FreedHearts
Freeing hearts to love and be loved! Love. Inclusion. Affirmation. Susan Cottrell is the Mom of two LGBTQ+ children; the founder of FreedHearts; an international speaker with a viral TEDx talk; a pastor and theologian; an acclaimed author; and a fierce advocate and ally. In her unique tender, relatable style, Susan is a prominent voice of unconditional love and lavish inclusion. Powerful, authentic, and relevant in today’s society, Susan has a lot to say. The Advocate calls her their “Favorite Affirming Matriarch.” OutSmart magazine calls her "The Mother of all MamaBears!" Reverend Ashley Harness from Auburn Seminary says, “Susan has this fierce, loving, don’t mess with me, Mom vibe.” If you have been excluded, or if someone close to you has been excluded because of who they are or who they love - or maybe you have been the one doing the excluding - the FreedHearts podcast is for you. Join Susan, along with her husband Rob, on the journey. You are not alone. Welcome home!
Episodes
Last week, we talked about healing—the kind that doesn’t just change us, but changes the world. The healing that makes us more kind, more loving, more empathetic.
But here’s the truth: while we’re doing this sacred work, there is a battle raging around us. A relentless stream of fear, attacks, and psychological warfare designed to wear us down, to make us give up hope.
So how do we stand strong in the middle of all that? How do we ke...
How are you doing? Many of us are wondering, with the barrage of news and developments, what do we do?
Beloved, our job is really not to save the world because we can't do that, not in the way we think.
So, what CAN we do?
We can help save the world in a different way. We can do our own work and move ourselves into more spiritual openness and maturity, to grow and do the healing work that's in...
It's our 200th episode, and we have something very special for you!
We visit with our Asher - the one who started it all for us, the one Susan talked about in her viral TED talk.
Now a transgender man, with a transgender wife, and a child... what a journey it has been!
We talk about that today, and especially about the fears of this generation. From the financial crisis to the housing crisis to COVI...
Have you tried affirmations where you look in the mirror and say the things that you want in your life, or say the things you want to believe about yourself - and maybe gotten mixed results?
You probably heard about the power of affirmations but in practice find the results not what you’d hoped. Why?
We talk all about that today.
If affirmations are real, if they have power, how can we make them work for us?
Actually, it is NOT complicated, or confusing, or nuanced. It is really simple.
The Bible IS clear: There is NO condemnation against people who are LGBTQ+ or against same-sex relationships.
You are NOT the ones who need to defend your beliefs. The non-affirming church is.
They ignore the truth of Scripture, and they ignore the devastating, deadly impact of their false teachings.
In this encore presentation of one of our most popul...
What does and does not work when talking to evangelical Christians about LGBTQ issues?
It can certainly be tough and frustrating.
We are dealing with patriarchal, moral-majority driven false teaching. All taught with God’s name attached to it – and grave consequences if you don’t just fall in line.
But we, like a growing number of people, were surprised when we opened that box we had God in.
In this encore presentation, we talk abo...
Love the sinner, hate the sin?? Wait, what??
It sure doesn't feel like love to those on the receiving end. You know why? It’s not! It’s homophobia disguised as love.
Is it from the Bible or any religious text? Nope. In this encore presentation, we dive into this and set the record straight.
Because "love the sinner, hate the sin" is total bullsh*t!
Send us a private message. *Note: INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if you...
An encore presentation of our most popular episode ever, and maybe our most powerful! And wow, it’s more needed and timely than ever.
We talk about one of the two deadliest teachings in all of humanity.
It is at the heart of our division. It is responsible for some of history’s most brutal treatment of ethnic groups, religious groups, women, LGBTQ; and it is rampant right now.
What is it and what can we do?
Do you feel a bit powerless? Overwhelmed? Exhausted?
There are lots of ways this disempowerment can show up. It’s important to practice finding your power, because the truth is, we STILL have our power. It’s beautiful and it’s limitless.
Beloved, today, I have three stories for you about taking your power back!
It’s time!
Send us a private message. *Note: INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if you'd like us to answer. :-)
We know you see it. We know you feel it. Social media is being used more and more as a tool for radicalization. Extremists exploit platforms to spew propaganda and recruit followers.
Beloved, it is easy for individuals to fall prey to manipulation.
Fake news has become a real threat, affecting everything from our health to our relationships to our institutions. The very features that make social media so powerful, are also what can ...
I recently had a session of hypnotherapy and I want to share with you because it was so empowering for me and I think it can empower you too.
In fact, I asked the Universe, Spirit for a message JUST for you (because I’m always thinking of you!) and you know what? I got one!
You’re gonna love this. I’m eager to share it all with you.
Let’s do this.
Send us a private message. *Note: INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if you'd like us t...
We’ve been through a lot of deconstruction, many of us, and have been finding a lot of freedom.
It’s so easy to look outside ourselves, and point at what needs to change in the world — and no doubt it does! I would bet that virtually every person listening is wanting to help rebuild the world into better shape than it is right now.
But how can we do selfcare in all of this? How can we stay positive?
Th...
We hear this question a lot lately: How do we Save America?
Whispered in grief and shouted in frustration.
From parents afraid for their trans kids, from exhausted teachers, from faith leaders trying to hold shattered communities together.
We hear it from the hearts of people who love this country—not so much for what it has been, but for what it could be.
Saving America is not about taking it...
Just Rob today - in time for Father’s Day - with a very special episode talking to Dads. But this is good for all parents, for LGBTQ+ kids, for allies. It helps us better understand and support.
So, Dads, your child is gay or bisexual or transgender. Your love for your child seems to somehow conflict with your faith - at least according to what you may hear from Christian friends.
Like it or not, you are on this ...
June is Pride Month—a time dedicated not just to parades and rainbow flags but to profound affirmation and resistance against discrimination.
The skewed Christian view of pride involves a self-centered attitude, placing oneself above others and, most critically, above God. But the LGBTQ+ community is not declaring themselves above anyone else.
Pride Month was born from a necessity to stand against oppression and c...
I know you feel it. So much fear. So much worry. We see it everywhere, we see it in our own family.
Many are considering whether to stay in their state, or even stay in the country. Or whether it is time to go.
We asked several people we respect in this community about the topic and their answers could not be more varied.
Beloved, what is the right thing to do for your own safety, for those you love, for ...
Your child says, “Mom, I’m Gay!”
You want to shove those words back in and put the lid on. But you can't. Your child is gay or bisexual or transgender. This goes against everything you've been taught. It was not what you had in mind, and you instantly wonder where you went wrong.
When you become a parent, you know to expect the unexpected. But for many Christian parents, nothing can prepare them to hear ...
We heard from a Mom who loves her daughter but does not accept her being gay, understanding but not really understanding, embracing but letting her daughter know she does not approve.
And this Mom could not understand why that was wrong, and why her heart need to be set free.
She represents many on this journey of deconstruction who are in limbo – so overwhelmed by the voices coming from the church, Christian frie...
Today, a beautiful episode focused on Moms.
Mother’s Day will come and go. Maybe you’ll do brunch with family, get a call from the kids, maybe open a card or a present. Or not.
If you get a card, it is quite likely that reading those words of appreciation will bring simultaneous joy and guilt!
Seems to be the nature of motherhood.
Sit with me… I would like to talk with you today as a Mom.
With all that has been going on to attack, condemn, and erase our precious transgender community, we thought it was the perfect time for this.
In this very special, intimate episode, we share something that came from a mom of transgender daughter.
She wrote it for her pastor, for anyone, who is trying to sort out transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary—trying to understand what transgender people and their families go through.
T...
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