Best Center For Trauma Resolution And Recovery Podcasts (2025)

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A Thousand Tiny Papercuts: Purity Culture and Spiritual Abuse 1:24:57

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5d ago1:24:57

1:24:57

This week, Andrew and Laura welcome the brilliant and hilarious Katherine Spearing—author, practitioner, and founder of Tears of Eden—to talk about everyone’s favorite church obsession: purity culture. You know, that special brand of shame that told you your worth was tied to your virginity and your shoulders were a stumbling block. Katherine unpac…

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92 - The People Pleaser Guide: How to Deal with Conflict - Less people pleasing, more conflict resolution strategies for standing in power and authenticity, bb. 50:11

7d ago50:11

50:11

This is episode 2 in my people-pleasing deep-dive! One of our biggest fears as people-pleasers is speaking up for ourselves during conflict—it can literally make us feel like we're going to pass out from anxiety! So how do we move from the knee-jerk "Sounds good, no worries!" to a thoughtful, authentic: "Actually, here's what I need..."? In this ep…

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Chewed Up Bubblegum - Welcome to Season 3 of Sunday School Dropouts! 1:09:54

12d ago1:09:54

1:09:54

By Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery

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91 - People Pleasing at Work Gotcha Down? If you're a people pleaser from 9 to 5, it's time to start setting boundaries so you can take your power back. 49:52

21d ago49:52

49:52

It's my first in a series on people pleasing! We're looking at it from all angles, starting with people-pleasing at work. We do it to stay safe, even to get ahead in our careers—but it's actually sabotaging our success! The problem is, half the time, we don't even know we're doing it, and the other half, we've people pleased before we even have a c…

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90 - When Should You End a Relationship? - How get out of toxic connections and into reciprocal, loving relationships as recovering people pleasers and children of gaslighters. 31:41

1M ago31:41

31:41

How do you know when it's time to end a friendship, or any relationship for that matter? How do you know when you're just being "dramatic," like your family of origin always told you you were, and when you're self-advocating and standing in your power? How do you balance healthy boundaries with healthy compassion, especially when a person's toxicit…

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89 - How to Heal Anxious Attachment Style Part II - A deep dive into healing anxious attachment, bc it's time to enjoy secure attachment, babe. 57:52

2M ago57:52

57:52

We've all been there—trying to figure out the exact right way to phrase the text so we sound cool and aloof when actually we've been crying for the last two hours. Anxious attachment style can suuuckkkkk so bad because it's rooted in deep feelings of not being good enough, not trusting people, and not loving ourselves. But what if I told you there'…

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88 - Anxious Attachment Style, Breakup Edition - Codependency in relationships can surge in the breakup stage for anxiously attached folks—let's get you out of despair and into thrive mode. 27:16

2M ago27:16

27:16

Being anxiously attached in a relationship is hard enough, but anxiously attached during a breakup?? The feelings of abandonment, the hopelessness, the sense that you'll never get your life back—it can be a real codependent spiral. In this episode, we dive into what the breakup process can look like for anxiously attached folks, what lies we tell o…

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87 - Burnout Recovery 101 - How to break free from people-pleasing and emotional exhaustion (and the subconscious childhood wounds behind it) 1:04:57

3M ago1:04:57

1:04:57

A lot of times, we think the antidote to burnout is a nap or a vacay (which, no shade, we love a vacay) but a lot of us are struggling with burnout from our own—often *subconscious*—repeated behaviors like perfectionism, overachieving (in an attempt to feel worthy or valid), people pleasing, or not setting appropriate boundaries. AKA, the call is c…

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86 - Tired of People Pleasing? - How childhood conditioning controls your work, love life, & confidence (and how to finally respect yourself without feeling drained) 27:12

3M ago27:12

27:12

Do you ever get mad at yourself because you didn't hold a boundary? Are you SO over what a people pleaser you can be? Has anyone ever told you you need to respect yourself like they were talking to kindergartener and you STILL, to this day, carry that shame around with you? This is your epi, hunny. We're getting into the connection between people p…

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85 - Is My Mom a Narcissist? - This one's for the daughters of narcissistic mothers—and the dudes and non-binary folks—let's dig into the signs of a narcissistic mother, the impact, & how we heal. 1:09:27

