The Divorcing Religion Podcast

Dr. Gillie Jenkinson - Post-Cult Counselling Divorced: Fundamentalist Christian cult Gillie Jenkinson, PhD, is a cult survivor, accredited psychotherapist, international speaker, and Director of Hope Valley Counselling. For over 25 years she has specialised, as therapist and researcher, in the challenges faced by those who have experienced coercive, cultic and spiritual abuse. Gillie’s book ‘Walki...

Today’s guest is Marie Lerch. I started following Marie when she made social media posts about her own deconstruction - while remaining married to a current pastor. Marie was raised by her grandmother until age 13, at which point she entered Canada’s foster care system. After 3 years in foster care she met her husband, and they’ve now been married 27 years. Today, Marie shares about Divorcing Reli...

Jimmy Snow was Born in the Dirt Guest: Jimmy Snow Divorced: Mormonism Today’s guest is internet personality Jimmy Snow, formerly known as Dear Mr. Atheist and Mr. Atheist. Jimmy is now the executive producer of The Line, a channel for skeptic-minded call-in shows. On today’s episode, Jimmy dishes about growing up in a Mormon family and what it was like to Divorce Religion and grow into himself.  F...

Dr. Coco Owen - The Courage to Doubt Divorced: Seventh Day Adventism Dr. Coco Owen is a licensed psychologist who has a private practice working with people recovering from religious trauma and in various stages of deconstruction. She grew up Seventh-day Adventist in Southern California and went to Adventist schools from kindergarten through college—including a two-year stint at a church boarding...

Chris Shelton - Scientology Survivor Divorced: Church of Scientology My guest today is author, consultant, anti-cult activist, podcaster, YouTuber, and former Scientologist Chris Shelton. A member of Scientology for 27 years, of which he spent 17 in the Sea Org, Chris left Scientology in 2012, and in 2015 published his book Scientology: A to Xenu. Today, Chris shares what it was like growing up in...

Connie Baker - Christian Codependency Divorced: Fundamentalist Christianity CW: Sexual abuse, Christianity Connie A. Baker, MA, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in recovery from religious abuse. Connie’s life mission is to educate, validate, and advocate for religious abuse survivors. In 1990, she suffered life-shattering spiritual abuse and had NO ONE to talk with about it...

Seth Andrews  Magical Thinking & Misinformation Divorced: Christianity   CW: U.S. politics   Seth Andrews is a former evangelical and Christian broadcaster who now hosts The Thinking Atheist…one of the most popular podcasts and online atheist communities in the world. The Thinking Atheist is not a person. It is an icon encouraging all to reject faith and pursue reason and evidence.    Seth has...

Mahrs Schoppman - The Colonization of our Bodies Divorced: Evangelical Christianity Mahrs Schoppman is a queer & trans somatic psychotherapist with a private practice based out of his home office in the redwood trees of Occidental, California. Mahrs specializes in working with the queer community and with those who live with the embodied traumatic impacts of growing up in an oppressive religio...

Jessica Barksdale - Family Secrets CW: CSA, sexual coercion Author JESSICA BARKSDALE has written 16 books, including novels and poetry, with a short story collection coming out this year. She currently teaches a course for UCLA Extension on novel writing. The subject of Jessica’s most recent novel, What the Moon Did, resonates with stories I’ve heard from clients in my counselling practice. Themes...

Isaiah Bell - From Cult Survivor to Composer Divorced: Evangelical cult “The Move” CW: CSA is mentioned in this episode. Isaiah Bell is a Canadian tenor, writer, composer, and artist who grew up in Canada in an evangelical cult. I recently had the opportunity to attend his one-man, cabaret-style opera called “The Book of My Shames,” which he describes this way: “I’m a good and happy modern gay, th...

Jena Miyu is the co-owner of a YouTube channel called The Atheist Network Group “The Flavor” with her boyfriend, Oz. Jena was raised a Baptist Christian and has been an atheist for nearly 4 years. She has been part of the online atheist community for the same amount of time. Jena has co-hosted, produced, and run several different shows and channels. In this episode, Jena shares some of the challen...

Daniella Mestyanek Young - Sex Cult Survivor Divorced: The Children of God cult TW: Discussion of CSA and military sexual assault DANIELLA MESTYANEK YOUNG is an American author and speaker who was raised in the religious cult, Children of God. She later served as an intelligence officer for the US Army for over 6 years, making the rank of Captain, and became one of the first women in US Army histo...

