Reconnecting to the Body After Purity Culture w/ Kate Johnson - IG LIVE 5/11/26

Redefining Community After Deconstruction w/ Kate Johnson - IG LIVE 6/30/26

What happens after you leave church? How do you rebuild community after deconstruction without falling into another unhealthy system? In this episode, I sit down with Kate Johnson for an honest conversation about deconstruction, religious trauma, church hurt, and rebuilding community after leaving high-control Christianity. For many exvangelicals, church wasn't just a place to worship—it was your friendships, your identity, your purpose, your support system, and your sense of belonging. So when you leave, you're not just grieving your faith. You're grieving an entire way of life. Together, we explore why loneliness is such a common part of deconstruction, how high-control churches become our "one-stop shop" for community, and what it actually looks like to build authentic, life-giving relationships rooted in freedom instead of obligation. Whether you're navigating religious trauma recovery, healing from church hurt, or simply trying to figure out who you are after leaving evangelicalism, this conversation offers validation, practical ideas, and hope for creating a life that feels genuinely aligned. In this episode, we discuss: * Why leaving church can feel so lonely * The connection between religious trauma and isolation * How high-control churches shape our understanding of community * Why making friends after deconstruction can feel so difficult * Practical ways to build authentic community after leaving church * Creating belonging without sacrificing your individuality * Healing from people-pleasing and finding relationships built on mutual respect If you've ever searched for: * How do I make friends after leaving church? * How do I heal from religious trauma? * Why do I feel lonely after deconstruction? * How do I find community after leaving evangelicalism? …this episode is for you. Come say hi to Allison Rose on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/real_allison_rose], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@real_allison_rose], and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/realallisonrosee]. And check out Kate Johnson's work at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/katejohnsonwrites/] and Substack [https://substack.com/@katejohnsonwrites]. Keywords: deconstruction, religious trauma, exvangelical, church hurt, leaving church, high-control religion, spiritual abuse, purity culture, healing after church, rebuilding community, self-trust, authenticity, former Christian, evangelical deconstruction, religious trauma recovery.

Reconnecting to the Body After Purity Culture w/ Kate Johnson - IG LIVE 5/11/26

Join Kate Johnson and Allison Rose as we discuss what it looks like to reconnect to the body after purity culture. We talk about the messages we received as young women in church around sexuality and how those messages stayed with us long after deconstruction. We also explore ways that we personally have begun to reconnect to our bodies. If you survived purity culture and wondered why you've struggled to reconnect to your body and sexuality again after leaving high-demand Christianity, this live is for you! We also discuss: * Religious Trauma * Sexual Repression * Nervous System Responses * Predatory Culture within Churches * How Purity Culture Disconnects You from Normal Biological Functions * Lingering Guilt and Shame * Identity * Deconstruction and Purity Culture Find Allison on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/real_allison_rose], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@real_allison_rose], & Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/realallisonrosee] Check out Kate's work at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/katejohnsonwrites/] & Substack [https://substack.com/@katejohnsonwrites]

Surviving the IHOP cult: how devotion was used for control (with survivor Brittany Hart)

“They made burnout feel like spirituality.” Most people would never know that some of the biggest and most influential cults are just as prevalent as your local church.  Brittany Hart is a survivor of one of the most infamous groups of the 2000s Christian culture. Poverty, unpaid labor, spiritual manipulation, cultic practices, and all-night prayer rooms are what shaped her adolescence and young adulthood. After breaking free, she is now an author, advocate, and religious-trauma coach who is helping people recover from the pain and abuse that high-control religion gives so many people.  In this episode, we dive deep into just what made this group so toxic and how to find healing after leaving. If you experienced any kind of high-control charismatic church, if you’re learning to forgive yourself for ever being a part of it, or you simply want to hear the story of a fellow survivor, this episode is for you.  Follow more of Allison! Instagram- @real_allison_rose [https://www.instagram.com/real_allison_rose/] TikTok- @real_allison_rose [https://www.tiktok.com/@real_allison_rose?_r=1&_t=ZT-96AYCRu8dy9] YouTube- @real_allison_rose [https://www.youtube.com/@real_allison_rose] Follow Brittany! Instagram- @brittanyhartwrites [https://www.instagram.com/brittanyhartwrites/] End-times healing course [https://brittanyhart.samcart.com/products/end-times-anxiety-checkout] Surviving Wonderland book [https://brittanyhart.samcart.com/products/surviving-wonderland-a-journey-beyond-control?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn0lJWKkgwCj-9x2TL_WiVu6Ju6o3-hl9gB1K4G6zPGDvwSk0HExk4g6LQ44Q_aem_bFroOSe_MN_D8W23s7JgrA] Topics covered: * Converting from Catholicism to evangelicalism  * How cults give you a framework for your whole life * How IHOP operated as a cult * Working in the prayer room all night long * How cults give you acceptance and love like nowhere else * Defending the place that’s traumatizing you * Guilt associated with non-spiritual activities * How the body and mind try to protect us * Lack of pastoral care around fasting practices * Financial struggles and poverty * How end times theology leaves communities self-centered * Mike Bickle’s SA charges * Resources for people coming out of high-control religion Signs of cultic behaviour: * Love bombing and elevating your purpose, meaning, or calling * Creating an “us versus them” mentality * Isolation from family members, friends, or the outside world * Inability to disagree with leadership without consequences  #ReligiousTrauma #CultRecovery #IHOPKC #SpiritualAbuse #Deconstruction #FaithHealing #ReligiousTraumaRecovery #ChurchAbuseAwareness #Exvangelical #TraumaHealing

