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...
Oct 07, 2025•11 min•Ep. 348
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. What We Cover: The nine mind-warping tactics emotional abusers use to keep you locked in their ci...
Sep 30, 2025•55 min•Ep. 347
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...
Sep 23, 2025•38 min•Ep. 346
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 my...
Sep 16, 2025•49 min•Ep. 345
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). What Y...
Sep 09, 2025•14 min•Ep. 344
What happens when you grow up in hyper-conservative church culture, marry your Bible camp sweetheart at 20, and then spend decades swimming in a poisoned pond of patriarchy, affairs, gaslighting, and spiritual abuse? Jennie’s story is a real look at what it takes to finally climb out of the muck and into fresh water. If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it me? Or is this whole thing just completely bonkers?” then pull up a chair. Jennie’s journey from silent suffering to empowered freedom will resonate ...
Sep 02, 2025•45 min•Ep. 343
Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in guilt, shame, and Christian “shoulds” while trying to survive a toxic marriage, a brutal divorce, or the aftermath of both? What if I told you that letting go, accepting reality, and loving yourself isn’t just a cliche, but it can actually change everything ? In this episode of Flying Free, I dive into the “Let Go, Accept, and Love” tool (a.k.a. LAL, because who doesn’t love an acronym?). Plus, you’ll hear how one brave mama used these steps in the middle...
Aug 26, 2025•36 min•Ep. 342
Have you ever felt like you're starring in a rerun of your own life? Same arguments. Same heartbreak. Same fake flowers and empty promises. It’s called the abuse cycle, my friend. In this episode, I dive deep into an exercise that one of our Flying Free members shared in the private forum. She mapped out her relationship’s specific abuse cycle, and what she discovered was pretty important. Nothing changes when nothing changes. Oof. That one landed. What you’ll learn: The Three Phases of the Abus...
Aug 19, 2025•24 min•Ep. 341
Ever fallen for someone who looked flawless on paper, but in real life turned out to be your personal nightmare with a Christian smile slapped on top? In today’s episode, I sit down with Maile, a bright spark in our Flying Free community, who thought she’d landed in God’s will when she married her second husband. Instead, she found herself suffocating under spiritual gaslighting, emotional sabotage, and escalating violence, all hidden behind the shiny veneer of “good Christian marriage.” This is...
Aug 12, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 340
Have you ever crawled your way out of an emotionally abusive relationship, finally free, only to be met with cold shoulders, Christian cliques, and confused stares from the very people who should’ve been first in line at your welcome-back party? Or maybe you’ve thought about getting out, but your instincts all tell you that you’ll lose everyone you love in the process? In this episode, I answer two listener-submitted questions that go straight to the heart of what so many Christian women wrestle...
Aug 05, 2025•36 min•Ep. 339
So you’re getting out of your emotionally and spiritually abusive marriage (congratulations, by the way, you’re a hero), and you think the hard part is over? Honey, buckle up. This episode pulls back the curtain on what actually goes down in family court and why women like you and me need to step into the CEO role of our divorce process. I talk with Amy Polacko, a woman who’s been through it, wrote a book about it, and now helps other women survive it. We cover everything from strategic silence ...
Jul 29, 2025•40 min•Ep. 338
What if the miracle you've been begging God for—the divine intervention, the total transformation of your emotionally bankrupt marriage—is actually you walking out the door? In this episode, I pull back the curtain on my own bathroom-floor prayer sob sessions (complete with cold tile and mascara rivers) and challenge the dangerous theology that says staying in abusive marriages = holy martyrdom. If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of “pray harder, suffer longer,” it’s time to consider that the still...
Jul 22, 2025•25 min•Ep. 337
Ever wondered what it’s like to be married to someone who swears allegiance to both their country and their ego? Meet Elizabeth, a brave survivor of emotional, spiritual, and psychological abuse within a military marriage. Spoiler alert: It’s not all flag-waving and family barbecues. Key Takeaways: Abuse in Uniform: Elizabeth shares how military culture and constant relocation masked the escalating abuse in her marriage. Gaslight Central: Her husband weaponized patriotism, shifting blame and mem...
