“Forgiveness is not a tool to heal trauma.” ~Nate Postlethwait

Here’s the thing about my conversation with Nate Postlethwait: his story made this Wounded Healer all sorts of mad – in the best possible way!

Buckle in because Nate’s journey from confused and closeted to out and authentic is a white-knuckle ride on the complex trauma rollercoaster. There are enviable highs – travel, career success. There are stomach-churning lows – sexual abuse, intense religious indoctrination, conversion therapy. And then, there’s a moment of messy, divine clarity when a broken man grabbed hold of his agency, stepped off that ride and found the other side of saved.

“When you live in the die-hard, traditional evangelical culture your entire life, and you’re not allowed to express your sexuality, and you live in the closet, you suffer greatly.”

Nate’s revelation isn’t groundbreaking but the candor with which he shares his experiences as self-loathing gay man lends vulnerability and gravitas to his words. “When you have your moment, your epiphany and your awareness of I have the freedom to live my life and actually experience pleasure and joy that I’ve been taught’s a sin…something comes alive in you that is so unapologetic.” It’s this kind of raw admission and uncompromising authenticity that have made him an inspiration to thousands on Instagram in just under two years.

Now, Nate’s ready to share the lessons he’s learned from “doing the work”. He’s currently busy prepping a coaching program with a unique six months on/one month off timeline.

Why the 30-day pause? Having suffered at the hands of an unethical coach himself, Nate wants his clients to digest all they’ve accomplished and truly understand that they are healing themselves.

Beyond that, Nates wants to give back by creating a safe megaphone for others to use. “The truth is, I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story and that it’s helping. But, at the end of the day, we need to be hearing stories from black trans women. I mean they know pain. They know suffering and isolation. And their stories are just now starting to be told.” Love him!

This version of the ride has come to a complete stop but there’s so much more to Nate’s story on the podcast! Go. Listen. Now!

Heads up: This conversation was recorded before shelter-in-place orders were rolled out across the US to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. You won’t hear any reference to the pandemic in the episode beyond my introduction.