Broken to Beloved Podcast

What is spiritual trauma? How is it different from religious trauma? And what can I do if I, or someone I know, experienced it?In this episode, we delve into the complexities of spiritual trauma and the healing process. Hillary and I discuss the importance of understanding spirituality, the role of the body in healing, and the challenges of naming traumatic experiences. And, we'll close with a practical exercise as Hillary leads us through a breath practice.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psychologist, a researcher, and podcaster, with expertise that includes trauma, embodiment, psychedelic therapy, and the intersection of spirituality and mental health. Her books include Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image, the bestseller The Wisdom of Your Body: Practices for Embodied Living, and the 2025 release Holy Hurt. She was the senior editor of the textbook Embodiment and Eating Disorders: Theory, Research, Prevention, and Treatment, which was published in 2018.She has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association for her research and clinical work. In addition to being a teaching faculty at the University of British Columbia, she is an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health, and the host of CBC's award winning podcast Other People's Problems. Hillary makes her home in the pacific northwest in British Columbia, Canada.Website | Instagram | ThreadsLinks & Resources 🔗Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary McBride | Amazon | BookshopThe Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride | Amazon | BookshopSupport the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

In his Summit session, Christopher Stewart shares his profound journey of faith and life after disability, exploring themes of grief, healing, and the sacredness of the disabled experience. He reads his original psalms, reflecting on his struggles and insights learned from wrestling with God, and emphasizes the importance of processing emotions honestly before God. Christopher also highlights the societal perceptions of disability and the beautiful vocation that can arise from living with a disability.You will hear Christopher’s story of a sudden and unexpected brain stem injury, and the many implications that have come from this life-changing event. He unpacks what he means by his disability being a vocation, becoming “the least of these” in society, how the disabled can represent Christ in relationships, and invites disabled brothers and sisters—all of us—to explore this idea. Additionally, they discuss dignity and bodily autonomy for the disabled and bring light to the common harm of unwanted prayer or blaming disability on sin.Get the full show notes and transcript here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨Christopher was an able-bodied, recently ordained, visual artist and seminary student with a seemingly clear path before him. In July 2022, he survived a life-altering brain injury, which left him with multiple disabilities. In the time since then, through much prayer and processing, he has begun to see his disability as vocation. One of the ways he has been inspired to process his loss and disability is to borrow from the structure and language of the Psalms by composing a series of prayer poems called “Disabled Psalms.” Through his writing, online ministry, and live recitation engagements, he hopes to raise awareness of the disabled experience and to give others in the disabled and able-bodied communities a way to process their own experiences through the intimate language of prayer.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | YouTube | PatreonSupport the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We’re getting ready to celebrate one year of the Podcast and start Season 3 next week!I can’t wait to share these incredible conversations with some of the guests you just heard like Monica DiCristina, Cara Meredith, David Gate, Megan Febuary, Becky Castle Miller, and lots more.This season, we’re talking about finding ways to name our pain, better ways to read the Bible, working through our stories, learning about our feelings and emotions, learning different ways to parent after growing up in a shame and guilt-ridden evangelical culture, and so much more.We’re kicking things off next week with Dr. Hillary McBride and talking about her new book, Holy Hurt.A huge thank you to our listeners who make this show possible through their financial support. You can support our work by becoming a donor today. Just head to brokentobeloved.org/support or click the link to donate in the show notes.Get the full show notes and all links mentioned here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Brian Lee is a pastor, coach, and speaker. In his 20+ years of experience in vocational ministry, he experienced three instances of spiritual abuse and toxic leadership. After living with an identity of brokenness for too many years, he learned to recognize and embrace his belovedness.In 2023, he founded Broken to Beloved, a nonprofit organization that exists to provide practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse and religious trauma.He is a certified Trauma-Informed Coach (Centre for Healing) and holds a certification in Religious Trauma Studies from the Global Center for Religious Research.Based in Richmond, VA, Brian loves to go on mini-adventures with his family, exploring their neighborhood, community, and city with his family. As a coffee snob and addict, he could always use another cup.