Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction

About Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction

What if God is better than the version you were handed? Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction — a delightfully unreligious, teaching-driven video podcast for spiritual rethinkers who still love Jesus but are tired of fear-based religion and performative Church-ianity. Hosts Michele Kus, M.A., and Dr. Martin Trench question inherited beliefs, challenge harmful church narratives, and explore scripture, spiritual growth, emotional health, and what it actually means to become more like Jesus — all through the lens of freedom and grace. If churchy clichés, spiritual performance, and manmade religion have left you anxious, exhausted, or afraid to ask questions, you’re not alone. Each episode helps separate authentic faith from religious fiction so you can rediscover a God who is far more loving, liberating, and life-giving than you may have been told. Expect honest conversations, insightful teaching, plenty of laughter, outtakes and bloopers, cameo appearances of pets, the occasional cuss word, and moments when things go gloriously off the rails. But hey... that’s how the show got its name. We are Unhinged! New episodes drop every Friday. Bonus episodes drop when we feel like it. Subscribe to our Unhinged YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/@GetUnhinged) and come @GetUnhinged with us! #BingeUnhinged

Publisher

Michele Kus, M.A. & Dr. Martin Trench

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Oct 2025

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

44 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Suppressed Emotions, Spiritual Bypassing & the Lie of Separation | Safe to Heal, Part 3

   ▶︎ For the full visual experience and all relevant links mentioned in this episode, watch this episode on our Unhinged YouTube channel! -- READY TO GO DEEPER? -- If this stirred something in you, don’t just listen — take the next step. Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy Join Martin’s online community, The Gathering -- SUPPORT THE PODCAST -- Love our free content and want to support the show? Grab some fabulous Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!) -- EXPLORE OUR STUFF! -- Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Spotify Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Apple Music Martin’s books on Amazon -- CONNECT WITH US! -- Michele’s YouTube (meditations), YouTube (electronic dance music), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & website Martin’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & website -- ABOUT OUR SHOW -- Michele Kus, M.A. is a Chicago-based spiritual formation teacher, certified Christian life coach, meditation guide, DJ, and music producer. She brings together grace-centered theology, neuroscience-informed practices, contemplative spirituality, and the creative arts. Dr. Martin Trench, a native of Scotland, is a spiritual teacher, speaker, author, coach, and self-described part-time theologian with more than 40 years of ministry experience. Together, Michele and Martin host Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction — a delightfully unreligious, teaching-driven video podcast for spiritual rethinkers who still love Jesus but are tired of fear-based religion. If you enjoy Unhinged, remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE the love with your friends (and your enemies)! Thanks for getting Unhinged with us! CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction! 02:14 Suppressing Emotions: “You Just Need to Have Faith” 03:45 Spiritual Bypassing: When Faith Becomes Emotional Avoidance 05:19 Why Acknowledging Your Emotions Is Part of Healing 06:23 Dual Attention: Processing Trauma Without Denying Reality 08:17 When Spiritual Bypassing Leaves You Feeling Invisible 10:22 “Feelings Aren’t Facts” — But Your Feelings Still Matter 11:59 The “Impassibility” of God: Is God Emotionless? 12:47 Embodied Faith: Jesus Had Real Human Emotions 13:44 Emotional Regulation vs. Emotional Suppression 15:04 God Can Handle Your Negative Emotions 17:21 Separation Theology: Are We Really Separate From God? 19:53 Have You Gone Too Far for God? 20:25 Christian Separation Anxiety & Emotional Safety 21:54 “I Feel a Hole in My Heart” — Separation Theology & Emptiness 24:02 Evangelical Dualism: “We’re Sinful, God Is Holy” 25:02 The “Great Chasm” & the Toxic Foundation of Separation 26:18 How Separation Theology Affects the Nervous System 27:38 The One Theme Connecting It All: SAFETY 32:04 Curiosity vs. Judgment: A Path Toward Healing 36:00 Why the Holy Spirit Has to Feel Safe 36:21 A Therapist’s Surprising Response to a Panic Attack 39:08 Why “We’re More Than Conquerors” Can Become Spiritual Bypassing 41:36 Wrap-Up & Prayer

2. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Did Church Sermons Accidentally Turn You Into an Anxious Perfectionist? | Safe to Heal, Part 2