4M ago1:09:27

1:09:27

Real talk—narcissistic mothers unleash a reign of terror over their kids, and for MANY of us, we don't even realize it for years and years! We may even adore, worship, and endlessly praise our mothers (which is what many narcissistic mothers groom their children to do BTW). The way it impacts our self-worth and ability to set boundaries is WILD. In…

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84 - Limerence Symptoms Driving You Crazy? - Obsessive love ain't love, y'all, & your limerent object isn't all that. Let's show you how to stop obsessing over someone else so you can LIVE. 31:39

4M ago31:39

31:39

Literally romantic obsession SUCKS. The longing is so intense, and there's no way to satiate it. In this epi, we get into how your unmet childhood needs are feeding your limerence, how we work with them, and why self-love is both the key AND just the beginning. Birth Chart Reading Giveaway Rules! Leave me a rating and review, screenshot it, post it…

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83 - Need Help with Anxiety? - The spin-outs suck—get help with anxiety & learn anxiety management techniques with Dr. Stephanie Lopez 53:36

4M ago53:36

53:36

Anxiety isn't just about your thoughts, it's about whether or not you see *YOURSELF* as capable enough to handle life (OOF!). In this episode, I get into this and SO much more with anxiety expert Dr. Stephanie Lopez (you can check out her FREE training for ditching anxiety here). If you'd like a one-on-one coaching session, birth chart reading, or …

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Wrapping up Season 2! 59:56

5M ago59:56

59:56

In the season two finale of the Sunday School Dropouts podcast, Andrew and Laura recap their experiences and favorite episodes from the past season. They share personal anecdotes about the impact of high control religion on finances, trauma-informed therapy, and purity culture. Laura and Andrew highlight significant episodes such as their conversat…

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82 - Did You Grow Up Without Affection? It's time to start healing the impact of being unloved as a child, babe. 37:45

5M ago37:45

37:45

In this epi, we're getting into the symptoms of growing up without a parent who supported and hyped you up or even hugged you—it can show up allll over your life—AND we're getting into how we heal. (Don't worry—it's a huge heartache, but we're starting small.) If you'd like a one-on-one coaching session, birth chart reading, or tarot reading with R…

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(Re-Release) Purity Culture Poster Child to Pastor to Black Sheep w/ Josh Harris 1:18:35

5M ago1:18:35

1:18:35

This week we will be talking to a notorious former pastor about their experience growing up inside high control religion, becoming a poster child for purity culture, being set up to take over for a large church and ultimately giving it all up, deconstructing his faith and leaving the church. If you grew up in evangelicalism, and likely even if you …

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Spiritual Abuse + Adverse Religious Experiences 1:08:40

5M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

What are Adverse Religious Experiences (AREs) and spiritual abuse? Aren’t they the same thing as religious trauma? Join Andrew and Laura on this week’s episode to discuss AREs, spiritual abuse, dynamics of power and control, how this relates to fundamentalism and how all of this…isn’t religious trauma? You heard us correctly! Andrew and Laura discu…

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81 - Not Feeling Good Enough? How to deal with Imposter Syndrome, anxious attachment, perfectionism, and more by building self worth. 1:10:48

5M ago1:10:48

1:10:48

NBD just going through life feeling like you're always the problem because you weren't treated like you were good enough to be heard, seen, respected, or loved as a kid! In this episode, psychotherapist Kelly Lewis joins me for a deep dive: neglect, anxious attachment, conditional love, perfectionism, and having to earn approval—and how all of them…

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Spiritual Meritocracy 1:37:09

6M ago1:37:09

1:37:09

In this episode, Laura and Andrew engage in a lively discussion with Janice Lagata about her experiences growing up in evangelicalism, her time at Hillsong College, and the importance of literature and financial therapy. They explore themes of banned books, free speech, and the influence of worship music on personal faith. The conversation is rich …

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If You're Poor, You Deserve It w/ Jo Luehmann 1:39:50

6M ago1:39:50

1:39:50

Jo Luehmann shares her journey from being a pastor to deconstructing her faith, focusing on the financial challenges and mindsets that shaped her path. The episode also explores strategies for overcoming financial anxiety and reclaiming autonomy after leaving high-control religious settings. Resources Mentioned: Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel…

