In this episode, Brady and guest Erin discuss fatphobia, eating disorder recovery, and embodiment. If you'd like to donate to Brady's GoFundMe for expenses related to his family's legal battle and more, please visit https://gofund.me/13befd41 or email him at bradyhardin@gmail.com for direct donations or with interview connections. All help is appreciated! Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

After a break lasting over a year and a half, Michelle joins Brady to discuss deconstructing neurodiversity and eating disorder recovery. If you'd like to donate to Brady's GoFundMe for expenses related to his family's legal battle and more, please visit https://gofund.me/13befd41 or email him at bradyhardin@gmail.com for direct donations or with connections to other podcasts. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

CW: Spiritual, emotional, and physical abuse toward someone who is differently-abled and mention of suicide attempt Dustin VanDyke (featured on HBO's We're Here Season Two finale) is differently-abled and trans. Dustin was restricted from being themselves while in an abusive home, but now they are free to be who they are while inspiring others who lack representation. Follow Dustin's YouTube and Facebook. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

With one more new episode left in 2021, here's a classic episode with Jamie Lee Finch and my former co-host Chuck Parson. Before the new episode, if you're able, check out the Season Two finale of We're Here on HBO. My next guest is Dustin VanDyke and was featured in that episode. You won't want to miss this! Unbuckling The Bible Belt: Brady Hardin and Chuck Parson takes the show on the road to Nashville, TN to interview Jamie Lee Finch on the subjects of sexuality, the dangers of Purity Culture, and the downfalls of Patriarchy. Jamie describes how much of her journey after leaving religion involves understanding her body. She gives life-changing advice on how to become a whole person and heal from trauma. Bonus: Listen to Jamie reading her own original poems throughout the episode. To learn more about Jamie’s work, follow her on Twitter, @jamieleefinch or visit her website: jamieleefinch.com Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

For this very special Thanksgiving episode, my ex-wife Jessi McCracken joins the show to deconstruct her high-pressure charismatic upbringing, the saga of our marriage and divorce, how Purity Culture sets unhealthy relationship expectations, coming out as queer, the life-altering power of therapy, co-parenting while deconstructing, and how chosen families become so important as we evolve into who we truly are. Our 9-year-old son, Helo, stops by to say hello during the introduction and is my guest spotlighted in this episode's Special Intermission Interview! Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Vi La Bianca (Skeptic Generation co-host) joins Brady to deconstruct reason's relationship with mental health, rapture anxiety, being neurodiverse, and how to set boundaries with people AND beliefs. With Special Intermission Interview Guest, Sherman the Dog from Adventures in Odyssey. Find Vi's work with Skeptic Generation at SkepticGeneration.com | Follow Vi on Twitter on @AuthorConfusion Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Spiritual and leadership coach Taj M. Smith joins Brady to deconstruct Queer Theology, transitioning, and how his love for sci-fi shapes his outlook of the future. They also discuss the Star Trek Next Generation episode, Darmok. With Special Intermission Interview Guest, "Angel" from Netflix's Midnight Mass Find Taj's work here at tajmsmith.com Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Julianne King (Poet and old friend of Brady) deconstructs her LIFE AFTER spiritual abuse with intensely manipulative church leaders. A major event occurred while in the youth group and another afterward. Also, Julianne shares her theory about how the musical Cats represents Evangelicalism. Find Julianne's book of poetry, Bible Belt Revolution, on Amazon Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Singer, Activist Jamar Rogers joins Brady to deconstruct his radiant LIFE AFTER repressing his queerness, receiving a positive HIV diagnosis, appearing on American Idol & The Voice, and learning to silence his inner critic so he could return back to himself. Jamar shares passionate wisdom on how representing real-life experiences does more for the greater good than advertising for "God." Get Jamar's single Flow wherever you purchase music | Follow Jamar: 📷@jamarrogersofficial 🐦@JSuidward 👍@JamarRogersTheVoice Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Sheri invited me to be on her YouTube Channel, FireSide Creators, alongside Catherine Wilcox, who has an M.A. in English Rhetoric and has researched the role of storytelling as a healing and community-building practice for individuals recovering from religious abuse and trauma. Here's the audio from that conversation as a special bonus before next Thursday's episode! Find Sheri's website at sheripallas.com and her YouTube channel at youtube.com/FiresideCreators. Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas (activist, ally) joins the show to discuss "God" (and why she uses quotes), how an injustice done by a church toward her family pushed her to care deeply about religion, and her perspective on Deconstruction Culture as someone who left fundamentalism years ago ("deconstruction legacy," I'm calling it 😉). Find Sheri's website at sheripallas.com and her YouTube channel at youtube.com/FiresideCreators. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Content Warning: This episode includes mentions of sexually predatory behavior and the retelling of a racial, anti-fatness comment Emily Dukes joins The Life After to tell how her love for Christian fiction put her on the path to be groomed (use of privileged relationships to normalize exploiting a young person's body) by novelist Ted Dekker, what she's discovered about herself, and how she's pushing back. This episode begins with Brady retelling his experience of being groped by a trusted church friend during the beginning of his deconstruction. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Welcome to The Life After Podcast Season 3! Chuck Parson joins the show one last time as co-host to catch up, announce his departure, and tease his next steps. Stay tuned this season of The Life After Podcast for more important conversations with courageous people about deconstructing Christian beliefs! Transitional music by Nightlightr | CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify Links for connecting with The Life After Community (secret Facebook Group), rating, reviewing, and/or subscribing on iTunes can be found here: linktr.ee/thelifeafter

