Category: Spiritual

Spiritually Stuck High-Achievers: The Trap of Learning About God

Is learning about God keeping you wandering in the desert, spinning your wheels?

When we’ve been through hurt — especially church hurt and religious trauma – it’s so easy to go into “Learning Mode” = emotional and intimacy avoidance.

And for high-achieving women, it can be even sneakier.

Because we’re so used to figuring things out. Solving our own problems. Performing and achieving our way to success.

So when it comes to God? We default to over-functioning. Consuming books, podcasts, Bible studies… hoping it’ll bridge the gap between what we believe and what we feel. Showing up, ticking the boxes, but still feeling distant.

And for so many of us – God has actually been PAINFUL. 😣

And when the pain doesn’t make sense, when the wounds are deep, the mind tries to “understand” instead of surrender. We intellectualise the pain, rather than wrestling with God in it.

I see this all the time in high-performing leaders who love God and know Scripture – but secretly feel abandoned, not enough, or like maybe they’re still being punished.

There’s a deep dissonance that happens when the beliefs we were taught –

“God is good,” “God is all-powerful,” “God loves me” –
collide with the real lived pain, disappointment, and trauma we’ve carried.

Here’s how it impacted me:

I got married young (as many of us Good Christian Girls do), ended up in a toxic marriage, got diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis, was in constant physical pain, and then divorced and single again by age 27. I also went through deeply controlling religious environments and their spiritual abuse… but that’s a story for another day 😉

And in the aftermath, healing from the marriage brought up all of my childhood stuff too – so much felt silenced and suppressed in me.

It was like a never-ending recovery – and I truly felt like God had abandoned me. Or that I was being punished. Again.

Here’s what didn’t work:

– Memorising scripture.
– Going to Bible study and church every single week
– Serving in church until I burned out (with full-blown cPTSD)
– Talking to pastors or being prayed for

I tried all of that – because I’m the type who digs in and does the work. I show up and do the thing.

But this wasn’t a matter of discipline. It was a matter of disconnection.

What actually worked was understanding how my mind works – consciously and subconsciously – and going through a very specific process to regulate, rewire, and repair the dissonance.

Not just spiritually, but neurologically and emotionally.

So that I could stop being triggered into performance, dysregulated by shame, and stuck in overdrive learning mode, always trying to prove I was good enough for God’s love and care.

Because deep down, I believed He loved everyone but me.
That He was good to others, but not to me.
That if I wasn’t “perfect,” I wouldn’t be protected.

But today, I can stand before you – not just as a coach, not just as a leader, but as a daughter – and say:

Despite everything…

GOD IS GOOD.
God loves me.
He is restoring every inch of my past.
He is rebuilding me in my surrender.

And the result is the most impactful, joyful, peaceful, and soul-nourishing existence I’ve ever known — with Him.

And I want that for you too. Not just because it’s what you were made for, but because you are worthy of that kind of love and peace too.

If you’re a woman who everyone else sees as successful – but you secretly feel stuck in a spiritual desert, spinning your wheels and wondering why you still don’t feel “enough” or close to God…

Maybe it’s time to stop performing and start wrestling.

Maybe it’s time to stop proving and start co-creating.

Maybe it’s time to leave the desert behind and finally enter the promised land.

I’ve been through the journey, have marked the pathway through all the trees, and am prepping the tools to give you as we speak.

This is The Divine Reset. ✨ Coming soon.

LS x

Spiritual People-Pleasing

Can we talk about Spiritual People-Pleasing?

Because people-pleasing itself is a pattern.

Self-abandonment is a pattern..

And it’s a pattern that many of us picked up at an early age – learning that we weren’t free to be fully ourselves, that we had to twist, and force and manoeuvre our way to receiving the love, belonging and acceptance we desperately craved.

And here’s the thing about Spiritual People-Pleasing:

Having a grounded, honest, authentic relationship with God has been one of the most nourishing and healing aspects of my spiritual awakening..

Especially after being so deeply enmeshed in religious communities and familial relationships where I felt that in order to receive love, connection, belonging, I had to abandon myself – by performing, being perfect, overworking, proving my value by serving, putting on a happy shiny facade, pretzeling myself to fit a certain “Good Christian Girl” or “good Christian Woman” or “perfect daughter” mould that was expected of me..

Often expected of me in the name of God, as if this behaviour was somehow what made God happy with me.

