The Recovering Radical

“I will never find it. It’s not here”  When you grow up in high-control charismatic churches, one thing becomes clear: you are now under their control, and it often shows up in the most subtle of ways. Late-night prayers, after-school service, lock-ins, weird emotional youth groups, and touchy, intense worship services.  Suddenly your body is bombarded with so much toxic teaching, and you may not...

Just because you’re out of church doesn’t mean church is out of you.  Growing up in a fear-based, high-control religion leaves scars on the body, mind, and heart. In a world where holiness means losing yourself and community means isolation, coming out the other side is a frightening and disorienting experience. For many of us deconstructing, we know these feelings all too well. The fear when you...

What happens when purity culture doesn't just shame women—but also teaches men they're inherently dangerous? In this live episode recording, we explore the hidden ways purity culture wounds everyone. Joined by Jacob Goodin of The Ex-Homeschoolers Club and Kate Johnson of Quips and Confessionals, we unpack the messages many of us grew up hearing: men can't control themselves, women are responsible...

“Women can be the most competent person in the room and still get told they’re not good enough to speak.” Church trauma is real. The wounds left from abuse stay with us in our bodies, minds, and spirits. From purity culture to patriarchy, from burnout to backlash, there are endless reasons why so many of us take a step back from those environments.  But the abuse doesn’t have to define our story. ...

What happens after you leave church? How do you rebuild community after deconstruction without falling into another unhealthy system? In this episode, I sit down with Kate Johnson for an honest conversation about deconstruction, religious trauma, church hurt, and rebuilding community after leaving high-control Christianity . For many exvangelicals, church wasn't just a place to worship—it was your...

Join Kate Johnson and Allison Rose as we discuss what it looks like to reconnect to the body after purity culture. We talk about the messages we received as young women in church around sexuality and how those messages stayed with us long after deconstruction. We also explore ways that we personally have begun to reconnect to our bodies. If you survived purity culture and wondered why you've strug...

“They made burnout feel like spirituality.” Most people would never know that some of the biggest and most influential cults are just as prevalent as your local church.  Brittany Hart is a survivor of one of the most infamous groups of the 2000s Christian culture. Poverty, unpaid labor, spiritual manipulation, cultic practices, and all-night prayer rooms are what shaped her adolescence and young a...

“Tell me that’s not a cult.” Altar calls. Hell House. Covenant ceremonies. After years of growing up within ultra-evangelical churches, exclusive theology, and sexy Jesus, Layne Watkins has made a full 180 and left all the charismatic BS behind her. Now she runs the Sinful Sticker Shop, her way of atoning for the embarrassing stories from her past, something that many of us in the exvangelical spa...

“The divine feminine wasn’t destroyed, it was made invisible.”  Do you ever wonder why Christianity places such an emphasis on men? Do you ever look at the patriarchal church structures and wonder, where are women’s voices? The Bible has a lot to say about women, some uplifting, some suppressing, and everything in between. In this episode of the Recovering Radical, Paige Hunt takes us on a journey...

What if pleasure wasn’t something to feel guilty about… but something that could actually support your healing? In this episode of Recovering Radical , Allison Rose sits down with sexologist and intimacy coach Sarah Ward to explore how pleasure, especially personal pleasure, can become a powerful part of your healing journey after leaving high-control Christianity. Together, they unpack the impact...

What happens when purity culture shapes how you think about s*x, marriage, and your own body? In this episode of The Recovering Radical , Allison sits down with s*xologist and intimacy coach Sarah Ward to unpack the lasting impact of harmful Christian teachings around sex and relationships. Together they explore how purity culture, “wifely duty,” and traditional Christian marriage advice often ign...

Unlock the truth about how religious trauma secretly hijacks your desire, libido, and ability to enjoy intimacy. If you've deconstructed your faith but still feel your body resisting the new beliefs, this episode is your essential guide to healing from within. Join Allison Metcalfe, a fellow recovering charismatic and embodied faith coach, in conversation with Sarah Ward, a sexologist and intimacy...

In the debut episode of "The Recovering Radical," host Allison Metcalfe shares her personal journey of deconstructing from a hyper-charismatic religious background. Allison opens up about the challenges of internalized guilt, anxiety, and chronic illness, and how she found healing through somatic practices and nervous system work. Join her as she explores the intersection of spirituality and embod...