You’re not broken.

But a lot of us were taught to believe we were.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of Different, Not Broken, I’m talking with Libby Alders, a pastoral chaplain who works at the intersection of faith, trauma, and identity, about what happens when religion stops being a source of comfort and starts quietly doing damage.

We get into how harmful theology gets lodged in your nervous system, why so many neurodivergent and LGBTQIA people grow up feeling fundamentally wrong, and how community can heal or harm depending on who’s allowed to show up fully.

This isn’t a debate about belief. It’s a conversation about safety. About moral injury. About certainty being weaponised. And about finding ways to make meaning without being told who you’re allowed to be.

There’s swearing. There’s honesty. There’s a surprising amount of warmth for a conversation that doesn’t pull its punches.

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Timestamped summary

00:00 “You’re Not Broken. You Were Taught Harmful Theology”

04:18 Certainty, faith, and why curiosity matters

09:32 Religion, trauma, and moral injury

14:41 Neurodivergence, queerness, and conditional belonging

20:06 Losing faith without losing yourself

26:55 Finding safer community and meaning

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Can somebody please explain this timeline to me?

Because I have a confession.

Last week — not even sure which day, definitely one of the days ending in “y” — something happened.

And I have no idea how.

Flying makes me anxious. Not the mild kind. The walls-closing-in, I-need-control kind.

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I talk about what it was like flying with someone who supported me without making a thing of it. No fuss. No questions. No spotlight. Just quiet, steady presence.

We get into why that kind of support works so well, especially for anxious and neurodivergent people, and why “are you okay?” is often the least helpful thing you can say.

Once you've been inspired to brag, here's where you can do it! - https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "Therapist as Emotional Support"

05:49 "Calm Support During Turbulence"

07:26 "Weird Ears and Airplanes"

12:32 Toilet Paper Holder Frustrations

16:49 "Outgrowing Expectations and Tolerance"

18:46 Sibling Conflict and Resolution

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Wanna sponsor this podcast

http://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/sponsors

Sponsor Different Not Broken

Brag on yourself

Wanna brag on yourself for something you've done which you're proud of? https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail