Ask Jess Anything: Deconstruction, Sex, Motherhood, and Closure
Where Do We Go From Here?
Intro
Jessica opens the episode, previews the Ask Jess Anything format and announces her stepping back from the podcast.
In this special Ask Jess Anything episode of Where Do We Go From Here?, Jess opens the vault and shares one of the most personal conversations from behind the Patreon paywall.
As Jess prepares to step away from the podcast she founded, she reflects honestly on purity culture, sex, faith, parenting, creative burnout, and what it's like to leave a space you helped build. Listeners submitted their questions with no topic off-limits, and Jess answers them with the clarity, nuance, and vulnerability that has defined the show for the past five years.
In this episode, Jess talks about why she's stepping back from podcasting, the emotional and physical toll of documentary filmmaking, her experience making I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and her complicated relationship with Joshua Harris and the film's legacy. She also shares how purity culture did (and didn't) shape her marriage and sex life, how her views shifted after her first kiss and first sexual experiences, and how she's thinking about consent, bodies, and faith as a parent to young twins.
Jess also reflects on content creation, Patreon, monetisation, and the tension between integrity and algorithms in today's creator economy. This episode serves as both a thank-you to longtime listeners and a thoughtful handover as EDJ steps into the future of the podcast.
Some sections of this episode have been intentionally edited for public release, with a small number of moments remaining exclusive to Patreon for personal safety.
In this episode, we explore:-
Why Jess is stepping away from Where Do We Go From Here?
-
What an "Ask Me Anything" revealed about her deconstruction journey
-
Purity culture, sex, shame, and agency
-
First kisses, first sex, and dismantling fear-based narratives
-
Parenting without purity culture
-
Creative burnout, documentary filmmaking, and boundaries
-
Patreon, paywalls, and the realities of independent podcasting
-
What happens to the archive and how to access it for a limited time
If you've been with the podcast for a short time or a long time, this episode is a moment of reflection, closure, and gratitude.
🎧 Note: A limited-time archive of previously paywalled episodes is currently available via Patreon before it is permanently removed.
Link for Collections:
The AI-powered Podcast Player
