Erasing Shame

What does it mean to carry shame in your skin?  Indonesian American social worker Fiel Sahir joins DJ for an honest conversation about shame, identity, and faith. Fiel describes shame as "chains" and traces his story as a third-generation survivor of racial violence — a dark-skinned grandfather mocked in China, forced name changes after the 1965 purge, and being singled out as "Chin...

What does it look and feel like to live with the pain and confusion of a mental health diagnosis of bipolar disorder? Two Asian Americans open up about how they've experienced mercy and help while getting through the shame of mental illness in Asian and American cultures, churches, and condemning voices that come inside (so annoying!) Listen to this book talk about Christ in the Abyss: Cultiva...

• an Aim For Breakthrough x Erasing Shame collaboration!  Dr. Audrey Davidheiser of Aim For Breakthrough and DJ Chuang of Erasing Shame have this conversation about Dr. Audrey's book,  Grieving Wholeheartedly: Bringing Healing to Every Part of Your Soul , one chapter at a time on each episode. Grief touches 100% of us. That's why we need this book and this conversation. This episode discus...

Seattle-based therapist, author, and poet Sam Louie joins DJ Chuang to discuss his newly released workbook, Redefining Asian Shame: From Silence to Self-Acceptance — available now to download on Gumroad. (Listen for the 40% off discount code) Sam shares how the workbook gives the readers to engage an interactive process to move from Asian shame to a healthy acceptance of oneself. Sam explains his...

Toni Kim has a new book coming in August 2026— Shame Redeemed: Learning to Live in Christ's Freedom . She is a Taiwanese-American pastor who tireless worked on a seminary thesis about shame in Scripture and this book makes all that studied research accessible. This conversation covers the critical distinction between  unashamed  and  shameless , how social media cancel culture has turned shame...

Listen in on this conversation with Dr. Audrey Davidheiser and DJ Chuang and, you'll learn more about a better way to face challenging emotions as a part of me (e.g. "a part of me is sad") rather than identifying with it, like "I am sad." We also talk about the shame of dealing with grief, especially in cultures that "look down on emotions." And, get an overview o...

Erasing Shame co-founder DJ Chuang chats with Aggie Park and profusely thanks her for being our Season 8 host. We review the highlights from the most popular episodes as we go down memory lane. And, we joyfully send her off to launch a new podcast called {UN}SPOKEN with Aggie Park! Check out & subscribe to {UN}SPOKEN• https://www.instagram.com/UN_spokenPod• https://www.tiktok.com/@un_spokenpod...

This was a live recording with Jenn Suen Chen, author of "Dim Sum and Faith: How Our Stories Form Our Souls." We talked about story, spirituality, and how our cultural narratives shape who we are and who we’re becoming. The author's deepest prayer is that the book would serve as a resource for deeper discussion around growing in our relationship in Christ and with one another. Her ul...

What do you do when you’re adopted into a loving Christian family… but you still feel like a reject? When you smile in church but go home to a voice in your head saying, “You’re not enough. You were never enough.” When you’ve been told Jesus loves you, but deep down you believe He couldn’t possibly want someone like you? That was Andrew Yook’s life. Loved, but lonely. Surrounded, but unseen. Adopt...

Jesus, I’m Still Pouring… But I’m Dry You’re still showing up. Still serving. Still pouring into others… But inside? You’re dry. Not just tired— empty . And wondering, "Jesus… how much longer can I do this?" In this honest conversation with my pastor, we’re talking about what most people in ministry feel—but few are allowed to say out loud. This isn’t a polished highlight reel. It’s raw. It’s real...

We’ve been told that if your faith starts falling apart, you’re in danger. But what if that’s  exactly  where Jesus shows up? This isn’t an episode about walking away from God. It’s about tearing down the fake, the forced, the fear-based religion— and finding a God who   never  asked you to perform in the first place. In this raw and redemptive conversation, author  Alysha Tatiana Lee  shares how...

Jesus and Therapy? Yes. You can have both. — with Charles Mortensen Let’s not sugarcoat it: Needing help doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re done pretending. And therapy? It’s not a betrayal of your faith. It’s how some of us finally start to breathe again. We’ve been told: “You just need to pray more.” “Therapy is for people who don’t trust God.” “If you were really spiritual, you wouldn’t...

