In our sixth episode we interviewed Johanna Browne. Jo shares her profound journey as an intersex individual, detailing her upbringing, the challenges she faced with gender identity, and the impact of religious beliefs on her life.

Joanna discusses her experiences with conversion therapy, societal expectations, and the struggles of navigating her identity in a world that often lacks understanding and acceptance. She also reflects on her advocacy work and the importance of mental health support for those in similar situations. In this conversation, Jo shares their profound journey from a life steeped in religious belief to a path of self-discovery and acceptance of their gender identity.

The discussion delves into the intellectual struggles faced while reconciling faith with personal truth, the exploration of various belief systems, and the transition from anger towards a more nuanced understanding of identity and community. Jo emphasises the importance of finding supportive communities and allowing oneself to feel a range of emotions during this transformative process. The conversation also touches on the complexities of gender identity, societal perceptions, and the need for gradual progress in LGBTQ+ rights.

We’re grateful to have been joined by Jo and learned a lot from this interview.

Happy 2025 everyone! In our fifth episode we interviewed Samuel Stone. Sam grew up in South Australia and Queensland, was home schooled and later on educated in a religious high school. Sam shares his struggles with religious education and its issues in Australia. Sam also shares conflicts with his church on a musical note- (apparently there are ways to play the guitar that are ‘evil’) and how those and other conflicts eventually led him to leave the religion.

Our interview also covers many other sub-topics, including sexuality, intellectual life as a believer and non-believer, growth and healing outside of religion, the role of friends and lovers in supporting us during the healing journey, major life choices made while religious, etc.

We’re grateful to have been joined by Sam and thoroughly enjoyed the interview.

In this fourth episode of RfR Stories Australia, we hear Chrissie Foster’s story.
Chrissie was raised Catholic in Australia and was devout throughout her early life and early adulthood.

Chrissies relationship with Catholicism took an incredibly dark turn when, to her and her family’s horror they discovered that two of her daughters had become victims of one of the most famous Catholic child paedophiles in Australian history; ‘Father’ Kevin O’Donnell.
This discovery began a series of tragic events in her and her family’s life that she discusses in this video and in her book Hell On The Way to Heaven.

Due to these events, Chrissie and her late husband Anthony began a journey of lifelong advocacy and activism on behalf of survivors of child sexual assault. Their efforts were part of the reason the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse occurred.

Chrissie has written two books about her experience. In Hell On The Way To Heaven she tells the story of her family’s direct experience and how many tragic events unfolded as a direct consequence of her children’s abuse (along with the inadequate responses by the Catholic church), and in Still Standing she speaks about the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and her activism.

Chrissie is one of the most knowledgeable people in Australia about the phenomenon of child sexual assault in the Catholic church, she remains highly critical of the church’s responses to the phenomenon of sexual abuse and well connected to the survivor community. Chrissie’s story is like a flu vaccine for the immune system of society; the jab hurts for a bit, you might feel a fever for a few hours, but the real thing is far, far worse.

We’re grateful to have been joined by Chrissie for this interview, and send our love and solidarity to her. Chrissie, along with you it was our honour and privilege to “dwell compassionately on old wounds”.

In this third episode of RfR Stories Australia, we hear Shawn’s story. Shawn grew up in South Africa and was raised Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or LDS). When Shawn was 19 he left South Africa and went to England to ‘serve’ as a Mormon missionary for 2 years. After that he moved to Sydney.

hawn was a devout Mormon throughout his twenties, ‘serving’ in various leadership positions, but eventually in his late twenties he became more interested in reconciling evolution with his religious worldview, experienced growth with his relationship with fear, and went on to experienced a full-blown faith crisis when learning more about science, evolution, ‘spirituality’ and Mormon history.

Shawn’s been out of Mormonism now for almost 10 years and has been relatively public in his coming out, including being featured in the Sydney Morning Herald speaking about Mormon worthiness interviews. He is deeply interested in the emotional repercussions of having one’s worldview turned upside down having experienced that firsthand. We’re grateful to have Shawn as a volunteer in RfR, one of the hosts of RfR Stories, and deputy-chair of RfR Australia.

In this second episode of RfR Stories Australia, we hear Sallyann’s story. Sallyann grew up in Ireland and was initially raised Roman Catholic, but then her family left Catholicism for an independent conservative evangelical church (Hillside Evangelical Church) before she was 10, and later, when she was 16, joined the Apostolic Church. When Sallyann was in her early twenties, she and her husband moved to Perth.Sallyann was very devout throughout her adult life. She married the pastor’s son and raised two children in the faith. However, as she became more educated, she increasingly had doubts and concerns regarding her religious faith, culminating in a transition out in her 40s.Sallyann is now a therapist. One area she specialises in is helping clients recover from spiritual abuse and religious trauma. We’re grateful to have Sallyann as a volunteer in RfR and one of the hosts of RfR Stories.

In this first episode of RfR Stories Australia we hear the story of ex-Jehovah’s Witness Jonathan. Jonathan grew up in the UK within a Jehovah’s Witness family and in his early adulthood did extensive regular pioneering in the Perth region. Later on he moved to the Jehovah’s Witness ‘Bethel’ in Sydney, which contributed heavily to his growing scepticism, doubt, and concern about his religion.