Broken to Beloved Podcast

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 | InstagramGet 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!Articles: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 Pete SingerResources for Reporting:Wartburg WatchRoys ReportM—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————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 Amazon—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————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.

Very few victims of abuse seek out a lawyer for money—most are looking for something else. They want safety, justice, and agency over an impossible situation.In this episode, I speak to Melissa J. Hogan, attorney, advocate, and author in the field of trauma and abuse, about the legal options available for survivors. She shares where her passion for medical and spiritual trauma comes from, along with several practical tips about how to safely tell your story, collect evidence, and bring abuse to light. This is an excellent conversation for anyone wanting to know how attorneys can accompany you in your healing.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Melissa is an attorney and advocate in the field of trauma and abuse, and co-author of the 2021 book, Afraid of the Doctor: Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma. She received her J.D. with an emphasis in health law from the University of Pittsburgh and went on to clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, practice as a corporate/healthcare attorney, and teach legal writing and health care regulatory law.In 2014, she founded and for many years led the nonprofit Project Alive, a research and advocacy foundation for Hunter syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects her youngest son. In that season, she developed and patented patient outcome measures, consulted on clinical trial designs, was a featured speaker at industry and FDA conferences, and won numerous awards for her advocacy.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Substack | TikTokBoz LawProject AliveAfraid of the Doctor by Meghan L. Marsac and Melissa J. Hogan on Bookshop | Amazon—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How do you restore a relationship with God after spiritual abuse?It makes sense that you might struggle with the idea of being held and loved by God after experiencing spiritual abuse, or any other form of abuse, for that matter.In this episode with Michael Cusick, author of Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love, helps us understand the safe love available through God and how we might go about receiving it.We cover everything from dancing nuns to adult bookstore floors to the holiness of wholeness. Listen and learn about living in belovedness and allowing our brokenness to be the bridge that leads us there.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Michael is a licensed professional therapist, spiritual director, speaker, and author. Having experienced the restoring touch of God in a deeply broken life and marriage, Michael’s passion is to connect life’s broken realities with the reality of the gospel.The founder and CEO at Restoring the Soul, Michael formerly served as an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary and full-time professor at Colorado Christian University. He holds an MA in Biblical Counseling from Colorado Christian University and an MA in Counseling Psychology from the College of Education at the University of Denver.He lives with his wife Julianne in the foothills of Colorado where he enjoys the Rocky Mountains and a host of other outdoor activities with friends and family.Links & Resources 🔗Website | YouTube | Instagram | FacebookSacred Attachment by Michael Cusick on Amazon | Bookshop—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

