Beyond The Surface

In this bonus episode, Sam sits down with ex-Mormon therapists Ashley and Melissa to unpack the latest season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives through the lens of religious trauma and deconstruction. Drawing from both their lived experience and clinical work, they discuss the heavier themes woven through the show; sexual assault, childhood trauma, purity culture, and the emotional toll of life inside a high-control religious system. Ashley shares how confronting it can be to watch stories that echo her own, while Melissa highlights the importance of understanding the hidden dynamics that shape these women’s lives. Together, they explore what healing can look like after Mormonism, the power of community, and why compassion is essential for anyone navigating their way out of a restrictive faith.

Who are Ashley & Mellissa?

Ashley Buckner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Utah and California. Specialising in a form of trauma therapy called Brainspotting that works to help people find more regulation in their nervous system. She has the additional speciality of religious trauma and faith transitions. Ashley was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (aka: the Mormon Church) and later left in 2008.

~~~

Mellissa Perry Hill, MS, LPC is a therapist, supervisor, educator, and founder of Inner Compass Counseling & Consultation, LLC—a Gilbert-based practice specializing in Mormon religious trauma, Mormon faith transitions, and nervous-system-centered recovery after high-control religion. As a clinician who left the LDS church herself, Mellissa blends lived experience with deep clinical training in EMDR, IFS-informed care, DBT, and trauma-responsive narrative work. Her approach is warm, grounded, slightly sassy, and rooted in the belief that healing begins when we stop outsourcing our authority and start listening inward.

Mellissa has been featured on multiple podcasts, panels, and professional mental-health platforms, where she speaks about the intersections of spiritual abuse, identity reconstruction, complex family dynamics, and the physiology of trauma. She is also the author of the Faith Transition Journal on Amazon and hosts an online clinician community dedicated to ethical, inclusive, anti-shame mental-health care.

Outside the therapy room, Mellissa is a mom of three, a sunrise yogi with a soft spot for nervous-system regulation flows, and an unapologetic lover of big books—the kind that sit proudly on your nightstand whether you’re actively reading them or spiritually absorbing them through osmosis.

Her work centers on helping people return to themselves: to the body, to intuition, to inner authority, and to a sense of safety strong enough to hold both the grief and expansion of a faith crisis. Whether she’s supervising clinicians, running groups, creating educational content, or speaking on air, Mellissa reminds people that their inner compass isn’t broken—just waiting to be reclaimed.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Ashley via her website – https://www.ashleybucknerlmft.com/about
• You can also connect over on Instagram

• You can find out more about Mellissa via her website - http://www.inner-compass-counseling.com/
• You can also connect over on Instagram

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this follow-up episode, Liz and Jesse open up about parenting after faith deconstruction, an experience filled with both healing and unlearning. They reflect on how leaving a high-control church reshaped their ideas of authority, discipline, and what it means to raise kids with curiosity instead of fear. Through personal stories, they share the challenges of guiding children who question everything and the beauty in watching them form their own beliefs. Together, they unpack the shift from obedience to openness, from control to connection, and the daily work of letting their kids feel the full range of being human - joy, pain, doubt, wonder, all of it. It’s a heartfelt conversation about breaking cycles, choosing authenticity, and raising children who feel free to be fully themselves.

Connect With Us

• To learn more about Liz & Jesse or The Practice Co head to their website.
• You can follow along over on Instagram – @thepracticeco
• You can download The Practice Co on Apple or Android

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Liz and Jesse join us for a deeply honest conversation about what it means to deconstruct faith while rebuilding a relationship that began inside a high-control church. Liz shares her experience growing up as a pastor’s daughter and the shock of discovering her father’s double life, a revelation that shattered her worldview. Jesse reflects on his eclectic spiritual background and the dissonance of questioning the beliefs that once defined him. Together, they unpack the toll of purity culture, the weight of community expectations, and the struggle to find themselves beyond performance and dogma. Through it all, their friendship has been the anchor that’s held them steady through deconstruction and healing. What emerges is a story of liberation, self-discovery, and rediscovering joy in the simple things.

