Author: Natalie Hoffman

Beautiful Prisons and Golden Lies

Beautiful Prisons and Golden Lies [Episode 348]

What if that golden cage you’re sitting in was never locked? What if all that “God’s will” rhetoric was just fear cosplaying as holiness? In this episode, I tell you a story, a simple one with birds, bars, and just enough metaphorical mic drops to wake up the part of you that’s been sedated by religious gaslighting. Buckle up, buttercup. It’s time to talk about freedom.

This isn’t just another chirpy motivational talk. It’s a truth-telling, cage-rattling invitation to examine the lies we’ve been fed about safety, love, and obedience, especially in the name of God. You were made to fly, not decorate someone else’s spiritual furniture.

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Our Relationships with Mentors, Coaches, and Therapists

Our Relationships with Mentors, Coaches, and Therapists

What if the person you’re turning to for healing is actually keeping you stuck? (Cue dramatic music and flashbacks to church lady “counseling” that made you question your entire existence.)

Welcome to Season 2 of the Divorced Christian Woman Podcast! I’m kicking things off with my friend and fellow coach, Diana Swillinger. We’re diving headfirst into the sometimes-healing, sometimes-horrifying world of mentors, coaches, and therapists.

Not all helpers are created equal, my friend. And no, your cousin’s youth group leader who “feels called” to counsel probably isn’t qualified to help you unravel years of spiritual abuse.

This episode is your guide to sorting through the noise, finding the right kind of help for the season you’re in, and learning how to trust your own gut again, especially after years of being told it was “deceitfully wicked.” (eye-roll)

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Nine Tricks Emotional Abusers Use to Pull Us Back Into the Cycle (and six clever ways to respond!)

Nine Tricks Emotional Abusers Use to Pull Us Back Into the Cycle (and six clever ways to respond!) [Episode 347]

In this episode, we’re taking a look at the classic emotional abuse push-pull cycle that makes us feel like we’re starring in a soap opera we never auditioned for.

This one’s for the Christian woman who’s been there, twisting herself into a holy pretzel trying to keep the peace, hold the family together, and love like Jesus while getting emotionally sucker-punched by someone who claims to love her.

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Gaslighting and Guilt: Why Christian Women Stay Stuck in Toxic Relationships

Gaslighting and Guilt: Why Christian Women Stay Stuck in Toxic Relationships [Episode 346]

If you’ve ever second-guessed your sanity, asked Google “Is my husband a narcissist or just an annoying human?” or thought you might be sinning by not cheerfully submitting to your own emotional obliteration, this episode is your wake-up call… with love.

Christian counselor, Kris Reece, is back on the show for part two of our convo about the toxic mind games that keep Christian women stuck, particularly when Jesus is used as the emotional ball-and-chain.

Together, we unravel gaslighting, guilt, spiritual manipulation, emotional immaturity, and why you’re not selfish or sinful for walking away from garbage disguised as godliness.

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Breaking Free from Narcissistic Moms and Spouses Without the Guilt Bound by Blood or Vows

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Moms and Spouses Without the Guilt Bound by Blood or Vows [Episode 345]

Is it ever okay to walk away from your own mother… or your husband? (Cue the gasps from the peanut gallery clutching their pearls.) If you grew up in church culture, you probably heard that honoring your parents and submitting to your husband meant swallowing abuse with a smile. But guess what? That’s not actually what Jesus had in mind.

In this episode, I sit down with Christian counselor and author Kris Reese (yes, the YouTube powerhouse with over 476,000 subscribers) to dismantle the toxic myths that keep Christian women chained to destructive relationships.

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Two Hotel Rooms: One Rescue Mission

Two Hotel Rooms: One Rescue Mission [Episode 344]

You know how sometimes life gives you lemons and then instead of sugar for lemonade, the church hands you a moldy marriage book and says, “Submit harder”? That was my reality. In this episode, I take you back to a hotel room where I was nine months pregnant and seriously questioning if I wanted to keep living.

Instead, I stumbled my way out of despair and into freedom thanks to a stack of books, a laptop, and eventually, the real God (not the mean knock-off version I had been worshiping).

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