The Divorcing Religion Podcast

Pamela Jones - Escaping a Deadly Polygamous Cult DIVORCED: FLDS Cults TW: Brief mention of CSA and child abuse in this episode In 1965, PAMELA JONES was born in Los Molinos, Mexico, into a polygamous Mormon cult known as The Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Time. As the eldest daughter of 13 children, she left school at age 11 to care for her younger siblings in a remote desert compound without electricity or running water. Married at 15, Pamela found herself trapped at ...

Tara Jean Stevens - Heaven Bent Divorced: Pentecostalism CW: Sexuality discussed Today I’m speaking with fellow Canadian Tara Jean (TJ) Stevens, the host and creator of Heaven Bent, a podcast docuseries with a special focus on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. In addition to her successful podcast, TJ has also been a morning show favourite on Vancouver radio & TV for 25 years. Listen to "Tara Jean in the Morning" on Wave 98.3 - Vancouver's Coolest Vibe. In this episode, TJ shares can...

Karrah Youngblood - Exposing A Predator: Wildfire TW: Violence and sexual assault Karrah Youngblood is a professional artist, single mom, and unexpected memoirist from Oklahoma. She never planned to be an activist, but standing up to the man who hurt her — and so many others — turned into a fight she couldn’t walk away from. Karrah is now telling her story: The story of what happens when one woman refuses to stay silent, despite every reason to. Wildfire, A Memoir, is about how Karrah Youngbl...

Pamela Nickel Williams - Scientology: When Lies Are True DIVORCED: Scientology TW: Incest Pamela Nickel Williams was born into Scientology. Her parents were early Scientologists who worked closely with L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology’s founder, at the first Church of Scientology in the late 1950s. Pamela and her parents were practicing members of the church until the late 1970s. After years of burying her childhood memories, Pamela began writing and documenting her experiences, seeking to a...

Allie Monday - Erotic Photographer & Worshiper of Women DIVORCED: Fundamentalism TW: Eating disorder mentioned briefly My guest today was one of our sponsors for Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture 2025. Allie Monday is an erotic photographer and the creator of Ladygroove, a body-led portrait experience rooted in healing, sensuality, and self-acceptance. Her work invites women to shed shame and come home to their erotic aliveness. With over a decade behind the lens & ...

Cynane Shay - Tinfoil Hats and Lizard People PART TWO DIVORCED: Christianity TW: Antisemitism, violence, and satanism are all mentioned in this episode. Today, nuclear engineer and writer Cynane Shay joins me for Part 2 of our conversation, "Tinfoil Hats and Lizard People." Our discussion today is based on research Cynane has conducted over the past few years to gain an understanding of where and how QAnon beliefs and antisemitic conspiracy theories originated. This research has taken Cynane ...

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 Space Lasers Dismantled my Christian Worldview,” to process the d...

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 family due to political unrest in Ukraine. She found coming to t...

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 a pastor's wife when the pastor isn't safe. Her book is ca...

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 and are free to choose their own path. Steve's family dy...

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—believing at the time that he was in recovery himself. He became a leading voice ...

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 conversation. ABOUT Dr. SODHI: Pavna K. Sodhi (she/her), EdD, is a ...

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 episode, Calvin shares his journey from Religion to Conspiracies t...

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 sexual and gender-based trauma in religious contexts. Additi...

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 their critical thinking and warped their sense of autonomy. They decided to st...