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Purity Culture, Toxic Sexuality Teachings & Shame Recovery

“Shame doesn’t produce integrity, it produces secrecy. Healing begins when curiosity replaces fear.”

In this raw, deeply validating episode of The Angela Rose Show, Angela is joined by Ann for a mutual conversation about the lasting impact of purity culture and toxic sexuality teachings inside Mennonite/plain communities.

Together, they unpack the covert messaging so many of us absorbed growing up: that bodies are “dangerous,” that normal attraction equals lust, that women carry responsibility for men’s behavior, and that boys are automatically framed as predators. They also name how silence around sex doesn’t protect children... it isolates them, removes language, and increases shame.

This episode is meant to be shame-reducing, clarifying, and empowering for anyone who grew up in high-control religious spaces, and for survivors trying to untangle fear-based beliefs from their natural humanity.

With honesty and compassion, we explore:
• The difference between attraction vs. lust (and why noticing beauty isn’t “sin”)
• How “modesty” messaging trained girls to feel responsible for men’s purity
• How boys were conditioned to expect lust—and punished for normal body development
• The harm of “shame-faced” obedience, eye-averting, and dehumanizing gender roles
• How purity culture creates fear, secrecy, and disconnection instead of integrity
• Why arousal does not equal consent (and why that matters for survivors)
• The impact of silence: lacking language for anatomy, consent, abuse, and boundaries
• Why education isn’t corruption; it’s safety
• How reclaiming agency begins when curiosity replaces fear

This is not just a conversation about purity culture.
It’s a conversation about agency, wholeness, and learning to trust your body again.

Trigger Warning: Discussion of trauma, child sexual abuse, sexual coercion, purity culture, religious punishment, shame, modesty control, dissociation/freeze responses, and other sensitive topics. This content is for educational purposes. Please take care of yourself while listening.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs language for what they lived through. These conversations matter, and they can be a lifeline.

Follow Angela Rose:
Instagram: / angelarosemartin
Facebook: / angelarose 
TikTok: / angelaroseshow

Follow Ann:

Facebook: / annmariedetweiler

Crisis Support Resources
Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673

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           Jasiel’s Escape from an Amish Mennonite Cult, Childhood Abuse & Rape, and the Long Road to Safety

“I believe you—and I want you to trust yourself enough to believe yourself.”

In this deeply sobering episode of The Angela Rose Show, Angela sits down with Jasiel, a survivor who grew up inside an Amish Mennonite cult where control was disguised as “holiness,” obedience was demanded at all costs, and abuse was normalized as discipline.

Jasiel shares the terrifying reality of childhood shaped by fear, isolation, and religious manipulation—from being taught that “delayed obedience is disobedience,” to living under extreme rules that governed everything from clothing to carpet, from social connection to basic comfort.

As her story unfolds, Jasiel also offers powerful insight through the lens of her current work as a psychology student and trauma-informed coach, explaining how early abuse impacts attachment, development, shame, and the nervous system—and what healing can look like when safety finally enters the picture.

With bravery and truth, we explore:
• Growing up under authoritarian religious control and isolation
• How “obedience” and scripture were weaponized to justify harm
• The devastating impact of physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse
• The loss of safety in attachment, and how it shapes trust vs. mistrust
• Forced conformity, gender separation, and the erasure of individuality
• How fear, shame, and dissociation became survival tools
• CPS involvement, excommunication, and the complicated aftermath
• The courage it takes to run, and the realities of staying hidden
• Healing through co-regulation, safety, trust, collaboration, and empowerment

This is not just a story of survival.
It is a story of truth, endurance, and learning to come home to yourself.

Trigger Warning: Discussion of child sexual abuse, rape, physical violence, religious trauma, coercive control, emotional/psychological abuse, dissociation, suicidal ideation, and neglect.

If Jasiel’s story moved you, please share this episode with someone who may need to hear it. These conversations matter—and they can be a lifeline for someone still living in silence.

