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.
STRAIGHT TO HELL...
Every word—written, recorded, and told in my voice.
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About Me
Hi, I’m John.
I’m a clinical psychologist, ex-Evangelical pastor, and the author of Straight to Hell—a memoir about what happens when the story you were handed no longer fits, and you finally decide to face the truth.
For decades, I tried to live a life that looked right on the outside—while quietly falling apart on the inside. I lost a lot in the process. But I also found something deeper on the other side of that unraveling: the freedom to be honest, the courage to begin again, and the kind of healing that doesn’t erase the past—but transforms it.
Today, I have the privilege of walking alongside others on their own journeys of becoming. As a psychologist, I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, identity questions, religious trauma, and that quiet ache of not quite belonging. My approach is rooted in compassion, clinical experience, and the lived reality of finding my way through the dark, too.
I live in Atlanta with my husband, Chris—we’ve been together 23 years. I’m a proud dad to two daughters and two stepdaughters, and “Poppa” to ten beautiful grandkids. I love making music, staying active, having deep conversations, and anything that gets me outdoors.
If my story resonates—or if you’re in a place where you could use support—I offer virtual therapy for adults across the U.S.
You can learn more at www.DoctorJohnWilson.com.
About the book
What if telling the truth meant losing everything you love?
Barefoot in the backwoods of South Alabama, John grew up amid poverty, violence, fear, and a family constantly coming apart.
The small Pentecostal church at the edge of a cotton field didn’t just offer hope.
It offered safety.
Belonging.
Certainty.
But only if he obeyed.
If he conformed.
If he became the man God required.
So he became exactly what he believed he had to be.
A pastor, preaching a gospel that left no room for who he was.
A husband, building a life on a promise that broke them both.
A father, determined to stay no matter the cost.
And he buried the part of himself his faith condemned.
For years, he fought to silence the questions he couldn’t outrun:
Why won’t God heal me?
Why would He condemn me for something I didn’t choose—and can’t change?
When the silence finally broke, everything collapsed.
Straight to Hell is a memoir about faith, shame, and the cost of becoming honest when honesty threatens to destroy everything you love.
At its heart, this is also a story about love: a father fighting to hold onto his daughters as the life he built to protect them falls apart, and the search for a self—and a faith—that can survive the truth.
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, Straight to Hell: A Psychospiritual Journey, where I unpack the book chapter by chapter through both psychological and spiritual lenses.
And if something here resonates with you, reach out. I’d love to hear from you.
— John “the Exile”