Faith Rehab

Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Spirituality

The Faith Rehab podcast brings real talk about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We are a safe place that exists to bring comfort and community to those who have been hurt by the imperfections of the church. We create a safe space for people to experience genuine Christian acceptance and community, no matter where they are on their journey. We help people repair their relationship with Jesus and His followers, if they can. We help people find hope and experience community wherever they are on their path. We talk openly about spiritual disappointment, church conflict, leadership failures, doubt, and the process of rebuilding trust. These conversations are not about attacking faith — they are about restoring it. We work to create a safe space to talk about church hurts and trauma without getting stuck there. We believe faith can survive questions. We believe healing takes time. And we believe honesty is healthier than pretending. We help people answer the “now what?” questions in their spiritual journey. We work to have people tell us, and inspire us, by talking about how they got through it and found their sanity. In short, we talk to real people and share real stories about: — What hurt?— What’s helped?— Where ya headed? Join us as we explore together, search together, scream together, cry together, and learn to live together as imperfect people. Join those of us who are just trying to be real, no matter what that looks like right now. Faith Rehab is about restoration, not rebellion. It is about transformation, not perfection. If you’ve ever felt spiritually confused, burned out, or unsure where you belong in church culture, this space is for you. Welcome to the conversation. https://linktr.ee/Faithrehabpodcastfaithrehabpodcast@gmail.com

  1. 3d ago

    Ep. 16 - Are You Emotionally and Spiritually Healthy?

    In this episode we get to discuss some criteria so you can gage your current state of Emotional and Spiritual Health. The discussion come from a book called, “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” by Peter Scazzero. The subtitle of the book is “It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature.” We get to discuss items and let you test or judge yourself in these areas. We discuss Scazzero’s list of: Top Ten Symptoms of Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality. No one thinks of themselves as emotionally immature. Lots of us think of ourselves as spiritually mature, but Scazzero discusses that they are related. We have, too often, in churches seen people who use their so-called maturity in ways to manipulate people, policies, and so on. We encourage you, in this episode, to look at ourselves. It is easy to look at churches and other people to compare; today we want you to look at how you are doing in your own emotional and spiritual health. We finish the episode with the story of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem, often called the “Triumphal Entry”. But Steve tells the story from the perspective of the donkey. Let us know what you think. Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast, hosted by Heidi Brandt, CJ Mateo, and Steve McNitt. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives. We look at what has happened, what has helped, and where people are headed, no matter where that may be. On this podcast channel we feature discussions about Church hurt, faith, faith deconstruction, faith reconstruction, helping faith, and helping church hurt. We frequently address issues that are common to church staff, self-care, emotional health, spiritual health, and recovering from past hurts. If you would like to share your story, connect with us at FaithRehabPodcast@gmail.com Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

  2. Oct 26

    Rehab Reflections #1 - Heidi's Mom Goes To Church With Her

    In this, the first episode of Rehab Reflections we discuss why we decided to do some shorter versions; to give some hope and healing in smaller doses of Faith Rehab Podcast. In this episode we discuss Heidi’s birthday, and CJ’s BMI. Heidi shares an emotional story of healing with her mom when her mom recently went to church with her.    You can hear this and other, longer versions at FaithRehabPodcast.com In the longer versions we talk about church hurt, faith deconstruction, faith reconstructions, going back to church, avoiding church forever, Christian hurts, and have some light-hearted fun while doing it.   Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast.  Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives.    Church hurt, faith rehab podcast, faith, faith deconstruction, faith reconstruction, helping faith, helping church hurt, relationships with mom, going back to church, mom love, mother-daughter Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

