Can balancing faith with personal freedom bring true inner peace? In this episode, we sit down with Elise as she shares her raw journey of growing up in a Pentecostal family, where she struggled to balance genuine friendships with heavy religious expectations. Elise opens up about the emotional toll of marriage, depression, and Bible college, highlighting the idolization of overwork in Pentecostal churches and its impact on her well-being. As she deconstructs her faith, Elise reflects on how therapy and self-reflection helped her redefine her beliefs and find safe, authentic spiritual spaces.

More About Elise

Elise is a Trauma-Informed Counsellor and Coach based in Melbourne, Australia, who is passionate about supporting individuals recovering from Religious Trauma. For decades, she denied her own humanity, constantly pushing herself beyond her physical, emotional, and spiritual limits, unable to say 'no' or slow down due to a deep fear of not being enough. Depression, anxiety, chronic low self-esteem, and perfectionism were her constant companions, while religion, a significant part of her life, only seemed to fuel her self-loathing. She internalised beliefs of being inherently sinful and unworthy of love, living in fear of eternal punishment if she fell outside of God's grace. This relentless need to prove her worth to God, the church, and herself eventually pushed her to the brink.

Gradually, Elise learned to embrace her doubts, questions, pain, and anger, as well as the joy, freedom, curiosity, and self-acceptance that came with letting go. Now, she is deeply passionate about walking alongside others as they reconnect with their own humanity, which is always deserving of love, care, and gentle compassion.

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• You can find out more about Elise via her website - https://www.eliseheerde.com
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• To connect with Sam on Instagram - @anchoredcounsellingservices
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