I’m Sorry for What I Said as an Evangelical Teenager (with Layne Watkins of the Sinful Sticker Shop)

“Tell me that’s not a cult.” Altar calls. Hell House. Covenant ceremonies. After years of growing up within ultra-evangelical churches, exclusive theology, and sexy Jesus, Layne Watkins has made a full 180 and left all the charismatic BS behind her. Now she runs the Sinful Sticker Shop, her way of atoning for the embarrassing stories from her past, something that many of us in the exvangelical space can relate to.  In this episode we dive deep into the traumas, the brainwashing, the grief, and yes, even the laguhter that comes after deconstructing and leaving it all behind. We discuss how the church jacked up our bodies, from our drives to our nervous system, and how to find healing on the journey out.  If you were apart of a system and feel embarrassed about your past self, if you still feel the consequences that high-control religion had on you, or if you simply need a laugh, this episode is for you. Join us in a conversation that is both rich and cathartic.  Content warning timestamps: 9:04- 12:33 Domestic violence Suicide Hell/afterlife torture Abortion/teen pregnancy 43:19 Miscarriage Topics in this episode: * Starting a business in the deconstruction niche space * Assemblies of God church community  * Hell houses for Christ * Exvangelical community and healing * Ego and pride in evangelicalism * Loyd Ziegler and Master’s Commission USA cult * The culture of financial issues as a young adult * Realizing the exclusivity of the church * Having relationships and perspective outside of your bubble * Captivating by Lisa Bevere and “Jesus is my boyfriend” relationships * Sexual suppresion from the church * What healthy conversations about sex with your kids actually looks like * Trauma gained within high control religion * Regulating the nervous system Follow more of Allison! Instagram- @real_allison_rose [https://www.instagram.com/real_allison_rose/] TikTok- @real_allison_rose [https://www.tiktok.com/@real_allison_rose?_r=1&_t=ZT-96AYCRu8dy9] YouTube- @real_allison_rose [https://www.youtube.com/@real_allison_rose] Connect with Layne! Shop the Sinful Sticker collection [http://www.etsy.com/shop/SinfulStickerShop?dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecosia.org%2F] Instagram and TikTok- @sinfulstickershop [https://www.instagram.com/sinfulstickershop/] #TheRecoveringRadical #Exvangelical #ReligiousTrauma #PurityCultureRecovery #DeconstructionJourney #NervousSystemHealing #ChurchTrauma #RecoveringEvangelical #SpiritualAbuseRecovery

5. Asherah: The Divine Feminine Hidden in the Bible (with Feminist Scholar Paige Hunt)

“The divine feminine wasn’t destroyed, it was made invisible.”  Do you ever wonder why Christianity places such an emphasis on men? Do you ever look at the patriarchal church structures and wonder, where are women’s voices? The Bible has a lot to say about women, some uplifting, some suppressing, and everything in between. In this episode of the Recovering Radical, Paige Hunt takes us on a journey through biblical interpretation and archeological usurpations. With a context-dependent and pro-female approach, Paige shows us how Ancient Israel’s beliefs and practices didn’t put women down, but actually empowered them in every way.  Many of us grew up reading the Bible with a literalistic, anti-intuitive, and pro-patriarchy lens. If you’re tired of women’s voices being silenced, if you’re ready to shake the underlying power structures of church doctrine, then this episode is for you.  Topics covered: * Asherah as Mother Goddess alongside Yahweh * Approaching the Bible as an ancient text * Lady Wisdom and ancient goddess figurines * How modern scholars put their own prejudices on ancient practices * How Israel was not “more moral” than the surrounding nations * Prophecy as divination in practice * How Yahweh evolved from the gods of the time * Asherah’s role in spiritual life and symbolism in the Bible * Women and their importance in the ancient communities * How Josiah banned Asherah worship, and how the divine feminine presence is still lingering even today Follow more of Allison! Instagram- @real_allison_rose [https://www.instagram.com/real_allison_rose/] TikTok- @real_allison_rose [https://www.tiktok.com/@real_allison_rose?_r=1&_t=ZT-96AYCRu8dy9] YouTube- @real_allison_rose [https://www.youtube.com/@real_allison_rose] #TheRecoveringRadical #Deconstruction #ReligiousTrauma #DivineFeminine #Asherah #Exvangelical #EmbodiedHealing #FaithDeconstruction #FeministTheology #NervousSystemHealing