Shows
Almost Grown UpHow To Talk To Your Kids About Sex with Cindy Wang BrandtMost of us didn’t grow up with healthy, honest conversations about sex. Instead we got silence, shame, and weird youth group analogies about chewed gum and crumpled hearts. So how do we, as adults and parents, break that cycle?In Part 1 of this four-part series, I sit down with author and parenting expert Cindy Wang Brandt to talk about how purity culture shaped our understanding of sex (or completely distorted it), and what it actually looks like to raise kids with a framework of honesty, autonomy, and consent....2025-04-1443 min
Sunday School DropoutsHoliday Q&A Part Two with Cindy Wang BrandtYou better watch out…you better not cry… Celebrating the holidays can be difficult when you’re deconstructing from your faith or healing from religious trauma. That’s why we’re using today’s episode to take your questions about various aspects of religious trauma and the holidays! Today Laura is joined by guest-host, Cindy Wang Brandt, to answer the questions you’ve submitted about parenting, families, creating new traditions and more! Cindy Wang Brandt https://cindywangbrandt.com Facebook and Instagram: @parentingforward X/Twitter: @cindywangbrandt Substack: cindywangbrandt.substack.com This podca...2023-12-191h 17
Queer TheologyRecovering from Religious Trauma with Cindy Wang BrandtFor the final episode of our Summer Guest Series we are joined by Cindy Wang Brandt. Cindy describes herself as ‘someone who wants to find interesting things and do them’ and, as we found in this interview, she definitely does that and has so much wisdom from her experiences!
Cindy Wang Brandt is an author, podcaster, and speaker. She hosts conferences and communities that help parents heal from religious trauma to raise children with healthy spirituality.
We discuss how religious trauma shows up and how it can be defined. We unpack what i...2023-09-171h 00
queertheology's podcastRecovering from Religious Trauma with Cindy Wang BrandtFor the final episode of our Summer Guest Series we are joined by Cindy Wang Brandt. Cindy describes herself as ‘someone who wants to find interesting things and do them’ and, as we found in this interview, she definitely does that and has so much wisdom from her experiences! Cindy Wang Brandt is an author, podcaster, and speaker. She hosts conferences and communities that help parents heal from religious trauma to raise children with healthy spirituality. We discuss how religious trauma shows up and how it can be defined. We unpack what i...2023-09-171h 00
Parenting ForwardGoodbyeI'm taking a break from podcasting so I can focus on myself, family, and working on my next book. Thank you for your support through the years, and goodbye for now! Links (affiliates included): Parenting After Religious Trauma Membership – https://cindy-brandt.mykajabi.com/partmembership Parenting Forward, the Book – https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn You Are Revolutionary – https://www.beamingbooks.com/store/product/9781506478302/You-Are-Revolutionary *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Prod...2022-07-0402 minParenting ForwardShould You Send Your Child to VBS? w/ Cindy Wang BrandtSummer is a busy season when you’re in the church. There are lots of family activities going on, childcare to work out, and, of course, VBS. Because we’re nearing VBS season, I thought it’d be a good time to talk about whether or not you should send your kids to VBS. Even more so, I want to discuss the bigger question of how we can protect our kids from toxic religion. We must learn how to equip our kids to navigate the world of faith and thought beyond our homes and what that may look li...2022-06-2017 minParenting ForwardThe Evangelical College Experience w/ Scott OkamotoIf you’ve got a child nearing college or already there, this episode is for you. We’re going to take a critical look at evangelical colleges and universities and analyze the experience they provide our kids. Having attended the evangelical college Wheaton, I have firsthand experience to bring to the table that we’ll discuss throughout today’s show. Joining me is the host of the Chapel Probation podcast, Scott Okamoto. He grew up in a conservative Christian family but began deconstructing when he went away to college. Eventually, he became a professor at an evange...2022-06-0644 minParenting ForwardTaming Your Parenting Triggers w/ Jen LumanlanEver been triggered by your child’s behavior? It can feel uncontrollable. No matter how hard we try to hold ourselves back when our child behaves a certain way, it immediately puts us into triggered mode. Jen Lumanlan addressed this in her talk at my recent Parenting is Revolutionary conference. Jen holds an MS in Psychology (Child Development) and is the host of the Your Parenting Mojo podcast. She is an amazing reference guide for parents of young kids and shares great parenting advice based on scientific research and the principles of respectful parenting. In thi...2022-05-2348 min
