Don't F*ck The Flock

About Don't F*ck The Flock

Hi, I’m Jaime Simpson, and you’re listening to Don’t Fck the Flock*. This is a podcast where truth, raw honesty, pain, and healing can coexist. This isn’t an anti-faith podcast, nor is it here to promote any particular belief system. It’s not anti-deconstruction or pushing people to deconstruct. What this space is about is making room for stories, for listening, and understanding. This podcast names the harm that’s been done within churches and faith communities and by those in positions of power. The views expressed by myself or my guests are our own. They should never be taken as gospel! Please, always do your own research, and seek out the support you need — whether that’s medical, psychological, or spiritual. jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Making room for stories, for listening and for understanding

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

5 Jun 2025

Latest episode

26 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Aug 2025

   Final Episode: How to be OK!

   Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of recovery from grooming, clergy sexual abuse and abuse in high-control faith spaces. Please take care while listening. Support services are listed in the show notes. HOW TO BE OK In this final episode, Jane and I talk about what it means to find your way back to OK. We begin with the reminder that “what you bury, you’ll always carry” — healing starts by gently dealing with the topsoil. From there, we move through the many layers of recovery, sharing practices and reflections that have helped us along the way. Everyone’s recovery is unique, and what matters most is discovering what works for you. Healing isn’t linear, and the first step is often being able to name that you’re not OK. Together, we explore: * Recognising your survival strategies and asking if they’ve become maladaptive in recovery. * Understanding the embodied experience of emotion and learning to feel and self-soothe. * Identifying and naming your triggers. * Practising self-compassion and reclaiming your rights. * Moving beyond survival mode and embracing life. * Allowing yourself to experience beauty, pleasure, and joy again. * Setting boundaries as an act of healing, not selfishness. * Learning to trust your inner voice. * Getting education on how your body responds to sexual intimacy and how to support a nervous system that freezes. * Knowing what you want to reclaim, renew, or build afresh. This conversation is about grief, courage, and the slow, courageous work of reclaiming what was stolen Thank you to those who have listened to this series, provided feedback and encouragement. Till next time… Today’s Guest: Jane Kennedy is a religious trauma therapist working on Gadigal land in Sydney's Inner West. Jane works with clients recovering from the harm experienced in faith communities and other high-control groups such as cults and sects. She is a co-founder of The Religious Trauma Collective. (https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com/) Jane has two delightful adult kids and two ridiculous rescue cats. She and her partner spend a lot of time dreaming about how to move to Italy. Connect with Jane Website https://janekennedycounselling.com.au RTC website https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com Insta https://www.instagram.com/janekennedycounselling/ (https://www.instagram.com/janekennedycounselling/) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   12 Aug 2025

   Survivor Resilience

   Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of mental health, depression, alleged sexual grooming, and abuse. Please take care while listening. If you recognise the situation described, we ask that you respect our guest’s request for anonymity. Do not share the church name or the names of any individuals on social media or in any public forum. This episode is with a Christian pastor and includes Christian language. Survivor Resilience In this episode, I speak with a courageous survivor, a fellow Aussie who is now a pastor living in America. She shares how she was allegedly groomed and abused by a pastor acting in a pastoral care counselling role within an Australian church. When church leadership, who were also his parents, learned of the alleged abuse, rather than protecting her or publicly holding the pastor accountable, they offered her the illusion of agency and choice before sending her across the world to keep the alleged abuse hidden. She opens up about the slow, painful realisation of what had been done to her; the courage it took to seek justice, confront the church, face the pastor who allegedly harmed her; and the role her faith has played throughout her healing. Together, we explore the realities of adult grooming, the devastating impact of institutional betrayal, the vital need for education, and what it truly means to reclaim your power after profound harm. We challenge churches: If someone reaches out to tell you that alleged historical abuse happened under your roof, show some institutional courage. * Meet with them, listen to their story, and acknowledge their pain. * Tell them you are deeply sorry for the harm that happened within the four walls of your church. * When you know better, do better - and that means DO BETTER! Knowing is not enough. Put some action behind your awareness. Now, my guest is modelling exactly that kind of courage. She is using her voice to push for change, determined to make the church a safe space for all. If someone were to come to her and disclose that abuse was happening in their church, she would respond with both moral and institutional courage. Her resilience, faith, and determination offer both challenge and hope to anyone impacted by abuse in faith communities. Thank you to my guest! If you need support please reach out to the following hotlines: Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   7 Aug 2025

