Unashamed Unafraid

The Sami Bingham Story When I was eighteen years old. I did not have anything figured out. I knew that I had to go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; then go to school and get married. But what did I want to do? I had no clue what I wanted to do. That is not the case for Sami Bingham. She is a financial coach for her company Financial Business Solutions. She is a cer...

The only relationship you need in order to find recovery is with God.  In this episode, Jason jumps to the other side of the mic with Steve to talk to Troy about his journey through his addiction and subsequent divorce.   Growing up Troy held on to two beliefs.  The first, that he could never tell anyone about his addiction and second, that he would never be worthy.  He grew up feeling that he was...

Codependency: Don’t Worry About Me. I often ask myself if I am okay. Most of the time I don’t wait for the answer because this world is so crazy busy that I don’t take time to stop and listen to my body, mind, or soul. If you’re like me, this episode is a great episode to stop, drop, and scroll. Stop what you are doing, drop into a chair, and scroll into the app of your choice that you use to list...

Mike and Tami Do you ever feel like your marriage is a business partnership?  This is how Mike and Tami describe their marriage for many years, just business.  Tami was focused on being a mom.  She was content in the role of motherhood which was all she ever wanted.  Mike was struggling with shame in his addiction.  They were running the family business but not truly connecting with each other.  T...

At a young age Rod realized he loved looking at girls. His fascination started at his grandparent’s home with a swimsuit edition of a certain magazine.  Like many who struggle, he kept his addiction quiet thinking it would go away with marriage.  After he had been married for a few years, and realizing his struggle was ongoing, Rod had a desire to be honest with his wife.   His path through disclo...

Not all addicts begin their struggles in their childhood or youth. Jim’s addiction struggle started a little later in life. Married with a young family, his life began to change as he descended into addiction. Honesty is very difficult for addicts yet so crucial to the healing process. For Jim, being fully honest with himself and with those affected by his addiction came in waves. This struggle to...

The entire U/U Crew meet to talk about 2021. What was everyone’s song of healing for the year? How many outsiders are there and just how is that non-profit doing? They each share their hearts and get vulnerable and real. No surprises there. The crew reveals their plans for 2022 as a group and individually. Thank you for everything you all do and for listening to this podcast. Happy New Year from t...

Relationships: Communication, Conflict, and Connection Daniel is welcomed back to Unashamed Unafraid for a deep dive with Steve and Chris into something every relationship can improve on, communication.   Many of us have never had great examples of what healthy communication within relationships looks like. In this episode, therapist Daniel Burgess shares his four do’s and don’ts for healthy commu...

In our world today there is a lot of violence: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You see it almost everywhere. Too often our first reaction to harm or hurt is to put our dukes up and punch back or go running the other direction, fight or flight. Although both are generally good options for survival they aren’t always the best for recovery. One thing that many of us struggle with in recover...

“Where the hell are you, God?” This is a common question for those in pain and in the depths of struggle and darkness. Finding rock bottom can be a rough journey downward. The positive is that from rock bottom, one can only climb upward. The climb can be very difficult alone and is always easier with help from others. The reason addictions develop is because people are trying to cope with painful...

Have you ever heard the phrase once an addict, always an addict? I’ve certainly heard it during my lifetime. It is a creative bumper sticker to describe who you are—but is that truly who you are as a person? Chris, James, and Steve go on a journey with Doug Nielsen to find out what to do when you are wanting to take that next step, the step beyond recovery. I know some of us who are struggling (or...

“Ultimate Poser”: That’s how Rob describes himself when he was at the height of his sexual addiction.  Take a listen as Steve and James start not at the beginning, but at the bottom of Rob’s story as he shares how working through fears and loss. Rob describes how ultimately his path led to him to discovering, not the guy not on either side of his poser life, but the third guy who God wanted him to...

You may have heard the saying, “Once an addict always an addict.” But is it true? In the opinion of the UU crew, this statement is incongruent with Christ’s healing atonement. We believe that Christ can change people forever. Sometimes that change comes with the assistance of professional therapists and others, but ultimate healing is the work of Jesus Christ.  Sam Teilemans believes that the lang...

