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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!
215 Episodes
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You’ve heard the false teachings. You’ve read the posts. You’ve seen the statements of faith declaring, “Marriage is between one man and one woman.” This episode is for every LGBTQ+ person harmed by those words — and for every Christian parent who affirms their child, yet still hears that sentence reverberating through their church, their family, and their faith. Let’s be clear: no one should believe the Bible condemns them — or their child — because of that claim. Because it isn’t biblica...
You’ve heard it repeated by nonaffirming Christians and right-wing politicians: “traditional values.” But listen closely — and notice what’s missing. Honesty. Fidelity. Compassion. Justice. Kindness. So what are “traditional values,” really? Whose tradition are we talking about? From which era? From which culture? From which Bible — and whose Christianity? In this episode, we expose the myth of “traditional values,” how the phrase became a political weapon instead of a moral compass, and wh...
As we step into a new year, we name the truth of this moment for LGBTQ+ lives and rights — without panic, without denial, and without losing hope. We talk about what’s happening now, what 2026 may bring, and how we respond with courage, clarity, and love. This episode is for LGBTQ+ people, parents, allies, and anyone who refuses to let fear dictate the future. We unpack the political landscape, the shifts happening inside faith communities, the fierce resilience of LGBTQ+ youth, and t...
This Christmas, we ask a haunting question: Do Christians know it’s Christmas time at all? When the loudest voices in Christianity celebrate the birth of Jesus while ignoring everything he taught — feeding the hungry, welcoming the immigrant, loving without condition — something’s gone terribly wrong. In this episode, we take an honest, sometimes snarky, always heartfelt look at how Christian nationalism and ultra-right beliefs miss the very heart of Christmas. We’ll talk about the hypocrisy,...
Today, since Christmas is coming up, we will talk about lemons and blackberries. I know, I know – what does THAT have to do with Christmas? I want to tell you a couple of stories from my life that involved lemons and blackberries, and what I learned about abundance. At this time of year, when we all make our lists of things we want, and of things to give, maybe it is the perfect time to really understand abundance. This is going to be fun and sweet... cause, you know, blackberries! Yum. S...
Was Jesus kind of a stand-up comedian? I mean think about it... A priest, a rabbi, and Jesus walked into a bar. Only Jesus recognized the setup for a joke. I never really thought about Jesus being funny or not. I mean, we’ve heard the stories 1000 times and... I usually smile at the funnier parts, but I never exactly said, Jesus is really funny! Then I found a little book that really opened my eyes. I will share that with you today as we talk about how funny, profoundly funny, Jesus was....
This episode is different. It’s sacred. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to honor and remember the transgender people whose lives were stolen by violence, hatred, and neglect. We wish we didn’t need a day like this. We wish the world were already safe and affirming for our trans family and friends. But the reality is, many lives are lost each year—and too often, those lives are ignored, erased, or dismissed. So today, we stop. We pause. We remember. We honor. Send us a ...
You are talking about this and then it happens: someone pulls out a Bible verse and declares that God is against transgender people. You’ve heard it from pulpits, from politicians, maybe from your own family. But, Beloved, here’s the truth: the Bible does NOT say what these people claim it does. In fact, what the Bible does say about this is actually fully affirming! So today, we dig in and set the record straight about what the Bible doesn’t say, what it does say, and why this matters so ...
Politicians and pundits have made trans rights one of their top wedge issues. They stir up outrage, and push legislation designed to divide, distract, and control. We’ve all seen it: bills banning gender-affirming care, bathroom access, policing pronouns, especially in state legislations. Leaders pushing them claim it’s about “protecting children” or “upholding values.” But, it’s not! This is about consolidating power through fear. And while trans people feel the sting of this, the ha...
Let’s talk about God! Our favorite subject… Or is it?? It would be—or could be—if we hadn’t been lied to about God. Well, our job at FreedHearts is to make you feel better about God — or have no feelings about God, that’s fine. But what we DON’T want is for you to have bad feelings about God because they’re usually connected to bad feelings about yourself – and none of that is true! Today we tell you a story as a contrast to God—about Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock is known as the Master of ...
Jesus’ message was clear: the kingdom of God is here and now. His anger burned toward those in power who oppressed the vulnerable. His focus was justice, compassion, and service — NOT personal salvation formulas. Yet so much of today’s theology on LGBTQ issues, sin, salvation, and authority doesn’t come from Jesus at all — it comes from Paul. So we ask: are Christians really following Paul instead of Jesus? Send us a private message. *Note: INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if you'd like us to ans...
Today’s episode is a heartfelt message to non-affirming Christians — or one you can share with them. It’s a message of hope and courage: you do NOT need to be afraid to support LGBTQ+ people and same-sex relationships. Yes, the climate feels hostile. Yes, fear is loud. But truth is louder. Prejudice is crumbling. Walls are falling. Pastors are rethinking long-held beliefs. Parents are choosing their child over false doctrine. This is what faith is meant to be. Not about fear. Not about con...
Today’s episode is both deeply personal and powerfully relevant to the moment we’re living in. We’re talking about coming out — as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer — in a time when hostility and attacks are escalating. This isn’t just theory — it’s raw, real, and urgent. All of this in honor of National Coming Out Day on October 11th! Plus, we’re sharing a major announcement about a bold new chapter for FreedHearts — one we can’t wait for you to hear. This conversation is a...
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 keep our hearts from breaking under the weight of it? Today, I...
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 inside of us to do. And that's no small thing! Collectively, that's the best thing we can do to ...
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 COVID to the current administration to AI... their worldview and their fears have been deeply i...
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? Send us a private message. *Note: INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if you'd lik...
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 popular episodes, we give you a clear, simp...
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 about truly effective ways to change the ...
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'd like us to answer. :-) Support the show
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