CW/TW: This episode is centered largely around the topic of Clergy Sexual Abuse (CSA) and its effects. Please be gentle with yourself. If it feels like too much at any point, please feel free to stop, take a break, or skip this episode altogether.What happens when those in church leadership become the ones who harm—and the institution covers it up? Where does one go to hold these abusers accountable?In this episode, I talk with Dr. David Pooler, professor, researcher, and therapist, who has spent over a decade studying adult clergy sexual abuse. We talk about his landmark study with staggering data and the failure of church institutions to offer care or accountability after abuse. Dr. Pooler also shares what healing can look like and offers powerful insights on institutional betrayal, grooming, consent, and how we must center survivors in our systems of justice.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Pooler has more than 15 years of social work practice experience with several different populations including at-risk and abused children, adults with severe and persistent mental illness, persons with addictions, and homeless men. Dr. Pooler studies social workers and the organizational contexts in which social workers are employed. A primary focus of his research is studying how social workers find great joy in their work. He is interested in social work management and leadership. As an occupational social worker, Dr. Pooler is interested in assessing and developing interventions for social service organizations so that work environments are healthy, supportive, and just. He also has a strong interest in developing healthy congregations so that they can transform communities.Dr. Pooler is married to Cheryl who is a lecturer in the Garland School of Social Work. Their two children were adopted from China; they are Josianne (2000) and Emilie (2003).Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Instagram Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse Advocacy and Research Collaborative—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ever wonder what it’s like to run a community solely focused on spiritual abuse?From dealing with the regular stream of scandals and stories to the practicalities of managing the business, it helps to hear how others navigate this field. In this episode, I talk with my friend Amy Fritz, creator and host of the Untangled Faith podcast. We get really honest and a little bit vulnerable about our thought processes, how we make the decisions we do, and what we hope for our communities. Listen to learn how we approach best practices and navigate this space with wisdom, grace, and compassion.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Amy is the creator and host of the Untangled Faith podcast, where she invites her listeners to join her for conversations about what it's like to hold on to your Christian faith while untangling it from all the things that should have never been tied to faith in the first place. After several years of podcasting and connecting with individuals who have made difficult and beautiful decisions, and wrestled through what they believe Amy has discovered that her most important work is to offer encouragement, community, and space to folks in this "untangling" space.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | Threads | BlueSky | SubstackUntangled Faith Podcast | Apple & Spotify“Responding in Reactionary Times” on SubstackGet your own “Bad Church Ladies” t-shirtPosture Shift Ministries—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Many people who have read The Parable of the Sower interpret it as: You have to be the “good soil”, or else.However, in my conversation with Jeff Chu, he reframes what good soil actually means and how it’s made. Pulling from his latest book, Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand, Jeff guides us through a beautiful discussion on the theology of compost, returning to cultural roots, embracing diversity, being attentive to beauty, befriending the dark, and more. Perhaps even withered plants, thorns, and rock-laden soil can be used for our flourishing. I hope you’ll listen.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Jeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer,” Chu writes about spirituality, gardening, food, travel, and culture. He lives with his husband, Tristan, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Links & Resources 🔗Website | Instagram | SubstackGood Soil by Jeff Chu Amazon | BookshopOthered by Jenai Auman Amazon | BookshopA Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wil Gafney Amazon | Bookshop—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Are there communities that support survivors of religious trauma without being…religious? Spiritual abuse doesn’t only happen in churches. It can happen anywhere and to anyone, but there’s rarely space for all voices and experiences to be heard.I recently spoke with the four founders of the newly launched Religious Trauma Network. These four are creating a place that proves you can have a community of healing without believing the same thing—and they want to help others find this for themselves.In our conversation, they each share what led them into this career, how they met, and what the Religious Trauma Network is all about. My favorite part, though? They share what healing means and how it doesn’t have to look spiritual for it to be true.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨The Religious Trauma Network’s mission is to offer comprehensive information, resources, and support for individuals recovering from religious trauma while raising awareness and equipping professionals and organizations to create safe, trauma-responsive spaces inside their faith or healing communities.Website | Instagram | FacebookBooks/Films/Resources Mentioned:Religious Trauma Network Blog (open to public submissions)Trauma in the Pews by Janyne McConnaughey  on Amazon | BookshopWhat Lies Inside: Healing in the Face of Trauma film by Luke Renner—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

When your true face has been hidden for so long, what is it like to finally reveal it?In this episode, we dive into connection, community, relationships, and what happens when it all falls apart. How do you save face in the presence of such incredible loss?We explore memory and story work, and how it helps us to unveil present realities by examining our history.Join us for a more introspective trip into Aimee's path as a writer, mother, daughter, wife, and a woman caught in the crosshairs of church leadership.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Aimee is an author, speaker, blogger, podcaster and former coffee shop owner. Aimee is the author of several books, including Saving Face, The Hope in Our Scars, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Sexual Reformation. Her articles have appeared in First Things, Table Talk, Modern Reformation, By Faith, New Horizons, Ordained Servant, Harvest USA, and Credo Magazine and she has been interviewed and quoted in Christianity Today and The Atlantic.Website  |  Instagram  |  SubstackSaving Face by Aimee Byrd  on Amazon | BookshopOthered by Jenai Auman  on Amazon | BookshopThe Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg & Robert Guelich on AmazonTill We Have Faces by CS Lewis  on Amazon | Bookshop—————Subscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube ————— We need your help. Your gift of just $25 will make a big difference and help us continue this work. Donate today. ————— Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review on Apple or on Spotify. They’ll help us share these conversations and resources with more people, and let us know how we can better serve you. ————— Broken to Beloved is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides practical resources for recovery from and safeguarding against spiritual abuse.—————As an Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliate, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.