125 HOURS
BEHIND THE MIC
Pastor. Husband. Father.
The life I built on faith.
The truth that burned it down.
And what it cost to rebuild.
LISTEN TO A FREE AUDIOBOOK PREVIEW
From the opening chapter
Readers' Favorite
Gold Medal Winner
2026 Illumination Book Awards
AVAILABLE NOW
About Me
Hi, I'm John.
I'm a clinical psychologist, former Evangelical pastor, and author of Straight to Hell, a memoir about the search for belonging—and what it costs when belonging requires abandoning yourself.
For much of my life, I became the person everyone needed me to be: husband, father, pastor, leader. I spent years trying to earn love, acceptance, and a place to belong. When that life unraveled, I lost far more than I ever imagined. What I found on the other side was something I had been searching for all along: home.
That experience changed not only my life, but the way I understand suffering, healing, and the courage it takes to become yourself.
Today, I help adults navigate anxiety, depression, religious trauma, life transitions, identity concerns, and the quiet ache of feeling disconnected from themselves. My approach combines clinical expertise, genuine compassion, and the belief that healing begins when we stop fighting who we are and start living more honestly.
When I'm not working, you'll usually find me making music, staying active, enjoying the outdoors, or having meaningful conversations with people I love.
If you're struggling to find your footing, reconnect with yourself, or find your way home, I'd be honored to help. I offer virtual therapy for adults across the United States.
About the book
What if belonging required abandoning yourself?
Barefoot in the backwoods of South Alabama, John grew up amid poverty, violence, fear, and a family constantly coming apart.
Then a small Pentecostal church at the edge of a cotton field offered something he had never known:
Safety.
Belonging.
A place to call home.
But belonging came at a price.
To remain part of that world, he had to hide the truth about himself that his faith condemned—a truth he was taught could send him straight to hell.
So he became the person everyone needed him to be.
A pastor.
A husband.
A father.
For years, he believed obedience, sacrifice, and faithfulness would finally earn him the love and acceptance he longed for.
Instead, when the truth finally surfaced, the life he had spent decades building collapsed around him.
Straight to Hell is an award-winning memoir about belonging, shame, identity, religious trauma, and the cost of hiding who you are in order to be loved.
It is also the story of a father fighting to hold onto his daughters, a man searching for home in all the wrong places, and the discovery that the home he had spent a lifetime seeking could never be found by abandoning himself.
Includes a discussion guide for book clubs and personal reflection.
(Links to my Amazon page)
Hello, friend.
I'm glad you stopped by. I hope you'll come back soon—and often. This space is for you.
Be sure to check out my upcoming podcast, where we explore belonging, shame, identity, religious trauma, relationships, and the ways we learn to hide parts of ourselves in order to be loved.
Together, we'll examine what it means to lose yourself, find your way home, and build a life rooted in authenticity.
And if something here resonates with you, reach out. I'd love to hear from you.
— John