The Divorcing Religion Podcast
The Divorcing Religion Podcast was launched by professional counsellor Janice Selbie to highlight the impact of Religious Trauma Syndrome. Guests include The Thinking Atheist Seth Andrews, The Friendly Atheist Hemant Mehta, author Margaret Atwood, Godless Mom, Mandisa Thomas, Dr. Darrel Ray, Dr. Marlene Winell and more.
Episodes
Cynane Shay - Tinfoil Hats & Lizard People PART ONE
DIVORCED: Christianity
Cynane Shay is a nuclear engineer living in South Carolina. Her childhood in White Christian Nationalism normalized conspiracy theories like Obama Birtherism and the Biblical apocalypse; but 2020, with COVID and Qanon, finally made her realize something was deeply wrong.
Now Cynane is writing a book, “Taking Off the Tinfoil Hat: How Lizard People and S...
Alyona Smoky - A Beautiful Liberation
CW: War in Ukraine
Alyona Smoky was born and raised in Ukraine, where her mother joined a high-control, conservative evangelical church when Alyona was young. As a result of family stressors, Alyona shouldered much of the emotional burden in her family as a child, and she grew up very quickly in a chaotic and emotionally intense environment.
When she was 16, Alyona moved to the U.S. with her famil...
Michelle Moffitt - From Abuse to Freedom
CW: Sexual Assault
Michelle Moffitt Rogers is a licensed therapist, Enneagram expert, and author. In this episode, Michelle shares her story and explores the psychological impact of spiritual abuse, the complexities of leaving both faith and a toxic marriage to a pastor, and what healing looks like on the other side.
You won't want to miss her raw, honest exposé about the dangers of being...
Steve Ghikadis - Humanism from the Heart
Steve Ghikadis is a Humanist Officiant who conducts secular marriages, memorials, and many more meaningful life-affirming celebrations. Raised as a freethinker, Steve has been married to a Christian for over a decade. He and his wife, Cindy, believe in the importance of bridging the gap between believers and non-believers. Their two young children are being raised in an interfaith household a...
Forest Benedict, LMFT - Porn Is Not the Problem
Divorced: Evangelical Christianity
CW: Frank discussion of porn, sex, and self-pleasure
Forest Benedict is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Washington states who specializes in religious trauma and sexual shame.
Forest began his career as a Christian who was passionate about helping others recover from sex and porn addiction—b...
Pavna K. Sodhi, EdD - Exploring the Intersections of Punjabi-Sikh Cultural/Religious Identity - Part 1
As a humanist and mental health clinician, I'm interested in learning about other cultures and belief systems. To that end, Dr. Pavna K. Sodhi graciously agreed to join me on the Divorcing Religion Podcast to share her knowledge about Punjabi-Sikh teachings, values, practices, and experiences. This episode is Part One of our c...
Unquestionable Calvin - From Religion to Conspiracies to Reality
DIVORCED: Christianity and Conspiracies
My guest today is Calvin Smith, whom you may recognize from his YouTube channel Unquestionable Calvin. Calvin was exposed to both Christianity and supernatural ideas from an early age. Eventually he rejected Christianity but firmly believed multiple conspiracy theories, even attempting to build a career around them. In this episod...
Tessi Muskrat, M.A. - Free To Explore: Sexuality After Purity Culture
Divorced: Evangelical Purity Culture
A native woman of Cherokee and Irish descent, Tessi Ynada Muskrat holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and is a doctoral student researcher at the University of Missouri. Co-founder of the international Purity Culture Research Collective (PCRC), Tessi’s research centers the voices of those who have experienced sexua...
Patti & Nancy, Apostate Sisters - Life After a Doomsday Cult
DIVORCED: Worldwide Church of God
CW: Mature themes
Today I’m excited to interview Patti and Nancy, who recently interviewed me on their popular APOSTATE SISTERS YouTube channel! Patti and Nancy are sisters deconstructing their upbringing in the Worldwide Church of God Christian doomsday cult. The sisters note that the cult stifled thei...
Quantas Ginn, MBA, MS, LMFT-S, CST (he/him) - Sex Therapy for Purity Culture Survivors
My guest today is Quantas Ginn. Quantas is a Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) professor teaching courses on Human Sexuality and MFT theories. His research interests include interracial relationships, perinatal parenting, and the intersection of religion and sexuality.