   Reconstruction of Identity

   Content Warning: This episode contains discussions about sexual abuse, including abuse experienced in faith spaces. These topics are explored through the lens of therapy and healing. While we aim to speak with care and compassion, we recognise that these themes may be activating. Support services are listed below in the show notes, including information about the Royal Commission Redress Scheme and National counselling services. Reconstruction of Identity: A Conversation with Dr. Josie McSkimming on Clergy Abuse and Recovery In this compassionate and thought-provoking conversation, psychotherapist, author, and clinical supervisor Dr. Josie McSkimming joins me to explore the complexities of clergy-perpetrated abuse and what it means to recover your identity after betrayal in a faith space. Drawing on more than 40 years of experience and her personal history within evangelical Christianity, Josie speaks candidly about the longstanding issue of sexual abuse of teenage girls by older male youth leaders and pastors, and how grooming, love-bombing, and spiritual manipulation are used to gain power, sex, and control over young women with little sexual or worldly experience. We also talk about the professional and personal consequences of leaving church systems, including the isolation and exclusion therapists may face when they no longer receive referrals after stepping away from faith communities. Together, we explore: * How clients often arrive in the therapy room with heightened fears * The importance of stabilisation in the present before any trauma processing, and why these things take time * The need to honour survival strategies, including compliance and silence, without pathologising victim-survivors * Why telling one’s story should never be retraumatising, survivors don’t need to share all the details to be believed or understood * The difficulty of knowing the true prevalence of abuse in faith spaces, given that professional standards units are a relatively recent development, though churches are slowly becoming more accountable * The importance of checking your bias as a therapist and avoiding the replication of harmful or coercive dynamics * How survivors may feel pressure to protect Christian counsellors from the truth of their experience, and why Christian therapists must be alert to this For therapists supporting disclosures of clergy abuse, Josie offers wise, grounded guidance: Prioritise stabilisation. Respect what the client is ready to share. Be more interested in the impacts and how they survived than in what was done to them. I encourage our listeners to look at survivor response through the lens of compliance and entrapment. This episode is for survivors, therapists, and anyone seeking to understand better the dynamics of abuse in religious spaces, and how healing can begin with reclaiming your voice, truth, and identity. Guest Bio Dr Josie McSkimming is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist with over 40 years’ experience. She is currently in private practice in Sydney, providing counselling to couples and individuals, and clinical supervision. Her first book, Leaving Christian Fundamentalism and the Reconstruction of Identity (2016, Routledge), describes how power spreads like a chain throughout church communities, shaping and re-shaping identity. Individuals are understood as not only subject to a form of judgment, but also exercise it, with everyone complicit in maintaining the stability of the church structure. Her most recent book, Gutsy Girls (https://www.amazon.com.au/Gutsy-Girls-Love-Poetry-Sisterhood/dp/0702268720) (2025, UQP), is a family memoir of her late sister, the trailblazing queer writer, Dorothy Porter, who was a profound influence on her life. Josie and Dorothy sought very different escapes from their formidable father; Josie fell into (and out of) evangelical Christianity and psychotherapy, while Dot found ‘the Arts’ and sex. With unprecedented access to Porter’s personal diaries and letters, Gutsy Girls is an intimate story of sisterhood, finding creative power and blazing your own trail. While Josie was once an insider of evangelical Christianity, she has become a loud protesting outsider. Much of her clinical work now focuses on assisting people to understand the effects of religious trauma and religious dogma on their sense of self, while helping them re-construct a preferred identity and a new ethical frame. w: www.mcskimming.com.au (http://www.mcskimming.com.au/) www.gutsygirls.com.au (http://www.gutsygirls.com.au/) National Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Abuse in Australia https://www.nationalredress.gov.au Royal Commission reports. https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/redress-and-civil-litigation Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

4. 

