Focus On Your Own Family

Michigan State District 2 candidate Joanna Whaley

Send us a textIn this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Joanna Whaley, now a candidate for Michigan’s State House representing District 2 in Southeast Detroit, to talk about the unlikely path from megachurch pastor to public servant. We unpack how growing up and working inside evangelical systems shapes the way people organize, speak, and wield power, and why that lived experience matters in today’s political landscape. Joanna shares what she loves about her working-class, often-overlooked district, how pastoral skills translate into listening for the real crises beneath the noise, and why decoding the language of “family values,” faith, and fear is essential for protecting democracy and human dignity. It’s a conversation about community, accountability, and what it looks like to bring humanity back into spaces that too often strip it away.To get involved or two donate to Joanna's campaign https://www.joannawhaley.com/For those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes.Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley For those who want to subscribe to my Patreon please look at the show notes for more informationMusic composed by Joanna WhaleySupport the showThis podcast contains the personal accounts, thoughts, and opinions of guests. Focus on Your Own Family podcast will not be held liable for the personal feelings, and accounts of their guests. Focus on your Own family podcast holds itself to the highest level of integrity, and the reporting that we do in this podcast to a very high standard. We believe in showing evidence, and letting people draw their conclusions from that evidence. Your life matters, National help numbersSHOW YOUR SUPPORTMY SUBSTACKPlease reach out: focusonyourownfamilypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW ME ON SOCIALSLINKTREEINTRO AND OUTRO MUSICScott Buckley "Omega"COMMERCIAL MUSICComposed by Joanna Whaley

Untitled Episode

Send us a textIn this episode, Stephanie sits down with Lizzie Goldsmith,  is an audio producer and creator of the nonfiction audio drama adaptation of When We Were On Fire (based on Addie Zierman’s memoir). Her work explores faith, identity, grief, power, and the emotional reality of growing up in evangelical spaces.Lizzie is the creator of an audio drama adaptation of the 2013 deconstruction memoir When We Were On Fire by Addie Zierman. The series is a four-part production that blends the intimacy of memoir with the cinematic world-building of scripted drama. Stephanie describes it as “Adventures in Odyssey… if the characters deconstructed,” and Lizzie explains how rare this kind of project still is, especially as a nonfiction adaptation in a drama format.Together, Stephanie and Lizzie compare notes from eerily parallel upbringings: homeschool culture, Awana verses that never leave your brain, the strange logic of “no sex scenes but yes, horrifying violence,” and the Christian vocabulary that sounds completely unhinged outside church walls (“hedge of protection,” “traveling mercies,” “how’s your walk?”). They talk about how quickly a single phrase can snap your nervous system back into old fear and obedience, even years later.The conversation also explores the creative hunger that follows deconstruction, especially for people who grew up with limited access to “normal” culture. Lizzie shares how adapting Addie’s memoir during grad school became both a creative obsession and a lifeline, complete with a massive cast, original music, and years of delays due to audio rights before it was finally able to be released widely as a podcast.🎧 Go listen to When We Were On Fire now.For those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes.Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley For those who want to subscribe to my Patreon please look at the show notes for more informationMusic composed by Joanna WhaleySupport the showThis podcast contains the personal accounts, thoughts, and opinions of guests. Focus on Your Own Family podcast will not be held liable for the personal feelings, and accounts of their guests. Focus on your Own family podcast holds itself to the highest level of integrity, and the reporting that we do in this podcast to a very high standard. We believe in showing evidence, and letting people draw their conclusions from that evidence. Your life matters, National help numbersSHOW YOUR SUPPORTMY SUBSTACKPlease reach out: focusonyourownfamilypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW ME ON SOCIALSLINKTREEINTRO AND OUTRO MUSICScott Buckley "Omega"COMMERCIAL MUSICComposed by Joanna Whaley

