When We Were on Fire

Lizzie Goldsmith and Addie Zierman
  • 5.0 (5)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • WEEKLY SERIES

Addie Zierman grew up “on fire” for God in the ‘90s, in the era of WWJD bracelets, Acquire the Fire youth conferences, and “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” embracing the us-versus-them evangelical Christian faith she’d inherited … until the fire went out. This full-cast, four-part audio drama podcast was created by Lizzie Goldsmith, and is based on the 2013 book “When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over” by Addie Zierman. It’s a funny, heartbreaking, deeply personal, and ultimately hopeful story about faith, doubt, and first love, though it does include themes of religious trauma, emotional abuse, and depression.

Episodes

  1. Part One: Obsession

    EPISODE 1

    Part One: Obsession

    Addie Zierman grew up “on fire” for God in the ‘90s, in the era of WWJD bracelets, Acquire the Fire youth conferences, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and the early days of the See You at the Pole movement. Addie embraces this us-versus-them evangelical Christian faith she’s inherited, not realizing that this obsession has a dark side. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman. Created by Lizzie Goldsmith, it is being released in collaboration with Addie. Addie recently wrote about her Teen Mania experience and the latest season of the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People. This documentary from 1989 is also mentioned in this episode. Cast (in order of appearance): Jillian Menees…YOUNG ADDIE Leigh Townes…ADDIE’S MOM Aria Sivick…ADDIE Kayla Burton…NEWSCASTER 1 Isis Young…NEWSCASTER 2 Tamar Turner…NEWSCASTER 3 Grace Shaw…KIM Joseph Davison-O’Gorman…ALISSA Ed Gorham…TEEN MANIA LEADER Will DeVito…CHRIS Liliana Scano…MISSION TRIP GIRL 1 Katie Russell…MISSION TRIP GIRL 2 Lauren Rivera…TRANSLATOR Jonathan Schaefer…MISSION TRIP GUY David Perkins…YOUTH GROUP BOY Tina Perkins…YOUTH LEADER Kate Weyant…DANCE TEACHER Patrick MacDougall…ADDIE’S DAD Melissa Chessher…DANCER   This production was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield, with additional music from Skylee Shea, APM Music, Gateway Worship Español, and Public Domain Audio Bible. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Individual episode art and poetry by Jamie Bonilla. See the full text of the poem inspired by this episode. Full credits for this podcast can be found here. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. CONTENT WARNING: Depictions of emotional abuse

    23 min
  2. Bonus: 'Shiny Happy People,' See You At The Pole, and When Someone Else Tells Your Story

    EPISODE 1 BONUS

    Bonus: 'Shiny Happy People,' See You At The Pole, and When Someone Else Tells Your Story

    How did When We Were on Fire become an audio drama, and what was it really like for Addie Zierman to have her story adapted? Audio drama creator Lizzie Goldsmith is joined by Addie and voice actor Aria Sivick (who voices Addie in the production) to talk about what this project means to them and how it all started. They also talk about toxic relationships, religious trauma, the legacy of the book, and other themes and key moments from the first episode. Lizzie talked about her soundscape “What It Sounds Like To ______ Your Faith.” We mentioned Pete Enns, who is one of the hosts of the podcast The Bible For Normal People. This is the Spanish worship song that’s featured in episode 1. Addie recently wrote about Teen Mania and the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People, as well as more about what it was like to have her story turned into an audio drama. We also discussed See You At The Pole. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman, and was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Full credits for this podcast are here. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

    39 min
  3. Part Two: Disillusion

    EPISODE 2

    Part Two: Disillusion

    Being “on fire for God” all the time is starting to take its toll on Addie Zierman as she starts college in Minnesota, meets a boy named Andrew, and heads overseas for a year that will change her life. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman. Created by Lizzie Goldsmith, it is being released in collaboration with Addie. Cast (in order of appearance): Aria Sivick…ADDIE Taylor Duenas…CHRISTY Grace Shaw…KIM Will DeVito…CHRIS Frank Sheffield…NICK / MARK Josh Pitta…ANDREW Joseph Davison-O’Gorman…ALISSA Wenyang Xie…RICKSHAW DRIVER Yang Yang…PASTOR Ashleigh Carter…WORSHIP LEADER / MINDY Jenny Jian…MERCHANT 1 Mengjiao Li…MERCHANT 2 Yubin Shi…POST OFFICE CLERK Caitlyn Cooke…TEACHER Michael DiGiorgio…PASTOR CARL Kate Weyant…WOMAN AT CHURCH Ed Gorham…BILL Tina Perkins…SHEILA Shakari Williams…JENN   This production was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield, with additional music from Josh Woodward, Zeno, APM Music, and Public Domain Audio Bible. The hymn sung in this episode was “It Is Well,” written by Horatio Spafford. Rickshaw sound effect is from xserra. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Individual episode art and poetry by Jamie Bonilla. See the full text of the poem inspired by this episode. Full credits for this podcast can be found here. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. CONTENT WARNING: Strong language

