Broken to Beloved Podcast

What does it mean to own yourself after years of being told your body, voice, and choices belonged to someone else? Join us for a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Tia Levings as she unpacks the concept of autonomy as both a psychological milestone and a direct act of resistance against cult control.We talk about reclaiming autonomy in our minds, hearts, and bodies, how “should” is one of the most dangerous words in the recovery space, and how fundamentalism is a structure of thought that can show up along any spectrum. We explore the tension between silence as both safety and complicity, and how survivors can learn to wield their voice (and their quiet) with intention and autonomy.You’ll also hear about:What fundamentalism actually is at its coreHow to identify when a religious environment has become harmfulHow pressure to share your story can replicate religious coercionHow religious indoctrination interrupts natural psychological developmentWhy belonging should never require surrendering your individualityGuest Spotlight ✨  Tia Levings is the New York Times Bestselling author of A Well-Trained Wife, her memoir of escape from Christian Patriarchy. She writes about the realities of Christian fundamentalism, evangelical patriarchy, and religious trauma. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Salon, the Huffington Post, and Newsweek. She also appeared in the hit Amazon docu-series, Shiny Happy People. Based in North Carolina, she is mom to four incredible adults and likes to travel, hike, paint, and daydream.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | SubstackI Belong to Me by Tia Levings | Amazon | BookshopA Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

After spiritual abuse, how do you separate the voice of Jesus from the voices that harmed you? In this conversation with theologian and pastor A.J. Swoboda, we explore why slowing down — not speeding up — is the key to rebuilding a durable, honest faith after spiritual harm.How do you trust truth again when it's been weaponized against you? This conversation explores how we can learn to trust truth again when it's been weaponized.There can be ways to hold strong beliefs without becoming harmful, to understand that belief is not certainty, and that genuine theological knowledge should produce humility, not arrogance.You'll learn:Why treating faith like a commodity does long-term damageHow truth is often used as a power play in religious communitiesHow to hold beliefs with humility rather than certaintyWhy fundamentalism is a mindset that can exist anywhere on the political or theological spectrumHow lament is a legitimate and important part of the faith journey Guest Spotlight ✨  Rev. Dr. A. J. Swoboda (Ph.D., Birmingham) is the lead pastor of Faith Center in Eugene, Oregon and is the associate professor of Bible and Theology at Bushnell University. He is the lead mentor of the Doctor of Ministry program in Christian Formation and Soul Care at Friends University. He is the author of many books, including The Gift of Thorns (Zondervan), After Doubt (Brazos), and the award-winning Subversive Sabbath (Brazos). He hosts the “Slow Theology” podcast (w/ Dr. Nijay Gupta) and writes the widely read “Low-Level Theologian” Substack. A.J. lives and works on an urban farm with his wife and son in Eugene, Oregon.Links & Resources 🔗 Substack | Website | InstagramSlow Theology PodcastSlow Theology by AJ Swoboda & Nijay Gupta | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

So I’ve deconstructed. What now?In her latest book, “To Rebehold the Stars,” author and professor Tiffany Yecke Brooks guides us into a hopeful path of reconstruction. Drawing on Dante, psychology, and spiritual formation, she invites us to reimagine faith with wonder, curiosity, and courage after spiritual abuse or disillusionment.Explore how naming experiences creates categories for healing and helps form a new, life-giving spiritual lexicon. Differentiate between discomfort that grows us and pain that harms us—and challenge spiritual teachings that keep us hostage to harm. Learn how to “audit” traditions, discern what aligns with the heart of God, and practice spiritual differentiation: forming your own faith while remaining in relationship if you wish.Guest Spotlight ✨  Tiffany Yecke Brooks is the lead or contributing writer for more than three dozen books, including multiple New York Times bestsellers. She writes about issues facing the modern church in her latest book, To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith and Formation After Deconstruction. She has also cowritten many books and written numerous articles for publications such as Smithsonian, New York Archives Magazine, and various peer-reviewed journals.Tiffany holds a PhD from Florida State University, an MA in Classics from the University of Bristol (UK) and an MA in Spiritual Formation from Portland Seminary. She has taught literature and writing at Florida State University, Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and the University of South Carolina-Beaufort and currently teaches nonfiction writing at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | SubstackTHROUGH Cohort waitlistGaslighted by God: Reconstructing a Disillusioned Faith by Tiffany Yecke Brooks on Amazon | BookshopEpisode 7: Forced Forgiveness: Misinterpreting Matthew 18 with Dr. Scot McKnightEpisode 36: Burning a Path to Renewal with Erin Moon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In this episode, neighbor and author Shannan Martin shares her “counterweights” practice—how we move forward by carrying life’s heaviness with equal measures of rest, joy, and community. Together, we explore how to navigate the burdens we carry and the importance of community, grief, and hope.Shannan shares why we often can’t set our burdens down (and how privilege shapes who can), how grief is a counterweight to loss, and how naming both our weights and counterweights becomes a path to healing. From jailhouse church to backyard gardens, she shows how neighbors, embodied practices, and hope as a renewable resource keep us upright in a complicated and lopsided world.You’ll hear:How grief functions as a healing counterweight to lossSimple counterweights that aren’t just self care or spiritual bypassingHow being a neighbor can help and serve the vulnerable in your communityWhy curiosity over certainty can be a counterweight in a changing faith—and how to rebuild belongingGuest Spotlight ✨Shannan Martin is the bestselling author of several books, including Start with Hello, The Ministry of Ordinary Places, and the popular Substack The Soup. Shannan is a wannabe gardener, a news geek, a fighter for justice, and a thrift store stalker. She and her family live as grateful neighbors in Goshen, Indiana, where Shannan is on staff at the local community kitchen.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | SubstackCounterweights by Shannan Martin | Amazon | BookshopGood Soil by Jeff Chu | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Have you ever heard people using a word that sounds important and like something you should already know about?Misogyny can feel like one of those words, and this week, we’re talking with author and journalist Dorothy Greco about her newest book, For the Love of Women. She expands the definition of misogyny beyond “hatred of women,” explores how it permeates everyday life—including the church—while offering a path toward healing and change.We talk about the spectrum of misogyny from subtle bias to overt abuse, how power and theology get misused in spiritual spaces, and practical ways men and communities can become allies, advocates, and interrupters. The conversation closes with hopeful practices for healing, boundaries, and cultivating beauty.You’ll hear:Why power dynamics matter and the difference between patriarchy, complementarianism, and misogynyPractical steps to confront misogyny: ally, advocate, and interruptorHow entitlement fuels harm and how men can begin with grief, empathy, and listeningWhy anger can be a faithful, constructive response to injustice—and how to process itGuest Spotlight ✨  Dorothy Greco has worked as a photojournalist for more than forty years. She is a three-time author and has written for many publications including Christianity Today, Missio Alliance, Christians for Biblical Equality, and The Common Good. She is the mother of three grown men and a wife to one husband. Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Substack | InstagramFor the Love of Women: Uprooting and Healing Misogyny in America by Dorothy Greco | Amazon | BookshopSimilar Episodes You Might LikeEpisode 42: Safeguarding the Church against Sexism and Abuse with Dr. Andrew BaumanEpisode 41: Ordinary Women of Faith and Ministry with Beth Allison BarrEpisode 21: Deconstructing Deconstruction with Scot McKnight & Tommy Preson Phillips—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We’re back for Season 4 of the podcast next week!I can’t wait to share these conversations with some of the incredible guests you just heard like Tiffany Brooks, Dorothy Greco, Shannan Martin, and lots more.A huge thank you to our listeners who make this show possible through their financial support. You can support our work by becoming a donor today. Just head to brokentobeloved.org/support or click the link to donate in the show notes.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Substack—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

