Claim OwnershipBroken to Beloved Podcast
Subscribed: 29Played: 1,017
Subscribe
© 2025 Broken to Beloved
Description
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 provide practical tools for awareness and safeguarding against future abuse.
82 Episodes
Reverse
Were you raised (and maybe harmed) in a Christian household that did parenting "by the book?" Maybe you were a parent who was looking for resources to parent "the right way," Regardless of intent, research and time have shown the harmful impact of Christian parenting books and the myths they perpetuated. In this conversation, we dive into the very real and lived effects on generations of children and adults, and how we look for more informed and honoring ways to move forward. We'll talk...
Is there a link between the rise of megachurches, Christian Nationalism, and spiritual abuse? In this conversation with journalist and author Scott Latta, he exposes surprising findings from his research on how "successful" evangelical churches are driving much of the Christian Nationalism and abuse reported today. After interviewing survivors of spiritual abuse in America's megachurches, lawyers, and advocates, he reveals systemic gaps that allow misconduct to thrive, the effects on smaller ...
Do you feel broken beyond repair and just want life to be...better? In this episode with Ian Morgan Cron, we talk about the use of the 12 steps—not just for managing common addictions, but for general well-being. You'll enjoy his perspective as a priest, author, and psychotherapist, as he emphasizes the importance of finding wholeness through making amends, releasing shame, and pursuing post-traumatic growth. Let's dive into his most recent book, The Fix, and explore how working the steps can...
Are you looking for practical ways to heal from spiritual trauma? In this episode with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, a licensed psychologist, you'll learn how to regulate, rebalance, and rewire your nervous system without having to relive your trauma. After spiritual abuse, it's common to feel on edge, in high alert, or entirely shut down. She explains why this happens and how to connect with our bodies again through breath, co-regulation, and other embodied practices for healing. Listen in for a pra...
Have you ever needed a hug but got a spiritual platitude instead? In this episode, we discuss spiritual bypassing—what it is, how to identify it, and what to do when we’ve experienced it. I am joined by Peridot "Peri" Gilbert-Reed, Ph.D., a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist. She has conducted extensive research on spiritual bypassing and shares her findings with us, along with several examples of what it sounds like. If you've experienced the intentional or uninten...
Why does Broken to Beloved exist? And what difference does it make? Over the last 2 years since we were founded as an organization, we've worked to provide quality resources for you to move toward healing and wholeness. And through programs like our Annual Summit, Cohorts, Book Club, and this Podcast, we've seen over 60,000 of you engage with us! Thank you. Thank you for being here, for your time, and for trusting us to continue working to create these programs for you. And, we need your help...
How do you find hope when there are a million reasons to worry? In this episode, Sara shows us ways to recognize and calm our anxieties around our bodies, churches, and politics. We talk through her latest book, Nervous Systems, which is full of spiritual practices for those seeking personal and collective peace. If you have been taught negative connotations around your anxiety, in this conversation, Sara helps reframe and normalize it—believing that Jesus meets us there with hope, not deman...
What if your anxiety and depression aren't going away any time soon? Many have been taught that depression means you're broken, that sadness is a lack of faith, or that anxiety is a sign of weakness. This can feel hopeless, especially when the strongest prayers and medicine don't cure your condition. In this conversation with Justin McRoberts, we explore the concept of wholeness and challenge the idea that health is the absence of negative emotions and experiences. He talks about his latest b...
Has it become clear how deeply you've been hurt? Spiritual abuse can be so subtle, you don't even know that it's happened...until it's too late. In this episode, I talk with Katherine about her freshly launched book, A Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts, and how to find life on the other side of spiritual abuse. We talk about the systems where religious control can be found, the process of leaving fundamentalist spaces, how to honor your emotions and see your body as your friend, the difference between...
How can you know what to expect from Broken to Beloved? Have you ever wondered how we make decisions or what guides our thought process? Have you wanted to know if you'll ever fit in or belong in this community? In this week's episode, I hope to clear all of that up for you by telling you about our seven Core Values, all gathered in one place. 📝 Get the full show notes Links & Resources 🔗 Support our mission with a monthly donationRead about Our ValuesRead “Responding in Reactionary...
