The first time I felt shame, it wasn’t in the world—it was in the church. The place where I was told I was loved unconditionally, but only if I stayed small, silent, and saved.
Black girls raised in the Bible Belt know what it means to carry shame before we even understand our own bodies.
I used to think questioning the church meant betraying God. But I’ve come to understand that curiosity is sacred. That liberation is holy. That my body, my voice, my knowing—they were never the problem.
The real sin was being asked to abandon myself in the name of salvation. This episode is a return—to my own altar, my own theology, and my own freedom.
We were taught to be nice — not discerning. To be obedient — not intuitive. To be godly — but never powerful.
This episode is for the Black girls who were raised in the pews and are still unlearning the pain that came with the praise.
For the ones who still love God—but on their own terms now.
🎧 In this episode:
I unpack the purity politics and pressures of growing up in Southern church culture
I reflect on my own religious unlearning and spiritual re-centering
I speak on the joy of finding God in places I was warned to avoid
And I offer space for anyone untangling shame from their sense of the sacred
💭 Reflection Prompt:
What beliefs did you inherit that no longer serve you?
Where are you learning to meet God in your full self?
What parts of your faith journey were shaped by fear or shame, and what would it look like to release them with compassion?
Where do you feel God (or Spirit) most clearly—now that you’re listening with your own ears?
A Prayer for Reclamation
Dear Spirit,
Take away me the silence that was never mine. Strip away every layer of shame I mistook for salvation.
Let me hear you in the sound of my own voice. Let me feel you in the freedom of my full self.
I return—not to the altar they built for me, but to the sacred ground I was born with.
Covered by truth. Guided by love. Amen and Ase.