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Substack Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This conversation is from our 2024 Annual Summit.Get 30% OFF an All Access Pass from any of our Annual Summits now through the end of June. Use code PODCAST30 to take advantage of this offer today!In this session, Brian, Geoff, and Cyd discuss the concept of embodied faith and the importance of integrating our bodies, emotions, and relationships in our spiritual lives. They explore the different attachment styles, including anxious, avoidant, and disorganized through the metaphor of landscapes and how they impact our relationships and faith.Exploring the intersection of embodied faith, interpersonal neurobiology, attachment theory, and spiritual formation, Geoff and Cyd also discuss the importance of taking our bodies, emotions, and relationships seriously in the context of church life. They emphasize the integration of scientific research and spiritual practices to foster neuroplasticity and journey towards secure attachment. The goal is to create a church where people can openly share their attachment styles without shame and work towards healing and wholeness together.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Geoff (PhD) is an author of multiple books, affiliate professor of theology at Northern Seminary.Cyd is an author, spiritual director, and pastor. She is also a trauma-informed, Jesus-centered, integrative coach focused on embodied practices and building a secure attachment to God.Together, they co-host the Attaching to God podcast, offering a neuroscience-informed spiritual formation and are the co-author of Does God Really Like Me? Discovering the God Who Wants to Be With You.Links & Resources 🔗Embodied Faith websiteGeoff websiteCyd websiteGeoff Twitter/XGeoff Facebook Embodied Faith podcastDoes God Really Like Me?Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the month of June, I'm re-airing some of our favorite episodes. This one originally aired on August 13, 2024.TW/CW: references to sexual assaultHave 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 away humiliated and put in their place.Yes, forgiveness is important. And, forgiveness cannot be forced. It must be a freely made choice on our part.This conversation isn’t about holding on to our offenses, grudges, or dismissing what happened to us. It’s not about releasing our abusers from accountability or letting go of our desire for justice.It is about the ways forgiveness has been weaponized and abused in the church. It’s about having a truly biblical and scholarly understanding of how those passages are meant to be understood. It’s about protecting ourselves from future manipulation and further abuse.Join me and New Testament scholar Scot McKnight as we dive deep into the original language and nuance of this passage. Discover what it really says about interpersonal conflict and its role in cases of abuse or an imbalance of power. Learn about the role of repentance as implied in the original Greek, even when it doesn’t show up in our English Bibles.Get the full show notes, links, and transcript here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Scot is a New Testament scholar who has written widely on the historical Jesus and Christian spirituality.Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Instagram  |  TwitterThe Second Testament: A New Testament Translation  Bookshop.org | AmazonPIVOT  Bookshop.org | AmazonA Church Called TOV  Bookshop.org | AmazonSupport the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This conversation is from our 2024 Annual Summit.Get 30% OFF an All Access Pass from any of our Annual Summits now through the end of June. Use code PODCAST30 to take advantage of this offer today!In this session, Suzanne shares her surprise at the number of people willing to talk about trauma and her concern about the misuse of the term. She also highlights the subtle nature of religious manipulation and the need for acceptance and understanding among different denominations, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and finding healing in dealing with church antagonists. Suzanne suggests using all three centers of intelligence for productive thinking, feeling, and doing and discusses the significance of therapy and contemplative practice and the value of accountability and discernment through groups and clearness committees.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ As an internationally recognized Enneagram Master, Suzanne has conducted over 500 Enneagram workshops over the past 30 years to audiences all over the country, and is lovingly referred to as the “Enneagram godmother.”Suzanne received her B.S. in Social Sciences from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where she also completed additional graduate work in the Schools of Sociology and Theology. She has served as a high school professor, the first women’s basketball coach at SMU after Title IX, and as the founding Director of Shared Housing, a social service agency in Dallas.She hosts The Enneagram Journey podcast and has authored 3 books, including The Road Back to You, The Path Between Us, and The Journey Toward Wholeness. She is also the series editor for an excellent devotional series for each of the nine types.When she is not on the road teaching and lecturing, Suzanne is at home in Dallas, Texas with her husband Rev. Joseph Stabile, a United Methodist pastor with whom she co-founded Life in the Trinity Ministry and the Micah Center. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of nine.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Life in theTrinity Ministry |  Support the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the month of June, I'm re-airing some of our favorite episodes. This one originally aired on September 24, 2024.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 we are alienated from ourselves, each other, and God, how do we find our way back home?These are the questions that therapist and author Chuck DeGroat tackles in his latest book, Healing What’s Within. This is not a sequel or follow up to his previous When Narcissism Comes to Church, but rather a look at his own journey and process of dealing with his own trauma after spiritual abuse.His deep knowledge and understanding of therapeutic work coupled with his experience as a minister, DeGroat offers incredibly practical tools for us to examine our own stories with curiosity and compassion and find our way back home to safety and security.He reiterates our deepest message and hope, that we are indeed not just broken, but deeply Beloved.Get the full show notes here. 📄Episode Resources and LinksBroken to Beloved Conference (for pastors and church leaders)Broken to Beloved Gathering (for the wounded and their advocates)Episode 001: with Dr. Alison CookGuest SpotlightWebsite | Instagram | FacebookHealing What’s Within at Bookshop.org | on AmazonWhen Narcissism Comes to Church on Bookshop.org | on AmazonSupport the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This conversation is from our 2025 Annual Summit.Get 30% OFF an All Access Pass from any of our Annual Summits now through the end of June. Use code PODCAST30 to take advantage of this offer today!In this session, Pete shares how the investigative process works for all forms of abuse in spiritual contexts. He breaks down the process of how they investigate abuse reports and misconduct and the overall culture and health of the organization.You will learn:What happens when an abuse report is submitted.GRACE’s definition of different forms of abuse.How GRACE determines patterns of abuse.Next steps that you can do if you think you’ve experienced spiritual abuse.Steps you can do if you have spiritually abused someone.Policies to look for that constitutes a safe church.Get the full show notes and books mentioned here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Pete Singer joined GRACE as the Executive Director on January 1, 2021 and passed away on May 1, 2025. He had 30 years’ experience working with trauma, abuse, and mental health in a variety of settings.Pete completed his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, where he also received a Certificate in Trauma-Effective Leadership. He speaks nationally on trauma, trauma-informed practice, resilience, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and the role of the faith community in responding to child maltreatment.Links & Resources 🔗Website | InstagramArticles:Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Abuse by Pete SingerCoordinating Pastoral Care of Survivors with Mental Health Providers by Pete SingerThe Use of Images During Forensic Interviews of Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused by PetSupport the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the month of June, I'm re-airing some of our favorite episodes. This one originally aired on July 2, 2024.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 our livelihood, ways to set boundaries, and to remain curious to our internal world.Get the full show notes, transcript, and more 📄Episode Resources and LinksHow to Walk Into A Room by Emily P. Freeman on Bookshop.org | on AmazonGrieve, Breathe, Receive by Steve Carter on Bookshop.org | on AmazonGuest SpotlightDr. Alison Cook is a therapist and host of the top-ranked The Best of You podcast. She is the author of I Shouldn't Feel This Way, the ECPA bestselling book The Best of You and coauthor of Boundaries for Your Soul. Widely recognized as an expert at the intersection of faith and psychology, Dr. Alison empowers individuals to heal from past wounds, develop a strong sense of self, forge healthy rela­tionships, and experience a loving God who is for them.Website  |  The Best of You Podcast  |  Instagram  |  FacebookI Shouldn’t Feel this Way at Bookshop.org | on AmazonThe Best of You at Bookshop.org | on AmazonBoundaries For Your Soul at Bookshop.org | on AmazonSupport the show————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Sign up to receive our weekly Podcast Newsletter with new episodes, updates, exclusive discounts, and more! Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Leave us a rating and review on Apple or on Spotify. This all helps us to grow and continue providing quality content for you and our community of listeners. —————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The host welcomes listeners to a cozy office setting, blending personal stories with listener questions. They discuss the delicate journey of returning to church after trauma, emphasizing safety and boundaries. The conversation dives into reconciling conflicting biblical teachings and the importance of understanding marginalized voices. A serious spotlight shines on the prevalence of sexual abuse in religious settings, pushing for transparency and compassionate care for survivors. The session rounds off with insights on healing and the complexities of forgiveness.