Connect with Jasiel (Guest):
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Jasiel Caroline
Instagram: @damedivergent

Follow Angela Rose:
Instagram: / angelarosemartin
Facebook: / angelarosemartin
TikTok: / angelaroseshow

Crisis Support Resources
Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673

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“I was so conditioned into thinking that what my parents were like was normal, that I didn’t see any red flags.” 💔

In this moving episode of The Angela Rose Show, Rebekah Thomas opens up about growing up in an Independent Fundamental Baptist household, a world where fear, control, and spiritual manipulation shaped every part of her existence. What began as a home rooted in religion evolved into a life of isolation, obedience, and eventual escape.

Rebekah’s story reveals the devastating impact of psychological, emotional, and spiritual abuse and the long, courageous journey toward reclaiming her mind, body, and soul.

Through her vulnerability, we see what happens when belief is weaponized and how the human spirit can rise from the wreckage of indoctrination.

🔍 With bravery and truth, we explore:

•Growing up under authoritarian religious control

•How isolation and fear kept Rebekah compliant

•Witnessing and surviving familial abuse

•The devastating effects of religious and mental manipulation

•How purity culture and gender hierarchy shaped her marriage

•The patterns of narcissistic control repeating across generations

•Breaking free from spiritual and domestic abuse

•Rebuilding a life of independence, self-worth, and peace

This is not just a story of survival. It is a story of awakening, courage, and rebirth. 🌿

🛑 Trigger Warning: Discussion of child sexual abuse, religious trauma, mental and emotional abuse, domestic violence, and spiritual manipulation.

💬 If Rebekah’s story moved you, please share this episode with someone who may need to hear it. Together, we can bring light to hidden stories and healing to those still searching for freedom.

🎧 Support The Angela Rose Show:

You can now support our mission and stories like this by becoming a monthly contributor here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2458617/subscribe?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5ucQYAansDCEPvXiAhZX8XuE8r3zW9Qxwu_cnMXOXYOf1WaVKzjnxWeI1fTw_aem_6icjEQaLh3KFZIIPFzU_Kg

🔗 Follow Rebekah Thomas:

Website: https://www.ediemaessoap.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ediemaessoap 

🔗 Follow Angela Rose:

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/angelarosemartin

Facebook:http://facebook.com/angelarosemartin

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@angelaroseshow

📍 Crisis Support Resources

• Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
• National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
• National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
• RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673

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“Some of our most painful losses are not fully perceived by the people around us. But that doesn’t make them any less worthy of being seen or grieved.” 

In this profoundly moving episode of The Angela Rose Show, Ruth Miller unveils her story of spiritual, emotional, and sexual abuse within a conservative Mennonite community, and how she found her voice after decades of silence.

Ruth courageously walks us through childhood trauma, fear-based religion, isolation, narcissistic abuse, and the devastating loss of her daughter. Her story is one of deep grief and also of incredible grit. Today, Ruth stands as a student training to become a licensed therapist, offering compassion to others walking the same road.

🔍 With tenderness and truth, Ruth and I explore:
•Early memories of abuse and isolation in her Amish Mennonite upbringing
•The terror of being punished and silenced in the name of religion
•Surviving sexual abuse and the long-term impact of hypervigilance and fear
•Living in a controlling marriage and finding courage to leave
•The unimaginable loss of her daughter and learning to breathe again
•How mentorship, therapy, and faith helped her rebuild her life
•Why healing happens in layers and how Ruth now brings hope to others

This is not just a story about survival. It is a sacred story unveiling truth, peace, and the power of a woman who knows her strength.

🛑 Trigger Warning: This episode includes descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, religious abuse, emotional manipulation, suicidal ideation, and the loss of a child. Please listen with care.

💬 Has this conversation resonated with your story? Share your thoughts in the comments or reach out privately. You are not alone. And if you found hope in today’s episode, please like, share, and subscribe to help us reach more survivors and families.

🎧 Support The Angela Rose Show:
You can now support our mission and stories like this by becoming a monthly contributor here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2458617/subscribe?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5ucQYAansDCEPvXiAhZX8XuE8r3zW9Qxwu_cnMXOXYOf1WaVKzjnxWeI1fTw_aem_6icjEQaLh3KFZIIPFzU_Kg



🔗 Follow Ruth Miller:
Facebook: Ruth Miller Ministries (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558948408274#)

🔗 Follow Angela Rose:
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/angelarosemartin
Facebook:http://facebook.com/angelarosemartin
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@angelaroseshow



📍 Crisis Support Resources
Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673

Support the show

Send a text

She ran away at 12 years old, stripped on stage at 15, and nearly boarded a plane that crashed weeks later. What saved her? Radical honesty, stubborn love, and a faith that outlived the rules.