That's a wrap on Season 3 of the podcast!We're so grateful for each of you taking the time to listen and engage with our episodes, and I hope you've found these conversations to be helpful and hope-filled.We'll be back next year after the Annual Summit (January 26–29) with new episodes. Until then, it'll be pretty quiet around here as we prepare for the Summit. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss new episodes when they drop.Consider supporting the Podcast by setting up a monthly donation. Just $89 would cover our podcast expenses each month!It also helps us so much when you share these episodes with a friend, and when you leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I'd love to hear from you—did you have a favorite episode this season? What was one thing you found helpful?Thanks again for being here, and I look forward to creating en episodes next year. Here's to moving toward healing and wholeness. Together. See you next time!Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | Substack—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Were you raised (and maybe harmed) in a Christian household that did parenting "by the book?"Maybe you were a parent who was looking for resources to parent "the right way," Regardless of intent, research and time have shown the harmful impact of Christian parenting books and the myths they perpetuated. In this conversation, we dive into the very real and lived effects on generations of children and adults, and how we look for more informed and honoring ways to move forward. We'll talk about patriarchy and hierarchy, spanking and discipline, and the ways that these messages set up compliant Christian children for future abuse.Listen in for a compassionate look at at how we can approach parenting (and learning to reconcile with our own stories of how we were raised) with a more informed lens that balances both therapy and theology through a trauma-informed lens.Guest Spotlight ✨ Marissa Franks Burt is a novelist, editor, teacher, and cohost of the At Home with the Lectionary and In the Church Library podcasts. She lives in a small town in Washington's Snoqualmie Valley with her husband, six children, and heaps of books.Kelsey Kramer McGinnis is a musicologist, educator, and correspondent for Christianity Today, writing on worship practices and Christian subculture. She is an adjunct professor at Grand View University in Des Moines and previously worked at the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.Meaghan Hampton is a Christian therapist, writer, and parenting educator passionate about integrating faith, psychology, and neuroscience to support families on their journey toward healing and wholeness.Links & Resources 🔗 Marissa: Website | Instagram | SubstackKelsey: Website | Instagram | Substack | “In the Church Library” podcastThe Myth of Good Christian Parenting by Marissa Burt and Kelsey McGinnis | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Is there a link between the rise of megachurches, Christian Nationalism, and spiritual abuse?In this conversation with journalist and author Scott Latta, he exposes surprising findings from his research on how "successful" evangelical churches are driving much of the Christian Nationalism and abuse reported today. After interviewing survivors of spiritual abuse in America's megachurches, lawyers, and advocates, he reveals systemic gaps that allow misconduct to thrive, the effects on smaller churches, and how money and politics are at play. Tune in to hear numerous stories and examples, including Scott's own reflections from working in churches, discovered in his process of writing Gods of The Smoke Machine.Guest Spotlight ✨ Scott Latta is an award-winning journalist who has spent a decade reporting for humanitarian organizations on conflict, displacement, and climate change around the world. He is the author of the new book, Gods of the Smoke Machine: Power, Pain, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism in the Megachurch, which explores how large churches coalesce power and political influence. He lives in Oregon.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Substack | BlueSkyGods of the Smoke Machine | Amazon | BookshopPost Evangelical CollectiveRestored Voices Collective—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Do you feel broken beyond repair and just want life to be...better?In this episode with Ian Morgan Cron, we talk about the use of the 12 steps—not just for managing common addictions, but for general well-being. You'll enjoy his perspective as a priest, author, and psychotherapist, as he emphasizes the importance of finding wholeness through making amends, releasing shame, and pursuing post-traumatic growth. Let's dive into his most recent book, The Fix, and explore how working the steps can benefit people who have experienced spiritual trauma.Guest Spotlight ✨ Ian Morgan Cron is a bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, Episcopal priest, and the host of the wildly popular podcast, "Typology," which has over 20 million downloads. His books include the Enneagram primer The Road Back to You, which has sold over one million copies; as well as Chasing Francis; Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me; The Story of You; and his newest book, The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | Typology Institute | Typology PodcastThe Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between | Amazon | Bookshop.orgThe Story of You | Amazon | Bookshop.orgThe Road Back to You | Amazon | Bookshop.org—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Are you looking for practical ways to heal from spiritual trauma?In this episode with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, a licensed psychologist, you'll learn how to regulate, rebalance, and rewire your nervous system without having to relive your trauma. After spiritual abuse, it's common to feel on edge, in high alert, or entirely shut down. She explains why this happens and how to connect with our bodies again through breath, co-regulation, and other embodied practices for healing. Listen in for a practical understanding of polyvagal theory.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Arielle Schwartz is a licensed psychologist and leading voice in the healing of trauma. She is an internationally sought-out teacher and author of eight books including The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook, Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma, and Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga. As the founder of the Center for Resilience Informed Therapy, she offers a mind-body approach to therapy for trauma and informational mental health and wellness updates through her writing, public speaking, social media presence, and blog. She believes that the journey of trauma recovery is an awakening of the spiritual heart.Website | Instagram | YouTubeLinks & Resources 🔗The Polyvagal Theory Workbook for Trauma by Arielle Schwartz | Amazon | BookshopThe Complex PTSD Workbook | Amazon | BookshopCenter for Resilience Informed Therapy—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Have you ever needed a hug but got a spiritual platitude instead?In this episode, we discuss spiritual bypassing—what it is, how to identify it, and what to do when we’ve experienced it. I am joined by Peridot "Peri" Gilbert-Reed, Ph.D., a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist. She has conducted extensive research on spiritual bypassing and shares her findings with us, along with several examples of what it sounds like. If you've experienced the intentional or unintentional harm of someone minimizing or demonizing your pain, listen in.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Peridot Gilbert-Reed, Ph.D., is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist as well as a supervisor in both areas. She received her Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with a concentration in theology from Liberty University. Her research focuses on spiritual abuse and spiritual bypass (as received by another person). Her research, combined with her own lived experience with spiritual abuse, provides a unique lens into spiritual trauma and its impact. She is an adjunct professor for Liberty University.Website | Instagram | FacebookLinks & Resources 🔗988 Crisis HotlineWounding Words: A Phenomenological Study of How Individuals Experience Receiving Spiritual Bypass | Dissertation by Peridot Reed, 2023"Don't Spiritually Bypass Your Church-Hurt Neighbor" | Article by Peridot Reed with Christianity Today—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Why does Broken to Beloved exist? And what difference does it make?Over the last 2 years since we were founded as an organization, we've worked to provide quality resources for you to move toward healing and wholeness. And through programs like our Annual Summit, Cohorts, Book Club, and this Podcast, we've seen over 60,000 of you engage with us!Thank you.Thank you for being here, for your time, and for trusting us to continue working to create these programs for you.And, we need your help. As we move to close out 2025, we're hoping to raise $7,000 in one-time donations and $3,100 in monthly donations. Giving Tuesday is December 2, and this is your invitation to join us in supporting our mission.Donations make up almost 30% of our annual income, and we truly can't survive without you and your support. You are the heroes that allow us to continue this work.Last year, it only took 55 people to help us raise over $10,000! This year, we're hoping a few more of you will join us reach our goal. We're looking for:5 donors at $100/month20 donors at $50/month40 donors at $25/month60 donors at $10/monthWould you consider becoming one of our 125 heroes by clicking here to support our mission? If you can give more, less, or want to give a one-time donation, you can also set that up here. Get the full show notes here. 📄—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How do you find hope when there are a million reasons to worry?In this episode, Sara shows us ways to recognize and calm our anxieties around our bodies, churches, and politics. We talk through her latest book, Nervous Systems, which is full of spiritual practices for those seeking personal and collective peace. If you have been taught negative connotations around your anxiety, in this conversation, Sara helps reframe and normalize it—believing that Jesus meets us there with hope, not demand. We also talk about the anxious reality that many people with spiritual abuse face when re-entering the church or community. Sara shares how she has moved from suspicion and cynicism to slowly trusting again. Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Sara Billups is a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Christianity Today, Aspen Ideas, and others. Sara writes Bitter Scroll, a monthly Substack letter and co-hosts the podcast That’s the Spirit. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in the Sacred Art of Writing at the Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. Sara works to help wavering Christians remain steadfast through cultural storms and continues to hope for the flourishing of the Church amid deep political and cultural division in America. Her second book, Nervous Systems, will be released November 4, 2025, from Baker Books.Website | Instagram | Bitter Scroll SubstackNervous Systems by Sara Billups | Amazon | BookshopOrphaned Believers by Sara Billups | Amazon | BookshopSimilar Episodes You Might Like:077: Seeking Wholeness in Low Seasons Justin McRoberts—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What if your anxiety and depression aren't going away any time soon?Many have been taught that depression means you're broken, that sadness is a lack of faith, or that anxiety is a sign of weakness. This can feel hopeless, especially when the strongest prayers and medicine don't cure your condition. In this conversation with Justin McRoberts, we explore the concept of wholeness and challenge the idea that health is the absence of negative emotions and experiences. He talks about his latest book, co-written with Scott Erickson, In The Low: Honest Prayers for Dark Seasons, and how he has learned to embrace anxiety and depression. Your heart will stir as you hear his story and compassion for those stuck in the low, especially those who have lost their faith community due to spiritual abuse.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Justin McRoberts is an author, coach, speaker, and songwriter. For over 20 years, Justin has helped artists, ministers, and entrepreneurs find their way and solve problems in their creative processes. When he's not writing, speaking, or coaching, you can find him as the host of the At Sea Podcast. He lives in the East San Francisco Bay Area.Website | Instagram | PodcastLinks & Resources 🔗In the Low by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson | Amazon | BookshopIn the Absence of the Ordinary by Francis Weller | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Has it become clear how deeply you've been hurt?Spiritual abuse can be so subtle, you don't even know that it's happened...until it's too late. In this episode, I talk with Katherine about her freshly launched book, A Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts, and how to find life on the other side of spiritual abuse. We talk about the systems where religious control can be found, the process of leaving fundamentalist spaces, how to honor your emotions and see your body as your friend, the difference between singleness and loneliness, and how to diversify your community. This is a must listen for anyone seeking hope for healing.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Katherine is the founder of Tears of Eden, a nonprofit supporting survivors of spiritual abuse, and the former executive producer and host of the groundbreaking podcast Uncertain, a podcast that pioneered pivotal conversations around Spiritual Abuse. She also is a Certified Trauma Recovery Practitioner working primarily with clients who have survived cults, high-control environments, spiritual abuse, and sexual abuse.Katherine is a huge advocate for the power of art to help us on our healing journey. She participates in improv theater both as a performer and coach and is the author of one novel. She has been a guest on a number of podcasts, including IndoctriNation and A Little Bit Culty, is the author of several nonfiction articles, and writes regularly at katherinespearing.com and tearsofeden.org.Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Tears of Eden  |  Instagram  |  NewsletterA Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts by Katherine Spearing on Amazon | BookshopContinued Conversation with Heather GargisBITE Model of Authoritarian Control PDF download by Steven Hassan—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How can you know what to expect from Broken to Beloved?Have you ever wondered how we make decisions or what guides our thought process? Have you wanted to know if you'll ever fit in or belong in this community?In this week's episode, I hope to clear all of that up for you by telling you about our seven Core Values, all gathered in one place.📝 Get the full show notesLinks & Resources 🔗 Support our mission with a monthly donationRead about Our ValuesRead “Responding in Reactionary Times” on SubstackApply for the THROUGH CohortSimilar Episodes You Might LikeEpisode 066: Integrity and Theology with Meaghan HamptonEpisode 063: A Rebellion of Care with David GateEpisode 061: Healing After Spiritual Trauma with Dr. Hillary McBrideEpisode 036: Burning a Path to Renewal with Erin MoonEpisode 003: Making a Space for Everyone with Jenai Auman—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Hey, it's Brian with a few short updates for you about this fall.We've made the difficult decision to cancel our Gathering for this year, and to steward our time, energy, and resources into our most impactful programs.If you registered, you should already have received an email about next steps. If you have not received an email, please reach out to us at [email protected] for the THROUGH Cohort are now open, and limited scholarships are available. Apply today for our 8-week program.If this podcast or our other programs have been helpful to you, would you consider becoming a monthly partner? Our goal is to raise $5,000 in monthly support, and we're about a fifth of the way there. Here's what we currently need:5 supporters at $100/month15 supporters at $50/month50 supporters at $25/month80 supporters at $10/month95 supporters at $5/monthIf you're able to join us, it would mean the world, and would go to directly support our mission to provide practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse. You can set up a monthly donation here.Finally, we've hit 50K downloads! And it's all thanks to you, our listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Consider leaving a rating, review, or comment for us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or sharing with a friend.I'm so grateful for you listening and for being here.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Links & Resources 🔗Apply for the THROUGH CohortSet up a monthly donation—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Has spiritual abuse caused you to feel like you've lost part of your identity?One of the most common things I hear from the spiritual abuse community is that they feel like they don't know who they are anymore. Without organized religion, a sense of community, and all of the structures that once held you up, it's easy to feel lost or inherently broken. However, on this episode, Hunter Mobley, Enneagram teacher and author of Letting Go, Finding You, shares ways that you can rediscover who you've always been. He takes us through the nine enneagram types and shares contemplative spiritual disciplines that may feel like safe, accessible ways to hold on to your faith after deconstruction.[paste Buzzsprout embed code]Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Hunter is a gifted Enneagram teacher, author, attorney, and former pastor who brings deep insight and compassion to his work. He apprenticed under renowned Enneagram teacher Suzanne Stabile and now teaches alongside her and her husband, Joe Stabile, at their teaching center in Dallas, Texas. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Hunter combines his diverse professional experiences with a heartfelt approach to spiritual growth. In 2020, Hunter authored 40 Days on Being a 2, part of the Enneagram Daily Reflections series, offering heartfelt insights for those with a Type Two personality. And recently published his new book, Letting Go, Finding You, which explores the Enneagram’s transformative power in helping individuals release limiting patterns and embrace their true essence.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | FacebookLetting Go, Finding You by Hunter Mobley | Amazon | BookshopTry Softer by Aundi Kobler | Amazon | BookshopThe Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron, Suzanne Stabile | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Is healing from spiritual abuse actually possible?The worst part of spiritual abuse is that it attempts to destroy your personhood, sense of safety with others, and imagination of a good God. It can feel like you are broken beyond repair. However, in this episode, Rachael Clinton Chen shares that healing is not only possible, but your faith, hope, and love can stay intact in spite of immense spiritual harm. She talks to us about the goodness that is available to us through experiences of healthy human attachment, spiritual formation, embodiment, and revisiting our stories in the presence of an empathetic witness.