Does the place that first taught you about love also quietly teach you shame? For many raised in strict traditions—especially Catholicism—belonging is often conditional. You’re told you fit in, but only if you behave, believe, and love within a pre-built box. When your identity breaks that box, the choice is agonizing: Do you abandon yourself, or do you abandon the system?

In this episode of Unchurched, host Edna White sits down with Bill Hulseman, a ritual designer and former Catholic school principal, to discuss the intersection of faith, queer identity, and spiritual wounding. Bill shares insights from his debut book, six to carry the casket and one to say the mass, reflecting on his years inside religious institutions and the courage it takes to reclaim your own narrative.

We dive deep into deconstructing faith, navigating institutional religious trauma, and finding the path toward spiritual agency. If your personal truth has ever collided with your religious upbringing, this conversation is for you. Learn how to stop working against your wiring and start leading with power.

Key Topics:

• Healing from Catholic Guilt and church-induced shame.
• The journey of LGBTQ+ belonging in spiritual spaces.
• How to reclaim your story after leaving the institution.

#ReligiousTrauma #FaithDeconstruction #CatholicGuilt #QueerSpirituality #Unchurched #EdnaWhite #SpiritualHealing #IdentityJourney #BillHulseman #ChurchTrauma #SecondChanceInc

A candid conversation with Daniel John Carey examining the Mormon church’s history, high-control teachings, and the lasting emotional and spiritual impact many former members experience. This episode explores religious trauma, identity loss, and the path to reclaiming personal agency after faith-based harm.

Leaving belief systems doesn’t mean losing yourself. If you’re rebuilding identity after religious harm, reach out — I help people design what comes next.

#reclaimyourlife #religioustrauma

The “Obedience Trap” exposes how fear-based faith can quietly keep people stuck, silenced, and disconnected from their emotional truth. In this episode of Keeping It Real on Purpose, with Jeffery M. Lenard, we unpack how obedience is often taught as virtue—while actually masking unresolved emotional wounds, trauma responses, and people-pleasing survival patterns.

This conversation challenges the idea that submission equals spiritual maturity and asks a deeper question: Are you truly aligned—or just afraid to question what you were taught? Together, we explore how fear-driven belief systems suppress self-trust, block healing, and confuse compliance with calling.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for setting boundaries, afraid to use your voice, or torn between faith and emotional honesty, this episode helps you identify where obedience ends and self-betrayal begins—so you can reclaim clarity, agency, and a faith that supports healing, not harm.

A necessary conversation for anyone ready to unlearn survival faith and step into grounded belief—on purpose.