116. Reclaiming Identity (ft. Tia Levings): The Long Road Back to Yourself after High-Control Religion

About this episode

The episode discusses reclaiming identity after experiencing harm from high-control religious systems, featuring insights from Tia Levings' book.

What if the religious beliefs and systems sold as protecting you were actually the very things keeping you stuck? In this conversation with NYT bestselling author Tia Levings, we unpack her powerful new book, I Belong to Me, and what it means to reclaim ownership of your body and identity after church-sanctioned harm. If you’ve ever heard: · The church is a hospital for the hurting · God/Church didn’t hurt you; people did · Jesus suffered more than we ever will Then this episode is for you! Tia exposes how these ideas, while sounding comforting, can quietly normalize and even perpetuate abuse. We also address the unsettling reality behind the soft, childlike “keep sweet” voice modeled in evangelical women like Michelle Duggar, and how it’s actually a learned trauma response. From there, we explore the hard but necessary work of rebuilding life after high control religion—learning to set boundaries, trusting yourself, and healing without jumping into another rigid system. This conversation is raw, honest, and full of those gut-punch moments that make you rethink everything you thought was “normal” in evangelical culture. Be sure to check out Tia's website which links to her books…

People in this episode

Host: Colin Connor

Guest: Tia Levings

Topics covered

• identity reclamation
• high-control religion
• abuse normalization
• evangelical culture
• healing and boundaries

Keywords

• high-control religion
• identity
• abuse
• evangelical culture
• healing
• boundaries
• Tia Levings

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: I Belong to Me

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