FreedHearts

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

August 13, 2025 40 mins

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...

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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!

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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?

Send us a private messag...

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July 23, 2025 34 mins

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. :-)

Support the sho...

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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 ...

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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...

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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...

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June 18, 2025 32 mins

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...

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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 ...

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June 4, 2025 23 mins

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...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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May 14, 2025 16 mins

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...

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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.

Send u...

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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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Today, we continue to focus on the transgender community with an encore broadcast of a very popular FreedHearts Podcast episode from January 2022. 

Our trans children, family members and friends are beautiful. And beloved. Living their authentic lives.

Oh my goodness, that is an amazing truth. Amazing stories. Amazing beauty. 

False teachings, binary thinking, denial can cause us to miss it all – and cause great harm to those we love.

...

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Christians mistakenly suggest that if you take the Bible seriously, you must stand against the existence – as well as the health and even humanity of transgender people.

Actually, the OPPOSITE is true!

In this episode, we talk about how the Bible AFFIRMS transgender and gender non-conforming people. And, how misinterpretations and binary thinking cause people to follow false teachings that are causing so much harm, especially today! 

...

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April 9, 2025 27 mins

These past few months have resulted in some deep wounds – often from people that are, or used to be very close to us. We have been told that we should not hold a grudge, that we should let go of everything. But I think we are missing a bigger truth. Could it be that it’s good to hold a grudge?

We don’t want to walk around with resentment, or unforgiveness, because that only hurts us, as we know. So, how could holding a gru...

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Jesus and Christianity and Church.  We link those three together but the truth is that to do so has no basis in history, no basis in theology, certainly no basis in today’s non-affirming, rules-based, behavior-focused, hyper-political religion.

Jesus is a great mascot. But Beloved, it’s a bait and switch!

Jesus would be considered unChristian by the Christian church. And the church would be considered unChristlike...

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We get caught up in social media. Doomscrolling, fear scrolling, just scrolling to find a glimmer of hope and good news.
 
We all know the feeling: you see something infuriating and, before you can stop yourself, you’re pounding the keys, firing off a post that will change the world, or at least change someone’s mind.
 
Anyone else do that?

But, honestly, here’s the thing: posting on social media probabl...

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