   29 Jul 2025

   Crimes of the Cross:

   Content Warning: This episode discusses child sexual abuse, grooming, institutional betrayal, organised crime, and the impacts of clergy-perpetrated violence. The focus is particularly on the Anglican Paedophile Network, which was operating in Newcastle, Australia. Listener discretion is advised. Support services are listed below in the show notes (along with the Royal Commission redress scheme). Crimes of the Cross - "The Anglican Paedophile Network of Newcastle, Its Protectors and the Man Who Fought for Justice" with Author Anne Manne This is an unforgettable story of courage in the face of unthinkable evil. In this deeply moving and thought-provoking episode, I’m honoured to speak with acclaimed author Anne Manne about her powerful book: Crimes of the Cross (https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/crimes-cross): (https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/crimes-cross) The Anglican Paedophile Network of Newcastle, Its Protectors and the Man Who Fought For Justice (https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/crimes-cross) Anne’s writing unflinchingly documents the decades-long cover-up of child sexual abuse within the Anglican Church in Newcastle in Australia, and the brave survivors who refused to stay silent. Anne’s depth of insight, compassion, and clarity made this a conversation I’ll never forget. Crimes of the Cross uncovers how a sophisticated paedophile network operated within the Church, shielded by parishioners, clergy, and a complicit pastoral community. At the centre of this story is Steve Smith, a survivor whose courage in the face of betrayal and harm helped expose and bring these powerful perpetrators to justice. Thank you, Steve, and others, for sharing your story with Anne, who then wrote this incredible book. Drawing from years of research and interviews with survivors, police, clergy, and community members, Anne reframes child sexual abuse not just as an individual crime, but as an institutional and networked system of sexual abuse, exploitation and cover-ups. This episode explores: * Grooming and child sexual abuse * The dynamics of institutional complicity and silence * How abuse networks protect themselves from exposure * The toll for survivors * Why we must understand child sexual abuse as systemic, not isolated This is an unforgettable conversation about truth-telling, justice, and the power of bearing witness. Ending with Steve’s words If it’s wrong, it's wrong, and you just got to keep on fighting Guest Bio Anne Manne Anne Manne is an Australian writer. She taught in the Politics Department of Melbourne and La Trobe University before becoming a full-time writer. A former columnist for The Australian and The Age, she has written many longer essays about contemporary culture. Her books include Motherhood, a finalist in the Walkey award for the best non-fiction book and the Westfield Waverly award for research, a Quarterly Essay: Love and Money; The Family and The Free Market, and the bestselling The Life of I: the new culture of narcissism, shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's prize for a non-fiction book. Her new book is Crimes of the Cross; The Anglican Paedophile Network of Newcastle, Its Protectors and the Man who Fought for Justice, longlisted for 2024 Mark & Evette Moran NIB Literary Award and the 2024 Australian Political Book of the Year, finalist in the 2024 Walkley national book awards for Best Non-Fiction book, and shortlisted for The Age Best Non-Fiction book of 2024, and the Davitt Award for best non-fiction book, and one of Spotify's ANZ Editor's Picks for 2024, Best Audiobooks: True Crime category. National Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Abuse in Australia https://www.nationalredress.gov.au (https://www.nationalredress.gov.au) Royal Commission reports. https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/redress-and-civil-litigation Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

5. 

   17 Jul 2025

   "Groomed" with Sonia Orchard

   Content warning: This conversation is about sexual grooming. Sonia focuses on her experience as a teenager of sexual grooming and abuse by an adult man. If you need support, please refer to the link to support services located at the bottom of the show notes. "Groomed" with Sonia Orchard What happens when the relationship you once believed was love is later revealed as abuse? In this episode, writer and author Sonia Orchard joins me to talk about her powerful memoir, Groomed. Author Sonia Orchard was in her 40s when a moment in therapy forced her to re-examine her past. Could the relationship she’d had as a teenager, with a man more than a decade older, have been abuse? Through therapy, writing, and the justice system, Sonia began the painful but liberating process of naming what had once been unspeakable. Together, we explore the questions that too often remain unasked: * What is grooming? * As an adult, isn’t sex with teenagers okay? (Spoiler: No!) * How common it is for survivors to arrive in the therapy room with depression, substance use, sexual dysfunction in relationships, only to uncover that the root cause is historical sexual abuse. * The nervous system’s response to delayed realisation of abuse. * What survivors need: truth-telling, accountability, apology, and repair * The limits of the justice system * And why is our culture still so quick to protect powerful men accused of abuse? We name the pattern philosopher Kate Manne calls “Himpathy”—the instinct to extend sympathy and protection to men in power, even when they’re accused of harming others. We challenge the myth of the “grey zone,” and unpack why consent isn’t the real issue—power is. We call for a cultural shift: from conversations focused on the technical age of consent to those that centre power dynamics and coercion. This episode is for anyone navigating the long shadow of grooming, for those working with survivors, and for a culture that must do better. Guest Bio Author Sonia Orchard. Speaker. Survivor Advocate. Mentor. Festival Director. Sonia is an award-winning author, freelance writer, speaker, writing teacher/mentor and survivor advocate. Sonia writes and speaks about social justice, gendered violence and the environment, drawing upon both research and her lived experience of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Sonia’s latest memoir Groomed, about going through the Australian justice system as a complainant in a historical childhood sexual abuse case, can be purchased here (https://affirmpress.com.au/browse/book/Sonia-Orchard-Groomed-9781922863829). You can her other books here (https://www.soniaorchard.com.au/books). Sonia also writes short non-fiction and opinion pieces, some of which can be seen here (https://www.soniaorchard.com.au/readlisten). See Sonia’s full bio here (https://www.soniaorchard.com.au) See Sonia’s workshops here (https://www.soniaorchard.com.au/events) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   12 Jul 2025