So when I circled back to relationship with God after going through a whole lot of life, trauma, challenge; it made so much sense that I’d be projecting this all onto God – anxious and anticipating what I thought he desires me to be.

Stepping back into old patterns of performing for him, pretzeling myself and essentially stepping into a FAWN RESPONSE with the king of the universe (yes it was as messed up as it sounds).

When all I really had to do was learn to be with him – securely attached – in the present moment.

With nothing to hide, nothing to prove and nothing to try to be, I can bathe in his goodness, deeply connect to his heart and find a peaceful sanctuary I’d only ever dreamed of.

It might sound complicated; but it’s actually quite simple. He loves you, wants relationship with you, and.. if you let him.. he’ll hold your hand and guide you into all healing and truth so that you are FREE to be fully you, with Him in the way that you are designed.

This is The Divine Reset.

2025: A Restoration Kind Of Year

2024 was the year this unlikely prophesy started to come true for me..

I heard it in a podcast episode I was randomly listening to in 2020.

It was strange because it instantly hit as a prophetic message directly for ME as if he were speaking to me 1:1

It was also strange because I had not received a “prophetic message” before (that I can recall, anyway!) but my spirit instantly knew what it was and that it was for me

And it was from someone (not going to say who so your ego doesn’t click into judgement instead of leaning in to curiosity) that I would NEVER have usually been listening to. (And funnily haven’t listened to since)

Here’s the message:

“Get ready for the people who once hated you to want what you have. There is a reason you couldn’t win them. There is a reason nothing you did could please them. There is a reason they couldn’t accept you.

God meant for you to be alone and lonely and walk by yourself because he never meant for you to become them, he meant for them to become you.

You have finally reached the season that those who once fought you are now going to seek you.

And you’ve got to be healed enough, and feel safe enough to let people in that you’ve been scared of…

.. Because God is going to use you to minister to people who maligned you and you’ve got to know who you are well enough to be ready to receive them.”

Last year, people came back into my world from my past, seeking me out

And it was only through the incredible spiritual GUIDANCE of Jesus in this healing work that I could actually HOLD it and not be triggered to high heaven by it.

This alone is incredible grace.

Because I have experienced three heavy smear campaigns when I wouldn’t bow to toxicity and the fear of man – one familial, one at the ending of my toxic marriage, and one in a Christian church.. and when everything in me screamed to fight back and get revenge..

I got close to God instead.

I trusted him with my reputation

I handed him my broken pieces

I allowed God to do the work on me

And I trusted him to make something beautiful out of them, even if I could not see the HOW.

There is an EASE to this that I wouldn’t have if I had tried to manufacture it alone. This ease comes from a supernatural parting of the sea. It comes from one of prayer and surrendering the pieces. It comes from facing off with the pain, the past and the dark corners of my internal world.

It wasn’t that I clung to this WANTING it to come true. I definitely didn’t want to interact with the majority of the people from my past.

It was just a deep knowing in my spirit that it was going to.

And in the same way I knew that, I know this prophesy is going to play out in a huge way in 2025 and I can’t wait to see the radical work God is going to do through this work + this movement!

Breaking generational chains + liberating entire lineage

Women embracing their immeasurable worth & significance

You reclaiming your birthright of Spiritual Wealth & Spiritual Empowerment

And living in your highest purpose and potential

I want to be clear: we are in for a wild ride + little of what you are about to witness this year is because I am good (though I am magical and amazing and totally own it) but simply because HE is.

This is a restoration kinda year..

And I’m here for it.

LS x

I Don’t Pray You Get To Go To Heaven, Or Avoid Hell.

I don’t pray you get to go to heaven, or avoid hell.

Here’s what I do pray:

I pray Jesus reveals Himself to you fully.

I pray that your eyes will open to see Him for who He is, not who you were taught He is, or who you desire Him to be, so you can experience the freedom of knowing Him authentically, as He truly is and live life to the full with Him.

I pray that your whole being feels and knows just how GOOD He is, so that you deeply KNOW and FEEL and TRUST Him with the deepest parts of your soul.

I pray that you can absorb just how much He loves you so you never again feel the need to strive, prove, or chase after love—it has always been yours, in abundance, without condition.

I pray that because of this revelation, you will choose a life with Him because His presence has become your everything and your purpose is rooted in His truth.

