The Divorcing Religion Podcast

Dr. Janja Lalich on The Sex & Power Podcast
Guest: Dr. Janja Lalich
Title: Exploitation of Women in Cults
Host: Janice Selbie, MPCC

Warning: This episode discusses SA and coercion in cults

 Dr. Janja Lalich is one of the world’s leading authorities on cults, coercive control, and authoritarian influence. A sociologist, researcher, and cult survivor herself, Dr. Lalich has spent decades exposing...

Sex & Power Podcast

Guest: Sammy, Haram Doodles

My guest today is ex-Muslim atheist, artist, and activist Sammy, the creator behind Haram Doodles. Raised in the U.S. as a first-generation South Asian Muslim, Sammy left Islam over a decade ago. In her words, she left “because I’m a woman.”

In this episode, Sammy shares what it was like growing up with strict religious expectations for girls, and how creati...

Katherine Spearing has spent years listening to the stories most churches would rather stay silent about. As the founder of Tears of Eden, she works directly with survivors of spiritual abuse, helping people untangle trauma, reclaim autonomy, and rebuild trust in themselves after systems of faith have caused harm. Her work centers on the lived realities of abuse, power, and control inside religious spaces—and what it actually...

FIND JANICE:

Janice Selbie's best-selling book, Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook, is available here: https://amzn.to/4mnDxuo

Religious Trauma Survivor Support Groups happen online Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with others for support: https://www.divorcing-religion.com/services

Need help on your journey of healing from Religious...

Sex & Power: Chris Tompkins - The Truth About Shame: Chris Tompkins on Love, Liberation, and LGBTQ Resilience

Chris Tompkins is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who specializes in working with adult gay men. He is also the author of the APA award-winning book Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground. Chris has a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Antioch Universi...

Clara Ritger spent her 20s building a successful media career — producing for U.S. national media such as NBC, WSJ, and TLC — while secretly battling chronic illness and burnout. A ruptured appendix, major abdominal surgery, and skin cancer forced her to reevaluate everything. In this episode, Clara shares how she burned it all down, why rest and healing are radical acts, and what she’s learned about choosing alig...

The Sex & Power Podcast: Truth-telling that liberates with Mike Steve Collins: The Anti-Civil Rights Movement

Mike Collins is the author of The Anti-Civil Rights Movement: Affirmative Action as Wedge and Weapon (University Press of Kansas, 2024), Understanding Etheridge Knight, updated edition (University of South Carolina Press, 2023), and The Traveling Queen (poems, Sheep Meadow Press, 2013). His essays have appeared i...

Detra Denise - Ashes and Embers: How Detra Denise Turned Pain into Power PART 2

In this episode, Detra shares what it was like to go from obscurity to fame after being featured in a 15-part series in the Humans of New York. She also opens up about being offered protection by the gents of the Harlem Cigar Room, and what kept her moving forward instead of giving up.

DETRA’S LINKS:

http://www.detrasstory.com/

https://www.instagram.c...

Detra Denise - Ashes and Embers: How Detra Denise Turned Pain into Power PART 1 

Content Warning: CSA, suicidality, familial estrangement

My guest today is Detra Denise, a former pastor's wife who dared to change her life in unimaginable ways. After leaving her toxic marriage, Detra moved to New York City to start over. Thanks to both her love of connecting with people and her musical and storytelling skills, Detra built an exci...

This week on the Sex & Power Podcast, I'll be speaking with Kiki Negress, The Uppity Negress.

Kiki Bryant is known across platforms as the Uppity Negress: a brilliant, incisive voice on race, feminism, religion, and culture. She is also an entrepreneur and creator. In this episode, Kiki shares about the painful childhood that helped shape her bold, intersectional style of truth-telling. Join us to learn what she wishes white fem...

Jennie Gage - Life, Take Two!

Divorced: Mormonism

TW: Suicide attempt

Jennie Gage is a writer, creator, and former Christian nationalist and Mormon trad wifey turned outspoken advocate for justice, compassion, and community. Through her YouTube channel and “Life, Take Two” podcast, she blends personal story with sharp cultural critique, exposing harmful systems while lifting up the people they fail. Jennie’s work is ...

Melody Post - House of Yahweh Cult
Divorced: Christianity

CW: Mention of suicide and trafficking

Melody Post was a member of the House of Yahweh Cult from 1989 to 1994. At age 18, she was married to the cult leader's son and gave birth to a child within the group, assisted only by midwives, having not seen a doctor throughout her pregnancy. She left in 1994 when the leader, her father-in-law, introduced polygamy into the t...

Elyse Bouvier - Unfolding Faith Film

Divorced: Christianity

Today, Canadian filmmaker Elyse Bouvier joins me to talk about her journey out of Christianity, and how it became the topic of her film Unfolding Faith, which will be released online for free streaming by The NFB – National Film Board – in Canada this month. Here’s a short synopsis of Elyse’s film, which will resonate with many of you: 

Calgary ph...

Dr. Pavna K. Sodhi (Part2) - Navigating Internalized Racism in 3rd-Generation Punjabi-Sikh Immigrants

Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Pavna K. Sodhi. 
Dr. Sodhi joins me again to share her knowledge about Punjabi-Sikh teachings, values, practices, and experiences. Today, we discuss internalized racism and how it can force 3rd-generation Punjabi-Sikh Immigrants to divorce religion. Dr. Sodhi shares her pers...

Dr. Sarah Farrell - Shattering Into a Whole

Divorced: Christian Fundamentalism

 Sarah M. Farrell, PhD, MSW, LICSW is a researcher, academic, and clinical social worker (who sometimes fancies herself a stand-up comedian). She has over a decade of clinical practice experience with diverse clientele. Having grown up in a deeply insular religious group practicing evangelical fundamentalism, she focuses both on seeking empirical know...

Lacey Bond - From Bible Study to Sex Ed, Part 2

Divorced: Christianity

CW: Frank discussion about sex

Lacey Bond (IntimacyLacey) is a Certified Sex, Relationship, and Intimacy Coach and sex/kink educator based in Los Angeles. She's dedicated to helping people heal from Purity Culture, growing healthy relationships with other people and developing awesome, shame-free sexuality. 

Today, Lacey educates us about sexuality spectrums, c...

Timmy Joe Gibson - Former Tongue Talkin, Holy Rollin, Bible Thumper

Divorced: Christianity

Timmy Gibson, is a former fundamental evangelical Bible thumping tongue-talking Holy Ghost Rollin Pastor. After graduating Bible College, Timmy spent 30 years teaching and preaching the Bible, with his main message being that the only way to escape the eternal flames of Hell was to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Ironically, this &...

Lacey Bond - From Bible Study to Sex Ed, Part 1

Divorced: Christianity

CW: Frank discussion about sex

Lacey Bond (IntimacyLacey) is a Certified Sex, Relationship, and Intimacy Coach and sex/kink educator based in Los Angeles. She's dedicated to helping people heal from Purity Culture, growing healthy relationships with other people and developing awesome, shame-free sexuality. 

Lacey lived the quintessential Purity Culture Experie...

David Hayward - The Naked Pastor, Revealed

Divorced: Christianity

My guest today is known by many of you for his powerful cartoons and paintings related to deconstruction from Christianity. I’m speaking with my fellow Canadian, David Hayward, who is an ex-pastor turned full-time artist. David is also known as The Naked Pastor. He's been blogging about spirituality, deconstruction, and religious freedom since 2006. He is also th...