    Rehab Reflections #1 - Heidi's Mom Goes To Church With Her

  3. Oct 18

    Ep. 15 - Death of a Pastor’s Wife | Our Take on the Netflix Series

    Before you listen: This episode contains spoilers and touches on abuse. If anything you hear today resonates with you, resources are available. Two we recommend — Flying Free Now ( www.flyingfreenow.com ), a resource built specifically for Christian women, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline . For the hotline please call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788, free and confidential, 24/7. Netflix included this website with their series wannatalkaboutit.com they have resources for Sexual violence and relationship abuse, mental health and wellbeing, self-harm and suicide. This Episode: In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast, we get to discuss our thoughts on the Netflix Limited Series called Death of a Pastor’s Wife. It is a documentary about a church, a dysfunctional pastor and church board, an unfortunate set of circumstances and a tragic ending. In this episode we discuss why pastors use their power advantage, why people stay in dysfunctional churches, and why people do not lash out at spiritual abuse. We do not excuse any of the behavior, we do not try to victim-blame, but we do try to analyze these situations based on our own experiences. We look at what happens when your love for a church, or church people, clouds your judgement. We also discuss how sometimes people put their own needs aside to help a ministry or church; those can have sad, negative consequences. We talk about why people try to protect the church, the ministry, or the pastor; and at what cost. We touch on how to find safe people for your life and promise to do a whole episode on finding safe people and learning to trust people again. CJ reminds us that Spiritual abuse survives in complexity and silence. We are constantly being reminded that we can't confuse who God is, and his character, with how the church shows up. God shows up. The church is not God. Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives. Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

  4. Sep 25

    Ep. 14 - Ruth’s Story; The Rabbi That Let Her Down

    In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast we get to interview Ruth. Ruth is a mother of four and has been helping people in her community for decades. She is a therapist; she has worked in community mental health, she has worked a myriad of clients, including foster kids. She teaches parenting skills for really tough, dysfunctional families; she gives them a lot of tools and helps them to grow so that they can deal with difficult life situations, or high-needs kids, or both. She is a swim mom. She is an advocate for women’s sports, especially Water Polo. She has been coaching youth sports for 18 years.   Ruth grew up going to Synagogue and was told that the Rabbi goes and visits the sick, comforts the hurting, prays for people in need. When Ruth’s twins had medical issues and her family had financial issues, her hope was waning, and her Rabbi was nowhere to be found. She was hurt by being ignored by the Rabbi and many in her Synagogue community. She loves her faith, and her faith tradition, but was feeling alone.   She has great advice for Rabbis, Pastors, and Christian friends on how to interact with your Jewish friends. We think you will love Ruth and learn a lot in this episode.   Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast.  Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives.  Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

  5. Aug 25

    Ep. 13 - Deana Herd: The Secret That Cost Her Dad His Job

    In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast we get to interview Deana Herd. She is an executive coach and trainer who lives in Texas. She has trained Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, and individual executives. She confirms that people in Texas are different from everyone else, and they know it. She is a former elementary school teacher, a pastor’s kid, a former church staff member, and has a mother who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Deana had a role in the church to protect the family image, and a role at home to compensate for what mom could not do. Her mom, dad, and the family coped with her mother’s bipolar, and mom had to be institutionalized 5 times; but the church family never knew. When the church found out about her mother’s bipolar, her father (the Pastor) was dismissed from his role at the church. From that, Deana learned that “God doesn't have a rule book on who belongs in the church.” Deana has spent her life trying to connect with her own feelings and helping others connect with theirs and transform into a healthier version of themselves. She knows her family had put her in certain roles, and has learned that we are more than the role we get from our family of origin, but that we have to it's move it from understanding in your head to really understanding that in your heart. She spent her childhood doing the things she thought she should. She is now learning and teaching to change that thinking. “I learned to stop shoulding on myself” Thank you for listening to this deeply rich conversation with our guest Deana Herd. Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives. Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

  6. Aug 18

    Ep. 12 - Boundaries in Church: You're Allowed to Say No

    In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast we talk about the topic of boundaries in relationships, and in church. We talk about why it is so difficult to have boundaries in a faith space that reminds us to give our all to God. To paraphrase Dr Henry Cloud: Just like a fence around your yard shows your property, where your property starts and stops, personal boundaries clarify ownership of your feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and choices. It's an interesting topic because so much of church hurt comes from people being asked to do things that they're not comfortable with or pressured to do things. We work through enmeshment, cultural pressures, and people-pleasing. We discuss having boundaries in areas of: the time and energy commitments, authority of church leaders and scripture, with information vs gossip, attendance at services and events, as well as financial  giving.  These topics come with high expectations, but we can have boundaries in those areas. We are all trying to be good stewards of our resources, but pressure can come on too strong. We get to hear about CJ’s quest to become a chess master, and we also learn about Heidi’s songwriting and she even sings a few bars. Tune in for all of this, and some practical tips on how to have better boundaries. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives. Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

