The Divorcing Religion Podcast

Cynane Shay - Tinfoil Hats and Lizard People PART TWO DIVORCED: Christianity TW: Antisemitism, violence, and satanism are all mentioned in this episode. Today, nuclear engineer and writer Cynane Shay joins me for Part 2 of our conversation, "Tinfoil Hats and Lizard People." Our discussion today is based on research Cynane has conducted over the past few years to gain an understanding of...

Cynane Shay - Tinfoil Hats & Lizard People PART ONE DIVORCED: Christianity Cynane Shay is a nuclear engineer living in South Carolina. Her childhood in White Christian Nationalism normalized conspiracy theories like Obama Birtherism and the Biblical apocalypse; but 2020, with COVID and Qanon, finally made her realize something was deeply wrong. Now Cynane is writing a book, “Taking Off the Tin...

Alyona Smoky - A Beautiful Liberation CW: War in Ukraine Alyona Smoky was born and raised in Ukraine, where her mother joined a high-control, conservative evangelical church when Alyona was young. As a result of family stressors, Alyona shouldered much of the emotional burden in her family as a child, and she grew up very quickly in a chaotic and emotionally intense environment. When she was 16, A...

Michelle Moffitt - From Abuse to Freedom CW: Sexual Assault Michelle Moffitt Rogers is a licensed therapist, Enneagram expert, and author. In this episode, Michelle shares her story and explores the psychological impact of spiritual abuse, the complexities of leaving both faith and a toxic marriage to a pastor, and what healing looks like on the other side.  You won't want to miss her raw, ho...

Steve Ghikadis - Humanism from the Heart Steve Ghikadis is a Humanist Officiant who conducts secular marriages, memorials, and many more meaningful life-affirming celebrations. Raised as a freethinker, Steve has been married to a Christian for over a decade. He and his wife, Cindy, believe in the importance of bridging the gap between believers and non-believers. Their two young children are being...

Forest Benedict, LMFT - Porn Is Not the Problem Divorced: Evangelical Christianity CW: Frank discussion of porn, sex, and self-pleasure Forest Benedict is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Washington states who specializes in religious trauma and sexual shame.    Forest began his career as a Christian who was passionate about helping others recover from sex and porn addict...

Pavna K. Sodhi, EdD - Exploring the Intersections of Punjabi-Sikh Cultural/Religious Identity - Part 1 As a humanist and mental health clinician, I'm interested in learning about other cultures and belief systems. To that end, Dr. Pavna K. Sodhi graciously agreed to join me on the Divorcing Religion Podcast to share her knowledge about Punjabi-Sikh teachings, values, practices, and experience...

Unquestionable Calvin - From Religion to Conspiracies to Reality DIVORCED: Christianity and Conspiracies My guest today is Calvin Smith, whom you may recognize from his YouTube channel Unquestionable Calvin. Calvin was exposed to both Christianity and supernatural ideas from an early age. Eventually he rejected Christianity but firmly believed multiple conspiracy theories, even attempting to build...

Tessi Muskrat, M.A. - Free To Explore: Sexuality After Purity Culture Divorced: Evangelical Purity Cultu re  A native woman of Cherokee and Irish descent, Tessi Ynada Muskrat holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and is a doctoral student researcher at the University of Missouri. Co-founder of the international Purity Culture Research Collective (PCRC), Tessi’s research centers the voic...

Patti & Nancy, Apostate Sisters - Life After a Doomsday Cult DIVORCED: Worldwide Church of God   CW: Mature themes   Today I’m excited to interview Patti and Nancy, who recently interviewed me on their popular APOSTATE SISTERS YouTube channel! Patti and Nancy are sisters deconstructing their upbringing in the Worldwide Church of God Christian doomsday cult. The sisters note that the cult stifl...

Quantas Ginn, MBA, MS, LMFT-S, CST (he/him) - Sex Therapy for Purity Culture Survivors    My guest today is Quantas Ginn. Quantas is a Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) professor teaching courses on Human Sexuality and MFT theories. His research interests include interracial relationships, perinatal parenting, and the intersection of religion and sexuality.    Quantas also operates a private pract...

Dr. Kayden Vargas (they/he) - From Conservative Christian to Nonbinary Psychologist TW: Brief references to CSA  Dr. Kayden Vargas (they/he) is a trans nonbinary poet, parent, and psychologist located in the traditional homelands of the Yakama Nation. Their poetry revolves around themes of small-town living, bicultural/bilingual/biracial life, trauma healing, and trans identity. Their clinical spe...