I pray that your entire being feels the full weight of your worth to Him, and you finally see yourself through His eyes—radiant, chosen, and invaluable; walking confidently in the uniqueness of who He created you to be.

I pray you know and feel just how significant you are, so that you no longer shrink, hide, or silence yourself, but instead stand tall in the uniqueness He designed in you.

I pray that you know how much He delights in you! And seeing yourself as he sees you so you embrace yourself fully, imperfections and all, knowing that you are His joy and masterpiece.

I pray that you know how SAFE and beautiful surrender is to Him so you feel safe to let go of control, step into the unknown, and trust that His plans for you are infinitely better than your own.

I pray you receive a revelation that He truly is all you need, so that in knowing Him, listening to Him, being with Him, you are set free from anything or anyone that desires to have power over you.

And I pray your soul finds perfect peace and rest in His embrace. A peace so incredible that you cannot imagine ever living a day of this life or the next without His presence.

LS x

I Don’t Know Everything About God..

Someone recently commented on one of my posts saying that nobody can be an expert on God. And here’s the thing –

I don’t know everything about God..

But this fact will never silence me from what I DO know:

I have walked closely with Jesus for over 12 years, learning from Him, and experiencing profound transformation—

spiritual growth that has transformed my heart from pride, being judgemental and ego (and is still being transformed!)
trauma healing from cPTSD and crippling anxiety including panic attacks
coming home to my authentic self and my voice
uncovering my immeasurable self-worth that transcends the need for external validation (or for you to agree with me!)
freedom from the confines of religious Christianity and toxic teachings
supernatural peace
mind-blowing freedom I never thought was possible
grounded faith that I can stand firm in – that weathers every storm over the last 12 years

What I share comes from living these truths firsthand, from my hard-earned lessons, insights, mistakes and imperfections and my role is to guide those who are open to experiencing the same.

This space is NOT a discussion group or a zone for debate or sharing your varying perspectives.

I KNOW full well that what I share is not in alignment with two major camps: religious Christianity + most spirituality.

I KNOW there are those who will disagree.. but it’s not my calling to guide those who are anchored in their disagreement.

This is a space where I share from what I’ve lived and what I’ve learned, to help others step into freedom and alignment with God.

This is why my podcast is called Spiritually Unboxed. I sit with Jesus, out of the box and in the middle.

I hope this brings clarity if and where it is needed.

LS x

Confession: I’m Still Deconstructing My Faith.

I’m still “deconstructing” my faith & will until the day I die.
The difference is, I do it WITH God, rather than apart from Him.

Yes this was a painful experience first because I had been through a lot of religious trauma.

But when we go through religious trauma, acknowledge it as religious trauma (so many don’t) then we can face it and heal it appropriately.

Once you know that God is FOR you not against you, everything changes

This mindset has brought me into so much overflow; peace in my spiritual walk and actually just enjoying the process rather than constantly feeling like I’m fighting against.

And evolution of me

You can have an HONEST faith, that ISN’T triggering and dredging up bad feelings related to your past religious experiences

You can have a SIMPLE relationship with God where you sit down and converse with him

.. and you can even have a POSITIVE relationship with Scripture that allows God to gently reveal himself to you – without being bible bashed

WHILE You’re deconstructing your faith
WHILE you’re reconnecting with yourself
WHILE you’re owning who you are, your voice and your authenticity

In my world, we expand our capacity to HOLD IT ALL, without judgement.

Join my next free workshop to begin untangling from your toxic religious past here.

LS x

After Meeting Jesus & Leaving Religious Christianity, I NEVER Try To Be A “Good Person” Anymore.

When my focus was on being a “good Christian” or a “good person”, my focus was on trying to be something outside of me. An ideal. I’m still trying to fit a mould.

I’m still in perfectionism, pushing, forcing proving energy..

Which is STILL self-abandonment.

And when we are in Self-Abandonment Mode, we cannot just be. There’s always a measure, a standard.

And it’s never enough

Meaning that INSTEAD OF shining bright, being fully and unapologetically yourself, owning and using your voice, being anchored in your worth, uniqueness and just who you are and loving God and being in his presence..

You’re focused on trying to be something. Its a lot of energy and effort we weren’t born to expend

So in order to just be my full, sparkly self..

Who is imperfect

And does her best

I just sit with Jesus. I have conversations with him.