Breaking Free from Purity Culture: A Conversation with Sex Educator Erica Smith

Send us a textTo support this podcast Subscribe to Stephanie Warren's SubstackIn this episode Stephanie sits down with sex educator Erica Smith for a candid, shame-free conversation about sex, embodiment, and healing from the long shadow of purity culture. Although Erica didn’t grow up in Christian fundamentalism, her work intersects directly with the systems, beliefs, and cultural pressures that shaped so many of us. Her outside perspective brings clarity, nuance, and compassion to a topic that often feels heavy for survivors.We also dive into:The influence of Christian fundamentalism on sexuality and identity, even for those who didn’t grow up inside itHer work supporting purity culture and fundamentalism survivors, and why trauma-informed sex education is essential for rebuilding trust in our own bodiesThe process of reconnecting with our physical selves after years of shame, suppression, or fearNavigating boundaries, communication, and open conversations in relationships and familiesHow to talk with teens about sex, including handling parental anxiety, intergenerational shame, and what developmentally appropriate conversations actually look likeConcrete, practical guidance for parents, from discussing consent to normalizing curiosity to making space for autonomyReframing “virginity” as a sexual debut and why language matters for healingErica also gives us a first look at her upcoming book, The Purity Culture Recovery Guide: The Shame-Free Sex Education You Deserve, coming February 2026. The book promises to be an inclusive, comprehensive resource for those rebuilding their sexual worldview outside of fear, shame, or fundamentalist doctrine.We wrap with Erica’s personal favorites, recommendations, and the resources she believes everyoFor those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes.Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley For those who want to subscribe to my Patreon please look at the show notes for more informationMusic composed by Joanna WhaleySupport the showThis podcast contains the personal accounts, thoughts, and opinions of guests. Focus on Your Own Family podcast will not be held liable for the personal feelings, and accounts of their guests. Focus on your Own family podcast holds itself to the highest level of integrity, and the reporting that we do in this podcast to a very high standard. We believe in showing evidence, and letting people draw their conclusions from that evidence. Your life matters, National help numbersSHOW YOUR SUPPORTMY SUBSTACKPlease reach out: focusonyourownfamilypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW ME ON SOCIALSLINKTREEINTRO AND OUTRO MUSICScott Buckley "Omega"COMMERCIAL MUSICComposed by Joanna Whaley

Shaping a generation, How Focus on the family used children as tools of propaganda- With Dave, Voice of Jimmy Barclay

Send us a textSupport the podcast subscribe to the SUBSTACKIn this podcast episode, Dave, a recurring guest, and former voice actor for the character Jimmy Barkley in the children's radio program 'Adventures in Odyssey,' reflects on his experiences and the legacy of his work. The conversation touches on the impact of James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, and the role the organization played in shaping Christian nationalism. Dave talks about his complicated feelings towards his contributions to the show, his mental health struggles, and the manipulative use of children as propaganda tools in a system that perpetuates harmful ideologies. He also notes the broader societal implications of these practices, including the rise of Christian nationalism in American politics. The discussion concludes with reflections on personal responsibility, the effects of systemic abuse, and hopes for a better future.DAVE'S BLOGFor those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes.Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley For those who want to subscribe to my Patreon please look at the show notes for more informationMusic composed by Joanna WhaleySupport the showThis podcast contains the personal accounts, thoughts, and opinions of guests. Focus on Your Own Family podcast will not be held liable for the personal feelings, and accounts of their guests. Focus on your Own family podcast holds itself to the highest level of integrity, and the reporting that we do in this podcast to a very high standard. We believe in showing evidence, and letting people draw their conclusions from that evidence. Your life matters, National help numbersSHOW YOUR SUPPORTMY SUBSTACKPlease reach out: focusonyourownfamilypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW ME ON SOCIALSLINKTREEINTRO AND OUTRO MUSICScott Buckley "Omega"COMMERCIAL MUSICComposed by Joanna Whaley

Dobson's impact- Tophers story

Send us a textTo support this podcast please subscribe to my SUBSTACK I regularly publish essay style articles on the very things my guests and I discuss on the podcast. Welcome back Topher!Topher and I discuss the impact Dobson and MacArthur had on the children raised inside Christian Fundamentalism. This will be the first in what I hope to be a season long reflection. TOPHER socialsFor those that want to be on the podcast make sure to reach out—link in the show notes.Pre-roll music is composed by Joanna Whaley For those who want to subscribe to my Patreon please look at the show notes for more informationMusic composed by Joanna WhaleySupport the showThis podcast contains the personal accounts, thoughts, and opinions of guests. Focus on Your Own Family podcast will not be held liable for the personal feelings, and accounts of their guests. Focus on your Own family podcast holds itself to the highest level of integrity, and the reporting that we do in this podcast to a very high standard. We believe in showing evidence, and letting people draw their conclusions from that evidence. Your life matters, National help numbersSHOW YOUR SUPPORTMY SUBSTACKPlease reach out: focusonyourownfamilypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW ME ON SOCIALSLINKTREEINTRO AND OUTRO MUSICScott Buckley "Omega"COMMERCIAL MUSICComposed by Joanna Whaley