In this episode, Brady and guest Erin discuss fatphobia, eating disorder recovery, and embodiment. If you'd like to donate to Brady's GoFundMe for expenses related to his family's legal battle and more, please visit https://gofund.me/13befd41 or email him at bradyhardin@gmail.com for direct donations or with interview connections. All help is appre…

After a break lasting over a year and a half, Michelle joins Brady to discuss deconstructing neurodiversity and eating disorder recovery. If you'd like to donate to Brady's GoFundMe for expenses related to his family's legal battle and more, please visit https://gofund.me/13befd41 or email him at bradyhardin@gmail.com for direct donations or with c…

CW: Spiritual, emotional, and physical abuse toward someone who is differently-abled and mention of suicide attempt Dustin VanDyke (featured on HBO's We're Here Season Two finale) is differently-abled and trans. Dustin was restricted from being themselves while in an abusive home, but now they are free to be who they are while inspiring others who …

With one more new episode left in 2021, here's a classic episode with Jamie Lee Finch and my former co-host Chuck Parson. Before the new episode, if you're able, check out the Season Two finale of We're Here on HBO. My next guest is Dustin VanDyke and was featured in that episode. You won't want to miss this! Unbuckling The Bible Belt: Brady Hardin…

For this very special Thanksgiving episode, my ex-wife Jessi McCracken joins the show to deconstruct her high-pressure charismatic upbringing, the saga of our marriage and divorce, how Purity Culture sets unhealthy relationship expectations, coming out as queer, the life-altering power of therapy, co-parenting while deconstructing, and how chosen f…

Vi La Bianca (Skeptic Generation co-host) joins Brady to deconstruct reason's relationship with mental health, rapture anxiety, being neurodiverse, and how to set boundaries with people AND beliefs. With Special Intermission Interview Guest, Sherman the Dog from Adventures in Odyssey. Find Vi's work with Skeptic Generation at SkepticGeneration.com …

Spiritual and leadership coach Taj M. Smith joins Brady to deconstruct Queer Theology, transitioning, and how his love for sci-fi shapes his outlook of the future. They also discuss the Star Trek Next Generation episode, Darmok. With Special Intermission Interview Guest, "Angel" from Netflix's Midnight Mass Find Taj's work here at tajmsmith.com Boo…

Julianne King (Poet and old friend of Brady) deconstructs her LIFE AFTER spiritual abuse with intensely manipulative church leaders. A major event occurred while in the youth group and another afterward. Also, Julianne shares her theory about how the musical Cats represents Evangelicalism. Find Julianne's book of poetry, Bible Belt Revolution, on A…

Singer, Activist Jamar Rogers joins Brady to deconstruct his radiant LIFE AFTER repressing his queerness, receiving a positive HIV diagnosis, appearing on American Idol & The Voice, and learning to silence his inner critic so he could return back to himself. Jamar shares passionate wisdom on how representing real-life experiences does more for the …

Sheri invited me to be on her YouTube Channel, FireSide Creators, alongside Catherine Wilcox, who has an M.A. in English Rhetoric and has researched the role of storytelling as a healing and community-building practice for individuals recovering from religious abuse and trauma. Here's the audio from that conversation as a special bonus before next …

Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas (activist, ally) joins the show to discuss "God" (and why she uses quotes), how an injustice done by a church toward her family pushed her to care deeply about religion, and her perspective on Deconstruction Culture as someone who left fundamentalism years ago ("deconstruction legacy," I'm calling it 😉). Find Sheri's website a…

Content Warning: This episode includes mentions of sexually predatory behavior and the retelling of a racial, anti-fatness comment Emily Dukes joins The Life After to tell how her love for Christian fiction put her on the path to be groomed (use of privileged relationships to normalize exploiting a young person's body) by novelist Ted Dekker, what …

Welcome to The Life After Podcast Season 3! Chuck Parson joins the show one last time as co-host to catch up, announce his departure, and tease his next steps. Stay tuned this season of The Life After Podcast for more important conversations with courageous people about deconstructing Christian beliefs! Transitional music by Nightlightr | CDBaby, i…

Alice Grecyzn (actress and upcoming author) re-joins Chuck and Brady to update her life since the recording of the last episode months and months ago. Follow her important work helping deconstructors at www.daretodoubt.org. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebo…

Alice Grecyzn (actress and upcoming author) joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life after homeschooling as a PK, the Toronto Blessing (a charismatic movement in the 90's), and an almost-wedding pressured upon her by prophecy. Follow her important work helping deconstructors at www.daretodoubt.org. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTun…

Denver-based counselor and coach, Suandria Hall, joins Chuck and Brady to unpack her Life After. Suandaria's father was a preacher. So much of her life was entrenched in church culture, filled with rules and expectations. After learning beyond what the Bible could offer, she became interested in why people do what they do. She landed on counseling …