    21 min
  4. Bonus: It Is Not Well With My Soul, Deconstruction Origin Stories, and Life Imitating Art

    EPISODE 2 BONUS

    Bonus: It Is Not Well With My Soul, Deconstruction Origin Stories, and Life Imitating Art

    For audio drama creator Lizzie Goldsmith, her faith deconstruction experience started on the floor of a church in England during her Youth with a Mission trip. For When We Were on Fire author Addie Zierman, it came from a deep feeling of never belonging. Lizzie and Addie are joined by voice actor Aria Sivick to talk about community, their fraught relationships with church, and the riskiest creative choice Lizzie made in episode two. We mentioned the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People (particularly its season 1 focus on Bill Gothard and the IBLP), as well as the hymn “It Is Well” and previous episodes of this podcast. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman, and was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Full credits for this podcast are here. Episode 2 clips feature Aria Sivick, Josh Pitta, Jenny Jian, and others. Levingston Lewis, Tamar Turner, Aria Sivick, Ashleigh Carter, Tina Perkins, and Jonathan Schaefer can be heard in the episode 3 sneak peek. Episode 3 comes out on Oct. 22! You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

    26 min
  5. Part Three: Rebellion

    EPISODE 3

    Part Three: Rebellion

    Addie Zierman is depressed, angry at the Church People, and feeling lost in her life, her faith, and her marriage. What will it take for her to find her way back? Is going back even possible? This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman. Created by Lizzie Goldsmith, it is being released in collaboration with Addie. This movie from 2007 was mentioned. Mental health and substance abuse resources: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Substance Abuse and Addition Hotline Alcoholics Anonymous Cast (in order of appearance): Aria Sivick…ADDIE Matt Farrelly…LIQUOR STORE CLERK Levingston Lewis…BARISTA 1 Tamar Turner…NEWSCASTER 3 Ashleigh Carter…MINDY Tina Perkins…SHEILA Jonathan Schaefer…BARISTA 2 / TODD Josh Pitta…ANDREW Shakari Williams…Jenn Michael DiGiorgio…SERVER 1 Brendan Weaver…MILES Matt Sampere…BRAD Kayla Burton…KAYLA Melissa Chessher…MARRIAGE COUNSELOR Grace Shaw…KIM Joseph Davison-O’Gorman…ALISSA Mikell DiGiorgio…THERAPIST   This production was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield, with additional music from APM Music. Pet store sound effects from barcelonetasonora, Quintus, ryanlouis, n_audioman, 18hiltc, and 170084. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Individual episode art and poetry by Jamie Bonilla. See the full text of the poem inspired by this episode. Full credits for this podcast can be found here. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. CONTENT WARNING: Strong language, substance abuse, depression, and near-infidelity

    27 min
  6. Bonus: The Importance of Swear Words, Vulnerability, and Learning To Say What You Need

    EPISODE 3 BONUS

    Bonus: The Importance of Swear Words, Vulnerability, and Learning To Say What You Need

    It took an incredible amount of vulnerability for Addie Zierman to write about her hardest year — and to revisit it now. Addie is joined by Lizzie Goldsmith and voice actor Aria Sivick to talk about how she got to that place … and how she made it through. Plus, the role of swearing in this story, being a pick-me girl, and what it’s like portraying someone who’s in a dark place. Come to the Listening Party at Stella’s Coffee Haus in Denver on Nov. 5! Find out more and RSVP here. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman, and was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Full credits for this podcast are here. Episode 3 clips feature Aria Sivick, who can also be heard in the episode 4 sneak peek alongside R. Lawson Cade. Episode 4 comes out on Nov. 5! You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

