Focus On Your Own Family

Send us Fan Mail SUPPORT THE PODCAST I am on substack where you can get more of my perspective and story. I have to keep the lights on somehow and supporting my substack supports my podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Duge Speirs to talk about her debut memoir Holy Disobedience , releasing March 31. Melissa shares what it was like growing up in a Seventh-day Adventist environment sha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Joanna Whaley , now a candidate for Michigan’s State House representing District 2 in Southeast Detroit, to talk about the unlikely path from megachurch pastor to public servant. We unpack how growing up and working inside evangelical systems shapes the way people organize, speak, and wield power, and why that lived experience ma...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Lizzie Goldsmith ,  is an audio producer and creator of the nonfiction audio drama adaptation of When We Were On Fire (based on Addie Zierman’s memoir). Her work explores faith, identity, grief, power, and the emotional reality of growing up in evangelical spaces. Lizzie is the creator of an audio drama adaptation of the 2013 deconstructio...

Send us Fan Mail To support this podcast Subscribe to Stephanie Warren's Substack In this episode Stephanie sits down with sex educator Erica Smith for a candid, shame-free conversation about sex, embodiment, and healing from the long shadow of purity culture. Although Erica didn’t grow up in Christian fundamentalism, her work intersects directly with the systems, beliefs, and cultural pressu...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast subscribe to the SUBSTACK In this podcast episode, Dave, a recurring guest, and former voice actor for the character Jimmy Barkley in the children's radio program 'Adventures in Odyssey,' reflects on his experiences and the legacy of his work. The conversation touches on the impact of James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, and the role...

Send us Fan Mail To support this podcast please subscribe to my SUBSTACK I regularly publish essay style articles on the very things my guests and I discuss on the podcast.  Welcome back Topher! Topher and I discuss the impact Dobson and MacArthur had on the children raised inside Christian Fundamentalism. This will be the first in what I hope to be a season long reflection.  TOPHER socials For th...

Send us Fan Mail 🚨 Update: I’m officially closing my Patreon and migrating everything over to Substack ! Substack gives me more flexibility to share my work—whether it’s writing, podcasting, or connecting in a more social, community-driven space. You can now find all my content (and support my work) in one place: 👉 https://substack.com/@thestrongwilledchild There are free, monthly, and yearly su...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast join the patreon Be our guest Welcome back Emily. Emily was a guest about year ago, she is a therapist located in California. I was captivated with Emily's story and I asked her to come back to talk about her time in the christian political sphere where she spent her teenage and young adult years.  EMILY'S SOCIALS For those that want to be on the podc...

Send us Fan Mail This is a one woman show, show support, stay connected Want to be a guest? fill this questionnaire out MARK DRISCOLL BJ SERMON mark Driscoll Penis Homes STEPHANIE SOCIALS Welcome back Stephanie Drury! You heard her in the teaser episode and now you have the opportunity to hear the full story. Stephanie is the owner of Stuff Christian Culture Likes, Please follow her socials and ch...

Send us Fan Mail Support this POD Stephanie Drury and I sit down for a spilling the tea about the rise and fall podcast. She talks about her fake Driscoll twitter account. Unfortunately, my internet failed me and we had to reschedule to record the full story. We did get enough to give you a little tea, just not the full service. Stay tuned for the full episode coming out soon. Stephanie Drury&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Please support the POD Hey Everyone! I am back. I cannot express how disappointed I am in our government, please scroll down and fill out the form if you are interested in being a guest on the pod. thank you! BE OUR GUEST For those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes. Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley Support the show This podcast...

Send us Fan Mail support the podcast check out the PATREON Robert Callahan II is back and discussing the book Fire In The Whole . I enjoyed our conversation last time and am so honored he has returned. In this episode, we dive into his book, released two weeks ago. I encourage people to pick up a copy. Robert and I discuss racism, microaggressions, misogyny, and decolonizing… We must have these cr...