  7. Jul 27

    Ep. 11 – Elizabeth Priller: Ex-Jehovah's Witness, Still Chasing the Light

    Elizabeth Priller’s story; Ever feel like you are the only in a room? In this episode of Faith Rehab Podcast we get to hear from Elizabeth. She is an award-winning nurse, author, former EMT, former law enforcement officer, trainer, mentor, and artist. She has been a nurse caring for patients “both at the beginning of life and at the end of life”. She has been a CASA worker, has worked with the Boys and Girls Club, she's been a part of the Black Girl Magic Educational Services. She has also done diversity roundtable. She grew up Jehovah’s Witness and with a voracious need to read and learn about science. She has very thoughtfully wrestled with the beliefs she was taught. He beliefs, her skin color, and her religion left her feeling like the only in many rooms. At an age where lots of young women give up on science and math, she doubled-down and propelled herself into a lifetime of study of science and service in the medical field. In so many areas of her life she spent “code switching” and being exhausted by the process of fitting in. Throughout her life people have tried to hold her down, which provided the fuel for her to go upwards. She shares her faith, her art, her desire for knowledge, she claimed to be president at age 5. Thank you for listening to Faith Rehab Podcast. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurts of our past as the whole story of our lives and identity, to seeing that hurt as just a chapter in the story of our lives. For more about Elizabeth Priller check out: Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethprillerstudio/ Check out her Website: https://www.elizabethpriller.com/ Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

  8. Jul 8

    Ep. 10 – Ten Episodes! What We Have Learned So Far

    This is our tenth episode of the Faith Rehab Podcast, where we talk about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We remind ourselves of our goals: “we exist to bring comfort and community to those who have been hurt by the imperfections of the church.” We have heard people’s stories, we have reflected on what has hurt, what has helped, and where they are headed now. We have celebrated that people continue to grow and change, no matter where they feel like they are headed. We remind people that we are committed to not naming individual pastors or churches, but to working through the hurts of individual people.  We talk about the role of the church in our lives; the good, the bad, and the ugly. CJ reminds us that “The church is meant for brokenness to go away over time and change to happen over time.”  The rituals may differ, the beliefs may differ, but many churches, even among the hurts, are helping people change to be more like Christ. That it is possible to move from filtering all spiritual experiences through our pain, to seeing a focused relationship with God and letting go of some pain, finding healing and joy again. Real healing can come when we go from seeing the hurt as the story of our lives, to seeing that hurt as a chapter in the story of our lives. Faith Rehab is a podcast about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We create a safe space for honest conversations about spiritual disappointment, doubt, and the process of finding hope again—without pretending or having all the answers. Co-hosts: Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo  Produced by: CJ Mateo Contact us at Faithrehabpodcast@gmail.com — we’d love to hear your story.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The Faith Rehab podcast brings real talk about church hurt, healing, and rebuilding faith. We are a safe place that exists to bring comfort and community to those who have been hurt by the imperfections of the church. We create a safe space for people to experience genuine Christian acceptance and community, no matter where they are on their journey. We help people repair their relationship with Jesus and His followers, if they can. We help people find hope and experience community wherever they are on their path. We talk openly about spiritual disappointment, church conflict, leadership failures, doubt, and the process of rebuilding trust. These conversations are not about attacking faith — they are about restoring it. We work to create a safe space to talk about church hurts and trauma without getting stuck there. We believe faith can survive questions. We believe healing takes time. And we believe honesty is healthier than pretending. We help people answer the “now what?” questions in their spiritual journey. We work to have people tell us, and inspire us, by talking about how they got through it and found their sanity. In short, we talk to real people and share real stories about: — What hurt?— What’s helped?— Where ya headed? Join us as we explore together, search together, scream together, cry together, and learn to live together as imperfect people. Join those of us who are just trying to be real, no matter what that looks like right now. Faith Rehab is about restoration, not rebellion. It is about transformation, not perfection. If you’ve ever felt spiritually confused, burned out, or unsure where you belong in church culture, this space is for you. Welcome to the conversation. https://linktr.ee/Faithrehabpodcastfaithrehabpodcast@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Steve McNitt, Heidi Brandt & CJ Mateo
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 © 2026 Faith Rehab
  • Show Website
    Faith Rehab

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