Saving Myself: How Purity Culture Wounds Us, And How We Can Heal

In this final episode of season 1, Gwen shares her coming out story, the nuances of sexuality and why we choose labels, and the importance of Pride.

In the penultimate episode of Season 1, Gwen shares why it's time to take a break, and she discusses the importance of embracing self-care after a lifetime of believing her needs came last. 

In the second installment of this two-parter, Gwen continues her conversation with Jessica Janiuk, a transwoman and former classmate of Gwen's. The two discuss the process of broadening one's worldview to welcome the foundation of science, the unconditional acceptance of oneself, and the inevitability and freedom of the unknown.  Get to know Jess: https://twitter.com/ThePunderWoman https://www.facebook.com/jessjaniuk/ https://jessicajaniuk.com/

In the first installment of this two-parter, Gwen is joined by an old friend, Jessica Janiuk, who shares her story of coming out as trans almost twenty years ago. They discuss the internal processes they each faced during that time as people of faith wrestling with the realities that gender doesn't always fit the culturally-accepted distinctions, Jessica in her internal battle to accept herself, and Gwen as an observer, battling the ever-present evangelical conflict of dogma vs. humanity. Get to know Jess: https://twitter.com/ThePunderWoman https://www.facebook.com/jessjaniuk/ https://jessicajaniuk.com/

For many who grew up in the church, the message of sex ed was simple: don't have sex. At least it seemed simple enough—saving yourself for marriage is the only way to prevent STIs and unplanned pregnancy, right? If only it really were so simple. In this week's episode, Gwen is joined by Janie Frank for a conversation about the detriments of abstinence-only sex education and how a comprehensive, sex-positive approach may hold the key to really giving our bodies the honor they're due.

This week, Gwen gets real and shares the next chapter in her story, describing how the journey to authenticity has clashed with her former beliefs about her life's purpose, creating the ultimate crisis of conscience.

TW: Discussion of rape and sexual assault In this week's episode, Gwen discusses the important two-facet definition of consent: the explicit 'yes' and the unhindered 'no'. She is joined by Alli Owen, host of the podcast 'Aligned and Alive', where we hear Alli's story of how the elevation of purity over consent contributed to the shame she felt over her own sexual assault, and how she's come to find freedom and healing. Aligned and Alive: http://alignedandalive.libsyn.com/

Why are we as a culture so obsessed with virginity? Is it really as clear a line as we were led to believe? Join Gwen in exploring some of the myths surrounding virginity and asking the question: what's really behind the obsession with declaring virginity a state of being?   Credits: "Immersed" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In the inaugural episode of "Saving Myself", Gwen shares her own story (to date) of her upbringing, embodiment, and ultimately her escape from the oppressive thinking of evangelical purity culture.    Credits: Many thanks to Nick Welsh for the huge help in creating the logo! www.nickwelshphotography.com "Immersed" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  

“Saving Myself: How Purity Culture Wounds Us, and How We Can Heal” is the new podcast exploring the effects of conservative evangelicalism on our understanding of sex, marriage, and gender roles. Join the conversation every other Tuesday as Gwen Fisher, a purity culture survivor, delves into a wide variety of topics and guest conversations exploring the journey of deprogramming oneself from the toxic messages many of us were raised with, and finding the freedom that can exist on the other side.