   Investigating Abuse in Faith Spaces

   Content warning: The content may be distressing for some listeners. This episode contains discussion of faith-based investigations that may involve the minimisation or denial of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy. The content may be distressing for some listeners. If you need support, please refer to the support services listed in the show notes. Investigating Abuse in Faith Spaces In this insightful episode, Boz Tchividjian shares vital guidance for survivors navigating the complex and often retraumatising terrain of church-related investigations. As Billy Graham’s grandson, Boz grew up deeply embedded in the faith community and has witnessed both its beauty and its brokenness. That proximity gave him a front-row seat to the power of faith and the devastation when that power is abused. Boz reminds us: * Often, there are no legal pathways, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have options. * Survivors must prioritise healing over the pressure to reform the church. * Sometimes, not participating in an investigation can be the most healing choice. * Keep your documentation, educate the public, and seek wise counsel. * Get an advocate, do your homework, and don’t go it alone. And for governing bodies who genuinely want to do better, Boz challenges churches to be radically transparent. Give the victim a seat at the table, not as a token gesture, but so they can reclaim their agency and be heard on their own terms. Give survivors access to the full investigation report. Ask them how often they would like to be updated, and involve them in the decision-making processes wherever possible. These steps aren’t just best practice, they’re essential for restoring agency and trust. I also share parts of my own experience in participating in an investigation based on an allegation I brought forth to an Australian governing body. Hope this episode is helpful for those navigating abuse in faith communities. Guest Bio An experienced litigator who has handled hundreds of civil and criminal cases, Basyle (“Boz”) Tchividjian has dedicated his career to empowering survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sexual harassment to step forward and seek justice against perpetrators and the institutions legally responsible for their trauma. His current practice focuses almost exclusively on representing child and adult abuse survivors throughout the country. Prior to becoming a civil litigator, Boz served as an Assistant State Attorney in the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he created the first Sex Crimes Division at the Office of the State Attorney and served as Division Chief. As the grandson of the late Dr. Billy Graham, Boz has a unique knowledge and understanding of the common and uncommon institutional and cultural dynamics that are prevalent within so many protestant faith communities. Boz uses this knowledge to the benefit of his clients when working to ensure that such institutions are held legally accountable for the abuses his clients have suffered. Boz is also the Founder and former Executive Director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), an internationally recognized non-profit organization that equips faith-based organizations with the tools they need to correctly respond to allegations of sexual abuse and educates them on how to create safeguards to protect children and other vulnerable people within their communities. As a renowned expert on abuse, particularly within faith communities. Read more here: https://bozlawpa.com/about/ (https://bozlawpa.com/about/) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

7. 