Deconstructing MamasThe Relief Grief Sandwich - Cindy Wang Brandt"Parenting may be less about raising our children and more about raising ourselves. It compels us to break our own cycles of shame and pain as we bring healing to our own childhood."In this episode on the Deconstructing Mamas podcast, Cindy Wang Brandt, author of that quote, cohost on the Parenting Forward podcast and author of Parenting Forward, really digs deep into the subject of religious trauma and how that plays out in parenting. How can we heal ourselves, make good boundaries with our families of origin and give ourselves grace and space in the process? 2022-05-1743 minParenting ForwardIs it Religious Trauma or Childhood Trauma? w/ Corey WayneThe Parenting is Revolutionary Conference is over! It was an incredible time connecting with other parents and parenting influencers in the online space. I myself learned so much and, though I’m exhausted, I feel so fulfilled by the experience. Throughout many of the sessions of the conference, childhood trauma was discussed. A question popped up over and over in my mind: if our parents had had the resources we have today and access to information on mental health and validating emotions, would we have all had better childhoods? I brought my partner in crime Co...2022-05-0942 minParenting ForwardGive Your Kids a Better Script w/ Matthew Paul TurnerOne of my favorite people, Hillary McBride, recently posted this on Twitter: “Spiritual trauma is someone handing you an inner critic and telling you it’s the voice of God.” I love that quote because it paints the picture of religious trauma so well. Trauma doesn’t always have to involve one disastrous event; it can be the result of the script we were given in childhood that stuck with us. Matthew Paul Turner is a children’s author who does amazing work towards reversing that harmful script. He is trying to put a bett...2022-04-1842 minParenting ForwardParenting is Revolutionary w/ Cindy Wang BrandtParenting is revolutionary because it not only changes your perspective as a parent but it also impacts your perspective of your kids. Parenting is not just for parents but for anyone who wants to see a better world, not only for the children but for all of us that co-exist. Parenting is revolutionary because it changes us. It evolves us and it demands that we become better people. In this episode, we talk about the five reasons why parenting is revolutionary. One essential thing to note is how parenting teaches us to manage our triggers because the...2022-03-2817 minParenting Forward142: The Dirty Rotten Church Kids w/ Adrian & JoshSince the pandemic, the world of Christian faith deconstruction exploded into this wonderful kaleidoscope of podcasters and influencers, including the Dirty Rotten Church Kids, Adrian and Josh, who both left their faith but continued to forge and nurture a solid friendship beyond the walls of the church. Once you leave the church that has become a foundational and formative part of your identity, it leaves you with that sense that you no longer have a community or you don't have anyone to talk to. If you’re like many people who want to keep their relationships because th...2022-03-1453 min
BEautifully Unwinding66. Parenting After Religious Trauma + Sex Positive Parenting With Cindy Wang BrandtOn the podcast today is Cindy Wang Brandt. Cindy helps parents unpack and heal from their religious trauma so they can raise children with healthy spirituality. She is the author of two books, Parenting Forward and You are Revolutionary, the host of the Parenting Forward Podcast, Parenting Forward Conference, creator of the PART (parenting after religious trauma) community and passionate about raising awareness on the topic of sex positive parenting. During this episode we explore: Healing from religious trauma while navigating parenting Toxic proselytization of children Sex positive parenting - tools to overcome sex negativity How t...2022-03-1053 minParenting Forward141: The Complicated Reproductive Choice w/ Katey ZehThe stigma of having an abortion is still rampant, especially among highly conservative people of faith. This led to Katey Zeh’s passion for navigating how to bridge these two worlds. It is important to provide care and compassion to those who decide to go through abortion because, at its core, abortion is still part of the human experience. Statistically, most people who have abortions are already parents. And oftentimes, it is a parenting decision they need to make to care for their living children. A lot of times, these are people who have caregiving responsibilities. Regardless of whether peo...2022-02-2833 minParenting Forward140: Sex Positive Parenting w/ Melissa Pintor CarnageyGrowing up in a religious and Asian household, I had very little sex education, if any, and it was mainly about purity culture. And it has only been in the past two years that I've actually delved into demolishing such sex-negativity. Last month, I ran a webinar on sex-positive parenting with Melissa Pintor Carnagey and I got to check off some of the toxic ideas of purity culture and reframe them with what I've learned from Melissa and other wonderful sex educators. And so today, I wanted to share it with our wider podcast audience. It's so important that...2022-02-141h 01Parenting Forward139: Relational Healing w/ Tanner WallaceFor years now, I have been on a journey of healing from religious trauma. My inspiration through it all has been to become a better person for both myself and all of the people around me, including my children. Because of this pursuit, I’ve always been on the lookout for people who help others resolve their childhood and religious trauma (which I’ve now come to realize is complex trauma). So, today, I am extremely excited to bring on a guest who does just that. Dr. Tanner Wallace is the host of the Relational Healing podcast. She...2022-01-3150 minParenting ForwardSurviving a High ACE Score w/ Carol ScottAs many of you know, I've been investing a lot recently in my new community. It’s called Parenting After Religious Trauma and, in it, we explore the impact of childhood trauma and specifically religious trauma. We discuss the impact that it has on the rest of our adult lives and parenting. This all comes back to one of my core beliefs, the thesis of my book Parenting Forward: if we change the way we parent, we can change the world. As time goes on, I only become more and more convinced of this truth. It becomes mor...2022-01-1742 minParenting ForwardRaising Spirited & Sensitive Kids w/ Hannah and Kelty at UpbringingMany of us begin our