{"podcast":{"title":"Honoring the Journey","slug":"honoring-the-journey-6751564","podcast_index_feed_id":6751564,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/Swlbwx2u","website_url":"https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/ef0a2fe7-7943-4710-96af-769dcdd9bc29/8f6ffda1-bc8a-4e85-a5e4-9e278ae3a924/3000x3000/hosted-20by-20leslie-20nease-3.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"Leslie Nease","episode_count":112,"summary":"Life is a journey, and we’re all walking our own unique path. But every now and then, we get the chance to step onto someone else’s path, to see the world from their perspective, and to learn from their experiences. That’s what we do here on Honoring the Journey. We walk alongside others, explore their stories, and then step back onto our own path—hopefully with new insights, deeper understanding, and a broader perspective for the journey ahead. Honoring the Journey is hosted by Leslie Nease, a former Christian Radio Host, Speaker & Writer and Contestant on Survivor China known as \"Sister Christian\". Leslie has since deconstructed her Evangelical beliefs, but is still deeply connected to God and is seeking to understand faith from every perspective. Let's journey together!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T10:21:20.329814+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564"},"episode":{"title":"God, Sex & Rich People: Honoring the Journey of Mattie Jo Cowsert","slug":"god-sex-rich-people-honoring-the-journey-of-mattie-jo-cowsert","published_at":"2026-01-19T06:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/god-sex-rich-people-honoring-the-journey-of-mattie-jo-cowsert","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564","url":"https://www.patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/honoring-the-journey","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/afp-13455-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978/episodes/aac18a58-e01d-4cad-a382-8a982cec5dfd/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=436ddef1-73dc-47da-9031-10559aad1978&awEpisodeId=aac18a58-e01d-4cad-a382-8a982cec5dfd&feed=Swlbwx2u","summary":"This episode features Mattie Jo Cowsert, author of \"God, Sex and Rich People: Recovering the Evangelical Testimony,\" in a deeply personal conversation about growing up in evangelical purity culture, deconstructing faith, and finding autonomy. Mattie Jo shares her journey from being raised in a multi-generational Baptist ministry family in Branson, Missouri, through her transformative move to New York City at 22 to pursue acting, where her insular religious worldview collided with diverse cultures and experiences. The conversation explores the damaging effects of purity culture on self-esteem and autonomy, the process of questioning long-held beliefs through academic study of scripture, and the unexpected role that working for wealthy New Yorkers played in her identity crisis. Both Leslie and Mattie Jo discuss the importance of respecting others' belief systems while maintaining personal boundaries, the stages of grief in deconstruction, and how their parents' responses shaped their journeys.","meta_description":"This episode features Mattie Jo Cowsert, author of \"God, Sex and Rich People: Recovering the Evangelical Testimony,\" in a deeply personal conversation abo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4014,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/honoring-the-journey-6751564/episodes/god-sex-rich-people-honoring-the-journey-of-mattie-jo-cowsert/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/honoring-the-journey-6751564/god-sex-rich-people-honoring-the-journey-of-mattie-jo-cowsert.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}