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Over 58 million adults in the US have experienced spiritual abuse and religious trauma. Maybe you’re one of them. The Broken to Beloved Podcast is for anyone who’s been affected by spiritual abuse, religious trauma, or church hurt and is looking for practical resources to move toward healing and wholeness. Brian Lee is a pastor, coach, and speaker who survived it in 3 different environments and now works to advocate for others who have been wounded by the church and her leaders, and to provi ...
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Can you really ever know when you’ve experienced spiritual abuse by church leaders and organizations? Victims and survivors are so often manipulated and gaslit that they question their own memories and experiences. This is the work Organizational Psychologist Lianna Chong is setting out to complete. Through her work with the Spiritually Abusive Lea…
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Deconstruction has become a polarized term in the past few years. Added to the arsenal of pastors and church leaders, it’s most often used to to dismiss or demean those who have walked away from their church, or to stoke fear into the hearts and spirits of those asking hard questions. What was once a word meant to invite conversation or to indicate…
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Here’s the first in a short series on our core values. They’re a work in progress, but I want to share them so you have an idea of our guiding principles. This week, I’m starting with our desire to show curiosity over certainty. How many times have we found ourselves in harm’s way for asking a question? How many times have you been met with absolut…
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Broken to Beloved is officially one year old! This week, I’m taking a few minutes to reflect on what we’ve seen in the last year, and to provide a brief update on the podcast. I can’t begin to tell you how incredibly grateful I am for each of you who listen. We’ve just hit 10,000 downloads, and have listeners in 49 states and 63 countries outside o…
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CW: While not explicit, this episode will talk a lot about sex, sexual ethics, and beliefs around sex in and outside of marriage. If you grew up in church in the 90s and through the 2000s, it’s highly likely you were brought up in purity culture. If you’re here, it’s likely you’ve found yourself deconstructing and disentangling your thoughts and be…
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Surprise! We have a little bonus episode to share from the personal experiences of a few cohort alumni. If you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, religious trauma, or church hurt/harm and are looking for a safe place to gather and process, then the THROUGH Cohort is for you. Over 8 weeks, we’ll work together to build trust, find a community of others …
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How many of us know someone who talk about holiness and righteousness, then in the same breath can be found cursing out their opposing political party or candidate? For many of us, the disconnect of faith and politics (or is the over-connection?) has caused much tension and conflict. For some, it’s led to questioning our faith, deconstructing why w…
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Trauma fundamentally disconnects us. It can disconnect our brains from our bodies. It can sever relationships and entire communities. Those of us familiar with trauma know it can have a real impact on our faith or beliefs. It warps our understanding of others, our sense of safety, and even our own identity. So how do we find connection again? When …
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In this short series, you’ll get to meet each of our board members. Listen to their stories and backgrounds, and why they chose to serve on the board and support the work at Broken to Beloved. This week, I talk with therapist Kat Wilkins. Get the full show notes here. 📝 Episode Resources and Links Broken to Beloved Book Club The Understory on Books…
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In this short series, you’ll get to meet each of our board members. Listen to their stories and backgrounds, and why they chose to serve on the board and support the work at Broken to Beloved. This week, I talk with teacher and author Laura Barringer about her “real” work with Kindergartners, her path to becoming a reluctant author, and how that wr…
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If you’ve experienced any amount of spiritual abuse or religious trauma, you know just how confusing, painful and isolating it can be. It can be hard to put into words just how devastating the impact spiritual abuse can have on an individual and family. If you’ve had to leave your faith group for any reason, you know what it feels like to lose your…
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Being a pastor or leader in ministry can feel like an impossible job at times. The job includes not just spiritual direction and discipleship, but management, finances, counseling, and lots more. As if that wasn’t enough, the people in your care often feel an individual entitlement to your time and attention, and rarely understand the scope of the …
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Most of us are familiar with fight, flight, and freeze. "Fawn" may be a newer one for many of us. I first learned about the fawn response from Aundi’s incredible book, Try Softer. She describes it as “becoming whatever the abuser or potential threat needs to see from you to see that you are not threatening.” I immediately knew it was one of my prim…
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Have you heard of Attachment Theory? Have you ever found yourself lost in the language and terminology? Have you wondered if your less-than-perfect childhood and history of abuse or trauma means you're stuck in a specific style Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw offer simple, easy to understand language around the concept of Attachment using the visual landsca…
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What do you do when you’ve given your life to a cause and calling, to have only to find yourself walking away? Steve Carter was named as one of two successors to Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church. When the allegations against Hybels broke national news, it all changed. Ultimately, Steve sided with the women who told their stories and res…
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TW/CW: references to sexual assault Have you ever had Matthew 18 used against you? Far too often, the forgiveness passage in Matthew 18:15–17 is weaponized against those who experience hurt and harm. Victims are forced to face their abusers, and there is no real reconciliation. The abuser walks away “forgiven” and restored, and the abused walks awa…
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This episode contains some explicit language and political content. It does not reflect the views of Broken to Beloved and is not an endorsement of any political view or side. Have you ever found yourself scratching your head when it comes to what church leaders say and what they do? Have you experienced the cognitive dissonance of condemning behav…
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Episode 5: Finding Liberation and Reclaiming Agency Through a New Story with Cait West "By giving voice to the cognitive dissonance required to be a woman under the patriarchy, you robbed it of its power." — Barbie What does it take to break free from a life controlled by religious patriarchy? Cait shares her journey of awakening to the abuse and c…
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CW/TW: depression, suicidal ideation According to chaplain J.S. Park, people are ready for the conversation around grief and loss. Since you're here, I'm going to assume you're one of them. I feel like I’ve been swimming in the waters of grief, loss, and lament for years now, and this conversation was a breath of fresh air after feeling like I was …
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Have you ever felt pushed to the margins of a community? Made to feel like you don’t quite belong? Whether it’s for your politics, sexual identity, faith (or lack of it), or for naming bad behavior, we are made to feel “othered” for a wide variety of reasons. In this week’s episode, artist and author Jenai Auman talks about her experience of being …
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Episode 2: Embracing Death and the Hope of Wholeness with Lore Wilbert Death is not always the end. In fact, it’s often a beginning and the doorway to a resurrection. Brian and Lore share the importance of embracing both death and life, the connection to nature, finding peace in the present moment, and navigating change and transformation. They als…
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Have you ever wondered how to find your way back into healthy relationships after abuse and trauma? By providing clear steps to Name, Frame, and Brave our experiences, Dr. Alison Cook offers practical wisdom to move toward healing and wholeness. We talk about the unique challenges of leaving toxic spaces and environments when they involve family or…
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The Broken to Beloved Podcast officially launches NEXT WEEK! Join us this season for weekly episodes each Tuesday, starting July 2. Our first guests include Lore Wilbert, JS Park, Jenai Auman, Tim Whitaker, Cait West, and many more. My hope for this podcast is to provide practical resources through compassionate conversations to grow in trauma awar…
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