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80 - Dealing with Political Anxiety? We're getting into how to stop catastrophizing (and feeling empowered instead). 43:54

6M ago43:54

43:54

Are you feeling like you're always on the brink of a panic attack while a government of racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic oligarchs squeezes every last ounce of democracy out of our country? Then this one's for you. If you'd like a one-on-one coaching session, birth chart reading, or tarot reading with Remy, go ⁠⁠here. Want to connect? Find me…

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The Radicalization of American Boyhood with Rev. Angela Denker 44:43

6M ago44:43

44:43

In this episode of the Sunday School Dropouts podcast, Angela Denker joins Andrew to discuss her new book, 'Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood'. Reverend Denker explores themes of masculinity, gender narratives, and the influence of culture and church on boys and men. Highlighting the shifting political landscape, she …

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Giving Up God with Sarah Henn Hayward 59:18

6M ago59:18

59:18

This week on Sunday School Dropouts, we're joined by author Sarah Henn Hayward for an honest, insightful conversation about her journey from devout Christianity to agnostic atheism. Sarah, author of Giving Up God, opens up about her upbringing in the Evangelical Free Church and the slow, freeing path of deconstruction that followed. She reflects on…

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79 - Healing After a Breakup - We're just out here overcoming breakup grief, healing heartbreak, and moving on after a relationship with somatic practitioner Laurie James 1:15:27

6M ago1:15:27

1:15:27

Healing after a breakup suucckkks—the grief, the anger, the fear. In this episode, I sit down with somatic practioner Laurie James to talk about The 4 E's (we especially love "expel"), self-compassion post-breakup, and even breakups with friends and family. If you'd like a one-on-one coaching session, birth chart reading, or tarot reading with Remy…

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It’s Time to Talk about Men Healing from Purity Culture (re-release) 1:11:25

6M ago1:11:25

1:11:25

The holidays are over and we are back into our purity culture mini-series! This month we are talking about purity culture and it’s impact on individuals who grew up male in this system. We are thrilled to have Dr. Bradley Onishi on the podcast today as our professional who has done research and client-facing work in this area as well as being a pur…

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The Impact of Purity Culture on Women (re-release) 1:28:37

7M ago1:28:37

1:28:37

We are thrilled to have with us today Dr. Tina Schermer Seller who is an author, researcher, professor, and psychotherapist specializing in the impacts of purity culture, shame resilience, gender, and sexuality. In this episode, Dr. Tina shares her research and how she came to realize the psychological and physiological impact of purity culture and…

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78 - Suffered Sibling Violence? We're talking how to recover from sibling abuse trauma and sibling emotional abuse (and how to heal, hunny). 55:46

7M ago55:46

55:46

A lot of families don't take sibling abuse seriously—behavior they would never accept from a bully at school, they completely gloss over when it's happening at home. How do we heal from that trauma? And when it continues into adulthood, can we even mend the relationship with our sibling? In this episode, I coach Jackie through these questions, lett…

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Fundamentalism…it just really f**ks you up with Andrew Pledger 1:33:50

7M ago1:33:50

1:33:50

In this episode of Sunday School Dropouts, Andrew Pledger opens up about his journey growing up in the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement and the lasting effects of religious trauma on his mental health, sexuality, and sense of identity. He shares his experiences navigating legalism, spiritual abuse, and the pressure to conform, includi…

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Going Broke for God 1:21:53

7M ago1:21:53

1:21:53

Today we are joined by Andrew Pledger to talk about the financial burden that going to a religious college/university can cause. We get into not only the cost of these institutions but the extended control they have over all aspects of someone’s life, even when it’s the time in life where you’re developmentally ready to have more freedom. Andrew sh…

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77 - Feeling Helpless and Hopeless? How to deal with Learned Helplessness through somatic healing so you can feel optimistic again (yes, really). 1:01:38

7M ago1:01:38

1:01:38

Does your internal monologue ever sound like, "I'll never get better," "I'll never have the life I want," "I'll never fall in love"? Then this one's for you, baby! Learned helplessness is when we learn (often in abusive households growing up) that we don't have any control over the harm being done to us, so we just stop trying. We basically learn t…

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The Perfect Body for God with Zach Anderson 1:34:54