Send us Fan Mail  Please Support the show- check out the PATREON Please support our guest Dave by checking out his BLOG Please welcome back Dave, who played Jimmy Barclay on Adventures in Odyssey. Dave is a profound writer please check out his blog at  This is the end of the four-part series. I have learned so much about my friend Dave. This was an honor. In this episode, Dave opens up about what...

Send us Fan Mail Support this podcast check out the PATREON You may be asking, why do we need a part three? My friend Dave who acted the character Jimmy Barclay on Focus on the Family's Adventure's In Odyssey has a lot to say. One of the very few children who grew up amongst the Christian Nationalist organization and propaganda machine to blow the whistle. Dave talks about what he goes t...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast join the PATREON In this episode Dave and I discuss very sensitive information. Elements of self harm  are self hate are brought up. Please listen with caution. Dave and I discuss the ALOHA episode of Adventures in Odyssey.  For those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes. Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley For th...

Send us Fan Mail To support the podcast please check out the PATREON This guest played Jimmy Barclay on Adventures in Odyssey. Please welcome Dave. It is truly an honor to have Dave on this show. We have become friends over the past year, and I am so thankful he is sharing his time and story with us all. Adventure in Odyssey is a children’s radio program that started in 1987. Dave was in episode t...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast check out the PATREON I am excited and honored to have my friend, author D.L. Mayfield, on the podcast today. D.L. spent many years in Christian publishing before escaping the evangelical movement, deconstructing, coming out, and becoming an atheist. D.L. and I share a creative space on social media and a great disdain for James Dobson. D.L. and their spouse re...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast join the PATREON Please Welcome Dr Jamie (they/them)! I am so thankful they are here today. Dr Jamie socializes in Dissociative Identity Disorder and is the author of TEN books. Their knowledge on DID specifically stemming from high control regions is vast, please enjoy this discussion on their upcoming book "You Lied To Me About God" Dropping everywh...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast check out the PATREON Joanna Whaley has been a guest on the pod previously, she and I get together for this bonus episode. Carl Lentz and Laura Lentz launched a podcast about his side. Joanna and I are former mega church leaders who break down his language nuances. Check out Joanna's socials. For those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast, check out the PATREON Pastor Paul is back for a part two. In this second half we discuss how important it is to discover love of self inside relationships.  The church teaches that in order to be loved by God we need to completely die to ourselves. Paul and I talk about how the church uses this to control and manipulate.  We also discuss how we were never desi...

Send us Fan Mail Please support this podcast by checking out the PATREON This was recorded the day before the Trump verdict was read- Earlier this season I had Pastor Paul on, I knew I wanted to have them back on for Pride month. During this podcast I deviated from the normal format and let the conversation go where it wanted to go. Paul and I discuss aspects of dissociative identity disorder and...

Send us Fan Mail Support this podcast check out the PATREON Please welcome my friend Noah (He/him/they/them). Noah is a transgender male and his story is about mending himself. Raised inside fundamentalist evangelicalism and under the strict parenting styles of James Dobson, Noah is reparenting himself through learning how to love himself. Join Noah and I as we discuss going no contact, breaking f...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast by checking out the PATREON Today I have the honor of interviewing Jason Kirk. Jason is a NYT sports editor and he took time in-between the draft to have this conversation. Aside from Jason's job at the NYT, he and his wife co-host the VBS podcast, and he authored "Hell is a world without you." This book is about a group of kids navigating their...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast- Join the Patreon Cait West and I had an opportunity to sit down and discuss her upcoming book "Rift" A memoir of breaking away from Christian Patriarchy. Cait West demonstrates why it is so important for survivors to both tell their stories and connect with others who survived the evangelical movement. Here are Cait West SOCIALS  click on that link-...

Send us Fan Mail Support the podcast check out the patreon I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Sarah McCammon, New York Times best-selling author of " The Evangelicals" .  Sarah and I discuss the book and some similarities from growing up evangelical. Sarah is a national political correspondent for NPR, this was truly an honor to spend some time chatting with her. Please...