In this episode of The Angela Rose Show, I sit down with my soul-friend Jamie, a survivor whose life began on the gang-controlled streets of Chicago. Her journey through childhood neglect, abuse, grooming pipelines, and severe addiction reveals a profound truth: healing is found in connection, not perfection.

Together, Jamie and I trace the thread that kept showing up: love wins. Her journey takes us through addiction with 7 DUIs, infertility grief, and the rebuilding of a sober community around a backyard campfire for women. If you’ve ever wondered whether authenticity can actually change a life, this story is for you.

With raw vulnerability, Jamie and I unpack:

•Surviving rape at 11 and being groomed by gangs for prostitution

•Physically dragged by church workers and sent to the Lester Roloff Baptist home

•Finding structure and faith for the first time

•The empty promise of escape through materialism and “call-girl” life

•The devastating spiral of alcoholism that led to 7 DUIs and jail time

•The life-or-death moment of self-confrontation that began 12 years of sobriety

•Clothing judgment within a Mennonite community and reclaiming personal faith

•How Jamie created Time Out for Women, a simple campfire community to fight loneliness and build authentic connection

This is more than a survival story. It’s a testament to the relentless power of showing up for yourself and the healing that happens when we choose to edify instead of judge.

🛑 Trigger Warning: This episode includes descriptions of childhood sexual assault, gang violence, kidnapping, prostitution, addiction, alcoholism, and infertility. Please listen with care.

💬 Has this conversation resonated with your story? Share your thoughts in the comments or reach out privately. You are not alone. And if you found hope in today’s episode, please like, share, and subscribe to help us reach more survivors and families.

  🔗Connect with Jamie Marts

Facebook: Jamie Marts

Cell #717-201-3395

🔗 Follow Angela Rose:

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/angelarosemartin

Facebook:http://facebook.com/angelarosemartin

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@angelaroseshow

📍 Crisis Support Resources

• Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
• National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
• National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
• RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673

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“They told me it was love. But what I felt was fear, shame, and confusion. Spanking in God’s name left wounds that went far deeper than my body.”

In this groundbreaking episode of The Angela Rose Show, I sit down with Matt Shantz, mental health worker, coach, and survivor of corporal punishment in conservative Mennonite communities. Together, we uncover how “discipline in love” becomes trauma cloaked in religion, shaping our view of God, our bodies, and our ability to trust.

🔍 With courage and compassion, Matt and I explore:

• How spanking harms attachment and development, even when done “calmly” or “in love”
• Why children forced to bond with violent caregivers carry lifelong nervous system trauma
• The hidden sexual impacts of spanking, from unwanted arousal to complete shutdown
• Angela’s personal story of dissociation and powerlessness watching siblings being hit
• Why religious communities rebrand violence as “spanking” and how humor masks deep wounds
• The unique trauma of witnessing abuse in the house of God
• Practical alternatives: breaking cycles of violence, regulating ourselves as parents, and raising children with connection instead of control
• Resources for parents and survivors: attachment-based parenting, trauma recovery, and healing from religious abuse

This is not just about parenting. It is about truth-telling, breaking generational cycles, and reclaiming what love really means.

🛑 Trigger Warning: This episode includes descriptions of corporal punishment, child abuse, sexual confusion, arousal and shutdown, dissociation, religious manipulation, and spiritual trauma. Please listen with care.

💬 Has this conversation resonated with your story? Share your thoughts in the comments or reach out privately. You are not alone. And if you found hope in today’s episode, please like, share, and subscribe to help us reach more survivors and families.

🔗 Follow Matt Shantz

🌐 Website: https://www.mattshantz.org/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shantzmatt/

🔗 Follow Angela Rose:

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/angelarosemartin

Facebook:http://facebook.com/angelarosemartin

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@angelaroseshow

📍 Crisis Support Resources

• Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
• National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
• National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
• RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673

Support the show

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"She was the minister’s wife. I was her adopted daughter. No one believed me, until my body forced me to remember."

