Failure Into Freedom: Christian Healing and Identity for Women

What happens when you finally leave an abusive marriage — but your body still lives in fear? In Episode 10 of Failure Into Freedom, Katie shares what it was like when her abusive ex-husband was unexpectedly released on parole during COVID — despite a protective order and sole custody. This episode dives deep into: • PTSD after domestic violence • Why freedom doesn’t always feel like peace • How tr...

As 2025 comes to a close, I’m sharing 10 lessons I didn’t ask for — but survived, and what I’m intentionally carrying with me into 2026. This episode is a raw, faith-filled reflection on a year marked by domestic violence recovery, divorce, sick children, hospital nights, grief, and the difficult decision to go no contact with family. It’s about survival, healing that isn’t linear, and learning th...

What happens when the people who love you most aren’t related by blood? In this deeply personal and faith-centered episode of Failure Into Freedom, Katie shares how God builds divine community and chosen family in seasons of exhaustion, crisis, and healing. Recorded during a week marked by illness, emergency room visits, and overwhelming stress, this episode is a powerful reminder that God’s provi...

Sometimes the holiest thing you can do… is walk away. In this special episode, we dive deep into what the Bible actually says about going no contact with toxic family, abusive relationships, and generational dysfunction. You’ll hear the modern-day retelling of Joseph, why distance can be God’s protection, and how setting boundaries is not rebellion — it’s obedience, healing, and spiritual safety....

In this raw and powerful episode, I share how I faced my abuser in court, survived a domestic violence marriage, and fought for my children through CPS warnings, subpoenas, and a divorce trial I never expected. If you’re healing from trauma, leaving a toxic relationship, or rebuilding your identity through faith—this story will remind you that God protects, restores, and frees. Join The Freedom Fo...

Thanksgiving used to be my favorite day — 50 to 60 family members gathered in my grandma’s home in Abilene, the one place that always felt safe growing up. But adulthood changed everything. The same Thanksgiving I became a single mom was the last one my grandma ever hosted… and the moment I realized my biological father was not safe for me or my babies. Last year, after trying to rebuild broken fa...

In this raw, pivotal chapter of my story, I share the season where everything I built was taken from me — my independence, my home, my possessions, and my identity — and how God used that stripping to rebuild me from the ground up. From being on bedrest at 25 weeks pregnant… to accidentally birthing Grace N Grit Designs… to losing nearly everything I owned in a mold-infested home — this episode wa...

In this episode of Failure Into Freedom, Katie shares the heart and healing behind creating The Freedom Foundry — a safe, faith-centered community for women rebuilding their lives after trauma, heartbreak, and hard seasons. Triggered by social media memories that pulled her back into past pain, Katie realized she needed more than just distance from the past — she needed a protected space to truly...

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I entered the quietest — and loneliest — season of my life. On paper, I was finally safe. But inside, I was unraveling. In this episode of Failure Into Freedom, I share the most terrifying chapter of my pregnancy: a sudden rush to the hospital at 23 weeks, facing the unknown, and witnessing a miracle no doctor could explain. While I was wandering through fear, w...

When everything fell apart, I stepped into my own wilderness — forty-five days where silence, fear, and surrender were my only company. In this episode, I walk through the raw reality of life after the emergency protective order was issued: facing the wreckage, cleaning the house alone, navigating trauma, and rebuilding my life from the ground up. I share the behind-the-scenes moments no one talks...

In this deeply personal episode, Katie opens up about the moment everything truly fell apart — and how that collapse became the beginning of freedom. What started as a “second chance” quickly spiraled into the breaking point that changed her life forever. Through the chaos of domestic violence, emotional abuse, trauma, fear, and spiritual exhaustion, Katie reveals how God stepped in when she whisp...

In this deeply personal episode of Failure Into Freedom, Katie shares the storm that followed the red flags — when domestic violence escalated, emotional abuse became normal, and “keeping the peace” meant slowly losing herself to fear and survival mode. Through raw stories of trauma, faith, and resilience, she opens up about the reality of domestic violence, emotional abuse, substance use, trauma...

What happens when the person you love becomes the source of your deepest pain — and you don’t see the warnings until it’s too late? In this episode, I share the red flags I ignored in a toxic, abusive relationship — from being left completely alone just two days postpartum… to discovering, eight months pregnant, that my partner had been arrested for possession and a hit-and-run. At the time, I lab...

In the very first episode of Failure Into Freedom, Katie Holt Lehrman opens her heart and shares the powerful, faith-filled story behind the podcast. On the outside her life looked picture-perfect—but behind closed doors she faced red flags, manipulation, emotional abuse, physical abuse, miscarriage, and deep heartbreak that nearly silenced her. Through raw storytelling, vulnerability, and Scriptu...