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Rachael is a trauma care practitioner, speaker, and pastoral leader. She serves as a lead instructor for the Allender Center at The Seattle School and is co-host of the Allender Center Podcast with Dr. Dan Allender. She holds a Master of Divinity from  The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and recently had the honor of being named by Sojourners as one of “9 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2024.”Rachael is devoted to addressing the harm of abuse – especially spiritual abuse – at the intersection of trauma, healing, embodiment and spiritual formation. She leads the Story Workshop for Spiritual Abuse & Healing and recently developed the Allender Center’s Spiritual Abuse & Healing Online Course, inviting survivors of spiritual abuse to journey together towards healing and reclamation.Website | Instagram | The Allender Center Podcast—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Could spiritual abuse be more universal than we think?In this eye-opening conversation with author and speaker Chanchal Garg, she shows that it doesn't matter what faith background you find yourself in; the underlying themes of spiritual abuse are universal. Chanchal shares her story of spiritual and sexual abuse in a South Asian context and talks openly about her experience in her debut memoir, Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths We Bury. She hopes survivors—across faith backgrounds—can find themselves beneath the false narratives they inherit from their families, cultures, and systems.You'll hear how:Cultural context shapes our understanding of identityNavigating dual identities can be challengingSurrender can be a complex processNaming can be a powerful act of reclaiming identitySelf-compassion is crucial for personal growthGet the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Chanchal is a speaker, author, executive coach and conscious leadership facilitator.For over seven years, she has facilitated Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business’ most popular elective course on interpersonal dynamics, impacting over 500 future business leaders. As the founder of Real Space, a thriving six-figure coaching business, she guides leaders to transcend cultural and societal constraints, harnessing their personal power in both work and life.Chanchal is the author of Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury. Her expertise has been showcased through speaking engagements, including Lululemon’s International Women’s Day event, and podcasts such as She Has the Mic and The Healing Place.Website | Instagram Links & Resources 🔗Unearthed by Chanchal Garg | Amazon | BookshopThe Wisdom of Your Body by Dr. Hillary McBride | Amazon | BookshopIMPACT Personal Safety website—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Have you ever felt like you are disobeying God or being rebellious when you think independently about your faith? For those who have been taught black-and-white answers about Christianity, stepping into the gray can feel unnerving because it calls us beyond the shores of certainty towards something more mysterious. But we know that certainty was never the point.Ben Cremer joins us on this episode to talk through what it's been like for him to move away from binary thinking. He shares how to be challenged and changed through the practice of listening to marginalized voices, the difference between a false prophet and a true prophet, engaging politics with thoughtfulness, and how to build the faith communities we wish we had.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Ben is an author, speaker, and digital pastor with over 20 years of experience pastoring local churches. He writes at the intersection of politics and Christianity, his desire is to discover how we can move away from Christian nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and church hurt to reclaim the Gospel of Jesus together. He lives in Idaho with his wife and two small children.Instagram | Newsletter | Podcast | SubstackLinks & Resources 🔗Pivot by Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What are the stories your pain is telling about you?So often, we internalize ourselves as the problem when pain comes into our lives. However, in this episode, Monica DiCristina, the author of Your Pain Has a Name, helps us see that simply naming our pain can reveal our true selves hidden beneath it.She invites us into an investigative process of getting curious about what our pain is saying and the meaning we make of it. You will learn about helpful starting points when your pain feels complex, the importance of being your own friend, exploring your family of origin, and how to offer tenderness towards the brilliant ways you've survived.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Monica DiCristina has been a practicing therapist for over fifteen years. She is also a sought-after speaker, podcaster, and writer on topics of emotional healing and mental health. Combining her extensive therapeutic knowledge with creativity, empathy, storytelling, and her deeply rooted faith, she is passionate about walking alongside those who are unraveling their difficult experiences and providing a path for them to do the brave and sacred work of transformation and healing.Website | Instagram | Substack | PodcastLinks & Resources 🔗Your Pain Has a Name by Monica DiCristina |Amazon | BookshopOther Episodes You May LikeEpisode 001: Navigating Toxic Systems and Maintaining Agency with Dr. Alison CookEpisode 039: Compassionate Awareness and Soft Words for Hard Days with Aundi Kolber—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

After spiritual abuse, one of the first questions survivors ask is, "How did I end up here?"If you have found yourself asking a similar question, writing can be an incredible way to discover that answer. In this episode, I speak with Megan Febuary, the author of Brave the Page. She shares how to go back to your earlier life scenes using a trauma-informed approach to fill in the missing pieces that may have drawn you to broken systems or relationships. Megan offers several tips to help you write your truth in a way that is honoring to your body and helpful in your search for healing.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Megan Febuary is a trauma-informed writing coach and the founder of the global storytelling platform and literary magazine For Women Who Roar. Called a leading expert in creative recovery, Megan received her MA from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, where she focused her research on the body as a storyteller.Website | Instagram | SubstackLinks & Resources 🔗Brave the Page by Megan Febuary | Amazon | BookshopPicture This by Lynda Barry, cartoonist & educator | Amazon | BookshopOther Episodes You May Like061: Healing After Spiritual Trauma with Dr. Hillary McBride040: Making Sense of Your Story by Engaging Past Pain with Adam Young—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Is reading scripture hard for you?Understandably, weaponized scripture makes it hard to want to pick up the bible ever again. But if you are at a place where you want to renew your relationship with scripture, in this episode, pastor and author Zach Lambert talks us through how we can read the bible in ways that lead to healing and wholeness. Zach talks to us about his brand-new book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, beginning by sharing his personal story. He shares how to be aware of the lenses we read scripture through and ways to replace harmful interpretations with healthy ones. Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Zach is the Lead Pastor and co-founder of Restore. Born and raised in Austin, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication, a Master of Theology, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry at Duke Divinity School. He is also the co-founder and board member of the Post Evangelical Collective—a group of pastors, artists, and leaders committed to full inclusion, holistic justice, deep and wide formation, a gracious posture, and the Way of Jesus.Website | Instagram | Twitter/X | SubstackLinks & Resources 🔗Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans | Amazon | BookshopKnock At the Sky by Liz Charlotte Grant | Amazon | BookshopI’ve Got Questions by Erin Moon | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Did you know that much of the advice Christian parents have been taught over the years doesn’t align with what we know about child development?In this episode, I speak with therapist and author Meaghan Hampton about parenting from a Christian and psychology-informed approach. We address how much of our stories of spiritual trauma are rooted in how we were raised, and why it’s important to explore our past with compassion and curiosity. You will learn about the harm that fundamentalist parenting can cause, how deconstruction from harmful parenting approaches can be a sign of spiritual health, tips on being a more curious and present parent, the value of co-regulation, and more. This is a great episode for anyone interested in learning a parenting approach consistent with the example of Jesus and what children need for healthy development.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Meaghan is a Christian therapist, writer, and parenting educator passionate about integrating faith, psychology, and neuroscience to support families on their journey toward healing and wholeness. In her clinical work, Meaghan walks alongside children, teens, and adults as they navigate anxiety, trauma, relational wounds, and nervous system dysregulation—always with a trauma-informed and Christ-centered lens.Website | Instagram Links & Resources 🔗Resource for Co-regulationThe Big Feelings Book by Meaghan Hampton | AmazonFlourishing Homes and Families Instagram | Amazon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Can we have a conversation about intimacy in the church and have it not be...weird?In this week's episode, I speak with college chaplain Rev. Erin Moniz about her book, Knowing and Being Known. She proves that, yes, we can talk about intimacy in a way that feels approachable, inclusive, and inviting to all without making it awkward. You will love Erin's framework that defines healthy intimacy through the lens of the gospel, differentiating it from economic—what's-in-it-for-me—relationships that ultimately leave people feeling more isolated. This is a hope-filled conversation that elevates the experience of intimacy beyond sex, and will speak to single adults and married couples alike.