Praise Be To Pod
Ashley and Bailee are reclaiming their spirituality after leaving the evangelical church behind. Join them for candid conversations about the twists and turns of deconstruction, spirituality, pop culture, mental health, astrology, self-care, and all the things that make life interesting after the altar call. Together, we’ll laugh, reflect, and discover what we still believe in.
Episodes
72 episodes
Filmmaking, Abortion, & Unoriginal Nicknames with Grace Sims
Ashley and Bailee sit down with filmmaker Grace Sims to talk about her evangelical childhood, her time with Youth With A Mission, and the purity-culture nicknames that followed her through high school. The conversation moves into Grace's gradua...
9/11 Never Forget | Part 2
This week, Ashley and Bailee continue their conversation about 9/11, getting into the attacks themselves and the enormous cultural impact they had on a generation of Americans. They talk about how September 11th changed the way Americans unders...
9/11 Never Forget | Part 1
This week, Ashley and Bailee begin a two-part conversation about 9/11 and the American evangelical response to one of the most defining events of their generation. But before getting into what happened after September 11th, they take a step bac...
Coming Out, Dating, and Deconstructing God with Mike Maeshiro | Part 2
This week, Ashley and Bailee continue their conversation with Mike Maeshiro – delving into what it’s like being LGBTQ+ in an evangelical world where your sexuality is treated as an affliction to overc...
From Supernatural Ministry to Queer Deconstruction with Mike Maeshiro | Part 1
This week Ashley and Bailee kick things off with the politics of expensive desk chairs, the two hours Bailee lost Uncle Marty, and her unexpected new love affair with baseball (much to Ashley's disapproval). Jacob weighs in with his signature d...
Five Love Languages: The Gospel According to Gary Chapman
This week Ashley and Bailee break down the Five Love Languages: where they actually came from (hint: it's more churchy than you think), why zero peer-reviewed studies back them up, and how a 1992 Christian Literature release somehow out-lasted ...
What's on Your Heart: Summer Edition
This week, join Ashley and Bailee for a full-length “What's on Your Heart?” episode. From our thoughts on Lindsey Graham to Ashley’s trip to Kenya to Minnesota’s abysmal air quality, we're spending the entire episode catching up on everythin...
Oh, Heavens! Part 2: What Do You Think Happens When We Die?
This week, Ashley and Bailee continue their conversation on heaven by exploring how the beliefs they inherited about the afterlife shaped the way they lived, loved, and understood the world around them.Together, they reflect on how evang...
Oh, Heavens! Part 1: The History, Mythology, and the Afterlife
This week, Ashley and Bailee kick off a two-part conversation exploring the origins of heaven and revisiting one of the foundational beliefs they were taught growing up in evangelical Christianity.Together, they reflect on the version of...
Church Skit Nepo Baby with Katherine Scipioni
This week, Ashley and Bailee continue their conversation with their friend Scip as she reflects on growing up in 90s evangelical culture and her journey through deconstruction.Together, they explore Scip’s upbringing in the Assembly of ...
If everyone's gay, who will bear children? Sage Advice with Special Guest, Katherine Scipioni
This week, Ashley and Bailee are joined by their friend Katherine Scipioni “Scip” to respond to a parishioner question about navigating family relationships when faith and identity collide.Together, they discuss the pain of conditional a...
UNLEARNING: Are We Still Evangelizing?
This week, Ashley and Bailee explore the lingering ways evangelical Christianity continues to shape their thinking, even after deconstruction.Together, they reflect on how certain patterns don’t automatically disappear when beliefs chang...
Mental Health: Spiritual Bypassing
This week, Ashley and Bailee unpack one of evangelicalism's most enduring coping mechanisms: spiritual bypassing.Together, they explore the pressure to "choose joy" when life is falling apart, the expectation to stay positive no matter t...
Boys Will Be Boys: The Modern Exvangelical Manosphere
This week, Ashley and Bailee fail the Bechdel Test for the very first time with an all-new episode on one of humanity's oldest and most infamous subjects: men.Together, they unpack some of the dynamics they've noticed in progressive spac...
The Gospel According to White Evangelicalism: Bekha's Story
This week, Bailee and Ashley are joined by a very special guest: Bailee’s childhood best friend, Bekha. Bekha and Bailee first met as children when Bekha's family began attending the charismatic evangelical church that Bailee's pare...
One Year of Praise Be to Pod: Stages of Deconstruction
This week, Ashley and Bailee celebrate one year of Praise Be to Pod, reflecting on the journey that brought them here. After a year of conversations about evangelicalism, spirituality, culture, power, and healing, they take stock of ho...
The Hollywood Fall from Grace to Evangelical A$$hole with Husband of the Pod, Danny
Content Advisory: This episode explores themes of domestic violence, sexual assault, and violence against LGBTQ+ peopleThis week, Ashley and Bailee are joined by Ashley’s husband Danny to discuss the infamous pipeline of powerful ...
The Soft Life Pipe Dream: Selling Womanhood in Late-Stage Capitalism
This week, Ashley and Bailee explore the resurgence of tradwife and homesteading aesthetics, “divine feminine” content, and viral online trends centered around softness, submission, and retreat from modern life — asking what cultural conditions...
Signs & Wonders with Jubilee Dawn: When Miracles Mislead
This week, Ashley and Bailee are joined by Jubilee Dawn for a conversation on “signs and wonders” within charismatic evangelical spaces. Jubilee shares from her experience in Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry (often described as “Christi...
Save the Children: The Indoctrination Double Standard
This week, Ashley and Bailee engage in a discussion of the evangelical and religious right’s “Save the Children” narrative — exploring how fears around education, media, and social progress are often used to shape public perception and moral ur...
The Myth of a Christian Nation | Part 2: Trickle Down American Exceptionalism
This week, Ashley and Bailee continue their deep-dive into the myth of a “Christian nation,” shifting into the modern era and the forces that shaped evangelical political identity as we know it today.We explore the cultural and political...
The Myth of a Christian Nation | Part 1: Evangelical Revisionist History
This week, Ashley and Bailee kick off Part 1 of a deep-dive into one of the most widely accepted beliefs in evangelical culture: that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.From childhood teachings to political messaging, ma...
The Narrow Road | Part 2 | The Threat of Christian Nationalism with Joanna Whaley
In Part 2 of our conversation with Joanna Whaley, we continue unpacking Joanna’s journey from evangelical pastor to political candidate — diving into the intersections of faith, politics, and identity in a time when Christian values and nationa...
The Narrow Road | Part 1 | From Megachurch Pastor to Progressive Political Activist with Joanna Whaley
In Part 1 of our conversation with Joanna Whaley, candidate for Michigan House of Representatives, Ashley and Bailee sit down with Joanna to unpack her story as a former evangelical pastor navigating identity, faith, and institutional power.
The Evangelical Millennials to Social Justice Warrior Pipeline
This week, Ashley and Bailee engage in a discussion and cultural analysis of evangelical millennials — exploring why we are the way that we are. From the militarization of youth at Acquire the Fire to the push to dedicate your l...