Silencing Women in the Name of God

Kate Rufener has made the incredibly brave decision to finally tell her story, here. Kate was sex trafficked through several circles in Utah, one of which being the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Kate was the girl down the street, the helpful one, the accomplished one, living in a regular house with a regular family. She is the girl that you would never believe this was happening to. Which is exactly the problem. Kate says she never remembers a time where this wasn't happening, that her clientele simply changed as she aged up. This episode will be uncomfortable for many but I beg you to listen to her story. Kate is not alone, nor is she unique, there are countless people still caught in this system.

Ellie is here to talk about being raised in an extremely patriarchal arm of Christianity. Women were only there to please their husbands and raise the children in a very literal sense. Homeschooling consisted of learning how to cook dinners for a varied number of people instead of math class while your parents attended conferences where they could purchase rods for discipline. Ellie was taught that women weren't smart enough to handle a checkbook and that they were always in need of a man for protection. After finally escaping an abusive marriage she realized she was queer...the very thing she'd been taught would send her straight to hell.

Sonja L Cox is here with a heart wrenching, desperately needed conversation about the realities of how dark a faith crisis can get in high demand religions. We also have a beautiful conversation about the light she found to fill the darkness and her feelings about the responsibilities of these religious organizations.

Jenni Pearson talks candidly about a slow stepping away from self until the day she realized she'd lost not only her courage but the belief that she could do hard things. We talk about her journey and how she started Brave Girl Diaries, documenting her journey back to self.

Welcome to Season Two. I have a change to announce, due to life circumstances season two will release on a bi-monthly schedule. In this episode I talk about how I finally realized that I've been running from myself for YEARS!

Keira is back! Today we're talking about how we're taught to supplant other's council--particularly that from our male leaders--in place of our own knowing. We also talk about the most recent abuse scandal within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Channel Achenbach is here with her heart wrenching story of converting to the mormon church as a black women and the years of racism that has followed. Her story is so painful and is such an blatant statement as to the reality of being black within mormonism, that her story was recently featured on Newsweek. Although she's been interviewed on several platforms I requested that she really take us into her heart for this interview. She has done just that.

Kat Wilkins and her husband found themselves the targets of an abusive campaign because they spoke the truth. Kat's story speaks to a literal silencing of those who are campaigning for a healthier, better way.

Amber Argyle talks to us about how purity culture drives young people to marry fast and early, long before they can really get to know their partners, to avoid sin. We get into the painful fall-out of this practice and how women are treated within a culture like this when the marriage starts to fail.

"Did you give him enough sex?"

"Don't worry sister, your marriage will be better in heaven."

"What can YOU do to make HIM happier so he won't abuse you?"

A solo episode around the reality of redefining Christmas post religion. It took my by surprise how painful this was for me, the last few years followed the grief cycle to a "T". My hope is that my story, including what shall forever be known in my house as "The Great Rage of 2020", will offer someone a bit of comfort.

We will also be taking two weeks off for the Holidays and episodes will restart January 9th. Happy Holidays to you all and a Happy New Year.