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Rev. Erin F. Moniz is a deacon in the Anglican Church in North America and Associate Chaplain and Director for Chapel at Baylor University, where she disciples emerging adults and journeys with them toward healthy, gospel-centered relationships. She is a trained conciliator, mediator, and conflict coach. She enjoys content creation, playing music, being outdoors, and narrating the inner monologue of her two cats. She lives in Waco, Texas, with her husband, Michael.Website | Instagram | ThreadsLinks & Resources 🔗Knowing and Being Known by Erin F Moniz | Amazon | BookshopAlone Together by Sherry Turkel | Amazon | BookshopHouseholds of Faith by Emily McGowan | Amazon | BookshopEpisode 018: Recovering from Purity Culture with Dr. Camden MorganteEpisode 038: Moving from Sexual Shame toward Sacred Play with Sam JolmanEpisode 042: Safeguarding the Church against Sexism and Abuse with Dr. Andrew Bauman—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Is there a part of you that feels like you’re in trouble, or you're about to be? If so, this episode will help you understand what message those feelings might be telling you.In my conversation with emotion coach and PhD student Becky Castle Miller, we discuss the differences between feelings, emotions, and trauma responses, as well as practical ways to regulate your body when you're having a flashback. If you’re thinking, "But wait, I can’t trust my emotions…isn't my heart deceitful?" Becky offers a different perspective by examining the life of Jesus that you don’t want to miss. Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Becky Castle Miller is a PhD student at Wheaton College researching a New Testament dissertation about emotions in the Gospel of Luke. She writes and speaks on emotional, mental, and spiritual health in the church and offers emotion coaching. She received her master's in New Testament from Northern Seminary where she wrote a master's thesis on Jesus's emotions. She, her husband, their five kids, and their cat returned to the US in 2020 after living in the Netherlands for eight years, where she served as discipleship director at an international church.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | SubstackEpisode 1: Navigating Toxic Systems and Maintaining Agency with Alison CookEpisode 8: Identity and Integrity After Pain and Loss with Steve CarterEpisode 9: Exploring the Four Landscapes of Attachment with Geoff & Cyd HolsclawEpisode 39: Compassionate Awareness and Soft Words for Hard Days with Aundi Kolber13 Steps for Managing Flashbacks from Pete Walker, MA, MFTFeelings WheelHow We Feel app—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How can we resist the overwhelming loneliness and despair of our time?In this episode, I speak with author and poet David Gate about his debut collection of poems and essays titled Rebellion of Care. In a world that feels bent on individualism, capitalism, and fundamentalism, he suggests that it’s going to take some rebellion to create a new way of living—a life that’s full of radical care, beauty, and kindness. David shares how to move beyond providing “safe” care to a form of care that requires risk and artistic imagination. He also shares his creative process while writing his book, how the themes of self, community, love, and resilience emerged, and even reads a sneak peek of his poetry you won't want to miss.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ David Gate grew up in London before making his way to Belfast, Northern Ireland and Jacksonville, Florida. He now lives in the ancient Appalachian mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where he writes, mills flour, and tends to a one-acre homestead with his partner and children.Website | Instagram | SubstackLinks & Resources 🔗A Rebellion of Care by David Gate | Malaprop’s Bookstore, Asheville, NC | BookshopAll Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland | AmazonMake Sense of Your Story by Adam Young | Bookshop | Amazon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What happens at church camp? And what happens when what happens at church camp doesn't stay there, but follows us for the rest of our lives?Most people think of campfires, silly songs, skits, deep talks, and spiritual awakenings. But for many, this is also a place mixed with emotional manipulation, toxic theology, purity culture, exclusion, and abuse.In this episode, I speak with Cara Meredith, author of Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation, about the “both/and” nature of church camps. She unpacks the tactics and theology used for "greater conversion" and other religious baggage people carry from their time at camp. We conclude the conversation by reimagining a camp experience centered on a theology of belovedness, not wickedness—a culture that benefits everyone.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ A sought-after speaker, writer, and public theologian, Cara Meredith is the author of Church Camp and The Color of Life. Passionate about issues of justice, race, and privilege, Cara holds a master of theology from Fuller Seminary and is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church.With a background in education and nonprofit work, she wears more hats than she probably ought, but mostly just enjoys playing with words, a lot. Her writing has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Living Church, The Christian Century, and Baptist News Global, among others. She lives with her family in Oakland, California.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Threads | SubstackEpisode 16: Christian Nationalism and Finding Hope in the Margins with Andrew WhiteheadSubstack: A Hierarchy of Belovedness—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What is spiritual trauma? How is it different from religious trauma? And what can I do if I, or someone I know, experienced it?In this episode, we delve into the complexities of spiritual trauma and the healing process. Hillary and I discuss the importance of understanding spirituality, the role of the body in healing, and the challenges of naming traumatic experiences. And, we'll close with a practical exercise as Hillary leads us through a breath practice.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psychologist, a researcher, and podcaster, with expertise that includes trauma, embodiment, psychedelic therapy, and the intersection of spirituality and mental health. Her books include Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image, the bestseller The Wisdom of Your Body: Practices for Embodied Living, and the 2025 release Holy Hurt. She was the senior editor of the textbook Embodiment and Eating Disorders: Theory, Research, Prevention, and Treatment, which was published in 2018.She has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association for her research and clinical work. In addition to being a teaching faculty at the University of British Columbia, she is an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health, and the host of CBC's award winning podcast Other People's Problems. Hillary makes her home in the pacific northwest in British Columbia, Canada.Website | Instagram | ThreadsLinks & Resources 🔗Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary McBride | Amazon | BookshopThe Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride | Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In his Summit session, Christopher Stewart shares his profound journey of faith and life after disability, exploring themes of grief, healing, and the sacredness of the disabled experience. He reads his original psalms, reflecting on his struggles and insights learned from wrestling with God, and emphasizes the importance of processing emotions honestly before God. Christopher also highlights the societal perceptions of disability and the beautiful vocation that can arise from living with a disability.You will hear Christopher’s story of a sudden and unexpected brain stem injury, and the many implications that have come from this life-changing event. He unpacks what he means by his disability being a vocation, becoming “the least of these” in society, how the disabled can represent Christ in relationships, and invites disabled brothers and sisters—all of us—to explore this idea. Additionally, they discuss dignity and bodily autonomy for the disabled and bring light to the common harm of unwanted prayer or blaming disability on sin.Get the full show notes and transcript here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨Christopher was an able-bodied, recently ordained, visual artist and seminary student with a seemingly clear path before him. In July 2022, he survived a life-altering brain injury, which left him with multiple disabilities. In the time since then, through much prayer and processing, he has begun to see his disability as vocation. One of the ways he has been inspired to process his loss and disability is to borrow from the structure and language of the Psalms by composing a series of prayer poems called “Disabled Psalms.” Through his writing, online ministry, and live recitation engagements, he hopes to raise awareness of the disabled experience and to give others in the disabled and able-bodied communities a way to process their own experiences through the intimate language of prayer.