Flying Free

Starting with abuse and abandonment in her childhood, Becky was married decades to a man who put it all on her--working, homeschooling five kids, and supporting his selfishness. In waking up, she finally realized the problem wasn't her after all, but that was only the first step in getting out. Listen to Becky's incredible story of crawling to flying. Access the transcript, read the show notes, an...

Join Natalie, Rachel, Becky, and Kim as they answer two listener questions. One - what if I don't want to stay even if my husband seems to be changing a little? Two - how can I continue to homeschool if I end up separated or divorced? Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marri...

Join several survivors as they get practical about how to go into the new year with hope. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com I'll send you (free!) the first chapter of my book, Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriag...

One of the first lessons I learned when I first began to get out of my abusive marriage is how to advocate for myself —a hard lesson for a woman who spent her entire life believing that self-advocacy was evil. I now see that when God doesn't rescue you from your bad marriage, it's because He wants to do something so much better in your life. He wants you to get strong enough to rescue yourself. I...

Natalie interviews Christy Bauman, licensed mental health counselor and author of new release, Theology of the Womb. Christy talks about the female body and how the way it works tells a story about God and His love for us.   "There’s something in all women that we want to create. We want to create businesses. We want to create beings. We want to create relationship. We love life. At our core, we l...

The holidays have a way of making abusive relationships, separation, and divorce even worse. Families get split, take sides, and cause more hurt and pain than we think we can bear. Let's talk about how to cope during "the most wonderful time of the year." Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotiona...

Abusive people almost always demand reconciliation with their victims. Why is that? What is their motivation? And do victims owe their abusers trust and relationship after having prior trust and relationship violated over and over again? The article mentioned in this podcast is: Message to a Baptist Church: You Preached Death to the Hearts of One Hundred Women Today Access the transcript, read the...

Six Christian abuse advocates including Julie Anne (Spiritual Sounding Board), Sarah McDugal (Women in Leadership Development) and Natalie Hoffman (Flying Free) gather together to answer two listener questions. One question about finding a good man post-divorce, and another question about how to find a good church after being hurt by a bad one. Lots of great discussion in this episode! Access the...

Natalie interviews author, counselor, and speaker Andrew Bauman on the intersection of pornography and abuse. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:  Follow Andrew's work on his website and his Facebook page .  If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com...

Natalie interviews the founder of Give Her Wings, Megan Owen, about how the church can help victims instead of re-victimizing them. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:  If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com I'll send you (free!) the first chapte...

Rachel and Natalie answer a listener's question about trauma bonding - or why you may feel an addictive bond to your abusive partner in spite of his abuse. We talk about intermittent reinforcement and how that plays a role in abuse. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriag...

In this interview with public speaker and coach, Patrick Doyle, we talk about how to cope with the traumatic betrayal that occurs when women of faith stand up against abuse in their homes. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:  You can connect with Patrick on Facebook . Sign up HERE to receive email updates about upcoming events and mater...

We were created for love and connection, but abuse cuts off our supply to these necessary components to a healthy life. Natalie interviews ARMS executive director, Stacey Womack, about what we can do when we are starved for affection. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources: ARMS programs , including the “Her Journey” program mentioned in th...

Conflict is part of every relationship. So how do you know the conflict you're experiencing is destructive? Rachel and Natalie talk about identifying abuse in the back and forth drama of being treated "nice" one day and poorly the next. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive mar...

In this interview with Gretchen Baskerville, author of Life Saving Divorce, we discuss how women of faith can move from shame and fear into ministry and stability after divorce. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:   Connect with Gretchen on her website, Life-Saving Divorce .  Check out Gretchen's book, The Life Saving Divorce . If you a...

In this interview with therapist, author, and speaker, Judy Herman, you'll find out how relationship patterns in your family of origin affect you as an adult. You'll also get some tools to help you move past destructive patterns into a healthier future. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:  Connect with Judy on Facebook and Instagram . I...

Natalie interviews Gretchen Baskerville, author of the upcoming book, Life Saving Divorce. Following her divorce at age 35, Gretchen was single for 20 years before getting remarried, and she has some great insights into how to make those years the best EVER! Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:   Connect with Gretchen on her website, Lif...

Natalie interviews Cherilyn Christen Clough, founder of Little Red Survivor and author of the brand new book, Chasing Eden. She discusses the complexities of dealing with narcissistic abuse in your family of origin. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:  Cherilyn's book: Chasing Eden Cherilyn's website: Little Red Survivor The best of Che...

Natalie and Rachel answer two listener questions. 1. My husband says I'm the narcissist. What if he's right? 2. I'm divorced and don't want to be single forever. Help! Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com I'll send you (free!)...

A fascinating interview with UK Gender Justice Specialist, Natalie Collins around her new book, Out of Control. We discuss the process of taking back your life from the grip of abuse as well as the patriarchal teachings that keep us stuck there. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:  Follow Natalie on Twitter. Buy her incredibly well-writ...

Women of faith in emotionally and spiritually abusive relationships have been bruised by Bible bombs over and over again. Religious abusers love to use the Bible as a weapon of control. As we walk through the healing process, how do we learn to love the Bible again? Our guest today is Stacey Wynn, a high powered career woman and abuse survivor who left the corporate world to go to seminary and hel...

You may have heard horror stories about Christians who get divorced. But Natalie and Jeni, both abuse survivors and divorcees, discuss the benefits of a merciful divorce from an abuser. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com I'll...

Natalie and Rachel answer three questions about staying or leaving. What if he is starting to show some change? If I leave, am I giving up on the power of God to help? Is five years too early to leave an abusive marriage? Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn mo...

Today we'll meet an emotional abuse survivor who has perfectly captured the dynamic of covert abuse in an incredible poem. After she reads her poem, we'll talk with her about how she was able to realize her confusing experience was abusive. Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive...

Three women of faith who have survived emotional and spiritual abuse share their experiences learning how to go from crawling to flying with the help of the private education and support group, Flying Free. Please note: this was recorded in early 2019. Since that time the program has developed and grown, now offering weekly coaching, a brand new private forum, and an expanding vault of expert work...