Beyond The Surface

In this episode, Michelle shares her story of growing up in a non-traditional Southern Baptist environment and how it shaped her sense of self. While her experience didn’t always match mainstream ideas of Southern Baptism, it still carried its own form of control and complexity. Through honest conversation, we explore how religious identity can look different for everyone and how stepping away from it can open the door to deeper self-understanding. This episode is a reminder that faith journeys are rarely simple, and there’s power in questioning what we’ve been taught.

Who Is Michelle?

Michelle F. Moseley is a licensed clinical mental health counsellor providing therapy in North Carolina, USA. She specialises in working with individuals who have experienced spiritual abuse and religious trauma, having her own lived experience of both. Michelle's work also includes HAES-aligned body image services, adult ADHD/Autism assessments, and educational workshops for a variety of audiences.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Michelle via her website - https://michellefmoseley.com/
• You can also connect on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn

• 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

This podcast episode delves into the complex journey of Melissa leaving the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church, who shares her personal narrative of deconstruction and recovery from high-control religious frameworks. We examine the intricate layers of her upbringing, including the strictures imposed by the church that shaped her identity and relationships. Throughout, we explore the psychological ramifications of such a rigid belief system, particularly how it influences one's autonomy and self-perception. Melissa shares her evolving understanding of spirituality, ultimately gravitating towards a secular perspective while remaining open to the mysteries of existence. This episode serves as a poignant reflection on the struggles and triumphs inherent in the process of liberation from dogma, offering insights for those traversing similar paths.

Who Is Melissa?

Known as 'The Glory Whole' on social media; and is writing her religious-trauma recovery memoir HOLY DISOBEDIENCE coming out in 2026 with Lake Drive Books.

Connect With Us

• Connect with Melissa over on Instagram - @the.glory.whole

• 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

This episode dives into the powerful story of a former Mormon who shares her journey from being a devoted member of the church to reclaiming her autonomy and identity. Elayna opens up about growing up in a tight-knit Mormon community, where strict rules around purity and behaviour made her feel isolated and controlled. She talks honestly about the fear, guilt, and loneliness she carried as a child, and how those feelings eventually pushed her to question and leave her faith.

A really eye-opening part of the conversation explores her decision to become a stripper, a bold move that she frames as reclaiming her body, power, and freedom. This shift wasn’t just about a new career but about pushing back against stigma and healing from past trauma. She explains how setting boundaries and embracing consent helped her build a sense of agency she’d never had before.

Who is Elayna?

Elayna is an ex-Mormon turned stripper! Mormonism brought her sexual shame while the sex industry brought her sexual healing. The work of Dr. Marlene Winell was pivotal in her religious recovery process.

Connect With Us

• You can more about Elayna on her website - https://www.elaynalove.com
• You can also connect over on Instagram - @elaynalove

• 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, we hear Joel’s story of growing up queer within the weight of conservative evangelical beliefs while slowly finding refuge in contemplative forms of Christianity. He shares his journey from internal conflict and suppression to a life where both his faith and sexuality are fully embraced. We talk about the emotional and mental toll of hiding parts of yourself, the challenges of coming out in religious spaces, and the quiet power of being known. Joel’s reflections on authenticity, connection, and spiritual depth offer hope for anyone walking the long road of integration and healing.

Who is Joel?

Dr. Joel Hollier is a theologian, pastor, researcher and educator whose work sits at the crossroads of faith, sexuality, and inclusion. With a background in pastoral ministry, he brings a nuanced understanding of theology, guided by empathy and scholarly depth. Joel engages diverse communities with an open heart, addressing the harm caused by exclusionary religious practices and doctrines. His writing, teaching, and mentoring empower others to embrace a more expansive, affirming spirituality. By fostering dialogue, he helps people reclaim their narratives and find belonging in spaces once marked by judgment or fear.

Connect With Us

• You can find out more about Joel via his website - https://www.joelhollier.com/
• You can connect via Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn

• 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

Spiritual abuse is at the heart of this episode, as Tyler shares his powerful story of leaving a high-control evangelical ministry and the emotional fallout that followed. Raised in a conservative Christian environment, Tyler opens up about the deep impact of excommunication, shame, and the pressure to conform, especially as he began to embrace his queer identity. We dive into the complex layers of faith, sexuality, and recovery, exploring how authoritarian leadership and love bombing shaped his experience. This conversation is raw, honest, and ultimately hopeful, offering a glimpse into the messy but beautiful process of healing, reclaiming identity, and finding community after spiritual harm.

Who Is Tyler?

A ever-curious and ever-evolving learner, Tyler Williamson is a queer bartender and life coach based in Birmingham, Alabama. Tyler worked in full-time evangelical Christian ministry across the US for 12 years until experiences of spiritual, emotional, and narcissistic abuse broke his heart and helped wake him up. Tyler began his deconstruction process in the midst of great grief and loss, but has been finding deep healing in de- and re-constructing his life and faith. And finally getting to date boys

You can find him and more of his story on his Instagram @wtylerwilliamson. And he would love to work with anyone as a coach who is interested in processing through deconstruction, coming out, grief, spiritual abuse, or learning how to life life more fully and authenticity.

Connect With Us

• You can connect with Tyler on either Facebook 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 a compelling and heartfelt discussion, the podcast explores the challenges of navigating faith alongside the complexities of queerness and personal identity. The conversation centres around Steff’s life experiences, marked by the duality of their upbringing in a conservative religious setting and their exploration of their queer identity. We unpack the societal pressures and inner conflicts that can arise when someone begins to question long-held norms, especially within faith communities. Steff shares openly about their journey of self-discovery, the importance of vulnerability, the search for belonging, and the healing power of telling your story. This episode is a reminder of how crucial it is to create spaces where people can show up fully as themselves; no masks, no shame and imagine a version of faith that makes room for everyone.