7M ago1:34:54

1:34:54

In this conversation, Zach Anderson shares his journey of growing up in the Mormon Church, navigating his identity as a gay man, and the impact of high control religions on mental health and body image. He discusses his process of resigning from the church, the challenges of coming out, and how these experiences shaped his approach to nutrition coa…

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Choosing Relationship over Doctrine RE-RELEASE 1:15:54

8M ago1:15:54

1:15:54

Now more than ever, many of us are having to navigate relationships with family members and friends who are grappling with choosing relationships with people over their belief/doctrines. Perhaps you are wrestling through that too? We are revisiting one of our favorite episodes with guests Beecher and April who share with us their own story of choos…

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76 - Still Spiraling from a Sexual Assault? We're getting through this together by healing sexual trauma (so you start to feel like yourself again). 27:31

8M ago27:31

27:31

After a sexual assault, you often spiral into a hole you feel you'll never come out of. In this episode, Rima writes in to ask for help with the feeling that she will be never the person she was before she was assaulted. For clarity's sake, the phrase "sexual assault" is an umbrella term that applies to many experiences, including but not limited t…

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Sex Education After Sunday School 1:24:12

8M ago1:24:12

1:24:12

Today we are excited to have Dr. Celeste Holbrook on the podcast! Celeste is a sex educator, author, speaker, and sexologist with her own story of healing after purity culture. She uses her personal experiences to inspire her professional work and helps folks untangle the long-lasting, embodied impacts of the messages they were taught about their b…

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Leaving the Orthodox Community w/ Rikki Herbst 43:29

8M ago43:29

43:29

In this episode of Sunday School Dropouts, Rikki Herbst shares her journey of leaving the Orthodox Jewish community in New York. She reflects on growing up in a tightly knit, insular environment and the emotional challenges of stepping away. Drawing parallels to other religious exits—like evangelicalism—she explores the complexities of reclaiming a…

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75 - Got Irrational Beliefs? Let's heal those self defeating beliefs stat with cognitive behavioral therapist Judith Belmont. 48:21

8M ago48:21

48:21

So much of what we think about ourselves and the world is A. not helpful, and B. operating on automatic without our even knowing about it. If we think we're not good enough, not worthy of love, always going to be broke, never going to feel happy again, etc. etc., we're letting self-defeating beliefs run the show of our lives. In this episode, I'm j…

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God’s Plan for your Genitals w/ Dr. Eric Sprankle 1:23:01

8M ago1:23:01

1:23:01

This week we are excited to be joined by Dr. Eric Sprankle (@drsprankle on Instagram). Dr. Sprankle is a clinical psychologist and professor of human sexuality and author of the recently released: “DIY: The Wonderfully Weird History and Science of Masturbation”. He’s joining us today to talk about what a porn addiction *actually* is (hint, it’s not…

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The Glory Whole with Melissa Duge Spiers 56:26

9M ago56:26

56:26

In this episode, Melissa Duge Spiers shares her journey of growing up in a Seventh-day Adventist family, her experiences of rebellion, and the challenges she faced when leaving the church. She discusses the unique aspects of Adventism, the impact it had on her identity, and the process of deconstructing her beliefs. Melissa emphasizes the importanc…

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74 - Toxic Gratitude - Is living in gratitude bumming you out? Toxic gratitude may be to blame. 35:05

9M ago35:05

35:05

People keep telling Maggie to write gratitude lists to help her while she's struggling emotionally. But every time she tries to do it, she feels worse and sometimes even cries, which makes her feel like there's something wrong with her. Is there a part of her that's resisting happiness? or is there a problem with gratitude? If you'd like a one-on-o…

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Children obey your parents unto the Lord 1:28:57

9M ago1:28:57

1:28:57

Who else had the verse “children, obey your parents unto the Lord” said to them? Maybe as a way to justify behavior? Or assert control? Or maybe you still feel the need to obey your parents even if you are an adult (and with your own children!) On today’s episode of Sunday School Dropouts we’ll be talking about the parent-child dynamic within high …

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Hurt and Healed by the Church 54:15

9M ago54:15

54:15

We are excited to be joined by author and adventurer, Ryan George! Ryan recently wrote and published the book “Hurt and Healed by the Church” which details his life as a pastor’s kid whose father was a pastor in the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) church. Ryan’s story is unique in that his father engaged of multiple acts of clergy sexual abus…