   6 Jul 2025

   Mapping Institutional Patterns of Behaviour

   Content warning: The content may be distressing for some listeners. This conversation discusses sexual abuse behaviours perpetrated by clergy and domestic violence perpetrators. While it focuses heavily on faith-based abuse, the same patterns of coercion, control, and institutional failure are present across many settings. These insights can be applied more broadly to any system that responds inadequately to abuse. If you need support, please check the links to support services in the show notes. Mapping Institutional Patterns of Behaviour What happens when churches fail to plan for the reality that some individuals are drawn to positions of spiritual authority, not to serve, but to exploit? In this powerful and confronting episode, I’m joined by David Mandel and Ruth Reymundo Mandel from the Safe & Together Institute (https://safeandtogetherinstitute.com)as we unpack the institutional patterns that allow clergy sexual abuse to flourish. We discuss the critical difference between being trauma-informed and being abuse-informed, and why failing to fully investigate known harm is a moral choice that enables predators. Ruth breaks down the forms of sexual abuse being perpetrated, naming sexual coercion not as a side effect but as a core tactic of control. We also explore the internalised shame survivors carry, not because of what they did, but because of what was done to them in environments that should have protected them. We unpack the patterns that lead to entrapment, and how that entrapment gains traction in a society that calls women “crazy”. Ruth and David encourage institutions to do an honest, pattern-based assessment of the perpetrator’s behaviours and the institutional response. We encourage faith leaders and institutions to stop and take an honest assessment: * How has the abuse impacted the spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being of congregants? * How did a lack of governance or accountability contribute to the harm? * Who were the targets, and how have they been treated? * What actions (or inactions) did leaders take, and what was the result? * How has the life of your congregation changed in terms of trust, worship, relationships, and safety? * How have perpetrator trauma histories and forgiveness been weaponised? Survivors, you have the right to heal, and you have the right to expect accountability. Guest Bio’s David Mandel With over 25 years of experience in the domestic violence field, David’s international training and consulting focuses on improving systems' responses to domestic violence when children are involved. Through years of work with child welfare systems, he has developed the Safe and Together™ model to improve case practice and cross-system collaboration in domestic violence cases involving children. He has also identified how a perpetrator pattern-based approach can improve our ability to help families and how a continuum of practice framework can promote the development of domestic violence-informed child welfare systems. David’s new book, Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers (https://www.amazon.com.au/Stop-Blaming-Mothers-Ignoring-Fathers/dp/1735164534), is a great read for all. Ruth Reymundo Mandel Ruth Reymundo Mandel, co-owner of the Safe & Together Institute (https://safeandtogetherinstitute.com) and co-founder of SafetyNexus (https://www.safetynexus.ai/about) grew up in an Institutional setting where she was subjected to family separation and abuse as a child. She escaped that setting, married young and when in need of assistance, she found herself and her 3 children trying to navigate broken, siloed and victim-blaming systems. Frontline workers did not coordinate with other agencies; they lacked key information and training to avoid re-traumatising and endangering her and other survivors. Ruth knew there had to be a better way and later went on to co-own Safe and Together Institute. Acting as CMO she scaled the company from a small team of consultants to a robust e-learning ecosystem with more than 400 certified trainers, providing training to 50k frontline workers in the past 10 years. She assisted in envisioning web-based resources and tools for practitioners on the front lines. Her podcast Partnered With a Survivo (https://safeandtogetherinstitute.com/podcast)r has a 4.9 rating and attracts top-name speakers from the industry worldwide. Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   30 Jun 2025

   The Architecture of Coercive Control

   Content warning: This conversation explores the patterns of coercive control within family and domestic relationships and cult like communities. If you need support, please check the links to support services in the show notes. The Architecture of Coercive Control I am excited to bring to you this conversation with Jess Hill, who has radically shifted the conversation on abuse and coercive control in Australia. Jess Hill’s groundbreaking book See What You Made Me Do transformed the way I thought about grooming, coercion and domestic abuse. This episode: * We draw upon Biderman’s Chart of Coercion to understand how someone gets broken down into compliance, submission, and entrapment. This framework, developed in the 1950s to explain how prisoners of war were psychologically dismantled, helps expose how coercive control operates in homes, faith spaces, and institutions. * We talk about “Why didn’t she just leave?” And survivors’ strengths and resistance. * We discuss why terms like “Stockholm Syndrome” have been debunked! * Jess talks about future directions and how she responds to critics. Guest Bio Jess Hill is an Industry Professor researching gender-based violence at the University of Technology, Sydney. Named Marie Claire’s 2023 Changemaker of the Year, she is a journalist, author, and educator who has achieved global renown for her ground-breaking work on gendered violence. Her journalism has won many awards, including three Walkley awards. Her first book, ‘See What You Made Me Do’, became a bestseller and was awarded the 2020 Stella Prize and the ABA Booksellers’ Choice non-fiction book of the year. 'See What You Made Me Do' has become a seminal text on family violence and coercive control in Australia and overseas, has been translated into five languages and has also been adapted into a three-part television series for SBS. Since then, she has written a Quarterly Essay on how #MeToo is changing Australia, made a podcast series on coercive control titled The Trap, and another three-part series on Consent, titled Asking For It. Her most recent Quarterly Essay, 'Losing It', critically analyses Australia's efforts to reduce gender-based violence, and last year, she was appointed to the Australian government's Rapid Review into Prevention. In her work as an advocate and educator, Jess has made hundreds of media appearances and has fronted almost 400 events across the country, educating communities, magistrates, police, social workers, health and family law professionals on coercive control. See What You Made Me Do on SBS https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/see-what-you-made-me-do (https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/see-what-you-made-me-do) See What You Made Me Do Book (https://www.amazon.com.au/See-What-You-Made-Me-ebook/dp/B07M8RGLF7) The Trap Podcast (https://www.vwt.org.au/thetrap/) SBS Series: Asking for It (https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/asking-for-it) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   25 Jun 2025