Glenda Jordan - Powerful Polyamory DIVORCED: Southern Baptist Christianity My guest today is a model, artist, and entertainer - and she will be speaking at the Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture event in Seattle this May! Glenda Jordan lives in Las Vegas these days but grew up on a farm south of Nashville, Tennessee - where she was indoctrinated into the Southern Baptist faith from bir...

Jeremy de Tolly - Liberate Your Voice My guest today is rock and roll musician, and heart-centered communication coach, Jeremy de Tolly. Jeremy works with those who have deeply shut-down voices, whose voices often became blocked starting in their childhoods. He understands the significance that parenting, school, and culture can have on our voices, and that, to return a voice to health, we need to...

Lauren Elise Rogers - Sex Ed for You! DIVORCED: Fundamentalist Christianity CW: Frank discussions of s3x Lauren Elise Rogers is a Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator and Embodied Intimacy & Relationship Coach. She is the founder of Sex Ed for You , where she provides clear, compassionate, and comprehensive guidance on intimacy, relationships, and sexual health.  After being raised in a high-...

Dr. Josie McSkimming - Gutsy Girls DIVORCED: Christianity Today’s guest is Dr. Josie McSkimming , who joins us from Australia. She has previously been a guest on the Divorcing Religion Podcast and was also a speaker at CORT2023.  Dr. McSkimming is a clinical social worker with more than 35 years experience – and personal experience with religious trauma. When I learned that she’d published a book...

Hip-Hop Artist Seven J - Betrayed by Christianity DIVORCED: Christianity TW: Discussion of suicidal ideation Raised in the heart of Jacksonville, FL, amidst the grit and hustle of the city's most notorious zip code, Seven J emerged as a powerhouse in the world of hip-hop. His music is a testament to his roots, blending raw, lyrical prowess with harmonious melodies that captivate listeners and...

Emily Hedrick - Resiliency in Tough Times DIVORCED: Mennonite Evangelicalism Emily Hedrick is a resilience coach specializing in religious trauma and compassion fatigue. A former Mennonite pastor, she holds an M.Div., is an ICF-accredited coach, and is a certified Forward-Facing (R) coach. In addition to being a former guest on the Divorcing Religion Podcast, Emily was a powerful speaker at CORT20...

Ann Russo, LCSW - Sexuality & Religious Trauma DIVORCED: Fundamentalist Christianity My guest today is Licensed Clinical Social Worker ANN RUSSO. As the founder and director of AMR Therapy, Ann is a mental health advocate, educator, and thought leader specializing in addressing complex and often stigmatized topics such as religious trauma, sexual empowerment, ethical non-monogamy, queer identi...

Janice Formichella - Estranged DIVORCED: Mormonism TW: References to abuse  Janice Formichella is a breakup coach and the host of the podcasts Sex and the Solo Girl and Breakups, Broken Hearts, and Moving On .  She is passionate about helping people from all backgrounds to beat their breakup, overcome loneliness, and make the end of a relationship the start of a powerful new beginning.  Janice is...

Beth Granger - Leaving the Cult Was Only Half the Battle DIVORCED: Anglican Cult Warning: This episode may be triggering for those who experienced abuse in childhood and adolescence. Beth Granger was the first staff-child born at Grenville Christian College, an elite private boarding school in Canada that was actually a cult - from which she did not escape until her 30s. Despite her cult leaders’...

Marla Taviano - From Missionary to Heretic DIVORCED: Christian Fundamentalism Author Marla Taviano knows what it's like to lose it all. In this poignant and humorous conversation, she shares about her missionary husband's infidelity while in the field, the loss of her marriage, and relinquishing some cherished beliefs. She also discusses the power of writing as a force for healing. FIND...

Luis Cornejo - Born this way! DIVORCED: Chrisitan Fundamentalism My guest today is Luis Cornejo: A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist, and the founder of Queer Magic Entertainment LLC. He also hosts the Queer Magic Podcast. A proud first-generation Guatemalan and Mexican American, Luis is passionate about empowering the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities through his work i...

Jamin Coller - Almost A Cult TW: Mentions of suicidality My guest today is Jamin Coller – and if you got Rapture Anxiety after watching the 1970s Christian cult movie A Thief in the Night, you’ve already met Jamin’s dad! After th e movie, his dad started a fundamentalist church. A seminary graduate, pastor’s kid, and true believer, Jamin spent his first 40 years as a Bible scholar, theologian, wor...

Strong Women in Secular Spaces: Annie Laurie Gaylor - Religion is Killing American Women Annie Laurie Gaylor is co-founder and co-president of FFRF – the Freedom from Religion Foundation.  In addition to being a long-time women's rights activist, Annie Laurie is an accomplished author. Her book, Woe to the Women: The Bible Tells Me So, was first published by FFRF in 1981, and is in its 4th pr...