Getting together with family during the holidays can be beautiful… or it can feel like stepping into a spiritual escape room you never signed up for. In this episode of Almost Awakened, Teresa and I dive into the real-life challenges that mixed-faith families face this time of year — from surprise prayers to passive-aggressive testimony moments to the subtle pressure to play your old role in the family system. In this episode of the Almost Awakened Podcast, We’ll walk through 10 practical, human, and emotionally intelligent tools that help you stay regulated, connected, and true to yourself when the room is full of different beliefs and a whole lot of history. If you’re navigating a faith transition, supporting someone who is, or just trying to get through Thanksgiving without a meltdown or a debate about Kolob, this one’s for you.

What you’ll get in this episode:
• Tools to stay grounded when old patterns show up
• Ways to create internal boundaries that actually work
• Scripts for redirecting tricky conversations
• Tips for mixed-faith families who want peace (not pressure)
• How to choose connection over correction
• Why you don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to
• And yes… how to sneak outside for a 2-minute nervous-system reset

We’re here to make your holidays less stressful, more connected, and a whole lot more human.

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Purity culture didn’t begin with religion, it began with control. In this episode, Teresa and Bill explore how ancient systems of ownership and inheritance evolved into moral laws that still shape our relationship to the body, desire, and worth today. Even after leaving high-control faiths, the conditioning remains embodied, showing up as shame, numbness, fear of pleasure, self-policing, and confusion about intimacy. From a trauma-informed and nervous-system lens, Teresa unpacks how sexual shame becomes a learned state of dysregulation, where the body equates arousal with danger. Together, they trace the historical roots of purity codes, examine how they persist in secular culture through double standards and body judgment, and invite listeners to begin reclaiming trust in their own desire and sensual aliveness. This episode explores: The anthropological origins of purity culture and why it once served social survival. How shame becomes wired into the nervous system. The psychological and somatic effects of sexual repression. How purity messages impact women, men, and queer people differently. The process of deconstructing purity conditioning and rebuilding embodied safety, curiosity, and pleasure. Healing isn’t rebellion, it’s integration and remembering who you were before shame told you your body was the problem.

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Learn more about coaching at https://awakenandthrive.org Referenced

Resources:
Pleasure Activism – Adrienne Maree Brown
Come As You Are – Emily Nagoski
Pure – Linda Kay Klein
Shameless – Nadia Bolz-Weber
Beyond Shame – Matthias Roberts

In this episode of Almost Awakened, we dig into the emotional weapon that too many of us have been shaped by—shame. Bill and Teresa break down how unhealthy systems—religious, familial, and relational—use shame to keep people small, obedient, and disconnected from their true selves. We explore the difference between guilt and shame, unpack the mechanics of control, and call out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways shame is embedded in Mormonism and beyond. Topics covered: How shame hijacks our sense of worth and belonging Lesser-known examples of shame-based control in high-demand religions The psychological damage caused by chronic shame Why not all shame is bad (and how it can serve society) A quick overview of Brené Brown’s Shame Resilience Method How to build awareness, speak shame, and reclaim your inner authority Whether you’re fresh out of Mormonism or years into your healing journey, this episode offers insights to help you recognize shame for what it is—and reclaim your right to live free from it.

Join us for a conversation that’s raw, real, and liberating. You’re not bad. You’re awakening.
Join us at our NEW CHANNEL: @almostawakenedpodcast3619
Join the conversation.

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Learn more about coaching at https://awakenandthrive.org

What happens when trauma awareness turns into over-protection, and healing gets stuck in the identity of what harmed us? In this episode of Almost Awakened, Teresa Hobbs and Bill Reel unpack the concept of fragilization; the process by which individuals and cultures become organized around avoiding discomfort in the name of safety. Drawing from their work supporting people through religious trauma, deconstruction, and nervous system healing, Teresa and Bill explore how the instinct to protect ourselves can sometimes keep us trapped in patterns of helplessness. They discuss how to honor pain without becoming fused with it, how validation can restore dignity without reinforcing dependency, and why resilience requires learning to tolerate life’s inevitable discomforts. They also explore: How “trauma bonding” can become a comfort zone The difference between co-regulation and dependence Why denial breeds fragility How true strength comes from integration, not suppression The cultural consequences of fragilization: polarization and loss of resilience This conversation invites nuance, compassion, and empowerment, recognizing that honoring the wound is essential, but staying in it can keep us small. For those healing from high-demand religions or systems of control, it’s a reminder that real freedom isn’t the absence of pain, it’s the ability to hold both safety and strength as we grow.

