My kids all started school this week and I received the paperwork with the demands for scheduling and parent volunteer hours this semester in order for them to participate. It’s much more hectic than I anticipated and the craziness already began this week. As they are entering a busier and more demanding phase in their… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 121: Unexpected Changes

The primary developmental task your teen will go through, whether they grew up in high demand religion or not, is differentiation. Differentiation is a process all humans go through to establish an individual identity separate from their parents and authority figures. It is a process whereby we discover our values, our beliefs, our desires, and… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 120: Helping Your Teen Discover Their Personal Identity

Creating a sense of emotional safety in your home after high demand religion with teens is a little different than starting with young children. You’ve likely already established relationship patterns. And if it feels like your teen is closed off or won’t share their feelings and thoughts freely with you, there’s likely some work needed… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 119: Healing Emotional Safety For Teens After High-Demand Religion

Parenting after deconstructing high demand religion can feel daunting. Going from a system where you’re given a road map for how to raise your children to having to rely on both your inner guidance and the guidance your kids share with you can feel scary and confusing. Creating a parenting environment where you’re able to… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 118: Creating Emotional Safety for Young Children

When we left Mormonism, we were terrified of what that would mean for our kids. It’s been 6 years of trusting ourselves as parents, trusting our kids input about what they want for their lives, and creating a dynamic parenting strategy together. While it has been far from perfect, we’re pleased with how things are… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 117: What We’ve Learned About Parenting Since Leaving High-Demand Religion with Kevin Hales

How do you even begin to create community for yourself after leaving high demand religion? In this episode, Communication Coach, Chris Peck and I explore how we can be intentional with the process, take cues from our relationship with ourselves, and lean into the sometimes awkward rehearsal process of practicing new ways of relating in… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 116: Intentional Community Creation After High-Demand Religion with Chris Peck

I’m so excited to have Chris Peck from Speak Into Action Communications back on the podcast to talk about the subconscious scripts we intentionally or reactively use in our relationships with others. In Part 1 of this episode we explore the difference between showing up intentionally versus showing up in a reactionary way. We also… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 115: Practicing Intentional Scripts to Build Stronger Relationships with Chris Peck

I know you’ve heard it before and you’re going to hear it again at least one more time today. You’re not meant to be everyone’s cup of tea. Today we discuss the reality that you may fully accept who someone is and STILL not be compatible with their reality. It doesn’t mean something is wrong… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 114: How to Deal with Relationship Incompatibility Without Driving Yourself Crazy

We all crave acceptance, but what does it really mean to accept someone? In this episode we discuss the pieces of acceptance everyone seems to agree on…and some of the problematic ideas around acceptance that lead to us feeling used, confused, and sometimes abused. We’ll then talk about how you can walk the line between… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 113: What Acceptance Is (and Isn’t)

Sharing our stories in a safe environment is an important step in healing from trauma. Often we engage in this important step with others who have experienced similar things in their past. When we tell our story and someone else says, “Me too! I get it. I’ve been through something similar” we feel seen, heard,… Read More »Emancipate Your Mind: 112: The Benefits and Pitfalls of Bonding Over Shared Trauma