Beyond The Surface

Charli shares her experiences growing up in a devout Christian home, the challenges of seeking validation, and the complexities of moving beyond ingrained beliefs. After leaving an abusive marriage and facing family estrangement, she found solace in raising her children with autonomy and openness. Discover how she rebuilt her intuition, set firm boundaries, and redefined her faith, creating a nurt...

In this episode, Laura shares her experience of being born into the fundamentalist group/cult known as The Truth, discussing the isolation, coercive control, and spiritual abuse she endured. We explore the unique challenges faced by women in these communities and Laura's struggle with identity. Laura reflects on her childhood values, teenage years without typical rites of passage, and the pain of...

In this episode, Sarah shares her journey from a Christian upbringing to the present day broader worldview, influenced by the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement. She talks about the emotional process of leaving her faith, navigating a mixed-faith relationship, and discussing faith with her children. Sarah reflects on reconciling emotional ties to God with new intellectual insights whilst all...

This is Rachel's Story.. More About Rachel Rachel is a Minister’s kid, eldest daughter, who grew up in the church and did all the ‘right’ things from a young age, but realised over time that being a bisexual feminist with an environmental science degree didn’t sit that well in certain church circles. She asked too many questions and poked at the wrong bears. Which queued the pain and continued dec...

This is Maggie's Story... Who Is Maggie? Maggie runs the Instagram account @hello_deconstructionists and the host of the Hello Deconstructionists podcast, where she is building community post evangelicalism. She is a religious trauma survivor and a dedicated therapy client where she’s working hard to understand who she is outside of religion. Her goal is to share parts of her own story and bring o...

This is Amanda's Story... More About Amanda Amanda is a Faith Deconstruction & Reconstruction Coach + Clinical Social Worker. You can find her at the intersection of mental health, social work, and theology. She supports thoughtful Christians and communities who are wrestling through big doubts and questions and hope to stay within the Christian faith while finding more ease and wonder in the...

This is James's Story... More About James James Admans (they/them) is a minister, entrepreneur, and drag queen (Marge Erin Johnson, she/her). They are ordained pending call in the United Church of Christ. They graduated from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (unceded homelands of the Lenape Nation) with a Master of Divinity degree in interdisciplinary Biblical studies, social ethi...

This is Tashas Story.. More About Tasha Tasha is a Queer Neurodivergent Counsellor, Advocate, wife, and chronic pain battler. Many of her clients are neurodivergent, mainly autism and/or ADHD and are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Tasha uses her lived experience to work with these individuals to connect on a deeper level as someone who understands many of the struggles and triumphs faced. Connect...

In this episode, we break down cognitive dissonance and its impact on Queer individuals, especially within high-control religious environments. We explore the harmful effects of heteronormative conditioning, the enmeshment of religion and politics, and the importance of inclusive faith communities. Kit offers insights on navigating and healing from these experiences. More About Kit Kit Morgan (the...

This is Steph's Story... More About Steph Steph Lentz is a former advertising writer and secondary school teacher. She came to public attention in 2021 after she was sacked from her job as a teacher because of her sexuality. Steph is based in Sydney. She released her debut memoir titled ‘In/Out: A scandalous story of falling into love and out of the church’ in 2023. Connect With Us To purchase Ste...

This Is Mike's Story... More About Mike Mike Maeshiro is the founder of Numa, an organisation that supports people recovering from religious toxicity. Mike is gay, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and a queer theology enthusiast. Mike is a former instructor at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, best known for his class, “Discerning of Spirits.” He now teaches on emotional health and rede...

This is Alanah's Story Who is Alanah? Alanah is a musician in Nashville, TN, USA. A songwriter and composer/producer, and right now is working on a therapeutic kind of project where she takes old Christian hymns and rewrites the lyrics to be affirming, open-minded, and focused on wholeness. She is working to create a safe place for people like herself who find themselves deconstructing after leavi...

