Through Trial & Fire

My divorce was finally over. I had moved into a new home, and I was trying to rebuild my life. But what I didn't know was that things were about to take a disturbing turn.

In this episode of Through Trial & Fire, I share how Pastor Sergio Guardia and his wife persuaded me to return to the church, and the disturbing events that followed.

What began as behavior that I didn't really understand escalated into harassment at my own home, manipulation, spiritual abuse, and coercive control.

I explain how Sergio used his position as a pastor and spiritual authority to cross boundaries, manipulate my trust, and attempt to force me into a relationship I never wanted.

At the time, I couldn't fully comprehend what was happening. Looking back, I now recognize something extremely disturbing: Sergio wasn't simply trying to convince me to enter a relationship with him. He was behaving as though we were already in one, whether I wanted it or not.

This episode explores the warning signs I didn't yet recognize, the misuse of spiritual authority, and how coercive control developed in ways that left me confused, frightened, and questioning my own reality.

This episode discusses stalking, harassment, spiritual abuse, sexual coercion, manipulation, and coercive control. Listener discretion is advised.

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, stalking, or sexual violence, support is available.

National Domestic Violence Hotline
800-799-7233 | https://www.thehotline.org

RAINN — National Sexual Assault Hotline
800-656-4673 | https://rainn.org

Stalking Prevention, Awareness & Resource Center (SPARC)
https://www.stalkingawareness.org

VictimConnect Resource Center
855-484-2846 | https://victimconnect.org

Subscribe to Through Trial & Fire so you don't miss the next chapter.

You can also follow me on TikTok at @Marie Columna, where I share additional videos, photographs, and details connected to each episode.

Through Trial & Fire documents my personal experiences, observations, and recollections. My goal is to share my story, raise awareness about stalking, spiritual abuse, and coercive control, and help others recognize behaviors that are often misunderstood or overlooked.

Leaving my marriage meant walking away from the life I knew without knowing what would be waiting for me on the other side.

In this episode, I share the people and resources that helped me find the courage to leave an abusive marriage, and what happened after I finally did. I talk about taking my children to a shelter, losing nearly everything that had once represented stability, and experiencing the strange contradiction of feeling as though my life was falling apart while, for the first time in years, also beginning to feel free.

But freedom didn't mean safety.

I was rebuilding my life while incredibly vulnerable. I share how that vulnerability opened the door to further exploitation and abuse, and how, during this period, I became reconnected with Sergio and Laura, and Thomas Road Baptist Church.

At the time, I couldn't have known the significance these relationships would eventually have in my life, or where they would lead.

This is the story of losing the life I knew, finding my freedom, and beginning again.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Follow me on TikTok @mariecolumna for videos, documents, evidence, and more of the story. 

Follow or subscribe to Through Trial & Fire on your podcast app and turn on notifications so you don't miss Episode 5.

Content Warning: This episode contains firsthand discussions of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, sexual coercion, coercive control, financial abuse, manipulation, homelessness and experiences associated with leaving an abusive relationship. Some listeners may find this material difficult or distressing. Please listen with care.

Resources & Support

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, coercive control, sexual abuse or exploitation, help is available. These are some of the resources discussed in this episode, along with organizations that provide support.

New Life LIVE / New Life Ministries
A Christian counseling and call-in program addressing relationships, emotional health, abuse, family issues, and faith.
New Life Live

Boundaries — Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
Boundaries was one of the resources that helped me begin understanding healthy boundaries, relationships, and the importance of learning when to say yes and when to say no. Boundaries- Official Website

YWCA Central Virginia
Provides services and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Central Virginia. YWCA Central Virginia

RAINN — Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
Free, confidential support for survivors of sexual assault and sexual abuse.
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673) RAINN

National Domestic Violence Hotline
Confidential support, safety planning, and resources for people experiencing domestic violence.
Call: 800-799-SAFE (7233)
Text: START to 88788
National Domestic Violence Hotline

National Human Trafficking Hotline
Support and resources for people experiencing or concerned about sex or labor trafficking and exploitation.
Call: 888-373-7888
Text: 233733 (BEFREE)
National Human Trafficking Hotline

Before I can explain what happened next, I need to explain the world in which it happened.

In this episode, I explore the history of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, their connection to one another, and their presence and influence in Lynchburg, Virginia. Then I return to my own story - when my family first began attending the church and the years that followed.

As we moved from Virginia to Florida and Pennsylvania, life behind closed doors looked very different from the life others could see. I share what it was like raising my children while feeling like a married single mother, as the abuse in my marriage escalated and new forms of control and exploitation began to emerge.

I also explain coercive control; what it can look like, how it can affect a person’s ability to make independent choices or leave an abusive relationship, and what I later learned about how Virginia law addresses some of the behaviors I was experiencing.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions and firsthand accounts of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, sexual coercion, financial abuse, coercive control, manipulation, and other controlling behaviors within an intimate relationship. Some of the material may be difficult or distressing for listeners. Please listen with care.

Sources & Further Reading:
Historical background about Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University in this episode came from the institutions' own published histories and archival materials, including:

- Liberty University - History of Liberty

- Liberty University - 50 Years Timeline

- Liberty University - Jerry Falwell Sr. Biography

- Thomas Road Baptist Church - Leadership/ Staff History

New episodes every Wednesday.

Follow me on TikTok @mariecolumna for video clips, evidence, updates, and more of the story.

The news report begins with an arrest, but that isn’t where this story began. In this episode, I go back years before the headlines: my childhood, college years, my marriage; the life I was building and the choices that shaped what came next. Then, in 2008, my family began attending Thomas Road Baptist Church; something that seemed insignificant at the time, but would become deeply connected to everything that unfolded in the years ahead.

** Content Note: This episode includes discussions of foster care, childhood abuse, domestic and financial abuse, and experiences of loss. Some listeners may find these topics emotionally difficult. Please listen with care.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Follow me on TikTok for video clips, evidence, updates, and more of the story: @mariecolumna

In Episode 1, I share an overview of my story: the events that brought my life into the public eye, the losses that followed, and why I’ve decided it’s time to tell the full story in my own words and from my perspective.

Throughout this series, you won’t just hear me tell you what happened. I’ll take you inside the story using original source material from my own life, including police body cam footage, court and hearing recordings, news coverage and interviews, documents and other evidence, photographs, and personal family videos that capture what life looked like before, during, and after the events I’m sharing.

Some of those ordinary family moments matter too, because this story isn’t only about what happened to me. It’s about the life that existed around it, what was lost, what changed, and what came next.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Follow me on TikTok for video clips, evidence, updates, and more of the story:

@mariecolumna

Marie Columna on TikTok⁠