Today, Leslie sits down with Pastor Joe Smith, who leads Maison Church in Gainesville, Florida — a progressive, welcoming congregation formed from a merger of two churches. Joe shares his faith deconstruction journey, beginning in the Free Will Baptist tradition, where childhood teachings instilled deep fear of hell and the rapture. He traces his gradual shift away from fundamentalism, sparked by the birth of his daughter in 2002 and questions about gender hierarchy, accelerated by the political climate, and deepened during the COVID-19 shutdown when he had time to deeply study queer inclusion theology through books like Unclobbered and Changing Our Minds. The conversation explores themes of religious trauma, Christian nationalism, HSPs (highly sensitive people) and deconstruction, evolving views on sin and repentance, universalism, and the difference between certainty and faith — with both Leslie and Joe reflecting candidly on their own journeys out of fear-based religion and into a more inclusive, love-centered spirituality.

You can find Joe on Instagram!

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today’s episode, Leslie reunites with returning guest Michael Camp to discuss his new book Faith Funk, which explores how people become trapped in high-control religious systems and the psychological toll — including anxiety, depression, and PTSD — that results from toxic faith experiences. Michael and Leslie dive deep into topics like cognitive dissonance within evangelicalism, the doctrine of original depravity, and how religious communities sometimes exploit vulnerability and suppress independent thinking. Together they examine the often painful but ultimately liberating process of deconstruction, reframing it not as a loss of faith but as a refinement — a shedding of toxic theology to discover a more authentic, love-centered spirituality. Michael shares practical tools from his coaching practice for navigating the stages of deconstruction, and both hosts reflect candidly on their own journeys out of fundamentalism, with Leslie sharing personal experiences from her time on Survivor and her ongoing work to undo deeply ingrained religious conditioning.

Pick up Michael's new book, Faith Funk, HERE!

Michael's Website: https://www.faithtransitions.com/

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Honoring The Journey, Leslie talks with Megan Verno — a therapist, writer, and founder of Novo Nexus — about their parallel journeys out of high-control religions (Megan from Mormonism/LDS, Leslie from Evangelical Christianity). They explore the striking similarities between their experiences, including the loss of identity, community, and self-trust that comes with religious deconstruction, as well as specific LDS practices like the temple ceremony and excommunication culture. The conversation touches on patriarchy, LGBTQ+ issues as a catalyst for doubt, the concept of religious trauma, learning to trust one's own authority, and finding spiritual freedom beyond organized religion. Megan shares details about Novo Nexus, her support group and coaching program for those rebuilding their identities post-religion, and both women offer encouragement to listeners who may be in the midst of their own deconstruction journey.

**I had some audio issues I tried working around in production with Megan's sound. My apologies for the quality! You can still hear her, it's just slightly muffled at times. Thanks!

Find out more about NovoNexus here!

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Honoring the Journey, Leslie chats with Father Pete Nunnally — an Episcopal priest who calls himself "the Wilderness Priest" — about his nature-based church called Water and Wilderness Church near Washington, DC. Pete shares how the church meets outdoors, rain or shine, along the banks of the Potomac River, intentionally lowering the barriers to worship for people who've been hurt by or disconnected from traditional church settings. The conversation weaves through Pete's lifelong love of fishing and how it became a spiritual practice, culminating in his upcoming book Catching Hope: The Hidden Spiritual Wisdom of Fishing (releasing May 12th). Together, Pete and Leslie explore progressive Episcopal theology — including the idea that everyone belongs, that salvation is held by God rather than earned by works, and that faith should always be expanding — while also affirming those who need space away from organized religion to heal and find their own path.

Follow Pete on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/fr_pete_the_wilderness_priest/ 

Pre-order his new book "Catching Hope: The Hidden Spiritual Wisdom of Fishing here.

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when the questions you’ve been taught to silence refuse to stay quiet?

Today on Honoring the Journey, Leslie talks with Jen Nielsen (@allthoseopposed), who shares her powerful journey out of the LDS Church—the doubts that started it, the cost of following them, and why she’s chosen to speak out. This is a story of courage, clarity, and reclaiming your voice. 

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Honoring the Journey, I sit down with Rev. Joash Thomas—priest, public theologian, and author of The Justice of Jesus.

Joash shares his journey from an Indian Pentecostal upbringing in Mumbai, to political consulting in Georgia, to a powerful awakening that led him into human rights work. We talk about how Western Christianity has been shaped by colonialism, the difference between the “colonizer’s Jesus” and the historical Jesus, and how practices like prayer were meant to form us—not control outcomes.