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | YouTube | Patreon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We’re getting ready to celebrate one year of the Podcast and start Season 3 next week!I can’t wait to share these incredible conversations with some of the guests you just heard like Monica DiCristina, Cara Meredith, David Gate, Megan Febuary, Becky Castle Miller, and lots more.This season, we’re talking about finding ways to name our pain, better ways to read the Bible, working through our stories, learning about our feelings and emotions, learning different ways to parent after growing up in a shame and guilt-ridden evangelical culture, and so much more.We’re kicking things off next week with Dr. Hillary McBride and talking about her new book, Holy Hurt.A huge thank you to our listeners who make this show possible through their financial support. You can support our work by becoming a donor today. Just head to brokentobeloved.org/support or click the link to donate in the show notes.Get the full show notes and all links mentioned here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Brian Lee is a pastor, coach, and speaker. In his 20+ years of experience in vocational ministry, he experienced three instances of spiritual abuse and toxic leadership. After living with an identity of brokenness for too many years, he learned to recognize and embrace his belovedness.In 2023, he founded Broken to Beloved, a nonprofit organization that exists to provide practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse and religious trauma.He is a certified Trauma-Informed Coach (Centre for Healing) and holds a certification in Religious Trauma Studies from the Global Center for Religious Research.Based in Richmond, VA, Brian loves to go on mini-adventures with his family, exploring their neighborhood, community, and city with his family. As a coffee snob and addict, he could always use another cup.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Substack —————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This conversation is from our 2024 Annual Summit.Get 30% OFF an All Access Pass from any of our Annual Summits now through the end of June. Use code PODCAST30 to take advantage of this offer today!In this session, Brian, Geoff, and Cyd discuss the concept of embodied faith and the importance of integrating our bodies, emotions, and relationships in our spiritual lives. They explore the different attachment styles, including anxious, avoidant, and disorganized through the metaphor of landscapes and how they impact our relationships and faith.Exploring the intersection of embodied faith, interpersonal neurobiology, attachment theory, and spiritual formation, Geoff and Cyd also discuss the importance of taking our bodies, emotions, and relationships seriously in the context of church life. They emphasize the integration of scientific research and spiritual practices to foster neuroplasticity and journey towards secure attachment. The goal is to create a church where people can openly share their attachment styles without shame and work towards healing and wholeness together.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Geoff (PhD) is an author of multiple books, affiliate professor of theology at Northern Seminary.Cyd is an author, spiritual director, and pastor. She is also a trauma-informed, Jesus-centered, integrative coach focused on embodied practices and building a secure attachment to God.Together, they co-host the Attaching to God podcast, offering a neuroscience-informed spiritual formation and are the co-author of Does God Really Like Me? Discovering the God Who Wants to Be With You.Links & Resources 🔗Embodied Faith websiteGeoff websiteCyd websiteGeoff Twitter/XGeoff Facebook Embodied Faith podcastDoes God Really Like Me?—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the month of June, I'm re-airing some of our favorite episodes. This one originally aired on August 13, 2024.TW/CW: references to sexual assaultHave you ever had Matthew 18 used against you?Far too often, the forgiveness passage in Matthew 18:15–17 is weaponized against those who experience hurt and harm. Victims are forced to face their abusers, and there is no real reconciliation. The abuser walks away “forgiven” and restored, and the abused walks away humiliated and put in their place.Yes, forgiveness is important. And, forgiveness cannot be forced. It must be a freely made choice on our part.This conversation isn’t about holding on to our offenses, grudges, or dismissing what happened to us. It’s not about releasing our abusers from accountability or letting go of our desire for justice.It is about the ways forgiveness has been weaponized and abused in the church. It’s about having a truly biblical and scholarly understanding of how those passages are meant to be understood. It’s about protecting ourselves from future manipulation and further abuse.Join me and New Testament scholar Scot McKnight as we dive deep into the original language and nuance of this passage. Discover what it really says about interpersonal conflict and its role in cases of abuse or an imbalance of power. Learn about the role of repentance as implied in the original Greek, even when it doesn’t show up in our English Bibles.Get the full show notes, links, and transcript here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Scot is a New Testament scholar who has written widely on the historical Jesus and Christian spirituality.Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Instagram  |  TwitterThe Second Testament: A New Testament Translation  Bookshop.org | AmazonPIVOT  Bookshop.org | AmazonA Church Called TOV  Bookshop.org | Amazon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This conversation is from our 2024 Annual Summit.Get 30% OFF an All Access Pass from any of our Annual Summits now through the end of June. Use code PODCAST30 to take advantage of this offer today!In this session, Suzanne shares her surprise at the number of people willing to talk about trauma and her concern about the misuse of the term. She also highlights the subtle nature of religious manipulation and the need for acceptance and understanding among different denominations, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and finding healing in dealing with church antagonists. Suzanne suggests using all three centers of intelligence for productive thinking, feeling, and doing and discusses the significance of therapy and contemplative practice and the value of accountability and discernment through groups and clearness committees.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ As an internationally recognized Enneagram Master, Suzanne has conducted over 500 Enneagram workshops over the past 30 years to audiences all over the country, and is lovingly referred to as the “Enneagram godmother.”Suzanne received her B.S. in Social Sciences from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where she also completed additional graduate work in the Schools of Sociology and Theology. She has served as a high school professor, the first women’s basketball coach at SMU after Title IX, and as the founding Director of Shared Housing, a social service agency in Dallas.She hosts The Enneagram Journey podcast and has authored 3 books, including The Road Back to You, The Path Between Us, and The Journey Toward Wholeness. She is also the series editor for an excellent devotional series for each of the nine types.When she is not on the road teaching and lecturing, Suzanne is at home in Dallas, Texas with her husband Rev. Joseph Stabile, a United Methodist pastor with whom she co-founded Life in the Trinity Ministry and the Micah Center. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of nine.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Life in theTrinity Ministry |  Instagram—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the month of June, I'm re-airing some of our favorite episodes. This one originally aired on September 24, 2024.Trauma fundamentally disconnects us.It can disconnect our brains from our bodies. It can sever relationships and entire communities. Those of us familiar with trauma know it can have a real impact on our faith or beliefs. It warps our understanding of others, our sense of safety, and even our own identity.So how do we find connection again?When we are alienated from ourselves, each other, and God, how do we find our way back home?These are the questions that therapist and author Chuck DeGroat tackles in his latest book, Healing What’s Within. This is not a sequel or follow up to his previous When Narcissism Comes to Church, but rather a look at his own journey and process of dealing with his own trauma after spiritual abuse.His deep knowledge and understanding of therapeutic work coupled with his experience as a minister, DeGroat offers incredibly practical tools for us to examine our own stories with curiosity and compassion and find our way back home to safety and security.He reiterates our deepest message and hope, that we are indeed not just broken, but deeply Beloved.Get the full show notes here. 