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73 - The Abandonment Wound Unpacked: How to heal from the trauma of abandonment in relationships when no one had your back (but should've). 1:00:22

9M ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Anyone else feel like they're not good enough for people to stand up for them? Anyone else get a hit of unworthiness when people don't have your back? In this episode, LCSW Sydney Linden joins to talk about the different ways it can look to go unprotected in childhood, what core beliefs it creates for us in adulthood, and what it looks like to heal…

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Understanding Spiritual Trauma w/Hillary McBride 1:17:15

9M ago1:17:15

1:17:15

The Sunday School Dropouts are joined today by Dr. Hillary McBride! Hillary is here to help us wrap up our touchstone topics episodes with an amazing conversation about spiritual abuse and trauma. Is it the same as religious abuse? Better or worse? What are the impacts and how do you heal? We talk about all that and more with Hillary. Also, you won…

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The Frozen Chosen: Growing up Church of Christ with Jessica Hyne 54:05

9M ago54:05

54:05

Jessica Hyne is joining us today to share her story of growing up in the Church of Christ denomination. We talk about everything from the structure of the Church of Christ, to the strive for certainty, rigid thinking, and being a part of the frozen chosen…if you don’t get what that is, you’ll just have to listen! We also talk about the important pi…

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72 - Daughters of Narcissistic Fathers - Gather round—we're walking away from a narcissistic parent (even when they're gaslighting you). 49:58

10M ago49:58

49:58

Chloe's father is a malignant narcissist, but now that he's dying, she's deeply wrestling with her decision to go no-contact. How can she truly be a loving, forgiving person if she refuses to be in contact with him? In this episode, we talk about healing the wounds of being in relationship with a narcissistic parent and redefining what "love" means…

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71 - Overly Empathetic Much? - Buckle up, we're getting into how too much empathy is a toxic trait. 1:11:37

10M ago1:11:37

1:11:37

We think of empathy as always being a good thing, but like everything else, too much of a good thing can be toxic. I call "toxic empathy" (not a clinical term, BTW, just my term), the phenomenon that occurs when we empathize with others to the point that we can't feel our *own* feelings. We can't feel anger when people hurt us, or we order a cockta…

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How do you Celebrate Christmas if you Don’t Believe in Santa (or Jesus)? 58:16

10M ago58:16

58:16

The Sunday School Dropouts are back with another episode of answering your questions about religious trauma and the holidays. Many of the questions today centered around finding new traditions post-religion, dealing with family members who don’t understand why you won’t go to church, and how to navigate co-parenting around this time of year when on…

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Your Family, Religious Trauma, and the Holidays 1:02:30

10M ago1:02:30

1:02:30

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…or is it? The Sunday School Dropouts are taking on your questions today about all things having to do with religious trauma and the holidays! How do you set boundaries with your family that is still in church? Can you tell your emotionally immature family members that they are emotionally immature? Is it ok …

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70 - Are You a Recovering Parentified Daughter? - It's a whole ass process to reclaim self-worth after a childhood of neglect (but it's time, bb). 58:59

11M ago58:59

58:59

Teal grew up being super parentified by her addicted mother. The house was dirty, there wasn't food, her mom was at the bars, and Teal was in charge of her siblings. In this episode, we dig into the self-limiting beliefs around self-worth that resulted from Teal's struggle (the people pleasing, resentments, and lack of self-knowing) and look at wha…

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Leaving the Fold with RC Curtwright 53:35

11M ago53:35

53:35

We are joined today by RC Curtright, or, you might know him from social media as @deconstructing_exjw. RC was on the podcast in season one talking about the impact of purity culture for individuals who grew up male inside that system. But today he is here to talk about his own experiences of growing up in the Jehovah’s Witness organization, his dec…

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God Made Me Gay (an interview with Mike Maeshiro) 1:01:31

11M ago1:01:31

1:01:31

We’re excited to be joined today by Mike Maeshiro! On today’s “Story Episode” Mike shares with us about his time at Bethel Church and their school, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Did Mike get slain in the spirit or was he a peaceful observer? You’ll have to listen to find out! To connect with Mike: Substack: https://mikemaeshiro.substa…