Join us at our NEW CHANNEL:  @almostawakenedpodcast3619 
Join the conversation.
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Books Mentioned:
“The Expectation Effect” by David Robson – https://a.co/d/aRCk3wy
“The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt – https://www.thecoddling.com/buy

In this episode of Almost Awakened, Bill and Teresa explore one of the most misunderstood aspects of emotional health, boundaries. We unpack what safe and unsafe boundaries look like, how trauma and conditioning shape the ways we draw our lines, and why some “boundaries” are really just walls disguised as self-protection. You’ll learn how to identify when a boundary is rooted in fear versus self-respect, and how to create space for connection without sacrificing your safety or authenticity. If you’ve ever felt guilty for setting boundaries, or confused when someone else’s “boundary” felt more like a punishment, this conversation will help you untangle what’s actually going on beneath the surface.

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What happens when your church convinces you that your own memories, questions, and feelings can’t be trusted? In this episode of Almost Awakened, Bill Reel and Teresa Hobbs unpack the dark art of religious gaslighting — how high-demand faiths twist reality, dismiss legitimate concerns, and make believers doubt themselves under the guise of “God’s will.” We’ll explore: What gaslighting is and how it got its name Five real-world examples from Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology, and more How leaders rewrite history, dismiss evidence, and blame the victim The deep psychological harm caused when faith makes you distrust your own perception Practical tools and therapeutic insights for healing from religious gaslighting If you’ve ever been told “you’re misremembering” or “your doubts are from the adversary,” this conversation will hit home. And if you’re working through the trauma of spiritual manipulation, we’ll share concrete steps to reclaim your reality, rebuild trust in yourself, and move forward with clarity.

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Need support? If you’re dealing with spiritual trauma, 1-on-1 coaching and support groups are available at https://awakenandthrive.org/

Join our Religious Transition support group  – https://www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com/circle

The Almost Awakened Podcast is planning out a “Opposing Viewpoints” series and in this first episode of our new Opposing Viewpoints series, Bill shares a recent confrontation he had with a Mormon apologist—an exchange where both sides walked away feeling the other had acted in bad faith. Together, Bill and Teresa unpack the experience, steelman the apologist’s position and motivations, and vulnerably explore Bill’s own thought process and responses in the moment. What happens when two people both believe they’re standing for truth, yet each feels misrepresented by the other? What drives these kinds of clashes, and what would it take to not only understand each other better, but to create more productive, respectful dialogue? Join us as we wrestle with the paradoxes of human interaction—where sincerity meets suspicion, conviction meets doubt, and the chance for deeper understanding lies in the tension between.

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In this episode of the Almost Awakened Podcast, Bill Reel and Teresa Hobbs explore why stillness can feel so uncomfortable, especially for those recovering from religious trauma, chronic stress, and nervous system dysregulation. Teresa shares a powerful moment between them as a couple when a simple request for soothing touch opened the door to a deeper mindfulness and somatic tracking practice. Together, they talk about why so many of us are constantly moving, fixing, distracting, or bracing… and how mindfulness can help us gently be with our sensations rather than run from them. They discuss: The science behind mindfulness and why it heals. How early life stress and religious programming affect the nervous system. What it means to separate the “story” from the “sensation”. How mindfulness can repattern trauma responses and support nervous system regulation. Mindfulness as a form of re-parenting and building secure attachment. This episode is raw, vulnerable, and full of practical insight, especially for post-Mormons, ex-vangelicals, or anyone rebuilding safety in their body and relationships after trauma.

Teresa’s blog post on mindfulness: https://www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com/post/rewiring-for-connection-how-trauma-informed-mindfulness-rebuilds-the-inner-architecture-of-safety

Book on Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness: https://a.co/d/4tXisU2

Interested in trauma-informed coaching or somatic healing? Learn more at: https://www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com Whether you’re deconstructing religion, healing from chronic symptoms, or just trying to slow down… this episode offers a sacred tool to help you come home to yourself.

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In this episode of Almost Awakened, Bill and Teresa explore the transformative shift from external obedience to internal integrity. What happens when we stop living by someone else’s rules and start listening to our own inner voice? The conversation dives into the psychology of control, the cost of compliance, and the courage it takes to choose authenticity. With humor, vulnerability, and practical insight, they unpack how we were conditioned to equate obedience with virtue—and how reclaiming our autonomy is the path to real wholeness. If you’ve ever felt like your strings no longer fit, this one’s for you. [Almost Awakened: 192]

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[Almost Awakened Ep: 191] What happens when obedience no longer defines you? In this episode, we explore the tender, disorienting, and ultimately liberating journey of shifting from a life shaped by external authority to one grounded in inner truth. We unpack how high-demand systems condition us to equate obedience with worth—and how, once that structure falls away, we’re left with a terrifying silence that’s actually a blank canvas.

Together, we examine what integrity really means—not moral perfection, but alignment between who you are and how you live. With honesty, vulnerability, and practical insight, we guide you through the void, the rebuilding, and the quiet bravery of living in congruence with yourself—especially when it costs you belonging.

This isn’t a call to rebellion. It’s an invitation to return to yourself.

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