The Life After Podcast Hosts, Chuck Parson (R) and Brady Hardin (L), take a pause on their backlog of upcoming episodes to have a special, no-guest episode to address Coronavirus. In this episode, they discuss: -how to keep End-Time anxiety at bay during current events -recommendations for staying busy -grieving -meaning-making -Chuck says "fuzzy r…

Victoria Lynn Myers (model) joins Chuck and Brady to unpack her life after! She grew up in a very strict, Independent Baptist home with many, many rules, but Victoria noticed she didn't value the beliefs over her experience like those around her. When her church community showed obsessions with modesty, she knew there were still horrible sexual abu…

CW: Anorexia Chuck and Brady are joined by Laura M, who opens up about her childhood struggling in silence with a Fundamentalism-fueled eating disorder. Laura, like many women raised in Christianity, was taught to be silent and smaller. When tragedy struck her family, she developed anorexia out of a need to be seen and to have a feeling of control …

CW: This episode includes mentions of race-based physical abuse, racial slurs, sexual abuse, and mention of childhood violence. Carrie Maya, calling from Australia, opens up to Chuck and Brady about her life after leaving a high-demand Charismatic community, spiritual abuse, and life-long conditioning to submit to authority. A very tumultuous child…

Ronna Russell joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life after strict Pentecostalism and oppressive Purity Culture. Her saucy memoir, The Uncomfortable Confessions Of a Preacher's Kid, tells her story of not fitting into Christian culture's idea of what a woman should be and how she found her true self instead. The episode begins with advice on how …

Elle Reneé of St. Louis Chapter of Black Nonbelievers joins Chuck and Brady in the studio. Elle's step father was a pastor for multiple churches of varying denominations and current pastor of a nondenominational church, and some of their church services would go all day long. All of this made church a very foundational part of Elle's childhood. Alo…

Counselor ("counsellor" for the Canucks) Janice Selbie joins Chuck and Brady for a insightful, practical conversation on grieving God. Janice came from a ultra-Fundamentalism background that became hyper-charged after marrying her now ex-husband. While working at a bookstore, she befriended a group of Mennonite (Anabaptist) women and began wearing …

Dave Warnock shares with Chuck and Brady about facing his mortality after leaving Christianity and being diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease. He's creating new meaningful relationships and learning to savor the moments of life as an Atheist. They also discuss the pretzels they twisted themselves in to justify Biblical language, whether Dave's i…

Nightlightr (Leighton Pustejovsky, rap artist)​ cuts loose with Chuck and Brady about leaving Christian Fundamentalism after decades of repressing his homosexuality. The three discuss how they had reframed their sexualities to fit within the faith and how discussions on the "unchanging" characteristics of God didn't fit their experiences. Leighton …

Some people don't fit into the boxes. Katelyn Boyles (she/them/he) joins Chuck and Brady to tell their story of self-discovery after living in a home plagued by rigid Fundamentalism. Now married and practicing ethical polyamory, Katelyn encapsulates the importance of living with authenticity. Connect with the Life After Podcast & Community here: li…

Katie and Joe Bauer, married and newly-deconstructing, join Chuck and Brady to discuss campus ministries, speaking in tongues, questioning the faith, critically examining if they were brainwashed, not wanting to lose their faith, doubling down on doubt with service, the complex feelings of realizing Fundamentalism isn't real, and how deconstruction…

Cindy Wang Brandt, author of Parenting Forward, joins the show to discuss how deconstructing parents can pass values to their children without relying on fear and indoctrination. Find out more about Cindy's work, including her book and podcast, on her website, cindywangbrandt.com. Connect with the Life After Podcast & Community here: linktr.ee/thel…

Cass Midgley, former pastor and a host of Everyone's Agnostic Podcast, joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his faith deconstruction, how he found his co-host, blind spots developed from being brought up in Patriarchy, turning from Presbyterian to Baptist, the slippery slopes of allowing yourself to examine doubts, and rebuilding of community. "Mark Dr…

Doug Demick joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his past with Wycliffe Bible Translators, not wanting to preach the Gospel as a Christian, rapture anxiety, marriage while deconstructing, his brush with missions, being more free to love people post-fundamentalism, and how seeking the Holy Spirit and FreeCell Solitaire led to his exit from Fundamentalis…

Fan-favorite Jamie Lee Finch returns to the show! She joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her new book on Religious Trauma Syndrome from Christian Evangelicalism, "You are Your Own." They discuss her experience writing, the unresolved trauma held by our bodies, instilled fear of hell, needs they had as Evangelical children, generational responses to F…

Guest Nikki Mayeux joins Chuck and Brady to dish on reality house dramas🔥, childhood religious OCD and anxiety😟, intrusive thoughts😵, contact evangelism🏈, inner voice♾️, faith deconstructing while married👫, and intentional communities 🗑️ (Crust Punks for Jesus?)! Episode begins with a timely message to women from Chuck. Find links for The Life Afte…

Renowned cult deprogrammer and expert Rick Alan Ross Ross joins Chuck, Brady and special guest host Corey Pigg (Season 1, Episode 20, host of Failed Missionary) to discuss the everything related to harmful cult communities. From how to define a cult and how they work, to assessing what is and isn’t a cult, to discussions about the effects of cults …

