13. "Best Friends" With The Youth Pastor (Cassandra's Story)

Listen to this episode from Healed-ish on Spotify. *Scroll for CW*In this episode, I sit down with Cassandra, a survivor whose story shines a heartbreaking light on the intersections of spiritual abuse, grooming, and prophetic manipulation.At just 14 years old, Cassandra was groomed and sexually abused by her youth pastor. He was 28. Instead of protection or justice, she was blamed by those who should have protected her. Years later, she was targeted again- this time by a worship leader at EHOP, a cult-like spinoff of IHOP. He stalked her on MySpace before drawing her into a cohesive dynamic built on power and control. After abusing at least 15 women in the church, the organization finally shut down…but not before the victims were forced to take the blame publicly. It wasn’t until she began learning about trauma, nervous system healing, and how to name abuse that she was finally able to break free. She began untangling truth from manipulation, and she’s been healing. This episode is for anyone who’s ever questioned their intuition because of leadership. For anyone who’s questioned their reality, their worth, or whether they were somehow to blame. You’re not alone.*CW: Grooming, sexual abuse, and religious abuse.—Cassandra’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cassandralau.coCassandra’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandralau.co/Cassandra’s Website: https://cassandralau.co/Jubilee’s TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jubileedawns⁠Jubilee’s IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jubileedawns⁠Healed-ish TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@healedishpodcast⁠Healed-ish IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/healedishpodcast⁠Apply To Share Your Story: https://forms.gle/S3wYnxTUBRHVE6bH7