Church is supposed to be a sanctuary. But what happens when it becomes the place that breaks you? In this unfiltered and courageous conversation, we're diving into the kind of pain the Church doesn’t like to talk about—church hurt. We're talking spiritual manipulation, toxic leadership, cult-like control, and the paralyzing guilt that keeps many trapped in pews, afraid to walk away. Our gu...

"He turned my mourning into dancing… and my ashes into beauty." This episode will leave you speechless—in the best way. When the unthinkable happened, Ruth Santana’s world shattered. A betrayal that could’ve broken her,  but God wasn't done writing her story. Through deep valleys of pain, therapy, and the relentless love of Jesus, Ruth found  redemption, restoration… and resurrection...

In this raw and courageous episode, we’re facing one of the hardest topics: narcissistic abuse. Whether you grew up under the manipulation of a narcissistic parent, felt emotionally hijacked in a romantic relationship, or constantly feel drained by a “friend” who leaves you confused and questioning your worth—this episode is for you. We’re not just talking psychology—we’re talking spiritual discer...

This Episode Will Challenge EVERYTHING You Thought You Knew About Forgiveness! We’ve all heard it: “You HAVE to forgive AND reconcile.” But is that really what the Bible says? If you’ve ever felt pressured to restore a relationship that wasn’t safe… If you’ve struggled with guilt for enforcing boundaries… If you’ve been told, “But that’s your FAMILY, you have to make peace,”—this episode is for YO...

Host Aggie Park and guest Joanne Choi explore the topics of money & wealth, through the lens of faith. In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into a challenging yet important question for people living in wealthy countries: Can we enjoy comfort and luxury while staying true to our deepest values and purpose? 💡What does it mean to live with purpose and integrity — even when you're surr...

Aggie Park has hand-picked this Season 8 theme—"Raw, Real, & Redeemed: Christian Faith, Struggles, and what We Don’t Talk About Enough." This first episode reveals her back story, shares her experiences on TikTok and Instagram, and why she wants to start podcasting to go deeper. Asian American Christians often struggle with vulnerability due to performance-based cultural expectations...

We close out season 7 with a great appreciation for Victoria hosting many poignant conversations. I (DJ Chuang) am very grateful for her life and she has shared that with us on Erasing Shame. Finally, I briefly talk about how religion/spirituality is helpful to many people, but also has caused adverse side effects for others. That's the new direction with season 8''s new co-host. And t...

Do you know hard it is to deal with spiritual abuse? There's so many layers of complexities, mixed emotions, confusion from gaslighting, power dynamics, broken trust, and sometimes even worse. Finding a freely available resource to help you heal and recover can be quite a long journey. I'd imagine having extra help would be welcomed. Here's a free online event coming January 21-25 from...

trigger warnings: suicidal ideation, domestic violence, child abuse, family trauma, complex trauma, church hurt, spiritual abuse, depression This extended episode is not easy listening and not family friendly. Prepare yourself for uncomfortable and painful storytelling before you tap the play button. Be ready to pause or stop listening when you feel triggered or it’s just too much. We know this is...

Our Asian American experiences are interwoven with multiple layers of pain and shame, intergenerational trauma, neglect, survival, both conscious and unconscious moments, that shape who we are, how we see the world, and how that shapes our spirituality in Christian churches. In collaboration with Asian American Christian Network of Atlanta (AACNA), this is the unedited raw episode of our extended...

Han Namgung spent his formative years in Korea and Kenya, and he reflects on how his upbringing shaped his path toward a career in counseling. He explores the concept of feeling like a "forever traveler," navigating different cultures and communities. Additionally, he addresses the challenges of living in a society that prioritizes high achievement and status. Han recognizes that shame i...

DJ Chuang and his younger brother Deef share openly about their personal mental health experiences with mental health, neurodiversity, and bipolar disorder. We noted the importance of finding containment to process emotions, especially in dealing with depression and lack of language. We emphasized the need for gentle approaches to healing and the benefits of practices like therapy, journaling, and...

A recurring sentiment is that the guilt-based theology about Christian salvation, known as soteriology, doesn't make sense to Asians and Asian Americans who have a honor-shame worldview. Vincent Mo wrote up a research paper for a seminary certificate course, in which he reviewed academic papers, known as a lit review, that addressed soteriology from honor-shame perspectives, at the intersectio...