📄Episode Resources and LinksBroken to Beloved Conference (for pastors and church leaders)Broken to Beloved Gathering (for the wounded and their advocates)Episode 001: with Dr. Alison CookGuest SpotlightWebsite | Instagram | FacebookHealing What’s Within at Bookshop.org | on AmazonWhen Narcissism Comes to Church on Bookshop.org | on Amazon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This conversation is from our 2025 Annual Summit.Get 30% OFF an All Access Pass from any of our Annual Summits now through the end of June. Use code PODCAST30 to take advantage of this offer today!In this session, Pete shares how the investigative process works for all forms of abuse in spiritual contexts. He breaks down the process of how they investigate abuse reports and misconduct and the overall culture and health of the organization.You will learn:What happens when an abuse report is submitted.GRACE’s definition of different forms of abuse.How GRACE determines patterns of abuse.Next steps that you can do if you think you’ve experienced spiritual abuse.Steps you can do if you have spiritually abused someone.Policies to look for that constitutes a safe church.Get the full show notes and books mentioned here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Pete Singer joined GRACE as the Executive Director on January 1, 2021 and passed away on May 1, 2025. He had 30 years’ experience working with trauma, abuse, and mental health in a variety of settings.Pete completed his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, where he also received a Certificate in Trauma-Effective Leadership. He speaks nationally on trauma, trauma-informed practice, resilience, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and the role of the faith community in responding to child maltreatment.Links & Resources 🔗Website | InstagramArticles:Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Abuse by Pete SingerCoordinating Pastoral Care of Survivors with Mental Health Providers by Pete SingerThe Use of Images During Forensic Interviews of Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused by Pete SingerResources for Reporting:—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the month of June, I'm re-airing some of our favorite episodes. This one originally aired on July 2, 2024.Have you ever wondered how to find your way back into healthy relationships after abuse and trauma? By providing clear steps to Name, Frame, and Brave our experiences, Dr. Alison Cook offers practical wisdom to move toward healing and wholeness.We talk about the unique challenges of leaving toxic spaces and environments when they involve family or our livelihood, ways to set boundaries, and to remain curious to our internal world.Get the full show notes, transcript, and more 📄Episode Resources and LinksHow to Walk Into A Room by Emily P. Freeman on Bookshop.org | on AmazonGrieve, Breathe, Receive by Steve Carter on Bookshop.org | on AmazonGuest SpotlightDr. Alison Cook is a therapist and host of the top-ranked The Best of You podcast. She is the author of I Shouldn't Feel This Way, the ECPA bestselling book The Best of You and coauthor of Boundaries for Your Soul. Widely recognized as an expert at the intersection of faith and psychology, Dr. Alison empowers individuals to heal from past wounds, develop a strong sense of self, forge healthy rela­tionships, and experience a loving God who is for them.Website  |  The Best of You Podcast  |  Instagram  |  FacebookI Shouldn’t Feel this Way at Bookshop.org | on AmazonThe Best of You at Bookshop.org | on AmazonBoundaries For Your Soul at Bookshop.org | on Amazon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In this final episode of Season 2, I'm "opening up my office," which is currently covered with my kids' toys and an interesting but good smell of fresh-cut peonies and coffee. Have a seat and get cozy as I share what’s next for the Broken to Beloved podcast and respond to a few questions I received from the audience. During our break, you can look forward to tuning in to some of my favorite recap episodes and archives from this year’s Summit. And before you know it, Season 3 will be here in five short weeks, starting off with our friend Dr. Hilary McBride, the author of Holy Hurt and The Wisdom of Your Body.The questions I cover:How can we discern when to go back to church?How can we reconcile the Old Testament God with the New Testament Jesus?What’s the extent and impact of sexual abuse in the church?How can reconciliation happen if the perpetrator feels they have done nothing wrong?Get the full show notes and books mentioned here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Brian Lee is a pastor, coach, and speaker. In his 20+ years of experience in vocational ministry, he experienced three instances of spiritual abuse and toxic leadership. After living with an identity of brokenness for too many years, he learned to recognize and embrace his belovedness.In 2023, he founded Broken to Beloved, a nonprofit organization that exists to provide practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse and religious trauma.He is a certified Trauma-Informed Coach (Centre for Healing) and holds a certification in Religious Trauma Studies from the Global Center for Religious Research.Based in Richmond, VA, Brian loves to go on mini-adventures with his family, exploring their neighborhood, community, and city with his family. As a coffee snob and addict, he could always use another cup.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Substack —————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Very few victims of abuse seek out a lawyer for money—most are looking for something else. They want safety, justice, and agency over an impossible situation.In this episode, I speak to Melissa J. Hogan, attorney, advocate, and author in the field of trauma and abuse, about the legal options available for survivors. She shares where her passion for medical and spiritual trauma comes from, along with several practical tips about how to safely tell your story, collect evidence, and bring abuse to light. This is an excellent conversation for anyone wanting to know how attorneys can accompany you in your healing.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Melissa is an attorney and advocate in the field of trauma and abuse, and co-author of the 2021 book, Afraid of the Doctor: Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma. She received her J.D. with an emphasis in health law from the University of Pittsburgh and went on to clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, practice as a corporate/healthcare attorney, and teach legal writing and health care regulatory law.In 2014, she founded and for many years led the nonprofit Project Alive, a research and advocacy foundation for Hunter syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects her youngest son. In that season, she developed and patented patient outcome measures, consulted on clinical trial designs, was a featured speaker at industry and FDA conferences, and won numerous awards for her advocacy.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Substack | TikTokBoz LawProject AliveAfraid of the Doctor by Meghan L. Marsac and Melissa J. Hogan on Bookshop | Amazon—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How do you restore a relationship with God after spiritual abuse?It makes sense that you might struggle with the idea of being held and loved by God after experiencing spiritual abuse, or any other form of abuse, for that matter.In this episode with Michael Cusick, author of Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love, helps us understand the safe love available through God and how we might go about receiving it.We cover everything from dancing nuns to adult bookstore floors to the holiness of wholeness. Listen and learn about living in belovedness and allowing our brokenness to be the bridge that leads us there.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Michael is a licensed professional therapist, spiritual director, speaker, and author. Having experienced the restoring touch of God in a deeply broken life and marriage, Michael’s passion is to connect life’s broken realities with the reality of the gospel.The founder and CEO at Restoring the Soul, Michael formerly served as an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary and full-time professor at Colorado Christian University. He holds an MA in Biblical Counseling from Colorado Christian University and an MA in Counseling Psychology from the College of Education at the University of Denver.He lives with his wife Julianne in the foothills of Colorado where he enjoys the Rocky Mountains and a host of other outdoor activities with friends and family.Links & Resources 🔗Website | YouTube | Instagram | FacebookSacred Attachment by Michael Cusick on Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

CW/TW: This episode is centered largely around the topic of Clergy Sexual Abuse (CSA) and its effects. Please be gentle with yourself. If it feels like too much at any point, please feel free to stop, take a break, or skip this episode altogether.What happens when those in church leadership become the ones who harm—and the institution covers it up? Where does one go to hold these abusers accountable?In this episode, I talk with Dr. David Pooler, professor, researcher, and therapist, who has spent over a decade studying adult clergy sexual abuse. We talk about his landmark study with staggering data and the failure of church institutions to offer care or accountability after abuse. Dr. Pooler also shares what healing can look like and offers powerful insights on institutional betrayal, grooming, consent, and how we must center survivors in our systems of justice.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Pooler has more than 15 years of social work practice experience with several different populations including at-risk and abused children, adults with severe and persistent mental illness, persons with addictions, and homeless men. Dr. Pooler studies social workers and the organizational contexts in which social workers are employed. A primary focus of his research is studying how social workers find great joy in their work. He is interested in social work management and leadership. As an occupational social worker, Dr. Pooler is interested in assessing and developing interventions for social service organizations so that work environments are healthy, supportive, and just. He also has a strong interest in developing healthy congregations so that they can transform communities.Dr. Pooler is married to Cheryl who is a lecturer in the Garland School of Social Work. Their two children were adopted from China; they are Josianne (2000) and Emilie (2003).Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Instagram Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse Advocacy and Research Collaborative—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ever wonder what it’s like to run a community solely focused on spiritual abuse?From dealing with the regular stream of scandals and stories to the practicalities of managing the business, it helps to hear how others navigate this field. In this episode, I talk with my friend Amy Fritz, creator and host of the Untangled Faith podcast. We get really honest and a little bit vulnerable about our thought processes, how we make the decisions we do, and what we hope for our communities. Listen to learn how we approach best practices and navigate this space with wisdom, grace, and compassion.