Dr. Ling Lam - Spiritual Refugee Divorced: Fundamentalist Christianity Dr. Ling Lam is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a part-time practice in Palo Alto and San Francisco. He is also a Lecturer in the Counseling Psychology Department at Santa Clara University, where he teaches courses on Complex Trauma, Crisis Intervention, LGBT Counseling, Family Therapy, Couple Therapy and Multicul...

Erica Smith - Sex After Purity Culture Erica Smith is an award-winning sexuality educator and consultant with over 20 years of experience. She has provided comprehensive sex education and advocacy to young women and LGBTQ+ youth in Philadelphia’s juvenile justice system, worked in abortion care, and supported HIV+ and transgender adolescents and their families. Erica developed the Purity Culture D...

Angel De Santis - Surviving God’s Twisted Love  Divorced: The Children of God cult CW: CSA ANGEL DeSANTIS  Angel grew up in the apocalyptic Christian cult known as The Children of God. She managed to leave the cult about 14 years ago, and has been on a healing journey ever since, by building her brain and sharing her thought processes with others. Angel is a mental health advocate, cult survivor,...

Tatyana Russell-Chipp Divorced: Christianity CW: Adoption, sexual assault  Today on the Divorcing Religion Podcast we will be exploring adoption – particularly religious adoption – with all of its sticky tentacles and residue, especially for those adoptees who outgrow their adoptive parents’ religious beliefs. Tatyana Russell-Chipp was adopted from Russia into a Canadian Christian family. She was...

Zorah Khan - My Leap to Freedom Divorced: Islamic cult *I apologize for some background noise in this episode from my noisy furnace – but it’s worth listening to this amazing story of hard-won freedom! Zorah Khan understands both cultural oppression and religious indoctrination, having grown up in an Islamic cult from childhood. In addition to being deeply fear-based, the cult also endorsed the su...

Mary Byler  Divorced: Traditional Amish lifestyle and beliefs CW: CSA My guest today is advocate, podcaster, and newly published author Mary Byler.  Mary grew up Amish, and since escaping has focussed attention on the child sexual abuse that plagues many Anabaptist and other closed religious communities, including Amish ones. Her new book is called Reflections and Memories of an Amish Misfit. Mary...

Marie LePage - PSYCHEDELICS: THE UNF*CKENING Divorced: Evangelical/nondenominational Catholicism *Note* Do not try psychedelics without first conferring with your doctor. For some people, it is never safe to use psychedelics. Use of psychedelics is not legal in many states and countries. MARIE Le PAGE describes herself as a life doula, life coach, community organizer, and plant-medicine sitter. Ma...

Willie Cartwright - Saved to Sane Divorced: Christianity WILLIE CARTWRIGHT is a speaker, entrepreneur, author, and advocate. Willie is a professional person, having received a B.S Degree in Finance and earned an Executive MBA.Though he and his wife now own several successful businesses, Willie and his sister were raised by a single mother in the public housing neighbourhoods of Birmingham, Alabama...

REBUILDING IDENTITY Dr. Josie McSkimming Divorced: Evangelical Christianity Get your tickets to the Conference on Religious Trauma here: https://religioustraumaconference.org/ Dr. Josie McSkimming is an Australian social worker, psychotherapist, lecturer, and researcher. She has been in full time private practice since 2000, specializing in relationship therapy and adult mental health. In her book...

Christy Powell Divorced: Fundamentalist Christianity Christy Powell (he/him) is a Texas-based counselor and activist with a focus on religious trauma and romantic and sexual relationships of all sorts and sizes. Christy works with clients to explore questions of gender and orientation, kink and polyamory, out of control sexual behavior, and healing from religious shame. We first connected when I w...

Dr. Martin Shoemaker  SEX, PSYCHOLOGY, AND HUMANISM Divorced: Evangelical Christianity Dr. Martin Shoemaker was raised in a devout evangelical Christian home in California. While attending Fuller Seminary, his faith was fragmented by studying theology and secular psychology at the same time. He left the church and finished his PhD in clinical psychology, eventually discovering humanism through fri...

Luna Corbden  Mormon Manipulation  Divorced: Mormonism Luna Lindsey Corbden was born into the LDS (Mormon) Church and left the faith at age 26. Autistic and gender fluid, they are an advocate for marginalized people within or at the fringes of authoritarian religions, particularly Mormonism. Their book, Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control, helps religious trauma survivors un...

Ryan Stollar  THE BIBLE: NO FRIEND TO CHILDREN  RYAN STOLLAR is a researcher, advocate, and author. He was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school graduation before attaining both a Master of Human Services in Child Protection and A Master of Arts in Eastern Classics. He has worked with high school students in homeschool communities and is co-founder of the viral website HOMESCHOOLERS A...