And I let him change me.

I dont try to be this or that.

I surrender and allow his goodness, love and grace to wash over me and be a salve to the parts of me that need to transform.

So instead of burning myself out, making myself anxious in performance and self abandonment, I get to pause and be refilled and restored by the ultimate restorer: the God of the universe who made me and loves me immeasurably.

I get to be my authentic, amazing, fun, sparkly, imperfect self who is evolving and growing and changing

I just get to BE.

This also leaves no space for my ego to sit in pride above others. It’s a beautiful, humble, vulnerable place to be.

(a radically different Leah than the one who used to sit in religious judgment over everyone..)

… And can I just say – it is SO LIBERATING!

Trying to be a “good person” after you’ve left your religious background, is just the same religious thinking without Christianity tied to it. You are still not free. This is still the thing causing anxiety and burnout. This is still the loud inner critic rumbling around in the background.

You don’t have to live this way – the FIRST thing we will do when we work together is to untangle all of your conditioning so you can BREATHE DEEPLY again without the pressure sitting on your chest.

By the way, if you want to be more of your AUTHENTIC & undimmable self in your life, business and/or faith instead of trying to be a something that you’re not..

Grab your seat to my free workshop coming soon where I show you the exact shifts I had to make to go from “Good Christian Girl” to unapologetically me.

LS x

PS. “Good person” or “good Christian” by whose standards? By which person, church, denomination? Because we all don’t agree. This is why I only care to sit with God.

I don’t even care for my own standards of “Good Person”, I’ve learned I carry enough conditioning and bias for even that to not be good enough

A Must-Read If You Learned God Through The Lens Of Wounded Men.

When we have grown up learning God through the lens of wounded men, we have to be careful that we don’t relearn God through the lens of wounded women.

The lens of wounded women is the most attractive lens to us after we have had our spiritual awakening/faith crisis.

It’s the one most relatable.

And the one most poisonous.

Because while she sells freedom, yet she simply traps us into another paradigm – one where we block our own freedom, restoration and soul-nourishing connection to God.

And where we continue to pass on our own wounds.

God does not have a fragile ego.

God does not have a fragile ego. He can handle your brilliance, your magic, your SPARKLE

After all, He made you so. We must be careful not to project the insecurities of men we have experienced – fathers, partners, religious men – onto God.

It took me many internal shifts to unlearn the ego that I had projected onto God. He has none. He isn’t insecure, he isn’t offended by your brightness. He doesn’t need you to dull down your femininity so he doesn’t feel threatened.

Unlearning this means I can see him and experience him as he is, not as who I project him to be based on passed experiences.

Click here to join my next free workshop.

Love you

LS x

The ‘Religious Rebel’ Woman vs the ‘Good Christian Girl’ Archetype & How To Break Free To Be YOU

The dichotomy of the ‘Religious Rebel’ Woman & the ‘Good Christian Girl’ Archetypes & how to break free to be more of your authentic self:

In my deep research, my own spiritual awakening and evolution journey and working with high achieving clients, I accidentally uncovered a dichotomy.

And it’s something that, until this moment, I bet you actually deep down KNEW existed, but had struggled to put your finger on, or put words to. It’s this:

In most religious Christian circles, girls and women can only be ONE of two things –

The Good Christian Girl / Good Christian Woman

The Rebellious Woman / Harlot / Strong Independent Career Woman / Opinionated

Have you noticed this?

If you don’t fit the mold, toe the line, dim down your voice and opinions.. if you don’t PERFECTLY fit into the archetype of the Good Christian Girl, you are IMMEDIATELY labelled as the other.

And so develops this unnameable subconscious fear with deep (often unconscious) dialogue going a little something like this:

“I don’t want people to think I’m rebellious, or selfish, or immoral, or too independent.. so I’ll dim myself down”

The thing is, as women when we get to our 30s, 40s and beyond we get to a point where we are severely burnt out and literally CANNOT operate in this dichotomy – this pattern of self-abandonment and fear any longer..

But it’s like – how do we untangle from it all to be unapologetically ourselves, without becoming someone we’re not, but also not becoming something we fear (like being labelled rebellious)?

While ever we don’t feel safe to just BE, the full expression of authenticity cannot exist.

Click here to join my next free workshop to begin untangling it all & be unapologetically YOU.

Always seeing the magic in you,
LS x