Who Is Steff?

Steff Fenton (they/them) is a genderqueer writer, speaker, educator, and advocate who empowers people to celebrate the intersections of being trans, queer, and Christian. After ten years of advocacy within the Anglican Church, Steff founded and co-pastored an independent church in Sydney, and a network for LGBTIQA+ church inclusion, called Equal Voices. As a freelance "pastor" Steff is passionate about cultivating safe spiritual spaces for trans and queer people of faith. Steff enjoys facilitating empathetic trainings, workshops, keynotes, and group sessions, as well as being a wedding celebrant and author of an upcoming book called Gender Expansive Faith.

Connect With Us

• You can find out more about Steff via their website
• You can connect via Facebook and 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 episode, Brandon shares his experience of coming out of evangelicalism and navigating the complex intersections of faith, identity, and queerness. Raised in a non-denominational charismatic church, Brandon reflects on how that environment shaped his worldview and the deep tension he felt trying to reconcile his sexuality with what he was taught. We talk about the grief of coming out, the pain of rejection from family and community, and the long, messy process of reclaiming autonomy. This conversation is a powerful reflection on what it means to leave behind a version of faith that harms, and to choose a life rooted in honesty, courage, and connection.

Who Is Brandon?

Brandon Flanery is an ex-pastor, ex-missionary, ex-evangelical who writes about the tenuous intersection of faith and sexuality. He’s conducted research on why people are leaving Christianity and is published with The Scribe, Baptist News Global, the University of Colorado, and the award-winning Colorado Springs Indy. In addition to writing, he co-founded the LGBTQ+ Christian dating app—believr—and lives in Atlanta.

Connect With Us

• Find out more about Brandon via his website
• You can also connect on Facebook & Instagram
• Be sure to grab yourself a copy of Brandon's Memoir - Stumbling: A Sassy Memoir about Coming Out of Evangelicalism

• 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

Josie’s journey from devout Anglican to questioning her faith is one of courage and introspection, a path familiar to many who’ve walked the tightrope between belief and doubt. Embraced by the Church at just 10 years old, her decades-long relationship with faith shaped her identity in profound ways. In this episode, Josie opens up about navigating evangelism, rigid gender roles during her college years, and the inner conflict between personal desires and religious conditioning. We also explore the church’s treatment of marginalised people and the tension this created within her own family. Her story is a powerful reminder that deconstruction is not about rejection. It’s about growth, agency, and learning to live with questions.

Who Is Josie?

Dr. Josie McSkimming is a psychotherapist, academic, author and consultant who has long explored the intersections of identity, belief, and relational dynamics. Specialising in the fallout from fundamentalist religious communities, she works with clients to make sense of fear, shame, and confusion that often linger long after departure. Josie’s therapeutic style is warm, inclusive, and attuned to cultural nuances. Through research, training, and clinical practice, she assists individuals in examining old narratives, building healthier relationships, and forging more authentic understandings of faith, spirituality, and their own inner lives.

Connect With Us

• You can connect with Josie via her Website, Instagram or LinkedIn
• You can find Josie's 2 books here - Gutsy Girls & Leaving Christian Fundamentalism and the Reconstruction of Identity

• 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

AJ was just 15 when she was drawn into Mormonism, pulled in by the love-bombing and sense of belonging it offered. In this episode of Beyond the Surface, she shares what it was like to join the Church from a secular background, navigate strict rules and rituals through her teen years, and eventually face the slow, painful process of questioning everything. From avoiding certain rites as a “convert” to the metaphorical shelf of doubts finally breaking, AJ’s story is one of deep emotional complexity. After leaving, she began to rebuild her identity—embracing polyamory, autonomy, and a life beyond shame.

Who Is AJ?

AJ is an ex-Mormon yoga vegan hippie who lives life according to her own heart and desires. After realising the conventional & religious life she was conditioned into wasn't serving her, she started following her own path. First, it was a career change, then she walked away from 15 years of infertility choosing to be childfree, and within that time she discovered religion was not for her as well. As she started to explore herself and the life she wanted, she created @authenticallyrelating_aj to chronicle her experience through deconstructing monogamy, exploring polyamory and eventually landing on her own authentic heart led path she travels today.

Connect With Us

• Connect with AJ via 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.

Colby, a pastor, and author of Unclobber shares his journey of deconstructing his faith, particularly around LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church. Growing up in a conservative Baptist environment, he reflects on how deeply ingrained beliefs of exclusion shaped his views, and how he came to see the Bible’s so-called “clobber passages” as a message of love and acceptance. Colby discusses the challenges of reconciling his upbringing with his new affirming beliefs, emphasising the importance of staying true to oneself despite potential backlash. This conversation invites listeners to question harmful narratives and explore a more inclusive, compassionate version of Christianity that values love, justice, and diversity.

Who Is Colby?

Colby has been a pastor for over 20 years. His first decade took place within the evangelical world of his roots and education, while the past 12 years have been in post-evangelical, progressive Christian churches and spaces.

As the author of two books (UnClobber: Rethinking Our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality, and, The SHIFT: a survival guide for becoming a progressive Christian), and as a prolific writer at PerspectiveShift.co, Colby continues to be a sought after voice for progressive Christianity.

Currently a traveling preacher, digital pastor, and touring speaker, Colby advocates for an approach to the Christian faith that is rooted in the Way of Jesus, while also being adaptive to the world we inhabit.

Connect With Us

• You can find all of the ways to connect with Colby via his website - https://www.colbymartinonline.com/
• You can also connect via Instagram - @colbymartin

• 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.