From Cult Upbringing to Queer Co-Parenting

What happens when you grow up in an evangelical cult, spend years closeted, marry to appease your family, and still find your way to queerness, healing, and chosen family? Therapist and author SC Nealy (they/she) joins Jaimie to share their powerful story of resilience and reinvention.

From a childhood in religious isolation to co-parenting two daughters one block away from their queerplatonic co-parent, SC shows us that family can be redefined—and joyfully so. They talk about surviving their eldest child’s terrifying medical crisis during COVID, leaving behind a judgmental family, building an affirming community, and supporting others through religious trauma and queer family formation.

Plus, returning guest Tiq Milan drops by first to talk about building our own spaces when the systems fail us—introducing his new work as a Gender Doula, guiding trans folks and their families through social and emotional transitions.

This one’s all heart, healing, and hard truth.

🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways

• SC’s journey from evangelical cult to chosen queer family
• Creating kids intentionally through “baby-dancing” (the old-fashioned way!)
• Navigating medical trauma—their baby’s nine surgeries and life-saving resilience
• Co-parenting queerly: living a block apart, sharing everything, breaking the mold
• Coming out, losing family, and building chosen family that heals
• Falling in love again while their partner transitions—and what kids actually notice
• The beauty and power of group therapy in healing communal trauma
• Introducing SC’s upcoming book Healing Sacred Wounds (Bloomsbury, Spring 2026)
• Tiq Milan on gender doulas, toxic masculinity, and creating safe spaces when systems collapse

🏳️‍🌈 About the Guest(s)🏳️‍🌈

• SC Nealy, LMFT (they/she): Therapist, author, and founder of LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative (DC/MD/VA). Specializes in religious trauma, queer family systems, and group therapy.
• Tiq Milan (he/him): Writer, educator, activist, and now Gender Doula helping families through transitions.
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🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

• Find SC:
• Instagram: @scnealy and @lgbtcounselingdmv 
• Websites: www.lgbtcounselingdmv.com www.booksbysarahrobinson.com
• Find Tiq:
• Website: https://www.tiqmilan.com/
• Instagram: @themrmilan

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