ExcommuniDate: Life & Love After Religion

24. 2025 Recap: Lessons, Fails, and What's Next

In this year-end recap episode, hosts Austin, Jessa, and producer Miguel pull back the curtain on their first year of podcasting. They share technical disasters (internet outages, mic mishaps, Rubik's cube fidgeting), administrative fails (the "draft" title incident), and lessons learned about audience engagement. Topics include: controversial TikTok comments about Snapchat culture, the importance of guest vetting (enter the "Laz test"), surprising insights from reality TV coverage, and why Mormon Wives content keeps going viral. Expect honest reflections, behind-the-scenes humor, and a look at 2026 plans including YouTube expansion, more reality TV breakdowns, and listener-requested topics. If you're curious about podcasting logistics, love meta conversations about content creation, or have been with the show since day one, this retrospective is for you. Tell us: what do you want to hear in 2026? Follow us on: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/excommunidatepod] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ExcommuniDate] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/excommunidate/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@cupidhasnocreed] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565386854823] | Discord [https://discord.gg/4yFeZ2C7kv] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod]

23. Bible PTSD, Chaos Magic & The Funniest Faith Crisis You’ve Ever Heard

Jack Violently joins Jessa, Austin, and Miguel to share his story of growing up evangelical, slowly losing faith, and figuring out who he is without religion’s script. He opens up about church trauma, purity culture, the fear of questioning doctrine, and the strange freedom that comes after belief collapses. With humor and honesty, they talk about identity, morality outside religion, friendship after deconstruction, and why humor can be a survival tool when everything you believed falls apart. This episode blends vulnerability, storytelling, and sarcasm in classic ExcommuniDate fashion. Follow us on: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/excommunidatepod] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ExcommuniDate] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/excommunidate/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@cupidhasnocreed] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565386854823] | Discord [https://discord.gg/4yFeZ2C7kv] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod]

23. The Ick Index: Scoring Red Flags

In this play-along episode, we put modern dating under a microscope. Hosts Austin, Jessa, and guest Laz share their biggest dating gripes, then score them as icks or red flags from 1 to 5. Topics include: baby-talk sign-offs ("bye-bye now"), the "females" label, texting vs. IRL tone, food etiquette (string cheese, wings, sharing plates), tipping culture, flag-waving patriot games, and barefoot TSA lines. Expect humor, honest takes, and practical cues for better communication, boundaries, and self-awareness. If you're navigating relationships, deconstructing social norms, or love spicy debates about psychology, language, identity, and airport hygiene, this one's for you. Play along and tell us: ick or red flag? Follow us on: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/excommunidatepod] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ExcommuniDate] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/excommunidate/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@cupidhasnocreed] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565386854823] | Discord [https://discord.gg/4yFeZ2C7kv] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod]

22. Raised for the Rapture

What happens when you're raised to believe the world is always ending? Violinist Amber Dobbs unpacks her childhood in The Message, a Pentecostal cult led by prophet William Branham. From apocalyptic fear to shame-based control, Amber shares how she escaped the Branhamites and began deconstructing her faith. Learn to identify brainwashing tactics, understand high control religions, and hear Amber's empowering message of self-validation. Essential listening for anyone navigating religious trauma or deconstruction. Follow us on: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/excommunidatepod] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ExcommuniDate] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/excommunidate/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@cupidhasnocreed] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565386854823] | Discord [https://discord.gg/4yFeZ2C7kv] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod]

21. From Faith to Fiction: A Story of Love, Horror and Deconstruction

What happens when the faith you’ve built your life around becomes the very thing that breaks it apart? In this episode, Jessa and Austin sit down with Rip and Steph Graven to explore their journey from leading ministry to walking away from the church they were asked to help create in the Bay Area. Rip and Steph open up about the heartbreak of spiritual disillusionment, the strain it placed on their marriage and community, and what it means to lose your faith in public. From late-night doubts to watching their church unravel, they share the raw, often untold side of deconstruction: the grief, the guilt, and the quiet courage it takes to start over. Ultimately, their story is one of resilience and rediscovery. Leaving organized religion made space for something unexpected: creativity, honesty, and a new sense of purpose that didn’t require permission to exist. Follow us on: Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/excommunidatepod] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ExcommuniDate] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/excommunidate/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@cupidhasnocreed] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565386854823] | Discord [https://discord.gg/4yFeZ2C7kv] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/ExcommuniDatepod]