El, how humans respond to…
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Conversion Therapy 2: Going Gay (Ex-Gay Movement x Finding Yourself) with Tim Rymel
Last season, Chuck and Brady spoke with Curtis, who lived through gay conversion therapy. This season, a former leader of Love in Action (gay conversion therapy) and author, Tim Rymel, tells his experience. TW: This episode can be triggering for those who had to disassociate from their sexuality…
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The Way I Am (Liberal Christianity x Musical Expression) with Jennifer Knapp
Grammy-nominated songwriter, author, and advocate Jennifer Knapp joins the show to discuss coming out, liberal Christianity, and her music career. Jennifer Knapp runs Inside Out Faith, a non-profit focused on confronting non-affirming churches to encourage more inclusive faith communities. Her...
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Deliver Us From Your People (Spiritual Abuse x Therapy) with Angie Jay
TW: This episode includes mentions of sexual abuse, extreme spiritual abuse, and a suicide attempt. Angie Jay, spiritual abuse survivor and political activist, joins Chuck and Brady to share her horrifying Evangelical experience when she served as a missions intern at the age of 18. Far from home...
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Exvangelical with Blake Chastain (Season 2 Premiere)
Blake Chastain of #Exvangelical Podcast joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his life after. Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg
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I Thought I was the Only One Season One Finale (Belonging x Deconstruction) with Joey Hill
Chuck and Brady interview a new friend they met purely because of the show, Joey Hill. Joey shares his story of overcoming a gauntlet of obstacles after leaving harmful religion. Determined to keep going, Joey found a unique way to shape his future… but it didn’t go as planned. Brady and Joey...
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Pushing Beyond (Being Othered x Theology) with Verdell Wright
On this episode of The Life After, we are talking with our friend, Verdell Wright. Verdell is a theology nerd in the purest sense. Boasting theology degrees from Rutgers, Howard and Wesley Theological Seminary. Verdell is also black, and gay. Put all those things together, along with a very...
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Failed Missionary (YWAM x Abuse of Power) with Corey Pigg
Corey Pigg joins Brady and Chuck to discuss his experiences as a full-time missionary with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) that made way for his exit from toxic religion. Corey has started his own podcast, which focuses on the dark underbelly of modern missions. He is joined by ex-missionaries to...
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Recovery (Queer x Addiction) with Kendal
Have you recovered what oppressive religion took from you? When Kendal came out as a lesbian, her life never could be the same again. She was once heavily involved in her church’s youth group, but she was banned from being alone with teenagers because of prejudice against her sexuality. This...
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The Breakfast Church (Rebellion x Community) with Jessie W.
TW: This episode mentions a suicide attempt, birth trauma She started off Southern Baptist. Then she was Charismatic. And now, she’s with the Breakfast Church, a weekly group at her house of other people deconstructing their faith (their only doctrine is to eat breakfast, joke about their old...
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The Airing of Grief and Unbelief (Beliefs x Authenticity) with Derek Webb
Derek Webb was the lead vocalist for Caemond's Call, a folk/rock band that was wildly popular within Evangelicalism in the early 2000's, before recording solo albums. Known for pushing against the status quo of Christian culture, Derek created a large fanbase of Christians who left like they were...
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Indoctrination (Social Pressure x Questioning) with Tim Warzel and Jamie Lee Finch
Indoctrination is one very essential topic that permeates everything we talk about on this show, but so far we haven’t really addressed it directly. It is so pervasive within religious systems that its almost impossible to talk about anything on this show without it looming in the background.…
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Professional Help (Church Counseling Dangers x Licensed Therapy) with Ari Holtz, PhD
What makes counseling good or bad? What ethical laws are in place to protect people from harmful counselors? Are pastors and “church counselors” held to the same standard? How can you know if you’ve been treated fairly by a pastor, church counselor, or therapist? Ari Holtz, PhD is a licensed...
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#EmptyThePews (Spiritual Abuse x Deconstruction Movement) with Chrissy Stroop
*Chrissy has since transitioned since this episode and the description has been updated to reflect it. Chrissy Stroop, PhD created the #EmptyThePews Movement to ask Evangelicals to examine the fruits of their religion and walk away from its grip. Chrissy joins Brady and Chuck on this episode of…
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Prey (Consent x #ChurchToo) with Kyla Bauer and Jamie Lee Finch
TW: This episode contains stories of sexual, physical, and spiritual abuse (not in great detail). The episode that kept growing! What started as a mini-project to release while Chuck worked on a more complex episode kept putting itself in our view as the news of sexual predators poured out. Much…
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Humanism (Ethics x Secular Community) with James Croft, Ed.D.
While most of the episodes focus on deconstruction, this episode tackles reconstruction. James Croft, Ed.D., the outreach director of The Ethical Society of Saint Louis, joins Brady and Chuck to answer the extremely important question of what to do after leaving the faith. Many people struggle…
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About this show
Conversations with Courageous People Deconstructing Christian Beliefs | Brady Hardin interviews guests about their faith deconstruction, unraveling religious indoctrination, spiritual abuse experiences, religious trauma, the rebuilding of a personal community after leaving Christian Fundamentalism, and much more.
Hosted by
The Life After Podcast, Brady Hardin
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