The Divorcing Religion Podcast

Sex & Power Podcast Guest: Dr. Lucas Wilson Title: Shame Sex Attraction  My guest today is Dr. Lucas Wilson, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Toronto. His research centers on White Christian nationalism, with a focus on gender and sexuality; specifically on conservative Christian homophobia and transphobia. Dr. Wilson’s book Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Convers...

Dr. Janja Lalich on The Sex & Power Podcast Guest: Dr. Janja Lalich Title: Exploitation of Women in Cults Host: Janice Selbie, MPCC Warning: This episode discusses SA and coercion in cults  Dr. Janja Lalich is one of the world’s leading authorities on cults, coercive control, and authoritarian influence. A sociologist, researcher, and cult survivor herself, Dr. Lalich has spent decades exposin...

Sex & Power Podcast Guest: Sammy, Haram Doodles My guest today is ex-Muslim atheist, artist, and activist Sammy, the creator behind Haram Doodles. Raised in the U.S. as a first-generation South Asian Muslim, Sammy left Islam over a decade ago. In her words, she left “because I’m a woman.” In this episode, Sammy shares what it was like growing up with strict religious expectations for girls, an...

Katherine Spearing has spent years listening to the stories most churches would rather stay silent about. As the founder of Tears of Eden, she works directly with survivors of spiritual abuse, helping people untangle trauma, reclaim autonomy, and rebuild trust in themselves after systems of faith have caused harm. Her work centers on the lived realities of abuse, power, and control inside religiou...

FIND JANICE: Janice Selbie's best-selling book, Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook, is available here: https://amzn.to/4mnDxuo Religious Trauma Survivor Support Groups happen online Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with others for support: https://www.divorcing-religion.com/services Need help on your journey of healing f...

Sex & Power: Chris Tompkins - The Truth About Shame: Chris Tompkins on Love, Liberation, and LGBTQ Resilience Chris Tompkins is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who specializes in working with adult gay men. He is also the author of the APA award-winning book Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground . Chris has a Master of Arts in Clinical P...

Clara Ritger spent her 20s building a successful media career — producing for U.S. national media such as NBC, WSJ, and TLC — while secretly battling chronic illness and burnout. A ruptured appendix, major abdominal surgery, and skin cancer forced her to reevaluate everything. In this episode, Clara shares how she burned it all down, why rest and healing are radical acts, and what she’s learned ab...

The Sex & Power Podcast: Truth-telling that liberates with Mike Steve Collins: The Anti-Civil Rights Movement Mike Collins is the author of The Anti-Civil Rights Movement: Affirmative Action as Wedge and Weapon (University Press of Kansas, 2024), Understanding Etheridge Knight, updated edition (University of South Carolina Press, 2023), and The Traveling Queen (poems, Sheep Meadow Press, 2013)...

Detra Denise - Ashes and Embers: How Detra Denise Turned Pain into Power PART 2 In this episode, Detra shares what it was like to go from obscurity to fame after being featured in a 15-part series in the Humans of New York. She also opens up about being offered protection by the gents of the Harlem Cigar Room, and what kept her moving forward instead of giving up. DETRA’S LINKS: http://www.detrass...

Detra Denise - Ashes and Embers: How Detra Denise Turned Pain into Power PART 1   Content Warning: CSA, suicidality, familial estrangement My guest today is Detra Denise, a former pastor's wife who dared to change her life in unimaginable ways. After leaving her toxic marriage, Detra moved to New York City to start over. Thanks to both her love of connecting with people and her musical and st...

This week on the Sex & Power Podcast, I'll be speaking with Kiki Negress, The Uppity Negress. Kiki Bryant is known across platforms as the Uppity Negress: a brilliant, incisive voice on race, feminism, religion, and culture. She is also an entrepreneur and creator. In this episode, Kiki shares about the painful childhood that helped shape her bold, intersectional style of truth-telling. J...

Jennie Gage - Life, Take Two! Divorced: Mormonism TW: Suicide attempt Jennie Gage is a writer, creator, and former Christian nationalist and Mormon trad wifey turned outspoken advocate for justice, compassion, and community. Through her YouTube channel and “ Life, Take Two ” podcast, she blends personal story with sharp cultural critique, exposing harmful systems while lifting up the people they f...

Melody Post - House of Yahweh Cult Divorced: Christianity CW: Mention of suicide and trafficking Melody Post was a member of the House of Yahweh Cult from 1989 to 1994. At age 18, she was married to the cult leader's son and gave birth to a child within the group, assisted only by midwives, having not seen a doctor throughout her pregnancy. She left in 1994 when the leader, her father-in-law,...