   ▶︎ For the full visual experience and all relevant links mentioned in this episode, watch this episode on our Unhinged YouTube channel! -- READY TO GO DEEPER? -- If this stirred something in you, don’t just listen — take the next step. Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy Join Martin’s online community, The Gathering -- SUPPORT THE PODCAST -- Love our free content and want to support the show? Grab some fabulous Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!) -- EXPLORE OUR STUFF! -- Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Spotify Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Apple Music Martin’s books on Amazon -- CONNECT WITH US! -- Michele’s YouTube (meditations), YouTube (electronic dance music), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & website Martin’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & website -- ABOUT OUR SHOW -- Michele Kus, M.A. is a Chicago-based spiritual formation teacher, certified Christian life coach, meditation guide, DJ, and music producer. She brings together grace-centered theology, neuroscience-informed practices, contemplative spirituality, and the creative arts. Dr. Martin Trench, a native of Scotland, is a spiritual teacher, speaker, author, coach, and self-described part-time theologian with more than 40 years of ministry experience. Together, Michele and Martin host Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction — a delightfully unreligious, teaching-driven video podcast for spiritual rethinkers who still love Jesus but are tired of fear-based religion. If you enjoy Unhinged, remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE the love with your friends (and your enemies)! Thanks for getting Unhinged with us! CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction! 00:02:30 How Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory Makes God Feel Unsafe 00:05:45 Disorganized Attachment & the Fear of an Unpredictable God 00:07:13 Healing from Trauma Requires Safety 00:09:17 “The Wrath of God Was Satisfied” — Bad Theology In Song Lyrics 00:12:25 God’s Wrath Is Directed at What Is Destroying Us 00:14:19 Sin Is a Sickness to Be Healed, Not Badness to Be Punished 00:15:14 Performance-Based Christianity or Legalism: “Do More to Get More” 00:18:48 Scrupulosity, Anxiety & Religious Perfectionism 00:19:44 Spiritual Hierarchy, Comparison & “Us vs. Them” Christianity 00:22:25 Is Our Relationship with God Relational vs. Transactional? 00:23:40 The “Eternally Disappointed” One & the Never-Enoughness of Performance Christianity 00:25:26 Serving for Significance — Just Come & Don’t Serve 00:28:02 A Therapist’s Surprising Prescription for Religious Performance: Pleasure! 00:28:59 How Rest & Pleasure Interrupt the Perfectionism Cycle

3. 

   2 Oct 2026

   Did Church Sermons Accidentally Wreck Your Mental Health? | Safe to Heal, Part 1

   ▶︎ For the full visual experience, watch this episode on our Unhinged YouTube channel! -- READY TO GO DEEPER? -- If this stirred something in you, don’t just listen — take the next step. Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy Join Martin’s online community, The Gathering -- SUPPORT THE PODCAST -- Love our free content and want to support the show? Grab some fabulous Unhinged merch or send us a donation (thank you!) -- EXPLORE OUR STUFF! -- Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Spotify Michele’s music (Grace Remixed) on Apple Music Martin’s books on Amazon -- CONNECT WITH US! -- Michele’s YouTube (meditations), YouTube (electronic dance music), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & website Martin’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, & website -- ABOUT OUR SHOW -- Michele Kus, M.A. is a Chicago-based spiritual formation teacher, certified Christian life coach, meditation guide, DJ, music producer, and cohost of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction. Currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry degree, Michele brings together grace-centered theology, neuroscience-informed practices, contemplative spirituality, and the creative arts to help people disentangle from fear- and shame-based religion, rediscover their new creation identity, and become more deeply aware of God’s presence within and around them. Dr. Martin Trench, a native of Scotland, is a spiritual teacher, speaker, author, coach, and self-described part-time theologian with more than 40 years of ministry experience. As cohost of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction, Martin brings wisdom, humor, and an authentically grace-filled perspective to conversations that help people examine harmful beliefs, break free from toxic religion, and discover a more life-giving and liberating relationship with God. Together, Michele and Martin host Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction — a delightfully unreligious, teaching-driven video podcast for spiritual rethinkers who still love Jesus but are tired of fear-based religion. Through thoughtful conversations, grace-filled theology, and plenty of laughter, they challenge harmful beliefs and explore a freer, healthier, and more honest way of living out the Christian faith. The conversation occasionally gets spicy, cuss words may slip out, and things have been known to go gloriously off the rails... but hey, that’s how the show got its name! If you enjoy Unhinged, remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE the love with your friends (and your enemies)! Thanks for getting Unhinged with us!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

16 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

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