This is Nikki's Story... Who Is Nikki? Nikki G. is a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach who helps survivors recover and thrive after Religious Trauma & Cult involvement. She is also a survivor of multiple narcissistic relationships, religious trauma as well as a former member of multiple cultic communities. Nikki is the CEO of Nikki G Speaks LLC, which exists to support survivors with individual...

This is Sam's Story... Who is Sam? Sam is a self-confessed introvert and empath, who loves nothing more than good ache-in-the-belly laugh. But more than anything, she loves providing a safe counselling space for gentle souls- introverts, INFJ’s, empaths and neurodivergent people. This is her joy and passion, bringing hope and healing to the broken hearted. Sam first started Paper Crane of Hope as...

This Is Cait's Story.... Who is Cait? Cait West is a writer and editor based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her work has been published in The Revealer, Religion Dispatches, Fourth Genre, and Hawai`i Pacific Review, among others. As an advocate and a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement, she serves on the editorial board for Tears of Eden, a non-profit providing resources for survivors of spi...

This is Janes story. Who is Jane? Jane Kennedy is a Sydney-based Counsellor. Jane has lived experience of religious trauma and is committed to supporting people as they leave church and/or faith. This experience, still frequently misunderstood, can be life-altering. She brings language and framing for the complexities of religious trauma to the counselling space and works with other Australian the...

Join us for a discussion on megachurch culture through the miniseries 'Prosper' on Stan. Connect with us! To find out more about Jane and her practice head to her website - https://janekennedycounselling.com.au/ Or to connect with her on social media; you can find her on Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn   To connect with Elise head to her website - https://eliseheerde.com Or you can also f...

This is her story... Bio ⁣Liz Milani is a writer, and the co-creator of the The Practice Co App. She lives for wholehearted, grounded spirituality, and to help people feel free to find God for themselves, in the world, in the lives they have. Liz lives on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia, with her partner, Jesse, and their three kids.  Links To learn more about Liz or The Practice Co head...

This is his story... Bio Brad Klausman was born and raised within the Southern Baptist Church community. He received his degree in biblical studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University and his master’s from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. After serving in full time ministry for over two decades, Brad found himself having to choose between the church and his LGBTQ+ daughter. Without hesitati...

This is My Story.... Bio As a Queer religious trauma therapist, I work from a trauma informed and lived experience stance. I understand the profound impact that religious experiences can have on individuals and am here to provide an accepting and non-judgmental space to explore your inner world.  I will be releasing my new workbook “Embracing Queerness and Faith” early 2024 which I am hopeful...

This is Hannah's Story.. Hannah went from an evangelical Jesus-loving Christian to an agnostic atheist. Her journey started about over a year and a half ago, when her partner of 4 years called her out by telling her that she wasn’t really a Christian anymore and she is so glad that he did. It took 27 years for her to have her religious bubble finally popped for resulting in seeing all the bullshit...

If you haven't listened to Part 1 of Matt's Story - you are going to want to . This is Part 2. Matt is the Director of MGA Counselling Services and provides individual, couple, family, and group counselling. He is also the founder of Forest Therapy Victoria. Matt has a special interest in relationship counselling, grief, trauma, abuse recovery, high sensitivity, and spirituality. Matt provides pro...

This is Matt's Story ... well part of it. Matt is the Director of MGA Counselling Services and provides individual, couple, family, and group counselling. He is also the founder of Forest Therapy Victoria. Matt has a special interest in relationship counselling, grief, trauma, abuse recovery, high sensitivity, and spirituality. Matt provides professional and personal development courses on a range...

This is Angela's Story... Angela is a faith deconstruction coach and host of The Deconstructing Faith Summit who helps people break free from toxic religious culture & empowers them to recover from #churchhurt. She has led online ministries for a decade, enjoys working with clients 1:1, in groups, and is a dynamic conference speaker. She’s a Lark’s Song Certified Life Coach who reaches thousan...

In this episode, Phil delves into faith deconstruction, highlighting it as an introspective journey rather than a move towards de-conversion. He touches on the comfort of certainty, the impact of small changes, and the special challenges faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. Phil emphasises the importance of self-compassion and community support for individuals reevaluating their beliefs, especially th...