Elyse Bouvier - Unfolding Faith Film Divorced: Christianity Today, Canadian filmmaker Elyse Bouvier joins me to talk about her journey out of Christianity, and how it became the topic of her film Unfolding Faith , which will be released online for free streaming by The NFB – National Film Board – in Canada this month. Here’s a short synopsis of Elyse’s film, which will resonate with many of you: ...

Dr. Pavna K. Sodhi (Part2) - Navigating Internalized Racism in 3rd-Generation Punjabi-Sikh Immigrants Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Pavna K. Sodhi.  Dr. Sodhi joins me again to share her knowledge about Punjabi-Sikh teachings, values, practices, and experiences. Today, we discuss internalized racism and how it can force 3rd-generation Punjabi-Sikh Immigrants to divorce religion. Dr. S...

Dr. Sarah Farrell - Shattering Into a Whole Divorced: Christian Fundamentalism  Sarah M. Farrell, PhD, MSW, LICSW is a researcher, academic, and clinical social worker (who sometimes fancies herself a stand-up comedian). She has over a decade of clinical practice experience with diverse clientele. Having grown up in a deeply insular religious group practicing evangelical fundamentalism, she focuse...

Lacey Bond - From Bible Study to Sex Ed, Part 2 Divorced: Christianity CW: Frank discussion about sex Lacey Bond (IntimacyLacey) is a Certified Sex, Relationship, and Intimacy Coach and sex/kink educator based in Los Angeles. She's dedicated to helping people heal from Purity Culture, growing healthy relationships with other people and developing awesome, shame-free sexuality.  Today, Lacey e...

Timmy Joe Gibson - Former Tongue Talkin, Holy Rollin, Bible Thumper Divorced: Christianity Timmy Gibson, is a former fundamental evangelical Bible thumping tongue-talking Holy Ghost Rollin Pastor. After graduating Bible College, Timmy spent 30 years teaching and preaching the Bible, with his main message being that the only way to escape the eternal flames of Hell was to accept Jesus Christ as you...

Lacey Bond - From Bible Study to Sex Ed, Part 1 Divorced: Christianity CW: Frank discussion about sex Lacey Bond (IntimacyLacey) is a Certified Sex, Relationship, and Intimacy Coach and sex/kink educator based in Los Angeles. She's dedicated to helping people heal from Purity Culture, growing healthy relationships with other people and developing awesome, shame-free sexuality.  Lacey lived th...

David Hayward - The Naked Pastor, Revealed Divorced: Christianity My guest today is known by many of you for his powerful cartoons and paintings related to deconstruction from Christianity. I’m speaking with my fellow Canadian, David Hayward, who is an ex-pastor turned full-time artist. David is also known as The Naked Pastor. He's been blogging about spirituality, deconstruction, and religio...

Pamela Jones - Escaping a Deadly Polygamous Cult DIVORCED: FLDS Cults  TW: Brief mention of CSA and child abuse in this episode In 1965, PAMELA JONES was born in Los Molinos, Mexico, into a polygamous Mormon cult known as The Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Time. As the eldest daughter of 13 children, she left school at age 11 to care for her younger siblings in a remote desert compound...

Tara Jean Stevens - Heaven Bent Divorced: Pentecostalism CW: Sexuality discussed Today I’m speaking with fellow Canadian Tara Jean (TJ) Stevens, the host and creator of Heaven Bent, a podcast docuseries with a special focus on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. In addition to her successful podcast, TJ has also been a morning show favourite on Vancouver radio & TV for 25 years. Listen to &...

Karrah Youngblood - Exposing A Predator: Wildfire TW: Violence and sexual assault Karrah Youngblood is a professional artist, single mom, and unexpected memoirist from Oklahoma. She never planned to be an activist, but standing up to the man who hurt her — and so many others — turned into a fight she couldn’t walk away from. Karrah is now telling her story: The story of what happens when one woman...

Pamela Nickel Williams - Scientology: When Lies Are True DIVORCED: Scientology TW: Incest  Pamela Nickel Williams was born into Scientology. Her parents were early Scientologists who worked closely with L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology’s founder, at the first Church of Scientology in the late 1950s. Pamela and her parents were practicing members of the church until the late 1970s. After years of buryin...

Allie Monday - Erotic Photographer & Worshiper of Women DIVORCED: Fundamentalism TW: Eating disorder mentioned briefly  My guest today was one of our sponsors for Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture 2025. Allie Monday is an erotic photographer and the creator of Ladygroove, a body-led portrait experience rooted in healing, sensuality, and self-acceptance. Her work invites women to s...