Jul 15, 2025•51 min•Ep. 336
Let’s talk about that weird emotional hangover you get after confronting your husband’s bad behavior. You know, the one where he hurts you , but somehow you end up feeling sorry for him ? Yep. That old chestnut. In this episode, I get real about the trap so many of us Christian women fall into, the compassion boomerang that keeps us stuck in abusive marriages. I’ve lived this. I breathed this for 25 years. I know exactly what it feels like to see the abuse for what it is, feel a spark of righteo...
Jul 08, 2025•24 min•Ep. 335
Have you ever sat in a women’s Bible study, nodding politely while someone says “your husband is your spiritual covering,” and inside you’re thinking, I think I’m dying a little bit every time I say “yes, dear”? In this episode, I get real about complementarianism, the nice-sounding theology that quietly hijacked our self-worth, autonomy, and sanity. I share how I was the poster child for it once (hello, Created to Be His Help Meet ), and how that life script nearly destroyed my soul. I’m unpack...
Jul 01, 2025•32 min•Ep. 334
In this episode, I’m diving into a question I get all the time: Is legal separation the better option for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages? Or is divorce actually the path to healing and wholeness? (Please note: this episode is for Christian women considering a more permanent end to their relationship. If that's not you, give this one a pass for today!) I know how hard it is to navigate these decisions, especially when your faith, your safety, and your identity ar...
Jun 24, 2025•25 min•Ep. 333
In this episode, Natalie shares the raw, unfiltered voices of Christian women who took a powerful step toward reclaiming their lives. What begins with deep confusion, spiritual exhaustion, and the belief that “I’m the problem” transforms into clarity, courage, and freedom. This episode is a love letter to every woman who feels stuck in a toxic relationship yet longs for something more. Through the annual Flying Free satisfaction survey, listeners hear dozens of honest, heart-wrenching, and ultim...
Jun 17, 2025•42 min•Ep. 332
What happens when the man everyone admires is the one silently destroying your soul behind closed doors? In this gripping episode, I sit down with Lisa: a strong, truth-telling woman who walked through 40 years of emotional and spiritual abuse in her marriage. From the trauma of date rape on her first date, to the covert spiritual manipulation in a seemingly “perfect” Christian home, Lisa vulnerably shares how she survived, how she healed, and how she’s now helping other women rise. This episode...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 331
In this episode of The Flying Free Podcast, we’re talking about a book that forever changed my understanding of evil—M. Scott Peck's People of the Lie . This isn't about cartoon villains or obvious monsters. I'm talking about the kind of evil that sits in church pews, leads Bible studies, and goes home to emotionally destroy their families while maintaining a pristine public image. Have you ever felt crazy for questioning someone's "godly" behavior when it leaves you feeling diminished and confu...
Jun 04, 2025•16 min•Ep. 330
Strap in, ladies. This episode is basically law school meets your best girlfriend telling you how to survive divorce court with a toxic ex who thinks the law is optional and reality is negotiable. I’m joined by Arizona attorney Wendy Hernandez (aka courtroom gladiator and truth-spewer), who unpacks what you really need to know when facing custody battles, financial warfare, and the endless parade of legal shenanigans from an abusive ex. This episode was originally a private workshop inside the F...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 329
So many of you come to me and say things like, "Natalie, I was such a doormat. I just stood there and let it all happen." Listen up, beautiful butterfly: You didn’t “just stand there.” You were resisting the entire time , and no one told you that’s what it was. Until now. In this episode, I shine a flashlight on the small but powerful acts of resistance Christian women pull off daily in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages. We’re talking journal-hiding, secret-crying, sanity-preserving,...
