Parents, this episode is for you! Join Rachael Clinton Chen as she sits down with Jay and Heather Stringer to explore how to talk to your kids about sensitive topics like the body, desire, sex, puberty, and even pornography in ways that are kind and attuned to their needs.

Jay and Heather share the importance of parents first exploring their own stories around sexuality, as unresolved issues or patterns in our own upbringing can impact how we approach these conversations with our children.

In this episode, you’ll find thoughtful discussions on attachment, body image, puberty, sex, and how to navigate challenging subjects like porn and sexting. Instead of having one big, awkward conversation, Jay and Heather suggest having ongoing, age-appropriate chats that feel natural and comfortable.

The aim is to empower your kids to feel confident and informed as they learn about their bodies and desires, all within the safety of a loving and supportive environment.

If you’re looking to change the narrative for your kids around sex and want to create intentional, meaningful conversations, this episode is a great place to start.

Please note that this episode contains discussions of sex and sexual development and may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

We’re back to engage more questions from you, our listeners, about healing from spiritual abuse. In this episode, Rachael Clinton Chen, alongside Allender Center Product Manager Melissa Dowell, addresses heartfelt and challenging questions from our community.

These questions explore the complexities of bringing spiritual abuse to light, navigating healing as survivors, especially those who have faced backlash for speaking out, and managing the unique struggles of working in a church while dealing with past or present spiritual harm.

Thank you to all who submitted questions. This is part of an ongoing conversation, and we are deeply grateful for your willingness to ask questions, listen to this episode, and engage with these issues with us.

More resources on spiritual abuse:

• Listen to this Spotify playlist: Over 20 Podcasts on Spiritual Abuse & Healing from the Allender Center

• Check out this set of recorded webinars with Rachael Clinton Chen: Confronting Spiritual Abuse and Healing from Spiritual Abuse (with Matthias Roberts)

Join the waitlist for the Story Workshop for Spiritual Abuse & Healing, happening May 16-18, 2025.

Join Rachael Clinton Chen for the conclusion of her three-part series, where she offers a candid and heartfelt look at her journey of holistic healing from complex PTSD and anxiety. In this final episode, Rachael explores the surprising aspects of trauma recovery, including how trauma manifests in the body and the often unpredictable nature of the healing process.

Building on her previous discussions about the mental and spiritual impacts of trauma, Rachael now turns her focus to the physical aspects of healing. She shares insights from her own experiences with various healing modalities, highlighting what has been effective for her. While this episode is not intended as medical advice, we hope the central message is clear: healing is a continuous journey, full of both challenges and progress, and sometimes requiring revisiting old wounds.

We hope this series of heart-to-heart conversations has brought you hope, made you laugh, made you think, and most of all made you feel like you’re not alone.

Thank you for taking this journey with us. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this series—please email us at support@theallendercenter.org with your feedback!

This month, we're bringing back three of our most popular conversations from last year, featuring some incredible guests. Whether you've heard them before or not, we invite you to listen, reflect, and perhaps share them with a friend.

The third and final episode in our summer replay series features Dr. Dan Allender and Becky Allender, and Dr. Steve Call and Lisa Call. This was our most-downloaded episode about marriage last year, and there’s definitely some wisdom in this conversation.

You’ll hear how our attachment styles show up within the context of marriage, how to identify and name those attachments, and how to heal in our most intimate relationships.

We’ll be back next week with an all-new episode!

Listener Resources:

• To learn more about how our stories unfold in our marriages, check out the Marriage Online Course.

• Listen to more episodes on the topic of marriage and relationships on this curated Spotify playlist: Podcasts on Marriage & Relationships.

This month, we're bringing back three of our most popular conversations from last year, featuring some incredible guests. Whether you've heard them before or not, we invite you to listen, reflect, and perhaps share them with a friend.

This episode in our summer replay series is a conversation with the amazing Marcie Alvis Walker. You may know Marcie’s work from her popular Instagram feed, Black Coffee with White Friends, or her Black-Eyed Stories on Substack. Co-hosted by Rachael Clinton Chen and Linda Royster, this conversation focuses on Marcie’s memoir, “Everybody Come Alive,” where she reflects on the imprint of God, race, and gender growing up in the 70s and 80s.

• Pick up your copy of Everybody Come Alive: A Memoir in Essays by Marcie Alvis Walker here.
• Listen to more episodes on the topic of spiritual abuse and healing on this curated Spotify playlist: Podcasts on Racial Trauma & Healing.
• Read the full transcript of this episode as it originally aired in July 2023.

This month, we're bringing back three of our most popular conversations from last year, featuring some incredible guests. Whether you've heard them before or not, we invite you to listen, reflect, and perhaps share them with a friend.

This first episode in our summer replay series is a conversation with a dear friend, author, and alumnus of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, Matthias Roberts.

Last fall, Matthias joined Dan and Rachael to discuss his latest book, "Holy Runaways." (If you haven’t read it yet, we recommend that you add it to your summer reading list!) Dan and Rachael chatted with Matthias about religious trauma and the hope of moving forward with a commitment to truth, deep listening, and compassion.

Listener Resources:

Pick up your copy of Holy Runaways by Matthias Roberts here.

Listen to more episodes on the topic of spiritual abuse and healing on this curated Spotify playlist: Podcasts on Spiritual Abuse & Healing

We’re back with part two of our three-part series with Rachael Clinton Chen, where she candidly shares personal insights from her own journey of holistically healing from complex PTSD and anxiety, and the things she didn’t expect when healing from trauma.

In this episode, Rachael explores how trauma disrupts not only our mental and physical well-being but also our spiritual formation and imagination. Rachael reflects on her own healing journey, navigating the ways in which early spiritual experiences compounded her trauma by framing symptoms as moral failings.

From the heart-wrenching lows to the moments so absurd they bring laughter, and every breakthrough in between, we hope this series of heart-to-heart conversations will bring you hope, make you laugh, make you think, and most of all make you feel like you're not alone.

Stay tuned for Part 3, which will be released on August 2.

Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth, prolific artists, writers, and co-founders of Art House America, join Dan in this podcast episode to discuss their life, work, and recent book, "Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much."

In their latest book, Charlie and Andi have written a collection of letters to Christians and spiritual seekers who think deeply and care acutely about the state of the world and their personal spheres of influence. Each of these letters is a gentle nudge in the direction of God's powerfully ordinary purpose for each of us, no matter what the future holds, to participate fully in the beautiful, redemptive work of Christ.

Our conversation touches on the importance of hospitality, the need to recapture the imagination, and the shared journey of navigating a chronic illness. In the midst of facing significant challenges and the ebb and flow of busy times and moments of slowing down, this discussion highlights a steadfast commitment to living a life filled with beauty, creativity, and faith.

Be sure to check out “Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt” by Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth, now available anywhere books are sold.