   Belonging, Rejection & Compassionate Curiosity

   Content warning: This conversation explores the intersection of faith and LGBTQI+ identity, including the harm caused by rejection from faith communities. We mention suicidality and discuss the deep pain that can result. If you need support, please check the links to support services in the show notes. Don’t F*ck the Flock isn’t just about calling out sexual abuse in faith communities — it’s a call to do no harm. To all people, and in particular, to those who are already marginalised, rejected, and harmed within society. Belonging, Rejection & Compassionate Curiosity A challenge for faith communities to listen, not turn away. Recently, at the Australian Counselling Conference, a presentation from Beyond Blue highlighted that the latest research shows LGBTQI+ communities in Australia are experiencing loneliness at a disproportionate rate. This made me sad, but not surprised. You may not agree with someone’s identity, life experience, or relationships based on your theology, but that does not give you permission to isolate people from community. Silence, exclusion, and conditional acceptance are not neutral. They cause deep wounds. They create loneliness. If your faith calls you to love, then let that love be visible, not just toward those who think like you, believe like you, or live like you, but especially toward those who don’t, especially toward those who are marginalised, and who often have little to no access to supportive services. In this episode, I’m honoured to share a raw and courageous conversation with Sam, who shares his experience of navigating rejection, conditional belonging, and the hierarchy of so-called “sins” in faith spaces. It’s a conversation about compassionate curiosity, and a challenge to those who say “all are welcome” but include an asterisk. Because too many LGBTQI+ people have been told they must choose: Faith — or identity. Community — or authenticity. Belonging — or truth. And the cost of inclusion is too often silence, suppression, and shame. Guest Bio Sam is a Registered Therapist, Clinical Supervisor at Anchored Counselling Services (https://anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au/), and co-founder of The Religious Trauma Collective (https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com/). She specialises in trauma-informed support for those healing from religious trauma, spiritual abuse, cults, and high-control faith systems. As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Sam brings warmth, humour, and empathy to her work. Sam is the host of the Beyond the Surface (https://open.spotify.com/show/4m4UsUynYaRYX11xn5FKgX?si=e960215d6a374107) podcast and the author of her eBook, A Shattered Sanctuary: From Fellowship to Freedom (https://anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au/a-shattered-sanctuary-ebook/). She also created the Embracing Queerness & Faith (https://anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au/resources-trainings/) workbook and two self-paced practitioner courses: Understanding Religious Trauma (https://anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au/resources-trainings/) and Religious Trauma & The LGBTQIA+ Community (https://anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au/resources-trainings/). (https://anchoredcounsellingservices.com.au/resources-trainings/) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    20 Jun 2025

    Baptistland & A Culture of Clergy Impunity

    Content warning: This conversation talks about sexual grooming and abuse by clergy and harms within faith communities. If you need support, please refer to the link to support services located at the bottom of the show notes. Baptistland & A Culture of Clergy Impunity With Christa Brown Even from the other side of the world, Christa is an incredible light to me. She’s a survivor of clergy sexual abuse who has tirelessly advocated on behalf of other survivors within the Southern Baptist Church. Christa speaks powerfully to the importance of truth-telling, not just for ourselves, but for our relationships, communities, and institutions. Her advocacy has been courageous and relentless. But more than that, her writing in Baptistland is full of clarity, wit, and strength, and has been a healing balm for me. I ask Christa: * What is the Southern Baptist Convention, and why do they hold so much power? * What advice does she have for survivors who want to speak out? * What can faith leaders do who want to move from complicity to courage? Our Challenge: We challenge those leaders who do know about historical clergy abuse, when a survivor speaks out, to come alongside the survivor, to speak out and say: This was done and it was wrong, we knew and what we did was wrong… we will do better, we will walk along side you and make sure this doesn’t happen again under our watch, that we will take on the burden of keeping track of the perpetator so they can’t hop from church to church to church and find new prey on the way! Guest Bio: Christa Brown Named as one of the "top 10 religion newsmakers" of 2022, Christa Brown has persisted for two decades in working to peel back the truth about clergy sex abuse and coverups in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. She was one of the first to go public with substantiated child sex abuse allegations against a Baptist minister, along with documentation that others knew, and she has consistently demanded reforms to make other kids and congregants safer. She's a retired attorney, a mom, a wife, and a grandma. And now she's the author of the book, Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation. Baptistland on Amazon: (https://www.amazon.com.au/Baptistland-Memoir-Abuse-Betrayal-Transformation/dp/1957687444) “It began with just wanting to tell the truth. But truth-telling has a way of snowballing”. Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) Baptistland Front and Back Cover This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    11 Jun 2025