At Unashamed Unafraid we share real stories with you that prove sexual addiction has no bounds of age, background, or gender, and that recovery is possible for anyone.  Yes, women struggle too and here is more proof as Ashlee, our 2nd female to share on the podcast, opens up about her struggle with sexual addiction.  We invite you to listen as Steve and Chris challenge Ashlee to abandon her notes...

Honesty in Relationships with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife Steve and James sit down with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife JFF and talk about what it means to be truly human; fully alive. Where does it all start? That dreaded word Honesty. Honesty is the foundation of being fully human and truly alive. But why do we shy away from being fully human if that is what all of us want? Don’t we want to be seen for who...

Is pornography addiction a man’s problem? Religious groups place emphasis and belief on this. In a sense, there is some truth with this mindset. Porn media starting in the 50’s was primarily developed for men. The ensuing decades followed suit, developing for, and catering to men. Pornography became part of the man’s world.  Over the past few decades, the man’s world mindset has been slowly erodin...

Q&A with Courtney Leak, LCSW James and Steve sit down with therapist Courtney Leak to dive into questions submitted by our listeners. As always, the questions are real, raw, and unashamed about sexual addiction, as are the answers discussed by Courtney, Steve, and James. Courtney pulls from over ten years of experience in helping people. Not only is she an experienced therapist, she co-hosts t...

Fake it ‘til you make it. This is a common phrase many of us cling to when we are unsure of what we are doing. Be it a new job, being newly married, or trying to fix something, there is the hope that if we seem to know what we are doing, eventually we  really will know what we are doing.  Steve, Chris and James sit down with Rob Chidester and talk about Fatherlessness. All of us are Fatherless in...

If you or someone you know is a single twenty-something,  who is battling a sexual addiction, Max’s story will hit home. His journey begins as a young boy when his childhood is cut short by the dissolution of his family and the ensuing aftermath. The wounds of his childhood are cut deeper by the loss of an intimate relationship and he plummets into a dark depression, with addiction as his only par...

To romance or to ROMANCE - Questions For The Dating Divas Have you ever wondered how to romance and date your wife? Have you forgotten how? We all know the joke, “What is the thing that makes a woman’s libido disappear?” Wedding Cake. Insert Laugh here. But romance also goes out the window when a man gets married too. Most guys struggle with romancing their wives. Well, you are in luck! Unashamed...

Liar, Liar pants on fire! Do you remember saying that as kids to each other? Well, Jared Rockwood sure does because he is a professional polygraph tester. You may also ask, “Why are you having a polygraph tester on this podcast?” Have you ever wondered how it works? Are movies correct? Jared talks about how it works, what it is supposed to accomplish, what questions should be asked and more. Relax...

Unashamed Unafraid  The New Year 2021 Edition Unashamed Unafraid has taken on a few new faces this year. The newcomers are Sway and Rachel, and AZ Cory. We were able to continue to spread this message of hope, love, healing, and faith in Christ, even with COVID. We became a non-profit organization to be able to help people fight through healing from sex addiction.  We were able to give out a lot o...

Are you religious but struggle to find God? Or, do you wonder if God is even there? Do you or does someone you love manage to gain stints of sobriety, but without true healing? If you relate to any of these questions, Chris and Sarah Ashworth’s story is just the one you need to hear. In this episode, Chris takes us on his journey from agnosticism to building a deep connection with God, and Sarah r...

Steve and Rhyll Croshaw have an amazing story. Rhyll was going to school and was taking a marriage and family class, and for one of her assignments, she needed to set up a community program. After that class, Steve and Rhyll started to think about how to help people the same way they had been helped through their recovery from addiction and trauma.   Heavenly Father also needed them to set this up...

In their book “Love and War” John and Stasi Eldredge say, “For it is also in the heart of a man and a woman to share some sort of quest, to fight some great battle together .” This is the compelling story of Christian and Karens’ battle. Christian was first exposed to pornography in the form of magazines laying around the houses of his childhood friends. At first, it seemed innocent, even normal ....