{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5efe31fda17d5559f265b58f/6a62350644c9eabf3ca7a6a4?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"I Belong to Me:  Tia Levings on Escaping Christian Patriarchy and Reclaiming the Self","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5efe31fda17d5559f265b58f/1784821215619-682aa5ef-2457-4805-9ed1-53e0fea591fd.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>What happens when the “perfect Christian wife” decides her life belongs to her after all? In this episode of The Rose Woman Podcast, Christine sits down with Tia Levings, New York Times bestselling author of <a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Well-Trained-Wife-Escape-Christian-Patriarchy-ebook/dp/B0CFJTH3VP?ref_=ast_author_mpb\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>A Well-Trained Wife</em></a> and <a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Belong-Me-Survivors-Recovery-Religious-ebook/dp/B0DDJCFT6L/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_author_smart_catalog_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=RQcIK&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.0f6800d6-c0f7-4cc4-9fe4-a8d57d8d7ad6&amp;pf_rd_p=0f6800d6-c0f7-4cc4-9fe4-a8d57d8d7ad6&amp;pf_rd_r=132-3426907-6050742&amp;pd_rd_wg=96Ziz&amp;pd_rd_r=d74235a5-5905-4695-8863-0651776a8320\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>I Belong to Me: A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma</em></a>. Tia writes and speaks about the realities of religious trauma, evangelical patriarchy, and the trad wife life, decoding the fundamentalist influences in our news and culture; her work and quotes have appeared in <em>Teen Vogue</em>, <em>Salon</em>, <em>Newsweek</em>, the <em>Huffington Post</em>, and the hit Amazon docu-series <em>Shiny Happy People</em>. Together, Christine and Tia explore how high-control religion shapes women’s bodies, marriages, motherhood, aging, and even our politics, why the trad wife aesthetic is so seductive right now, what happens when adult children step away from the faith of their families, and how to slowly rebuild a sense of self, boundaries, and spirituality on your own terms. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Tia is mom to four grown kids and, when she’s not writing or speaking, she loves to travel, hike, paint, and daydream. If you’ve ever felt confined by an ideology, a relationship, or a role you were told to play, this conversation offers language, validation, and a gentle map back to yourself.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we cover so many topics, including:</p><ul><li>(00:00:35): Who Is Tia Levings, And Why Religious Trauma Matters</li><li>(00:05:19): Childhood Move To The South And How A “Normal” Church Led Into High-Control Religion</li><li>(00:09:21): Inside the organization by Bill Gothard (IBLP) And Tradwife Culture</li><li>(00:12:28): How High-Control Christianity Glorifies Women’s Suffering While Blocking Real Supports Like Childcare And Healthcare</li><li>(00:14:29): The Cost To Women</li><li>(00:17:02): Reclaiming Midlife As A Powerful “Queen Era” Of Women’s Lives</li><li>(00:19:32): Are Tradwives “Stupid”? How Isolation and Under-Education Protect Patriarchal Systems&nbsp;</li><li>(00:22:46): Submission as “Discipline” and Why Divorce Can Be A Life-Saving Boundary</li><li>(00:25:58): Parenting Under Patriarchy</li><li>(00:30:03): Escaping Abuse and&nbsp; Rebuilding Life</li><li>(00:35:01): Tradwife Aesthetics, Project 2025 and How Christian Patriarchy Is Moving Into U.S. Politics</li><li>(00:38:23): Estrangement In Christian Families</li><li>(00:41:41): Tantric Parenting</li><li>(00:43:34): New Book: “I Belong To Me”</li><li>(00:49:23): How To Support People Exiting High-Control Groups</li><li>(00:56:34): Deconstructing and Reconstructing Spirituality</li><li>(00:59:29): Living As Your Full Self After Control</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Helpful links:</p><ul><li><a href=\"about:blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tia Levings</a> - Author of <a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Belong-Me-Survivors-Recovery-Religious-ebook/dp/B0DDJCFT6L/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_author_smart_catalog_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=RQcIK&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.0f6800d6-c0f7-4cc4-9fe4-a8d57d8d7ad6&amp;pf_rd_p=0f6800d6-c0f7-4cc4-9fe4-a8d57d8d7ad6&amp;pf_rd_r=132-3426907-6050742&amp;pd_rd_wg=96Ziz&amp;pd_rd_r=d74235a5-5905-4695-8863-0651776a8320\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>I Belong to Me: A Survivor's Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma</em></a> (St. Martin's Essentials, May 2026) and<a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Well-Trained-Wife-Escape-Christian-Patriarchy-ebook/dp/B0CFJTH3VP?ref_=ast_author_mpb\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy </a>(St. Martin's Press, 2024)</li><li>Follow her on @tialevingswriter on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tialevingswriter/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram</a> and <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/TiaLevingsWriter/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook</a></li><li>Subscribe to<a href=\"http://tialevings.substack.