parenting journey not really knowing what we’re doing. We tell ourselves we’ll be fine just winging it and then quickly realize we will not be fine at all. This is especially true when it comes to discipline. We know a one-size-fits-all approach to discipline won’t work but aren’t sure how to give our kids the freedom to be exactly who they are. This is exactly what twin sisters Hannah and Kelty experienced and now help other parents navigate. Hannah and Kelty are the founders of Upbringing, and, abov...2022-01-1048 minParenting ForwardRaising Irresponsible Kids w/ Kay BrunerToday we are talking about raising irresponsible kids. This sounds completely counterintuitive, of course. We generally feel pressure to raise kids who are responsible. However, I believe that there is a lot of nuance around this trait. What are we responsible for? To whom are we responsible? Are there things we shouldn’t be responsible for? These are the questions I wish I had considered as I grew up. My responsibility contributed to much of my dysfunction now. Today, I have to unlearn being responsible for other people’s emotions and various other things that I should not...2021-12-1343 minParenting ForwardDeconstruction with your Partner w/ Danny CortezOne of the most frequently asked questions I’ve gotten over the years is, “Has your husband deconstructed with you and, if so, how?” Today, I’m finally going to take some time to address this. We’re going to veer off topic from our mental health series and dive into marriage and other partnerships. Joining me to talk this through is my dear friend Danny Cortez. Danny has been on the podcast before but I had to bring him back this week. He is someone who has intimate insights into this topic of deconstructing with your partner. 2021-11-2941 min
What If ProjectEpisode 180: Cindy Wang Brandt (Instant Replay, Part 14)This week we look back on my conversation with Cindy Wang Brandt and in the intro I reflect on the part of our conversation where she gave me some very helpful advice regarding a question I had about my daughter. This is a good one!
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PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/whatifproject
BUY ME A COFFEE - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/whatifproject
YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/c/whatifprojectpodcast
HERETIC SHOP - https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-heretic-shop/
JOIN THE COMMUNITY - https://www...2021-11-2946 minParenting ForwardSelf Help for the Parent w/ Glenn DoyleThe best parenting is not done in the direction of our children. It’s actually done in the direction of our own selves. This is why I think it is so important to talk about mental health and inner work here on the podcast. It’s also why I’m so passionate about helping parents with their religious trauma. As many of you know, religious trauma is my special flavor of trauma. It’s the thing that would keep me from truly thriving in my life if I weren’t dedicated to healing. This drives my zeal to heal an...2021-11-1544 minParenting ForwardRace & Inclusion with American Girl w/ Deanna SinghOur girls deserve to know about this world that they live in. They deserve to know about the things that impact them. This is why I love all that American Girl is doing right now to reach girls in a way that is signifying to them. Today’s guest, Deanna Singh, partnered with American Girl on a project with this same purpose. This summer, she came out with a book in collaboration with them called A Smart Girl’s Guide to Race and Inclusion. Deanna is also a speaker who does some incredible work around diversity, equity, and i...2021-11-0136 minParenting ForwardHow to Religious Trauma Proof Your ChildrenThis week, I have a great bonus episode for you. Last week, I hosted a two-day webinar on parenting after religious trauma, a topic that you all know is very dear to my heart. We all had such a great time in the webinar and, afterwards, lots of you asked me about a replay. As a result, I thought I'd share the content from the webinar with you here on the podcast. This recording comes from day two of the religious trauma webinar, entitled, “How to Religious Trauma Proof Your Kids.” In the webinar, I shar...2021-10-0620 min
The TalkA Conversation With Cindy Wang BrandtParenting Forward’s Cindy Wang Brandt is a writer, podcaster, speaker, and conference host who has built a valuable community around the concept of parenting with a focus on spirituality but absent of religious dogma. Cindy and I sat down for an informal conversation and discussed our podcasts, being brought up in church (and then leaving church), how our own parents influence our relationships with our kids, and what it means to strive to raise kids who are socially, globally, and culturally conscious human beings. You can find Cindy's work at cindywangbrandt.com, and be sure to ch...2021-02-2544 minParenting ForwardHow to Teach Kids a Responsible Reading of the Bible w/ Pete EnnsYou can tell a lot about people by their reaction to the Bible. That is what makes it so interesting as a sociological phenomenon. There are secular people who are largely ignorant of the Bible. Then there is the large spectrum of ways Christians engage with the Bible, from the literal inerrant folks to the infallible and liberal interpretations. My guest today understands the varied kind of baggage that the Bible can carry for people. Pete Enns is a Bible scholar, a professor, the author of several amazing books about the Bible, and the host of the...2020-11-3050 min
The Phil Drysdale Show090 - Cindy Wang Brandt - Parenting As You DeconstructCindy Wang Brandt is the genius behind Parenting Forward. She helps parents who are deconstructing and unraveling religious trauma to raise their kids well.
