Broken to Beloved Podcast

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 about patriarchy and hierarchy, spanking and discipline, and the ways that these messages set up compliant Christian children for future abuse.Listen in for a compassionate look at at how we can approach parenting (and learning to reconcile with our own stories of how we were raised) with a more informed lens that balances both therapy and theology through a trauma-informed lens.Guest Spotlight ✨ Marissa Franks Burt is a novelist, editor, teacher, and cohost of the At Home with the Lectionary and In the Church Library podcasts. She lives in a small town in Washington's Snoqualmie Valley with her husband, six children, and heaps of books.Kelsey Kramer McGinnis is a musicologist, educator, and correspondent for Christianity Today, writing on worship practices and Christian subculture. She is an adjunct professor at Grand View University in Des Moines and previously worked at the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.Meaghan Hampton is a Christian therapist, writer, and parenting educator passionate about integrating faith, psychology, and neuroscience to support families on their journey toward healing and wholeness.Links & Resources 🔗 Marissa: Website | Instagram | SubstackKelsey: Website | Instagram | Substack | “In the Church Library” podcastThe Myth of Good Christian Parenting by Marissa Burt and Kelsey McGinnis | 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.

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 churches, and how money and politics are at play. Tune in to hear numerous stories and examples, including Scott's own reflections from working in churches, discovered in his process of writing Gods of The Smoke Machine.Guest Spotlight ✨ Scott Latta is an award-winning journalist who has spent a decade reporting for humanitarian organizations on conflict, displacement, and climate change around the world. He is the author of the new book, Gods of the Smoke Machine: Power, Pain, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism in the Megachurch, which explores how large churches coalesce power and political influence. He lives in Oregon.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Substack | BlueSkyGods of the Smoke Machine | Amazon | BookshopPost Evangelical CollectiveRestored Voices CollectiveSupport 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.

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 benefit people who have experienced spiritual trauma.Guest Spotlight ✨ Ian Morgan Cron is a bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, Episcopal priest, and the host of the wildly popular podcast, "Typology," which has over 20 million downloads. His books include the Enneagram primer The Road Back to You, which has sold over one million copies; as well as Chasing Francis; Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me; The Story of You; and his newest book, The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between.Links & Resources 🔗 Website | Instagram | Typology Institute | Typology PodcastThe Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between | Amazon | Bookshop.orgThe Story of You | Amazon | Bookshop.orgThe Road Back to You | Amazon | Bookshop.orgSupport 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.

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 practical understanding of polyvagal theory.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Dr. Arielle Schwartz is a licensed psychologist and leading voice in the healing of trauma. She is an internationally sought-out teacher and author of eight books including The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook, Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma, and Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga. As the founder of the Center for Resilience Informed Therapy, she offers a mind-body approach to therapy for trauma and informational mental health and wellness updates through her writing, public speaking, social media presence, and blog. She believes that the journey of trauma recovery is an awakening of the spiritual heart.Website | Instagram | YouTubeLinks & Resources 🔗The Polyvagal Theory Workbook for Trauma by Arielle Schwartz | Amazon | BookshopThe Complex PTSD Workbook | Amazon | BookshopCenter for Resilience Informed TherapySupport 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.

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 unintentional harm of someone minimizing or demonizing your pain, listen in.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Peridot Gilbert-Reed, Ph.D., is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist as well as a supervisor in both areas. She received her Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with a concentration in theology from Liberty University. Her research focuses on spiritual abuse and spiritual bypass (as received by another person). Her research, combined with her own lived experience with spiritual abuse, provides a unique lens into spiritual trauma and its impact. She is an adjunct professor for Liberty University.Website | Instagram | FacebookLinks & Resources 🔗988 Crisis HotlineWounding Words: A Phenomenological Study of How Individuals Experience Receiving Spiritual Bypass | Dissertation by Peridot Reed, 2023"Don't Spiritually Bypass Your Church-Hurt Neighbor" | Article by Peridot Reed with Christianity TodaySupport 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.

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. As we move to close out 2025, we're hoping to raise $7,000 in one-time donations and $3,100 in monthly donations. Giving Tuesday is December 2, and this is your invitation to join us in supporting our mission.Donations make up almost 30% of our annual income, and we truly can't survive without you and your support. You are the heroes that allow us to continue this work.Last year, it only took 55 people to help us raise over $10,000! This year, we're hoping a few more of you will join us reach our goal. We're looking for:5 donors at $100/month20 donors at $50/month40 donors at $25/month60 donors at $10/monthWould you consider becoming one of our 125 heroes by clicking here to support our mission? If you can give more, less, or want to give a one-time donation, you can also set that up here. Get the full show notes here. 📄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.

Sara Billups, a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator, discusses her journey with anxiety and how it can be reframed as a source of creativity and empathy. She delves into her book, Nervous Systems, addressing ways to find hope amid chaos, especially within the church. Sara critiques consumer wellness culture, advocating for spiritual practices that promote true wholeness. She reflects on re-entering church communities after experiencing harm, emphasizing the importance of belonging, mutual care, and the power of communal rituals to heal and connect.

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 book, co-written with Scott Erickson, In The Low: Honest Prayers for Dark Seasons, and how he has learned to embrace anxiety and depression. Your heart will stir as you hear his story and compassion for those stuck in the low, especially those who have lost their faith community due to spiritual abuse.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Justin McRoberts is an author, coach, speaker, and songwriter. For over 20 years, Justin has helped artists, ministers, and entrepreneurs find their way and solve problems in their creative processes. When he's not writing, speaking, or coaching, you can find him as the host of the At Sea Podcast. He lives in the East San Francisco Bay Area.Website | Instagram | PodcastLinks & Resources 🔗In the Low by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson | Amazon | BookshopIn the Absence of the Ordinary by Francis Weller | 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.

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 singleness and loneliness, and how to diversify your community. This is a must listen for anyone seeking hope for healing.Get the full show notes and links here. 📄Guest Spotlight ✨ Katherine is the founder of Tears of Eden, a nonprofit supporting survivors of spiritual abuse, and the former executive producer and host of the groundbreaking podcast Uncertain, a podcast that pioneered pivotal conversations around Spiritual Abuse. She also is a Certified Trauma Recovery Practitioner working primarily with clients who have survived cults, high-control environments, spiritual abuse, and sexual abuse.Katherine is a huge advocate for the power of art to help us on our healing journey. She participates in improv theater both as a performer and coach and is the author of one novel. She has been a guest on a number of podcasts, including IndoctriNation and A Little Bit Culty, is the author of several nonfiction articles, and writes regularly at katherinespearing.com and tearsofeden.org.Links & Resources 🔗Website  |  Tears of Eden  |  Instagram  |  NewsletterA Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts by Katherine Spearing on Amazon | BookshopContinued Conversation with Heather GargisBITE Model of Authoritarian Control PDF download by Steven HassanSupport 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.

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 notesLinks & Resources 🔗 Support our mission with a monthly donationRead about Our ValuesRead “Responding in Reactionary Times” on SubstackApply for the THROUGH CohortSimilar Episodes You Might LikeEpisode 066: Integrity and Theology with Meaghan HamptonEpisode 063: A Rebellion of Care with David GateEpisode 061: Healing After Spiritual Trauma with Dr. Hillary McBrideEpisode 036: Burning a Path to Renewal with Erin MoonEpisode 003: Making a Space for Everyone with Jenai AumanSupport 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.