My Husband's Mother Helped Him Cheat - Here's What I Did

Listen to this episode from Lights On with Carl Lentz on Spotify. When your husband's family enables his affair and makes you the villain, the betrayal cuts twice as deep. In this raw and essential episode, Carl and Laura Lentz tackle one of the most painful questions they've received: what do you do when your in-laws collude with the affair partner, feed them information, and blame you for the infidelity? Drawing from their own experience of distancing from family during recovery and counseling countless couples through ministry betrayal, they reveal why you don't owe anyone access to you during healing, how to take control of your narrative when everyone's telling a different story, and the exact boundaries you need to protect your recovery. Laura opens up about why they separated from Carl's family (not due to collusion, but for space to make decisions without outside opinions), while Carl exposes the insane pressure to control narratives in ministry contexts. They break down the brutal truth: if you're trying to help your in-laws grieve while you're still bleeding from betrayal, you're abandoning yourself. From wives being vilified by their husband's entire family to mothers developing relationships with affair partners, this conversation reveals why collusion is so common in ministry marriages and what to do about it. Plus: why Christian couples should stop being embarrassed about sex therapy, the difference between "fine" and "thrilling" intimacy, and how religious trauma keeps couples from having honest conversations about their sex lives. Whether you're the betrayed spouse dealing with toxic in-laws, trying to figure out if you should cut off family members who enabled infidelity, or wondering how to heal when everyone's against you, this episode gives you permission to disconnect from false narratives and reconnect with who you really are. Warning: This conversation challenges the evangelical pressure to "keep the peace" with family at all costs and may trigger those who've built their identity on being the peacemaker instead of protecting their own healing.Follow Carl at: https://www.instagram.com/carllentz/Follow Laura at: https://www.instagram.com/lauralentz/CHAPTERS:00:00:00 - Lights On: Introduction and Birthday Banter00:02:22 - Sex Therapy for Christian Couples: Breaking the Taboo00:08:34 - Letters from Our Readers Introduction00:09:31 - Today's Topics: Family Collusion After Infidelity00:09:55 - Defining Collusion: What It Means00:11:05 - Reading the Listener Letter: Mother-in-Law Enabled the Affair00:13:18 - Laura's Story: Why We Distanced from Carl's Family00:14:28 - Ministry Betrayal: Narrative Control is Insane00:19:40 - Step 1: Change Your Position - You Don't Owe Anyone Access00:20:20 - Forgiveness Does Not Mean Friendship00:21:14 - Secure Safety First Before Any Reintegration00:22:39 - Require Full Disclosure, Not Drip Disclosure00:26:24 - You Get to Define All the Relationships00:27:18 - Family Boundary Contract with Clear Repair Requirements00:33:36 - Picking the Right Therapist: Why Betrayal Trauma Specialists Matter00:35:56 - Step 4: Your Husband Needs to Step Up and Set the Story Straight00:37:01 - When a Man Gets Married, He Starts His Own Family00:39:27 - Protecting Your Children: Who Gets to Tell Them What Happened00:42:16 - Integrity Example: The Phone Call Story00:43:54 - Disconnecting from False Narratives About Yourself00:45:15 - Final Thoughts: Take Control Back One Step at a TimeSponsors:Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/LIGHTS #rulapodDripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order! Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code LIGHTS. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.