This conversation got personal for me, especially when we talked about the cost of deconstruction—the grief, the loneliness, the loss of community. Joash offers such a grounded, compassionate perspective here, reminding us that love, curiosity, and “holy indifference” can guide us forward.

We close with a simple invitation: to look for the face of Jesus in the people around us—especially those on the margins.

You can find Joash’s work through his book and his Substack, Masala Chai Theology.

Find out more about Joash on his website: https://www.joashpthomas.com/

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is a deep dive conversation between Leslie and Joe Boyd, a former pastor and biblical scholar, exploring how to approach scripture during deconstruction. They discuss the challenging journey of questioning long-held beliefs about biblical inerrancy, examining how the Bible was compiled, and wrestling with its ancient cultural context versus modern interpretation. Joe explains how evangelicals are often deconstructing their understanding of the Bible itself rather than losing faith entirely, and offers a historical-literary lens for reading scripture that acknowledges its human authorship, biases, and contradictions while still finding spiritual value. The conversation covers topics like biblical canon formation, the multiple versions of Jesus across the gospels, reading ancient texts "forwards" rather than through modern assumptions, and ultimately encourages listeners to courageously let the Bible "be what it is" rather than what they were taught or want it to be.

To hear Joe's journey on a former episode of Honoring the Journey, click here!

Find Joe on Substack HERE.

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Honoring the Journey, we have a powerful conversation with Josh Harris, author of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," as he shares his journey of reckoning with the impact of purity culture. Harris openly discusses how he came to recognize the harm caused by his influential book after years of hearing stories from people affected by its teachings, ultimately leading him to unpublish it and apologize publicly. The conversation explores the difficult process of deconstructing deeply held beliefs, navigating church leadership failures and sexual abuse mishandling, his own marriage ending, and stepping away from evangelicalism. We reflect on the challenges of leaving rigid certainty for authentic faith, the importance of self-compassion during deconstruction, the dangers of algorithmic rage and groupthink, and the freedom that comes from holding beliefs with open hands rather than dogmatic certainty, emphasizing that healing and growth are possible even after significant mistakes.

Find and follow Josh on Instagram!

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Honoring the Journey, Leslie chats with Halli Carbrey (@hallifaith.liberated) about leaving high control religion. Halli shares her story of growing up in a small, insular group called the Lord's Recovery, experiencing excommunication with her then-husband in 2019, and navigating the complex process of deconstruction while raising three children. The discussion explores themes of religious trauma, purity culture's impact on sexuality, the struggle to find identity beyond rigid belief systems, and the journey toward self-trust and authentic spirituality. Both women reflect on questioning deeply held beliefs, the loss of community when leaving religion, and finding healing through vulnerability and connection. Halli, who transitioned from being a Christian couples therapist to a religious trauma and sex coach, emphasizes the importance of rest, unconditional self-love, and creating safe spaces for others wrestling with similar experiences.

Find Halli on Instagram!

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's the 100th Episode of Honoring the Journey today!! Leslie welcomes Beau Stringer, a former Southern Baptist preacher who transitioned to mainline Christianity. Beau shares his journey from growing up in an evangelical bubble in West Texas, serving as a youth pastor at 19, and eventually becoming a senior pastor, to questioning biblical inerrancy and evangelical theology—particularly around the violence in the Old Testament versus Jesus's command to love enemies. After wrestling with these tensions for years, he left vocational ministry briefly before finding a home in the United Methodist Church in Kansas City, where he now serves at one of the largest mainline churches in North America. Throughout the conversation, they discuss what mainline Christianity is, the importance of pastoral care over conversion agendas, the shift from fear-based faith to love-centered faith, rethinking hell and the kingdom of God, and how to lovingly engage with people still in evangelical spaces without erasing or dismissing them—emphasizing humility, questions, and staying in relationship rather than canceling those who disagree.

Find Beau on Substack at https://substack.com/@beaustringer

Honoring the Journey is hosted, produced and edited by Leslie Nease and the artwork for the show is also created by Leslie Nease.

Pick up Leslie's book, Honoring the Journey: The Deconstruction of Sister Christian here.

Interested in working with Leslie as your Life/Faith Transitions Coach? Check out her website and learn more about what she offers! https://www.leslieneasecoaching.com

If you'd like to be a part of the Honoring the Journey Team on Substack, click here! You can find her work and also support her financially if you desire.

Would you like to leave a voicemail for Leslie? Click here!

If you are looking for community as you deconstruct or just a place to go and enjoy the company of people who are seekers, learners and who are looking to connect with the Divine without religious baggage, please join the Private Facebook Community!  Leslie is very passionate about connection and community, so if that sounds like you, please come join us!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.