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> tialevings.substack.com</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD3G7PP7?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Shiny Happy People</em> (Amazon Prime docuseries)</a></li><li><a href=\"https://rosewoman.com/products/the-9-lives-of-woman-sensual-sexual-and-reproductive-stages-from-birth-to-100?variant=46367720210686\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Nine Lives of Woman</em> by Christine Marie Mason</a></li><li><a href=\"https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Project 2025</a></li><li><a href=\"https://rosewoman.com/blogs/rosewoman-podcast/episode-116-outgrowing-religion-living-as-love?_pos=1&amp;_sid=e3fca5d57&amp;_ss=r\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Episode #116: Outgrowing Religion, Living as Embodied Love with Jim Palmer</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Your host:</p><p>Ongoing Classes by Christine:</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/rasa-living-inside-the-mood-of-beauty\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Rasa: Living Inside the Mood of Beauty</a></li><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/wake-down-class\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Wake Down: Returning to the Erotic Holy Body. Practices, Philosophy and Feeling</a></li><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/living-tantra-course\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Living Tantra 101 begins Sep 15, 2026</a></li><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/living-tantra-course\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Living Tantra 201 begins Sep 17, 2026</a></li><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/retreat-offers/p/living-tantra-fall-immersion\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fall Hawai'i Immersion</a>: November 1 to 22, 2026</li><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/easter-intensive\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Easter Intensive: Mystic Heart of Easter Retreat</a> with Christine Mason on March 25-28, 2027</li><li><a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/events\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Upcoming Events</a> with Christine</li><li><a href=\"http://goodgatherings.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Good Gathering Events</a> at <a href=\"http://sundarigardens.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sundari Gardens</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Brought to you by <a href=\"http://www.rosewoman.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Rosebud Woman</a>, Award Winning Intimate and Body Care:</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://rosewoman.com/account/login\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Log in to the Rosebud Woman Website</a></li><li><a href=\"https://library.rosewoman.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Rosewoman Library:</a> The Embodied Menopause &amp; Intimacy Library</li><li><a href=\"https://journal.rosewoman.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Body Love Journal: The 9-Week Body Love Journal</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"http://christinemariemason.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Christine Marie Mason</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/christinemariemason\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@christinemariemason</a></p><p><a href=\"https://instagram.com/rosebudwoman\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@rosebudwoman</a></p><p>Founder, Rosebud Woman</p><p>Co-Founder, <a href=\"https://radiantfarms.us/?srsltid=AfmBOoogCWGDJc8oLUepCrdz2kAWxWONMRtFIgLbCobSxF7tksZQ_sfU\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Radiant Farms</a> and <a href=\"http://sundarigardens.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sundari Gardens</a></p><p>Host, <a href=\"https://christinemariemason.com/podcast\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Rose Woman on Love and Liberation</a>:&nbsp;</p><p>Listen, Like, Share &amp; Subscribe on <a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-rose-woman/id1525421264\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Apple Podcast</a> | <a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/7t6pKFu2M5WOPTzOZAvHa9?si=3LT7OHmnSvq-JOtD3-5kTg\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Spotify</a></p>","author_name":"Christine Marie Mason"}