May 20, 2025•16 min•Ep. 328
Ever feel like you’re losing your mind but everyone around you says you’re just too sensitive ? Welcome to the club you never asked to join. In this episode, I sit down with Erin, a long-time member of the Flying Free Kaleidoscope community, who opens up about her raw and redemptive journey out of emotional and spiritual abuse. From marrying a man who knew his way around a Bible and a manipulation tactic (convenient, right?) to raising six kids in eight years while being told she was a “terrible...
May 13, 2025•39 min•Ep. 327
Hey there, beautiful butterfly! It's Natalie here, and boy do I have an episode for you today that's going to make you feel SEEN in a way that might just take your breath away. Have you ever found yourself at 3 AM, deep in a Google rabbit hole, trying to make sense of your husband's behavior like you're some kind of undercover FBI agent? Well, I'm here to tell you that this obsession isn't a sign you're losing it—it's actually the FIRST step toward your freedom. In this episode, I'm breaking dow...
May 06, 2025•12 min•Ep. 326
Today we’re tackling a topic that's kept too many women trapped in painful marriages: divorce. If you've ever been told "God hates divorce" or made to feel like leaving your abusive husband is somehow worse than what he's doing to you, this episode is specifically for you. We’ll dig into some fascinating research by Dr. Valerie Hobbs on how conservative Christian sermons frame divorce - and let me tell you, what's being preached often doesn't match reality. Here's what you'll discover in this ep...
Apr 29, 2025•14 min•Ep. 325
Coming June 2025: The Divorced Christian Woman Podcast! This is our last Flying Higher moment as we are gearing up to begin production of our new podcast! Find out what we'll be talking about in our first season! (Don't worry, the Flying Free podcast will continue to serve up hope and healing for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive relationships right here every Tuesday afternoon!)
Apr 26, 2025•5 min
On today’s episode, I’m talking with Dr. Andrew Bauman —licensed mental health counselor, author, and founder of the Christian Counseling Center for Sexual Health and Trauma. We’re digging into his powerful new book, Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities , and whew…this one’s going to name things you’ve felt for years but maybe never had words for. This episode is a raw, no-fluff look at what’s really happening behind the stained-glass windows: 82% of women ...
Apr 22, 2025•32 min•Ep. 324
In this episode, you’ll hear what it really means to heal from emotional and spiritual trauma—and why that work is more about daily practice than one-time events . From ego detangling to setting boundaries, this episode is packed with perspective shifts and tiny “aha” moments that might just change how you show up in your healing journey. Resources mentioned: How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera Flying Higher...
Apr 19, 2025•7 min
Is your husband’s addiction tearing your marriage—and your heart—apart? In today’s powerful episode, I unpack the often-overlooked reality of addiction-fueled abuse . We’ll talk about how addictions—from porn and gambling to drugs and spending—impact the brain, hijack relationships, and leave women spiritually and emotionally devastated. If you’ve ever tried harder, prayed longer, or changed yourself to fix what’s broken in your marriage, this episode is a healing balm and a wake-up call. I want...
Apr 15, 2025•13 min•Ep. 323
This week, I'm excited to share something transformative I just learned from the book "Coming Alive" by Barry Michels and Phil Stutz. Have you ever felt so completely demoralized that you couldn't see a way forward? That crushing feeling when you believe nothing will ever get better? I've been there too. In this episode, I'll talk about a powerful tool from this book that can gently pull you out of those darkest emotional spaces and reconnect you to hope, resilience, and even joy. Through the st...
Apr 12, 2025•17 min
Ever been told you’re too sensitive ? That you just need to forgive more ? Or that if you were a better Christian wife, everything would magically get better? Yeah. Me too. And Dr. Ramani Durvasula’s book It’s Not You is here to throw a holy wrench into that narrative. In this week’s episode of the Flying Free Podcast, I’m unpacking the powerful truths in this book and showing you exactly how it validates the lived reality of women in emotionally and spiritually abusive relationships. We’re talk...
Apr 08, 2025•19 min•Ep. 322