    The Victorian Inquiry: Cults & Fringe Groups

    Content warning: This podcast talks about harms within cults and fringe groups, including coercive control, suicidality, suppression practices, grooming and sexual coercion. If you need support, please refer to the link to support services located at the bottom of the show notes. The Victorian Inquiry: Cults & Fringe Groups In this episode, I speak with Clare Heath-McIvor about a critical inquiry currently underway in Victoria, Australia, examining the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. The Victorian parliamentary committee leading the inquiry is exploring whether existing laws are sufficient to address the coercive tactics used by some groups. These tactics can cause serious emotional, psychological, sexual, financial, and even physical harm. Importantly, the inquiry is not focused on religious or spiritual beliefs, but on harmful behaviours, particularly those that involve manipulation, control, or exploitation. Clare and I discuss the significance of this inquiry, the growing public awareness of coercive control beyond intimate partner violence, and the importance of survivor voices in shaping meaningful legal reform. Public submissions are now open for anyone impacted or concerned about these issues. Make a Submission here: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/submissions/ (https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/submissions/) Guest Bio Clare Heath-McIvor is a podcaster, writer, and survivor advocate whose work sees her examine the world of Evangelicalism, Dominionism, Christian Nationalism and High-Control Groups (cults). She is an estranged pastor’s kid and whistleblower whose upbringing saw her develop an all-too-intimate understanding of the worlds of homeschooling, parentified childhood, purity culture, fundamentalism and high-control religion. Clare also co-runs the Victorian Cult Survivors Network, a survivor-led law reform and advocacy group called “Survivors of Coercive Cults and High-Control Groups.” She lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she raises two kids and runs a communications consultancy business while dreaming about one day having hobbies. You can find her here: https://linktr.ee/clareheathmcivor (https://linktr.ee/clareheathmcivor) http://clareheathmcivor.substack.com (http://clareheathmcivor.substack.com)www.x.com/clare_mcivor (http://www.x.com/clare_mcivor) https://bsky.app/profile/clareheathmcivor.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/clareheathmcivor.bsky.social) Podcast: Unchurchable Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

12. 

    7 Jun 2025

    Misuse of Power: Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse

    Misuse of Power: Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse Content warning: This podcast talks about sexual grooming and harms within faith communities, including suicidality. If you need support, please refer to the link to support services located at the bottom of the show notes. If you have experienced abuse by another person in a position of power, such as an educator, a therapist, a medical professional, a coach, or an employer. The same dynamics of abuse exist. The power imbalance negates the process of meaningful consent. Misuse of Power: Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse In this insightful episode, I sit down with Dr David Pooler to discuss the often-overlooked issue of adult clergy sexual abuse. We explore the dynamics of grooming, coercion, boundary violations, and the misuse of pastoral power, drawing from Dr Pooler’s research and clinical insights. We also turn toward institutional responsibility, asking: What happens when a person is deeply wounded within a faith community, and there is no triage response? Dr Pooler challenges us to consider how churches often lack any system for recognising, treating, or responding to trauma and how survivors are left spiritually and psychologically injured, sitting in silence as if nothing happened. Dr Pooler leaves us with vital questions: What if we all had to consider the fact that our leaders could injure others? What would we do differently? How might we treat one another, protect one another, and hold leaders accountable when harm occurs? This episode is essential listening for counsellors, therapists, church leaders, researchers, and anyone committed to trauma-informed care, accountability, and survivor support within faith communities. Guest Bio Dr. Pooler has more than 15 years of social work practice experience with several different populations including at-risk and abused children, adults with severe and persistent mental illness, persons with addictions, and homeless men. Dr. Pooler studies social workers and the organisational contexts in which social workers are employed. A primary focus of his research is studying how social workers find great joy in their work. He is interested in social work management and leadership. As an occupational social worker, Dr. Pooler is interested in assessing and developing interventions for social service organisations so that work environments are healthy, supportive, and just. He also has a strong interest in developing healthy congregations so that they can transform communities. Dr. Pooler is married to Cheryl who is a lecturer in the Garland School of Social Work. Their two children were adopted from China; they are Josianne (2000) and Emilie (2003). You can read more about Dr. Pooler and his research on the Baylor University Website: https://socialwork.web.baylor.edu/person/david-pooler (https://socialwork.web.baylor.edu/person/david-pooler) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Link to USA hotlines: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines (https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au (https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