Alice Grecyzn (actress and upcoming author) re-joins Chuck and Brady to update her life since the recording of the last episode months and months ago. Follow her important work helping deconstructors at www.daretodoubt.org. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Alice Grecyzn (actress and upcoming author) joins Chuck and Brady to discuss her life after homeschooling as a PK, the Toronto Blessing (a charismatic movement in the 90's), and an almost-wedding pressured upon her by prophecy. Follow her important work helping deconstructors at www.daretodoubt.org. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Denver-based counselor and coach, Suandria Hall, joins Chuck and Brady to unpack her Life After. Suandaria's father was a preacher. So much of her life was entrenched in church culture, filled with rules and expectations. After learning beyond what the Bible could offer, she became interested in why people do what they do. She landed on counseling with an emphasis on religious trauma. Though her religious trauma experience didn't begin until leaving the community, she became a mental health provider for those leaving the faith. She helps people set boundaries, have healthier relationships with forgiveness, and become empowered to be who they are without indoctrinated expectations. In this episode, they also discuss: what it means to be "trauma-informed" growing up in a black church community forgiveness culture why it's okay not to forgive and forget community building after church To get in touch with Suandaria, visit her website, mychoicemypower.com. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

The Life After Podcast Hosts, Chuck Parson (R) and Brady Hardin (L), take a pause on their backlog of upcoming episodes to have a special, no-guest episode to address Coronavirus. In this episode, they discuss: -how to keep End-Time anxiety at bay during current events -recommendations for staying busy -grieving -meaning-making -Chuck says "fuzzy red balls" and Brady doesn't laugh -Plus A LOT more! Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg

Victoria Lynn Myers (model) joins Chuck and Brady to unpack her life after! She grew up in a very strict, Independent Baptist home with many, many rules, but Victoria noticed she didn't value the beliefs over her experience like those around her. When her church community showed obsessions with modesty, she knew there were still horrible sexual abuse occurring. Her world turned up-side down when Victoria had an empowering sexual experience with someone of the same gender, an act her community strictly forbade as shameful and wrong. That wasn't Victoria's experience, and she wasn't set on reading from their script. Instead, she left the shelter of her family and church community to experience the world that she was conditioned to fear. When she faced difficulties on her own, including sexual abuse, she had to lean on herself and pulled through victoriously. Listen to Victoria's brave story of overcoming oppression and showing her true self to the world. Visit Victoria's website here: victorialynnmyers.com Transitional music by Nightlightr | CDBaby, iTunes and Spotify Connect with the Life After Podcast & Community here: linktr.ee/thelifeafter

CW: Anorexia Chuck and Brady are joined by Laura M, who opens up about her childhood struggling in silence with a Fundamentalism-fueled eating disorder. Laura, like many women raised in Christianity, was taught to be silent and smaller. When tragedy struck her family, she developed anorexia out of a need to be seen and to have a feeling of control in a time of uncertainty. The eating disorder became increasingly dangerous, leaving her with the ultimatum: Get well or risk death within 28 days. Listen to Laura's inspiring story of how she gained her life after toxic religion and anorexia with the help of professional therapy. The episode begins with Chuck and Brady's practical mental health advice. To learn more about eating disorders or to find support, resources, and treatment options for yourself or a loved one, visit, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org. Transitional music by Nightlightr | CDBaby, iTunes and Spotify Connect with the Life After Podcast & Community here: linktr.ee/thelifeafter

CW: This episode includes mentions of race-based physical abuse, racial slurs, sexual abuse, and mention of childhood violence. Carrie Maya, calling from Australia, opens up to Chuck and Brady about her life after leaving a high-demand Charismatic community, spiritual abuse, and life-long conditioning to submit to authority. A very tumultuous childhood and extreme Fundamentalism positioned Carried to be victimized by self-seeking authoritative voices. First, it was family. Then her pastor. And finally, an intimate partner. Carrie retells how she changed the narrative and discovered help in finding spirituality outside of Christianity. To learn more about Carrie and her book, visit her insta @Hexvangelical. Bookended with music by Nightlightr (CDBaby, iTunes, and Spotify) | Find links for The Life After Community (our secret Facebook group), subscribing, rating, and/or reviewing on iTunes here: linkin.bio/thelifeafterorg