Media & Mentions
Podcasts
Elise shares her experience growing up in a Pentecostal megachurch and navigating the long, layered process of leaving a high-control religious community. She describes how fear and obedience shaped her early beliefs and influenced her sense of self for years. As we talk through the pivotal moments that led to her deconstruction, Elise opens up about the inner conflict, grief, and eventual freedom that came with walking away from faith. We also explore how finding the right language became a powerful part of her healing, and how putting words to your experience is the first act of reclaiming it. This conversation is an invitation to anyone who's ever struggled to name what happened to them, and a reminder that defining your own story can be a radical, grounding act.
In this deeply personal episode, Ginny Yurich talks with Elise Heerde, author of After the Exit, about what happens when families raise concerns in places that are supposed to protect children and are punished instead of heard. Together they explore high-control communities, the weaponization of belonging, and the lasting impact these experiences can have on both kids and families. At its core, this conversation is about child safety and wellbeing. Elise helps explain why child safety depends on adults being allowed to ask hard questions, trust their instincts, and speak up without fear. This episode offers important insight for parents navigating faith communities and anyone concerned with creating environments where children are genuinely protected and families are empowered to advocate.
In this conversation we talk about Elise's experience of growing up within a high-control Pentecostal megachurch, her journey toward becoming a leader and staff member, and the ways in which it all fell apart. Elise has now gone on to work in the space of helping people recover from religious trauma, and so we discuss red flags and warning signs of unhealthy spirituality, sin journals and spiritual gaslighting, and methods of control and manipulation. We also dive into the kind of work she does to help people work through these experiences and find healing. This episode explores the intersection of lived experience and professional practice, offering insight into both the harm caused by high-control environments and the path toward recovery and reclaiming agency.
In this episode, Rachel Bernstein interviews Elise Heerde, a certified coach and mental health practitioner specialising in religious trauma, cult recovery, and coercive control. Elise recounts being raised in fundamentalist Pentecostalism with fear-based teachings about hell and the rapture, leading to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While on staff at a high-control Pentecostal megachurch, she sought pastoral care and experienced grooming and assault, followed by silencing, threats, and blame. She describes the challenges of leaving and explains her trauma-informed coaching approach versus unqualified spiritual counselling. Elise also discusses co-founding the Religious Trauma Collective Australia and New Zealand to connect survivors with resources and practitioners, and advocates for behaviour-focused reforms.
The conversation revolves around the Religious Trauma Collective, a group formed by Jane Kennedy, Samantha Sellers, and Elise Heerde. They discuss the importance of recognising and addressing religious trauma, the context of this issue in Australia and New Zealand, and the differences between healthy and unhealthy religious environments. The Collective aims to provide resources, support, and community for those affected by religious trauma. In this conversation, the group explores the complexities of community, the importance of diversity in faith spaces, and the nuances of navigating online influences and deconstruction. They discuss the journey of healing from religious trauma, the balance between public and private healing, and the significance of therapy in recovery work.
In this episode, I sit down with Elise Heerde, who courageously shares her story of growing up in and ultimately escaping the grip of an Australian megachurch cult. Elise opens up about the unraveling of belief, the painful process of uncovering the truth, and the courageous steps it took to finally break free. Together, we explore what it means to heal after religious trauma, how cult conditioning impacts the nervous system, and how reclaiming authenticity becomes the foundation for real freedom. This conversation is for anyone who has ever questioned their faith, struggled with the aftermath of religious control, or is seeking the courage to heal and rebuild their life beyond indoctrination. Elise's journey will inspire you to trust your inner knowing, reclaim your voice, and remember that freedom is always possible.
Articles
Sydney Morning Herald / The Age: "When Elise finally reported her abuser to Hillsong, she was threatened and told to 'forgive him'" (March 11, 2026)
Elise shares her experience of assault by a Hillsong pastoral care leader, the church's institutional cover-up, and being threatened when she reported the abuse.
The Guardian: "Australia's cults crisis: why more people are falling prey to insidious high-control groups" (October 23, 2025)
Coverage of the Victorian cult inquiry featuring Elise's testimony and expertise on religious trauma and high-control groups.
Melbourne Anglican: "Religious freedom concerns raised at cult inquiry" (October 23, 2025)
Coverage of Elise's testimony at the Victorian cult inquiry where she shared her experience at Hillsong, detailed the impacts on cult survivors, and advocated for specialist trauma-informed services and an independent commissioner for coercive group harm.
Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry: RTC Submission (September 2024)
Co-authored submission by Elise Heerde, Jane Kennedy, and Samantha Sellers to the Victorian Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee's inquiry into recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups.
Victorian Parliament: Public Hearing Transcript (October 20-21, 2025)
Elise appeared before the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee as both an individual with lived experience and as co-founder of the Religious Trauma Collective alongside Jane Kennedy and Samantha Sellers.
Book Elise to Speak
I speak on:
Religious trauma and cult recovery
Coercive control in group-based settings
Cultic systems in mainstream churches
Supporting survivors of high-control groups
Deconstruction
Faith transition
Identity rebuilding