Hey, it's Brian with a few short updates for you about this fall. We've made the difficult decision to cancel our Gathering for this year, and to steward our time, energy, and resources into our most impactful programs. If you registered, you should already have received an email about next steps. If you have not received an email, please reach out to us at info@brokentobeloved.org. Applications for the THROUGH Cohort are now open, and limited scholarships are available. Apply today for our 8...
Has spiritual abuse caused you to feel like you've lost part of your identity? One of the most common things I hear from the spiritual abuse community is that they feel like they don't know who they are anymore. Without organized religion, a sense of community, and all of the structures that once held you up, it's easy to feel lost or inherently broken. However, on this episode, Hunter Mobley, Enneagram teacher and author of Letting Go, Finding You, shares ways that you can rediscover who you...
Is healing from spiritual abuse actually possible? The worst part of spiritual abuse is that it attempts to destroy your personhood, sense of safety with others, and imagination of a good God. It can feel like you are broken beyond repair. However, in this episode, Rachael Clinton Chen shares that healing is not only possible, but your faith, hope, and love can stay intact in spite of immense spiritual harm. She talks to us about the goodness that is available to us through experiences of hea...
Could spiritual abuse be more universal than we think? In this eye-opening conversation with author and speaker Chanchal Garg, she shows that it doesn't matter what faith background you find yourself in; the underlying themes of spiritual abuse are universal. Chanchal shares her story of spiritual and sexual abuse in a South Asian context and talks openly about her experience in her debut memoir, Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths We Bury. She hopes survivors—across faith backgroun...
Have you ever felt like you are disobeying God or being rebellious when you think independently about your faith? For those who have been taught black-and-white answers about Christianity, stepping into the gray can feel unnerving because it calls us beyond the shores of certainty towards something more mysterious. But we know that certainty was never the point. Ben Cremer joins us on this episode to talk through what it's been like for him to move away from binary thinking. He shares h...
What are the stories your pain is telling about you? So often, we internalize ourselves as the problem when pain comes into our lives. However, in this episode, Monica DiCristina, the author of Your Pain Has a Name, helps us see that simply naming our pain can reveal our true selves hidden beneath it. She invites us into an investigative process of getting curious about what our pain is saying and the meaning we make of it. You will learn about helpful starting points when your pain feels com...
After spiritual abuse, one of the first questions survivors ask is, "How did I end up here?" If you have found yourself asking a similar question, writing can be an incredible way to discover that answer. In this episode, I speak with Megan Febuary, the author of Brave the Page. She shares how to go back to your earlier life scenes using a trauma-informed approach to fill in the missing pieces that may have drawn you to broken systems or relationships. Megan offers several tips to help you wr...
Is reading scripture hard for you? Understandably, weaponized scripture makes it hard to want to pick up the bible ever again. But if you are at a place where you want to renew your relationship with scripture, in this episode, pastor and author Zach Lambert talks us through how we can read the bible in ways that lead to healing and wholeness. Zach talks to us about his brand-new book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, beginning by sharing his personal story. He shares how to be aware of the len...
Did you know that much of the advice Christian parents have been taught over the years doesn’t align with what we know about child development? In this episode, I speak with therapist and author Meaghan Hampton about parenting from a Christian and psychology-informed approach. We address how much of our stories of spiritual trauma are rooted in how we were raised, and why it’s important to explore our past with compassion and curiosity. You will learn about the harm that fundamentalist parent...
Can we have a conversation about intimacy in the church and have it not be...weird? In this week's episode, I speak with college chaplain Rev. Erin Moniz about her book, Knowing and Being Known. She proves that, yes, we can talk about intimacy in a way that feels approachable, inclusive, and inviting to all without making it awkward. You will love Erin's framework that defines healthy intimacy through the lens of the gospel, differentiating it from economic—what's-in-it-for-me—relationships t...
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
u