In this shattering episode of The Angela Rose Show, Triana, chronic illness warrior, and founder of Broken Pieces Art Studio, reveals how her adoptive mother, a Dunkard Brethren pastor’s wife, trafficked her as a child while the church covered the crimes.

🔍 With extraordinary courage, Triana shares:

•Being adopted out of prison into a high-control religious family, and how “spiritual grooming” masked her abuse

•Trafficked around ages 5 to 8, including physical violence by her mother, she dissociated to survive

•Baptized in terror in a freezing creek at age 8 (to wash her sins) as the hellfire preaching and damnation left her with no other choice

•The near-fatal car accident at age 3 that left her with nerve damage, only to be dismissed as attention-seeking 

•Church records documenting bruises on children... and why no one was ever charged

•How escape through marriage and motherhood unleashed suppressed memories, and how her art (like her crystal butterfly resin designs) reclaims the beauty stolen from her

This is more than a survivor story. It's a reckoning, an unflinching exposé of how religious systems enable predators, and the extraordinary strength it takes to rise from the wreckage.

🛑 Trigger Warning: This episode contains raw descriptions of sexual abuse, child trafficking, spiritual manipulation, racism, suicidal ideation, and psychological violence. Please listen with care.

💬 If Triana’s story resonates with you, share your thoughts in the comments or reach out privately. You are not alone.
 

 
🔗 Follow Triana / Broken Pieces Art Studio
🌐 Website: brokenpiecesartstudio.com
📸 Instagram: @broken_pieces_art_studio
📘 Facebook: Broken Pieces Art Studio
 
🔗 Follow Angela Rose:
Instagram: @angelarosemartin
Facebook: @angelarosemartin
TikTok: @angelaroseshow
 

 
📍 Crisis Support Resources
Crisis Text Line — Text TWLOHA to 741741
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call 988
National Child Abuse Hotline — Call 800-422-4453
National Domestic Violence Hotline — Call 800-799-7233
RAINN (Sexual Assault Support) — Call 800-656-4673 

Support the show

Send a text

What happens when obedience becomes survival, and silence is enforced through fear of eternal damnation?

In this episode of The Angela Rose Show, I sit down with Michelle Stewart, activist, survivor, and author of JUDAS GIRL. Michelle grew up moving through a series of religious cults, including Hutterite, Bruderhof, Russian Orthodox, and an off-grid Amish-style commune led by a former Pathway Publishing editor. Each group claimed to hold “truth,” but used fear, shame, and religious coercion to suppress identity, voice, and thought.

🔍 We explore:

• Why Michelle used the word cult, and what actually qualifies as one
• Gender hierarchy, obedience, and early objectification in Hutterite and Bruderhof life
• The psychological toll of being called “worse than Judas” by her father at age 14
• Her struggle to reconcile faith, autonomy, and loyalty as a teenage church member
• The role purity culture played in grooming, coercion, and sexual violation
• How indoctrination prevented her from recognizing abuse, and her own worth
• The impact of untreated mental illness and betrayal within religious systems
• The life-saving power of education, language, and the right resources

Michelle’s story is one of surviving impossible choices, reclaiming power, and choosing to name the truth, even when it’s not welcome. As she says in the episode:

“You can only make choices from the mindset you know.”

📕 Her memoir JUDAS GIRL doesn’t offer a tidy ending.. It offers validation, insight, and a path toward clarity.

🛑 Trigger warning: This episode includes honest discussions of sexual abuse, spiritual manipulation, and suicide ideation. Please take care as you listen.

💬 If something in this conversation resonates with your story, comment below or message privately. You’re not alone.

📕 Get the Book

JUDAS GIRL by Michelle Stewart

Also available on Amazon and major bookseller platforms

🔗 Follow Michelle Stewart:

Instagram: @michelle_stewart_author - https://www.instagram.com/michelle_stewart_author

Facebook: @Michelle-StewartAuthor-61552318056042 - https://www.facebook.com/p/Michelle-StewartAuthor-61552318056042/

Michelle Stewart's Official Website: https://michellestewartauthor.com/

🔗 Follow Angela Rose:

Instagram: @angelarosemartin

Facebook: @angelarosemartin

TikTok: @angelaroseshow

🔖 Crisis Support Resources

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out to one of the following:

• Crisis Text Line – Text TWLOHA to 741741
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call 988
• National Child Abuse Hotline – Call 800-422-4453
• National Domestic Violence Hotline – Call 800-799-7233
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – Call 800-656-4673

You are not alone.

