Ever felt like you’re not measuring up, spiritually, culturally, or in your own community? In this episode, we talk about the ways shame creeps in when we don’t live up to the expectations around us. Whether it’s struggling with addiction, mental health, or sexuality, too many of us have been told to just "pray about it" as if that alone will fix everything.

We unpack how religious traditions can sometimes compound these struggles, and why real support often looks different than the advice we were raised with. This one’s tender, honest, and a little bit fiery—in true AJ and Ally fashion.

In this episode, we are continuing our last conversation on shame, perfectionism, and mental health, and we’re taking it a step further—into the layered expectations of faith, church, and rural community life. This episode explores what happens when you break the “rules”—both written and unspoken—and fall short of religious and cultural ideals that often feel impossible to uphold.

From personal stories of spiritual struggle to moments of quiet rebellion, we unpack how shame shows up in faith communities and how hard it can be to feel worthy when you’re no longer coloring inside the lines.

It’s deep, it’s raw—and still, somehow, full of grace and laughter.

This week, we’re stepping into the heavy stuff—shame. We open up about the ways shame has shaped our lives, especially in the workplace and in the expectations we place on ourselves (hello, perfectionism).

Then, we dig deeper into how shame shows up in church spaces—through the fear of judgment, the weight of perceived moral failure, and the quiet belief that we’re somehow unworthy of grace.

This episode includes one of our most vulnerable conversations yet, as AJ and Ally share how shame crept its way into their careers. And Ally shares her personal journey with mental health and how shame has tangled itself in that story.

If you’ve ever wrestled with feeling like you’re not enough—you’re not alone.