What happens when church rules and family expectations squeeze too tight? You either suffocate—or break free. 

In this episode, Austin Schoen (aka the cooler, younger Austin, now with Bluetooth) shares his story of leaving the Southern Baptist church and navigating life after faith. From purity culture shame to cognitive dissonance, family fallout, and therapy breakthroughs, Austin opens up about the challenges of religious guilt and the healing power of unconditional love. With the support of his wife Bianca, he found stability, emotional growth, and a new identity beyond religion.

If you’ve ever wrestled with faith deconstruction, evangelical upbringing, exvangelical identity, or recovering from religion, this episode will hit home.

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Drama, guilt, and vibrators… oh my! In this Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Episode 2 recap, Jessa and Austin spill the Utah tea on Taylor’s post-arrest pregnancy, toxic relationships, and a brewing alpha female feud with Whitney. We break down the MomTok branding battles, the vibrator deal that shook the group, and how Mormon culture fuels sexual shame and relationship guilt. From Book of Mormon purity rules to messy baby showers, we unpack the family drama, cultural double standards, and reality TV chaos you will not see in the promo clips. 

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Marine vet Lazaro Facio shares his journey from Catholicism to atheism, exploring morality, family, and life after leaving religion. 

We sit down with Lazaro Facio who is a Marine Corps veteran, proud atheist, and member of the ExcommuniDate team as we talk about losing religion and rebuilding identity. Laz shares his story of growing up Catholic, navigating teenage parenthood, finding community in the military, and ultimately deconstructing his faith. We explore what morality looks like without religion, how to cope with family tension after deconstruction, and why being a good person has nothing to do with heaven or hell. This episode offers insight, dark humor, and the kind of real talk you won’t hear in Sunday school, perfect for anyone navigating life after religion. 

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Austin and Jessa dive headfirst into the world of reality TV, starting with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where the scandals are messy and the friendships are paper-thin. We break down the Taylor Frankie Paul soft swinging scandal, viral TikTok drama, and the beauty standards running wild in Mormon culture. We also get real about deeper topics like domestic violence, social media pressure, and how patriarchal rules play out in both the church and Utah’s law enforcement.

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Do we truly have free will, or are our choices carefully shaped by the systems around us? Austin and Jessa unpack how high demand religions manipulate choice, creating the illusion of agency. They explore how shame, guilt, cultural norms, and community pressure shape decision-making. They examine the emotional costs of belonging, the subtle difference between emotional coercion and external control, and the journey of learning to trust yourself again. This episode invites you to question your choices, reclaim your personal values, and break free from ingrained religious expectations.

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Jessa grew up Mormon in Utah. Nikki grew up not Mormon in Utah. Austin didn’t grow up in Utah at all. Together, they unpack what it means to come of age in a place steeped in LDS culture. From navigating ward culture and family expectations to dating and parenting in a highly religious environment, this episode explores how location, belief, and identity collide in unexpected ways. 

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Jessa and Austin go head-to-head in a red flag showdown, sharing and scoring each others red flags by their level of red flagginess. From phone addiction and food snobbery to plastic surgery takes and hobby obsessions, nothing is off-limits.

They break down which red flags are legit dealbreakers and which are just personal icks. Who brought the biggest red flag? Stick around to find out who wins.

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A former Jehovah’s Witness pioneer joins us to share her story of leaving the faith. She opens up about the exhausting demands of life as a pioneer, the emotional cost of door-to-door evangelism, and the trauma of being part of a system that mishandles abuse and enforces shunning. We also explore her experience navigating dating and family expectations after leaving the faith, how other religions like Mormonism approach growth, and what it means to reclaim your identity. 

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Leave your shoes – and sanctity – at the door and join us for this conversation with Vishakha (Vi), who grew up in India and moved to the United States at age 19. Raised in Hindu traditions, she talks about what happens when religion and culture intermingle, especially on the journey to love. We explore how societal and gender roles engrained in her Hindu upbringing impacted her biracial, interfaith relationship, wedding and – ultimately – divorce.

Plus, we dig into the caste system, the concept of “twin flames” and the power that comes from opting out of certain beliefs, even when they come from those who raised you. This episode reminds us that, even outside traditional high-demand religions, strict principles that guide our cultural upbringing can shape us – and set us free – all the same.

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How can you show up in your family relationships when you’re not able to express your truest self? That’s exactly the question we explore in this episode. We’re joined by Bianca, who opted out of some core beliefs of her Catholic upbringing as a young adult, leaving behind a rift in her family relationships. She talks about balancing faith and science, finding love outside of her religion and the uninvited guest at the family dinner table: Catholic guilt.

Her journey is a relatable one about untangling expectations, redefining the definition of success, and the role her family – and her faith – played in the process. The pilgrimage away from the holy water for this daughter is one you won’t want to miss. Leave your judgments at the altar and come along for the ride!

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