Support the show

Send a text

“When I began to succeed, I found out quickly who was truly for me."

In this deeply personal episode of The Angela Rose Show, I sit down once again with my soul-friend and fellow survivor, Jessica Witmer of Wild Olive Branch Coaching. We’re not just talking about healing today, we’re talking about thriving. About reclaiming agency, success, and voice after a lifetime of compliance and oppression. 

Coming from Amish and Mennonite cultures where entrepreneurship was “a man’s lane,” Jess and I open up about what it really means to launch a business as a woman from a high-control religious environment. This isn’t about hustle culture. It’s about health, ownership, and self respect. It's about choosing courage over what mind control had instilled in us.

🔍 We unpack:

• The loneliness of stepping into your potential
• How gender role expectations didn't work for us and why we broke those rules
• The painful loss of relationships when we stopped struggling and started thriving
• Writing as reclamation: turning our stories into strength
• Why success as a survivor is revolutionary

If you’ve ever felt like your healing or ambition made others uncomfortable, this episode is for you. 

💬 Drop a comment, share your story, or just know this: you’re not too much. You have all you need to live out your deepest passion. Dream on!

🔗 Follow Jessica Witmer:

Instagram: @wildolivebranchcoaching

Facebook: @jessicawitmer

Coaching: Wild Olive Branch Coaching

🔗 Follow Angela Rose:

Instagram: @angelarosemartin

Facebook: @angelarosemartin

TikTok: @angelaroseshow

📢 Support This Work

Please like, comment, and share to help us reach more survivors ready to step into freedom.

📍 CRISIS SUPPORT RESOURCES

Crisis Text Line – Text TWLOHA to 741741

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call 988

National Child Abuse Hotline – Call 800-422-4453

National Domestic Violence Hotline – Call 800-799-7233

RAINN – Call 800-656-4673

Support the show

Send a text

In today’s episode of The Angela Rose Show, I sit down with someone I deeply admire — Jessica Witmer of Wild Olive Branch Coaching. This is her story as a teenager, but it’s also the story of so many of us who grew up silenced, oppressed, and searching for safety in high-control religious environments.

Jessica was raised in an Amish household with 15 siblings, a strict environment, with emotional neglect and physical abuse that ran deep. She opens up about being the “outsider” in a church she would never be fully accepted into, dissociation and self-harm, and the unbearable shame that engulfed her for years. Her courage to revisit her teenage years and speak so vulnerably is nothing short of stunning.

We talked about what it’s like to wake up from survival mode and realize you’ve never been taught how to live. How even after escaping abuse, the battle isn't over—it just changes. Jessica shares what helped her begin to heal, the poem she wrote that still gives me chills, and the powerful meaning behind her “I think you should stay” hat and self harm transformation tattoo.

💬 What we dive into:

• Jessica’s experience growing up Amish and feeling like an outsider
• Self inflicted violence, and how it became a way of coping
• How she escaped her abusive home at 17 
• What healing actually looked like… messy, non-linear, and painfully beautiful
• Why her scars and her story no longer carries shame

If you are struggling with your mental health, I hope this episode reminds you: there is nothing wrong with you. You were never the problem. And you are absolutely worthy of compassion and recovery. I think you should stay.

🖤 Follow Jessica:

Instagram: @wildolivebranchcoaching

Facebook: @jessicawitmer

Coaching & Support: Search Wild Olive Branch Coaching

🎙️ Follow me (Angela Rose):

Instagram: @angelarosemartin

Facebook: @angelarosemartin

TikTok: @angelaroseshow

🔔 Subscribe for more real stories from survivors who’ve turned pain into purpose.

❤️ If You Need Immediate Help

📍 CRISIS SUPPORT RESOURCES

Crisis Text Line – Text TWLOHA to 741741

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call 988

National Child Abuse Hotline – Call 800-422-4453

National Domestic Violence Hotline – Call 800-799-7233

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – Call 800-656-4673

You matter. Your story matters. And healing is possible.

Support the show