Connect With Us

• To learn more about Liz & Jesse or The Practice Co head to their website.
• You can follow along over on Instagram – @thepracticeco
• You can download The Practice Co on Apple or Android

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Jeremy shares his experience of growing up within a strict Lutheran sect, offering a candid look at how faith, identity, and his late AuDHD diagnosis intersected throughout his life. From early moments of doubt at just ten years old to the long process of deconstruction that followed, Jeremy reflects on the challenges of navigating a belief system that often discouraged questioning and individuality. The conversation explores how environments rooted in rigid doctrine can stifle self-expression and perpetuate cycles of shame, while also shedding light on the unique ways neurodivergent experiences shape one’s relationship with faith and community. Jeremy reveals the courage it takes to unlearn deeply ingrained beliefs and reclaim a sense of autonomy, offering listeners a deeply human story of resilience, awareness, and healing.

Who Is Jeremy?

Jeremy Schumacher is a therapist, educator, and coach. Jeremy specialises in couples counselling, religious trauma, and sports performance, bringing warmth, adaptability, and depth to his work. Outside the therapy room, he’s often outdoors with his wife, two boys, and three dogs or happily nerding out about books, music, and the psychology of superheroes.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Jeremy on his website - https://wellnesswithjer.com/
• You can connect over on Instagram or Youtube
• Tune in to Jeremy's podcast Your Therapist Needs Therapy

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this episode, Brandie opens up about her experience within a commercial cult operating under the guise of a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme. She reflects on the allure of belonging and empowerment that initially drew her in, and the eventual disillusionment that came with realising the manipulative dynamics at play. Brandie explores the guilt, fear, and loss of autonomy that many, especially young mothers face in these high-control environments. Her journey of leaving the MLM world and rebuilding her sense of self offers a powerful reminder of the importance of self-forgiveness, critical awareness, and community support in reclaiming one’s identity beyond coercive systems.

Who Is Brandie?

Brandie is a student psychotherapist in clinical supervision, and MLM recovery advocate. She believes everyone deserves freedom of mind, so she speaks out about abuses of power and coercion perpetrated by MLM scams.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Flipping The Pyramid
• Connect with Brandie over on Substack or Instagram

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

In this powerful episode, Cheryl shares her courageous journey of escaping the Exclusive Brethren, a high-control religious community marked by isolation and fear. Born into a life defined by strict rules and emotional repression, Cheryl recounts her childhood in rural Saskatchewan, revealing experiences of sexual abuse, indoctrination, and deep psychological control. Leaving the group at just 17, she began the long, painful process of reclaiming her freedom and sense of self. Through raw honesty and reflection, Cheryl offers insight into the emotional toll of religious trauma, the importance of community in recovery, and the transformative power of therapy. Her story stands as a moving testament to resilience, healing, and the human capacity to rebuild after unimaginable loss.

Who Is Cheryl?

Cheryl Bawtinheimer (née Hope) is a survivor of child sexual abuse who escaped the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church at 17. She now speaks internationally about the hidden harms of high-control religious groups and works to support and empower other survivors and insiders still stuck in the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

Connect With Us

• You can connect with Cheryl over on Facebook or Instagram
• For a one-stop shop for the Get A Life Podcast head to their website - https://www.get-a-life.net/

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Raised in an unorthodox Mormon family, Ashley shares her journey of navigating faith, identity, and the pressures of patriarchal religious structures. In this conversation, she reflects on the tension of growing up with a non-Mormon father, the weight of expectations within her community, and the shame that often accompanied rigid doctrine. Now a therapist specialising in religious trauma, Ashley offers candid insight into the process of deconstructing harmful beliefs, reclaiming identity, and finding empowerment beyond the confines of Mormonism.

Who Is Ashley?