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Amy is the creator and host of the Untangled Faith podcast, where she invites her listeners to join her for conversations about what it's like to hold on to your Christian faith while untangling it from all the things that should have never been tied to faith in the first place. After several years of podcasting and connecting with individuals who have made difficult and beautiful decisions, and wrestled through what they believe Amy has discovered that her most important work is to offer encouragement, community, and space to folks in this "untangling" space.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Threads | BlueSky | SubstackUntangled Faith Podcast | Apple & Spotify“Responding in Reactionary Times” on SubstackGet your own “Bad Church Ladies” t-shirtPosture Shift Ministries—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Many people who have read The Parable of the Sower interpret it as: You have to be the “good soil”, or else.However, in my conversation with Jeff Chu, he reframes what good soil actually means and how it’s made. Pulling from his latest book, Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand, Jeff guides us through a beautiful discussion on the theology of compost, returning to cultural roots, embracing diversity, being attentive to beauty, befriending the dark, and more. Perhaps even withered plants, thorns, and rock-laden soil can be used for our flourishing. I hope you’ll listen.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Jeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer,” Chu writes about spirituality, gardening, food, travel, and culture. He lives with his husband, Tristan, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | SubstackGood Soil by Jeff Chu Amazon | BookshopOthered by Jenai Auman Amazon | BookshopA Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wil Gafney Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Are there communities that support survivors of religious trauma without being…religious? Spiritual abuse doesn’t only happen in churches. It can happen anywhere and to anyone, but there’s rarely space for all voices and experiences to be heard.I recently spoke with the four founders of the newly launched Religious Trauma Network. These four are creating a place that proves you can have a community of healing without believing the same thing—and they want to help others find this for themselves.In our conversation, they each share what led them into this career, how they met, and what the Religious Trauma Network is all about. My favorite part, though? They share what healing means and how it doesn’t have to look spiritual for it to be true.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨The Religious Trauma Network’s mission is to offer comprehensive information, resources, and support for individuals recovering from religious trauma while raising awareness and equipping professionals and organizations to create safe, trauma-responsive spaces inside their faith or healing communities.Website | Instagram | FacebookBooks/Films/Resources Mentioned:Religious Trauma Network Blog (open to public submissions)Trauma in the Pews by Janyne McConnaughey  on Amazon | BookshopWhat Lies Inside: Healing in the Face of Trauma film by Luke Renner—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

When your true face has been hidden for so long, what is it like to finally reveal it?In this episode, we dive into connection, community, relationships, and what happens when it all falls apart. How do you save face in the presence of such incredible loss?We explore memory and story work, and how it helps us to unveil present realities by examining our history.Join us for a more introspective trip into Aimee's path as a writer, mother, daughter, wife, and a woman caught in the crosshairs of church leadership.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Aimee is an author, speaker, blogger, podcaster and former coffee shop owner. Aimee is the author of several books, including Saving Face, The Hope in Our Scars, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Sexual Reformation. Her articles have appeared in First Things, Table Talk, Modern Reformation, By Faith, New Horizons, Ordained Servant, Harvest USA, and Credo Magazine and she has been interviewed and quoted in Christianity Today and The Atlantic.Website  |  Instagram  |  SubstackSaving Face by Aimee Byrd  on Amazon | BookshopOthered by Jenai Auman  on Amazon | BookshopThe Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg & Robert Guelich on AmazonTill We Have Faces by CS Lewis  on Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

CW: marriage and sex (not explicit)If you grew up in the evangelical Christianity of the 80s and 90s like me, we likely hear or read much of the same marriage advice. What if it was bad advice?Most of the popular marriage books are written by those with no relevant education or professional credentials and include no research, data, or peer-reviewed evidence for their claims.Sheila Gregoire and her team are committed to work that is healthy, evidence-based, and biblical, and her latest book, co-written with her husband, Keith, is proof of that. Packed with data, research, graphs, and stories, this book debunks much of what we were taught with clear and correct information.If you're looking for ways to improve your marriage without a side of guilt or shame, this may be the episode for you.Guest Spotlight ✨ Sheila is an author, podcaster, and researcher into evangelicalism and sex. The founder of BareMarriage.com, together with her team she has surveyed over 32,000 people for her books The Great Sex Rescue, She Deserves Better and her latest book, The Marriage You Want. Her goal is to change the evangelical conversation about sex to be healthy, evidence-based, and rooted in Christ. A graduate of Queen's University, she's married to her husband Keith, a pediatrician, who writes and speaks with her.Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  InstagramThe Marriage You Want  on Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How can the Church transform from a place of harm to a sanctuary of healing and truth? How do we learn to recognize the wolves among the sheep when it's hard to tell the difference? How can anyone hold on to faith and find hope after witnessing so much trauma?From recognizing a real-life parable of an observing how a body that does not follow its head is very sick, to systems that preserve themselves instead of obeying Christ, Dr. Langberg addresses these questions and much more. We also get into the complexities of forgiveness and repentance, the transformative power of facing our own brokenness, and the courage required to speak truth to power.What can I say? It's Diane Langberg—we should just all take some time to listen and learn from her years of expertise and wisdom. Join me?Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Diane Langberg is a globally recognized psychologist with 53 years of clinical experience working with trauma patients. She has trained caregivers from six continents in responding to trauma and to the abuse of power. For 29 years she directed her own practice in Jenkintown PA .She is the author of several books, including, When the Church Harms God's People: Becoming Faith Communities that Resist Abuse, Pursue Truth, and Care for the Wounded and Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church. Dr. Langberg is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Achievements from Taylor University, the American Association of Christian Counselors Caregiver Award, The Distinguished President’s award, and the Philadelphia Council of Clergy’s Christian Service Award.Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Instagram  |  YouTube  | X/TwitterWhen the Church Harms God's People  on Amazon | BookshopRedeeming Power  on Amazon | Bookshop—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How have harmful religious teachings about gender reinforced sexism and silenced women's voices in Christian communities? Dr. Andrew Bauman discusses his extensive research on the impact of sexism and abuse on women in churches, challenging misinterpretations of biblical texts that have been used to justify inequality.Bauman shares insights from his book Safe Church, exploring different forms of sexism, the weaponization of forgiveness, and how churches often fail abuse victims through "cheap grace." Drawing from interviews with over 2,800 women, he reveals how Christian leaders frequently gaslight and silence those who experience harm rather than holding perpetrators accountable.Moving beyond criticism to offer a path forward, we emphasize the importance of ethical leadership, personal healing work, and creating genuinely safe church environments.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Founder & Director of the Christian Counseling Center: For Sexual Health & Trauma (CCC), Dr. Andrew J. Bauman is a therapist with a Doctorate from Northeastern University. His dissertation was on studying the impact of sexism and abuse on women in the Protestant Church. Andrew is the author of seven books, including his newest book, SAFE CHURCH: How to Guard Against Sexism & Abuse in Christian Communities.Website  |  Instagram  |  Facebook Safe Church  on Amazon | BookshopLinks & Resources 🔗Christian Counseling CenterEpisode 7: Forced Forgiveness with Scot McKnight—————We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today.—————Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more!Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeLeave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.