13. 

    5 Jun 2025

    The Cost Of Witnessing

    The Cost of Witnessing Content warning: This podcast talks about sexual grooming and harms within faith communities. If you need support, please see the link to support services at the bottom of the show notes. As I’m not tech-savvy enough… I will be releasing the audio-only version of my podcast! I may get around to updating the videos too, one day. However, you are currently limited to audio. The Cost Of Witnessing We often talk about survivors, and rightly so, but rarely do we speak of the cost carried by those who bore witness. Those who saw glimpses of harm but didn’t know what to do. Who were silenced, dismissed, or spiritually gaslit when they raised concerns. The cost of witnessing isn’t just what someone saw, it’s what they couldn’t unsee. It’s the questions they lived with, the guilt for not doing more, the fear of speaking out. The relationships that became strained or shattered when they tried. Some witnesses carry secrets they were never meant to hold. Others become complicit in systems that punish truth-telling. Many absorbed a kind of secondary trauma, grief, confusion, and helplessness. Over time, their trust in leaders, and sometimes even in their own perceptions, eroded. Witnessing can fracture faith. It can rupture community. It can leave people standing in that lonely middle ground between silence and action. It’s a place that often goes unnamed, but it deserves compassion, clarity, and honouring. That’s why I’m so grateful to have this conversation with one of my own witnesses , so I can now bear witness to her witnessing. Today’s episode is the first time I’ve really had space to think about what it’s been like for the witnesses around my story. And so, I’m honoured to welcome someone who was part of it from the very beginning. Today’s Guest: Jane Kennedy is a religious trauma therapist working on Gadigal land in Sydney's Inner West. Jane works with clients recovering from the harm experienced in faith communities and other high control groups such as cults and sects. She is a co-founder of The Religious Trauma Collective. (https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com/) Jane has two delightful adult kids and two ridiculous rescue cats. She and her partner spend a lot of time dreaming about how to move to Italy. Connect with Jane Website https://janekennedycounselling.com.au (https://janekennedycounselling.com.au)/ RTC website https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com (https://www.thereligioustraumacollective.com)/ Insta https://www.instagram.com/janekennedycounselling/ (https://www.instagram.com/janekennedycounselling/) Support Hotlines: Link to all support hotlines in NSW, Australia: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/Pages/support-contact-list.aspx) Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

14. 

    5 Jun 2025

    Don't F*ck The Flock

    I’m excited to share …. I’m launching a podcast (limited) series … The title Don’t F*ck the Flock - it’s shocking, because it should be. It’s uncomfortable, because the truth is. And if it dares to make you feel disgusted, then good. Because that’s the level of discomfort we should all feel when someone in a position of power perpetrates abuse. Don’t F*ck the Flock is a bold new space where survivors, allies, and professionals come together to talk honestly about abuse by those in positions of power. This podcast is about: * Telling the truth about power and exploitation. * Sharing stories from survivors and allies * Hearing insights from professionals * And reclaiming our voices after betrayal Let me be clear.. This podcast is not about having survivors bleed so their trauma can be seen. It’s not about sensationalising gossip or scandal. And it’s not anti-faith. This isn’t about tearing down belief. It’s about calling out the abuse of weaponising belief. If you’ve been subjected to grooming and sexual abuse, silenced, gaslit, or shamed by those who were meant to protect you, this space is for you. Contact me: https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au (https://www.jaimesimpsoncounselling.au) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/redflags101_?igsh=MXVkeWI5ejUxeHgydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaimesimpson.substack.com (https://jaimesimpson.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Contact Don't F*ck The Flock

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.