Quantas also operates a private practice as a marriage, ...
Dr. Kayden Vargas (they/he) - From Conservative Christian to Nonbinary Psychologist
TW: Brief references to CSA
Dr. Kayden Vargas (they/he) is a trans nonbinary poet, parent, and psychologist located in the traditional homelands of the Yakama Nation. Their poetry revolves around themes of small-town living, bicultural/bilingual/biracial life, trauma healing, and trans identity. Their clinical specialties include gender affirming hea...
Glenda Jordan - Powerful Polyamory
DIVORCED: Southern Baptist Christianity
My guest today is a model, artist, and entertainer - and she will be speaking at the Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture event in Seattle this May! Glenda Jordan lives in Las Vegas these days but grew up on a farm south of Nashville, Tennessee - where she was indoctrinated into the Southern Baptist faith from birth.
After deconstructing religion in ...
Jeremy de Tolly - Liberate Your Voice
My guest today is rock and roll musician, and heart-centered communication coach, Jeremy de Tolly. Jeremy works with those who have deeply shut-down voices, whose voices often became blocked starting in their childhoods. He understands the significance that parenting, school, and culture can have on our voices, and that, to return a voice to health, we need to address the expression aspects of t...
Lauren Elise Rogers - Sex Ed for You!
DIVORCED: Fundamentalist Christianity
CW: Frank discussions of s3x
Lauren Elise Rogers is a Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator and Embodied Intimacy & Relationship Coach. She is the founder of Sex Ed for You, where she provides clear, compassionate, and comprehensive guidance on intimacy, relationships, and sexual health.
After being raised in a high-control religion and getting married at ...
Dr. Josie McSkimming - Gutsy Girls
DIVORCED: Christianity
Today’s guest is Dr. Josie McSkimming, who joins us from Australia. She has previously been a guest on the Divorcing Religion Podcast and was also a speaker at CORT2023.
Dr. McSkimming is a clinical social worker with more than 35 years experience – and personal experience with religious trauma. When I learned that she’d published a book about her life, I wanted to read it rig...
Hip-Hop Artist Seven J - Betrayed by Christianity
DIVORCED: Christianity
TW: Discussion of suicidal ideation
Raised in the heart of Jacksonville, FL, amidst the grit and hustle of the city's most notorious zip code, Seven J emerged as a powerhouse in the world of hip-hop. His music is a testament to his roots, blending raw, lyrical prowess with harmonious melodies that captivate listeners and transport them to another world.
With...
Emily Hedrick - Resiliency in Tough Times
DIVORCED: Mennonite Evangelicalism
Emily Hedrick is a resilience coach specializing in religious trauma and compassion fatigue. A former Mennonite pastor, she holds an M.Div., is an ICF-accredited coach, and is a certified Forward-Facing (R) coach. In addition to being a former guest on the Divorcing Religion Podcast, Emily was a powerful speaker at CORT2022.
How to Treat Your Body Like a Sac...
Ann Russo, LCSW - Sexuality & Religious Trauma
DIVORCED: Fundamentalist Christianity
My guest today is Licensed Clinical Social Worker ANN RUSSO.
As the founder and director of AMR Therapy, Ann is a mental health advocate, educator, and thought leader specializing in addressing complex and often stigmatized topics such as religious trauma, sexual empowerment, ethical non-monogamy, queer identity, and inclusivity in mental health.
A...
Janice Formichella - Estranged
DIVORCED: Mormonism
TW: References to abuse
Janice Formichella is a breakup coach and the host of the podcasts Sex and the Solo Girl and Breakups, Broken Hearts, and Moving On.
She is passionate about helping people from all backgrounds to beat their breakup, overcome loneliness, and make the end of a relationship the start of a powerful new beginning.
Janice is also a survivor of domestic violence, an ...
Beth Granger - Leaving the Cult Was Only Half the Battle
DIVORCED: Anglican Cult
Warning: This episode may be triggering for those who experienced abuse in childhood and adolescence.
Beth Granger was the first staff-child born at Grenville Christian College, an elite private boarding school in Canada that was actually a cult - from which she did not escape until her 30s.
Despite her cult leaders’...
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