    26 min
  7. Part Four: Redemption

    EPISODE 4

    Part Four: Redemption

    On the other side of her darkest year, Addie Zierman faces the demons from her past and decides what to hold on to and what to let go of as she moves into a new stage of her life. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman. Created by Lizzie Goldsmith, it is being released in collaboration with Addie. Cast (in order of appearance): Joseph Davison-O’Gorman…ALISSA Grace Shaw…KIM Aria Sivick…ADDIE Dusean Williams…NIGHT MANAGER Lawson Cade…COFFEE SHOP GUY Levingston Lewis…SERVER 2 Shakari Williams…JENN Mikell DiGiorgio…THERAPIST Will DeVito…CHRIS Josh Pitta…ANDREW Ellen Noel…DOCTOR Jacob Bellotti…NICODEMUS Tina Perkins…SHEILA Ashleigh Carter…MINDY Michael DiGiorgio…PASTOR CARL Urban…DANE   Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, who was mentioned in this episode, popularized the term "thought-terminating cliché." This production was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield, with additional music from APM Music, as well as “Silent Night” by Kevin MacLeod, which is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Bible pages sound effect from vdm.r. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Individual episode art and poetry by Jamie Bonilla. See the full text of the poem inspired by this episode. Full credits for this podcast can be found here. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com. Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. CONTENT WARNING: Pregnancy, childbirth, strong language, and religious trauma. "Rock That Doesn't Roll" is an award-winning podcast hosted by Dr. Leah Payne and Andrew Gill that looks at how Christian music shaped the world we're living in now by talking with artists, industry figures and critics who have some connection to the contemporary Christian music industry.

    20 min
  8. Bonus: What We Believe Now, That Childbirth Scene, and Remembering Rachel Held Evans

    EPISODE 4 BONUS

    Bonus: What We Believe Now, That Childbirth Scene, and Remembering Rachel Held Evans

    Author Addie Zierman talks about her complicated relationship with Christianity now and why she stepped back from writing publicly for several years. Audio drama creator Lizzie Goldsmith and voiceover artist Aria Sivick join her to reminisce about one of the most memorable scenes from episode 4, and our favorite memories from the audio drama Listening Party in 2019. Join us for one more trip down memory lane as we talk about the past, present, and future of our spiritual and creative journeys. Learn more about Rachel Held Evans and her legacy. We also mentioned the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. This full-cast audio drama is based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman, and was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. You can reach Lizzie at lizziegoldsmithproductions@gmail.com Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. Full credits for this podcast are here. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com, and stay in touch with Aria at ariasvoice.com Special thanks to Addie Zierman, Aria Sivick, Miranda Gardner, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. “Your Local Time Travelers” is a science fiction podcast created by Heidi Fischer that’s about a time-traveling influencer and pilot who crash-land in a 2025 Baptist church.

    27 min

  9. 09/03/2025

    Teaser Trailer

    Growing up in the evangelical Christian subculture of the 1990s, Addie Zierman was “on fire” for God and passionate about reaching the world for Jesus. That is, until her fire burned out, and everything she thought she knew got turned upside down. Coming September 24, this full-cast, four-part audio drama is based on the book “When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over” by Addie Zierman. Created by Lizzie Goldsmith, it is being released in collaboration with Addie. This trailer features the voice talents of Jacob Bellotti, Ashleigh Carter, Will DeVito, Michael DiGiorgio, Tina Perkins, and Shakari Williams, and introduces Aria Sivick as Addie. Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield. Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, who was mentioned in this trailer, popularized the term "thought-terminating cliché." This production was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com.

    1 min

  10. 09/17/2025

    Full Trailer

    Addie Zierman was the 1990s evangelical poster child, who, in high school, once stood at the flagpole at See You at the Pole all alone in the pouring rain, and, another time, anointed a school cafeteria table with oil, all the while dreaming of doing big things for the Lord. But that all changed when her fire for God burned out, and the things that had once sustained her now left her feeling disconnected and alone. Can her faith survive all her questions, her anger, and her depression? Does she even want it to? Coming September 24: A full-cast, four-part audio drama based on the book When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Addie Zierman. Created by Lizzie Goldsmith, it is being released in collaboration with Addie. This trailer features the voice talents of Will DeVito, Mikell DiGiorgio, Ed Gorham, Josh Pitta, Grace Shaw, Shakari Williams, and Aria Sivick as Addie. Original music was composed by Frank Sheffield. This production was dramatized, directed, produced, and sound designed by Lizzie Goldsmith. Podcast cover art by Skylar White. You can find out more about this production and the cast and crew at whenwewereonfirepodcast.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Follow Addie’s work at addiezierman.com and addiezierman.substack.com.

    2 min

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Addie Zierman grew up “on fire” for God in the ‘90s, in the era of WWJD bracelets, Acquire the Fire youth conferences, and “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” embracing the us-versus-them evangelical Christian faith she’d inherited … until the fire went out. This full-cast, four-part audio drama podcast was created by Lizzie Goldsmith, and is based on the 2013 book “When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over” by Addie Zierman. It’s a funny, heartbreaking, deeply personal, and ultimately hopeful story about faith, doubt, and first love, though it does include themes of religious trauma, emotional abuse, and depression.

Information

  • Creator
    Lizzie Goldsmith and Addie Zierman
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025, Lizzie Goldsmith, All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    When We Were on Fire