In this episode we cover so much great stuff on how to navigate deconstruction and still be a great parent and come out with some amazing well rounded kids. We talk about what spirituality is and how important it is to raise children with autonomy. We also look at some fascinating ideas like - does being a parent of younger children cause you to go through deconstruction quicker?
Cindy's website is - https://cindywangbrandt.com
Instagram...2020-11-161h 52Parenting ForwardHow to Be Assertive During ThanksgivingToday's episode will be a rapid-fire Q & A. My goal has always been and always will be to make sure I’m doing my very best here on the podcast to serve you and meet your needs. So, in order to do this, I run a poll every once in a while and ask all of you what you want me to address. I did this again recently and got some fantastic questions and suggestions. Throughout the episode, I’m going to be tackling all of the questions and issues that were raised in response to my poll...2020-11-1616 min
Dirty Rotten Church KidsSecurity and Clarity w/ Cindy Wang BrandtThis week we speak to Cindy Wang Brandt (Author! Podcaster! Speaker!). We discuss parenting after leaving evangelicalism, re-framing how we see children and raising our family like a playground. Cindy answers questions from the Bad Apples and reminds us of the permission we have during and post-deconstruction. If this interview isn't something you think you'd vibe with you can skip to 1:24:29. Brought to you by 'Spectators to Their Becoming', the DRCK/WB collaboration album. Cindy Wang Brandt https://cindywangbrandt.com/ Aspen Green (use promo code BADAPPLE) www.aspengreen.com Leefy Organics(use promo code BADAPPLE) www.leefyorganics.com Dirty Rotte...2020-11-111h 46Parenting ForwardElections and Political Engagement with Kids w/ John ShallmanThose of you who listen to this podcast are people who are very active and engaged in the political process. I tend to be a political junkie myself. However, the 2016 election devastated me and I wasn’t interested in dragging my mental health through that ordeal again. So I haven’t been as engaged this time around. That being said, I’m still a firm believer in being engaged in responsible citizenship and I know that journey begins at home. That sense of empowerment for the political process has to start when our kids are young. That is why...2020-10-2643 minParenting ForwardDon’t Simplify Theology for Kids w/ Katey HageResistance is spiritual. However, what’s spiritual is spiritual too. That’s why I brought on someone whose career vocation it is to invest in the spirituality of children. Katey Hage is the children’s pastor of Quest Church, a diverse church in Seattle founded by my friend Eugene Cho. Katey and I have vocational passions that intersect. Having grown up in a predominately white Christian church environment, when she first experienced God in diverse communities, something shifted inside of her. She was deeply drawn to the image of the multi-cultural Kingdom of God. Today, Katey an...2020-10-1950 min
Christianity Without the Crap - Podcast#57 Cindy Wang Brandt - Dont Screw Up Your Kids!Cindy Wang Brandt helps parents heal from their religious trauma, so they can raise children with a healthy spirituality. She helps parents avoid screwing up their kids with negative religion! Even if you don’t have kids, this episode will help you understand your own upbringing and spiritual trauma. https://cindywangbrandt.com Donate at:www.patreon.com/christianitywithoutthecrap Facebook: www.facebook.com/christianitywithoutthecrap Email: cwoc.mark@gmail.com cwoc.tammy@gmail.com2020-10-1357 minParenting ForwardActivist, You! with Lindz AmerIt’s never too early to talk to kids about equality. From an early age, we should give them the tools and language to see themselves and interact with the actual realities of the people they will encounter in their lives. This is incredibly important work and something that Lindz Amer does so well. Lindz Amer is the creator of Queer Kid Stuff. They create media for all kids with queer representation. There is abundant queer representation and resources for teens, but it’s very scarce for young children, so I love that Lindz speaks to that demogr...2020-10-1238 minParenting ForwardKeeping Families Together w/ Heather AskewA few episodes ago, I hosted a show with Cam Lee, a transracial adoptee and mental health professional. We talked about issues surrounding transracial adoption, white saviorism, and the movement to adopt from orphanages internationally. Heather Askew, one of my listeners, reached out to me and she works with NGOs that are trying to make the shift from orphanages to family based-care. I don't know very much about this. But I feel like for those of us who advocate for the well-being of children, not just in our own communities, but worldwide, it would be good for us to...2020-10-0527 min