Ashley Buckner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Utah and California. Specialising in a form of trauma therapy called Brainspotting that works to help people find more regulation in their nervous system. She has the additional speciality of religious trauma and faith transitions. Ashley was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (aka: the Mormon Church) and later left in 2008.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Ashley via her website - https://www.ashleybucknerlmft.com/about
• You can also connect over on Instagram

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Shunned after leaving the Geelong Revival Center, Jodie shares her journey from the insular world of fundamentalist faith to a more expansive and authentic sense of self. She reflects on the love and community she once knew, alongside the rigid expectations and lack of critical thought that shaped her childhood. Candidly exploring the pain of shunning and the challenge of rebuilding relationships, Jodie offers a powerful story of resilience, healing, and the courage it takes to reclaim identity beyond the confines of a high-control church.

Who Is Jodie?

Born & raised in high control pentecostalism (GRC, of 'pray harder' and Vic Inquiry fame!), 4 generations deep. Jodie left in her 40s with her family. Her dad was a pastor who spoke up about bullying within ministry, and they got kicked out because they had them stay in their home. They suffered some extreme shunning & witnessed some impressive hypocrisy in the church. Now out for almost 3 years and thriving.

Connect With Us

• Connect with Jodie over on Instagram

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Lauren’s story begins with the role of golden child, expected to keep the peace in a high-control family by silencing her own needs and striving for parental approval. Over time, this weight collided with her growing awareness of politics and social justice, sparking questions that clashed with her upbringing and eventually led to estrangement. Her journey captures both the grief of losing family ties and the strength found in choosing authenticity, offering hope to anyone navigating the painful, but liberating, path of self-discovery.

Who Is Lauren?

Lauren Smallcomb is a certified Mind-Body Practitioner whose journey as a healer began at 20 when she became a registered nurse, dedicating a decade to caring for patients in the ER. She later expanded her expertise to become a birth doula and, eventually, a nutritional therapist. In 2020, after making the difficult decision to walk away from a dysfunctional family system, Lauren embarked on a transformative process of rebuilding her mind and body through brain retraining and trauma healing.

This journey inspired her to become a certified Mind-Body Practitioner. Her newfound sense of empowerment prompted Lauren and her therapist husband to establish Flourish Therapy, with the intention of helping others heal and thrive after childhood trauma. Born and raised in upstate New York, they now make their home in Northern Thailand with their children, two dogs, and a cat.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Lauren via her website - flourishtherapy.kartra.com/page/goldenchild
• You can also connect on Instagram, Facebook, and Substack

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective

Hana, known online as the Suburban Witch, shares her journey of deconstructing a Pentecostal upbringing in Australia and the lasting impact of religious trauma. The conversation explores her childhood experiences of indoctrination, including purity culture, conformity, and the pressure to tie self-worth to rigid belief systems. Hana reflects on the psychological toll of growing up in a high-control religious environment and the courage it takes to reclaim identity beyond it.

Through her story, listeners are invited into a deeper understanding of the resilience and healing that comes with unlearning harmful teachings and embracing authenticity, making this episode a powerful offering for anyone navigating faith, identity, and recovery.

Who Is Hana?

Hana is a professional Tarot reader, Astrologer & Witch who helps spiritual seekers go from feeling confused, blocked and overwhelmed to feeling confident, connected and clear in their path through a variety of mediums.

She hosts the podcast ‘Witch Talks’ interviewing key Witches in the community, has a thriving YouTube channel with content from Spellcrafting, Tarot tutorials, Witchcraft basics and even details her own journey from Pentecostal Christian to proud Witch.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Hana and her work via her website - https://www.suburbanwitchery.com
• Connect via Facebook, Instagram & Youtube

• You can find out more about Sam on her website – www.anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au
• To connect with Sam on Instagram – @anchoredcounsellingservices
• Want to contact with Sam about the podcast or therapy? Use this contact form.
• Also check out The Religious Trauma Collective