Dr. Marlene Winell (human development consultant, educator, and writer) joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life-changing book, "Leaving the Fold," and her ground-breaking research on Religious Trauma Syndrome. They discuss how and why people are often trapped in Christian Fundamentalism and most importantly, how to break free and recover. Visit M…

Andrew Jasko (lifeafterdogma.org) joins Chuck and Brady. He tells his story growing up passionate about Christian Fundamentalism and leaving it all behind. They discuss the Charismatic Movement, damage of sexual repression, the mind-blowing origins of Yahweh and El, how humans respond to suffering, and how the Bible seems to have been pieced togeth…

Last season, Chuck and Brady spoke with Curtis, who lived through gay conversion therapy. This season, a former leader of Love in Action (gay conversion therapy) and author, Tim Rymel, tells his experience. TW: This episode can be triggering for those who had to disassociate from their sexuality to survive in Evangelical envirnoments and others. Ti…

Grammy-nominated songwriter, author, and advocate Jennifer Knapp joins the show to discuss coming out, liberal Christianity, and her music career. Jennifer Knapp runs Inside Out Faith, a non-profit focused on confronting non-affirming churches to encourage more inclusive faith communities. Her memoir, “Facing the Music: My Story,” is available on A…

TW: This episode includes mentions of sexual abuse, extreme spiritual abuse, and a suicide attempt. Angie Jay, spiritual abuse survivor and political activist, joins Chuck and Brady to share her horrifying Evangelical experience when she served as a missions intern at the age of 18. Far from home and family, the missions organization leadership for…

Blake Chastain of #Exvangelical Podcast joins Chuck and Brady to discuss his life after. Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorgBrady Hardin, Chuck Parson, Blake Chastain, Exvangelical által

Chuck and Brady interview a new friend they met purely because of the show, Joey Hill. Joey shares his story of overcoming a gauntlet of obstacles after leaving harmful religion. Determined to keep going, Joey found a unique way to shape his future… but it didn’t go as planned. Brady and Joey discuss how hard it is to bounce back from leaving relig…

On this episode of The Life After, we are talking with our friend, Verdell Wright. Verdell is a theology nerd in the purest sense. Boasting theology degrees from Rutgers, Howard and Wesley Theological Seminary. Verdell is also black, and gay. Put all those things together, along with a very intelligent and well conceived deconstruction and you get …

Corey Pigg joins Brady and Chuck to discuss his experiences as a full-time missionary with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) that made way for his exit from toxic religion. Corey has started his own podcast, which focuses on the dark underbelly of modern missions. He is joined by ex-missionaries to discuss what it means to be “called, not qualified” in a…

Have you recovered what oppressive religion took from you? When Kendal came out as a lesbian, her life never could be the same again. She was once heavily involved in her church’s youth group, but she was banned from being alone with teenagers because of prejudice against her sexuality. This rejection and feelings of purposelessness drove her to al…

TW: This episode mentions a suicide attempt, birth trauma She started off Southern Baptist. Then she was Charismatic. And now, she’s with the Breakfast Church, a weekly group at her house of other people deconstructing their faith (their only doctrine is to eat breakfast, joke about their old lives, and drink mimosas). On this episode, Chuck and Br…

Derek Webb was the lead vocalist for Caemond's Call, a folk/rock band that was wildly popular within Evangelicalism in the early 2000's, before recording solo albums. Known for pushing against the status quo of Christian culture, Derek created a large fanbase of Christians who left like they were on the fringes of their culture. But he had an affai…

Indoctrination is one very essential topic that permeates everything we talk about on this show, but so far we haven’t really addressed it directly. It is so pervasive within religious systems that its almost impossible to talk about anything on this show without it looming in the background. That makes it difficult to really define and nail down. …

What makes counseling good or bad? What ethical laws are in place to protect people from harmful counselors? Are pastors and “church counselors” held to the same standard? How can you know if you’ve been treated fairly by a pastor, church counselor, or therapist? Ari Holtz, PhD is a licensed psychologist. He joined The *Life After Boyz in the studi…

*Chrissy has since transitioned since this episode and the description has been updated to reflect it. Chrissy Stroop, PhD created the #EmptyThePews Movement to ask Evangelicals to examine the fruits of their religion and walk away from its grip. Chrissy joins Brady and Chuck on this episode of The Life After, focusing on the community of ex-evange…

TW: This episode contains stories of sexual, physical, and spiritual abuse (not in great detail). The episode that kept growing! What started as a mini-project to release while Chuck worked on a more complex episode kept putting itself in our view as the news of sexual predators poured out. Much of the world has a problem knowing, defining, and res…

While most of the episodes focus on deconstruction, this episode tackles reconstruction. James Croft, Ed.D., the outreach director of The Ethical Society of Saint Louis, joins Brady and Chuck to answer the extremely important question of what to do after leaving the faith. Many people struggle with establishing a new set of morals and ethics after …