130: Escaping the Trap of Religion: Finding the Father’s Heart After Brokenness

Megan sits down with author and coach Amy Dial for a raw, redemptive conversation about growing up in rule-keeping religion, stumbling into shame and secrecy, and encountering Jesus in the darkest hour. Amy traces the slow drift from performance-based faith into an affair, a crisis pregnancy, and a plan that ended with her on an abortion-clinic table—followed by the unmistakable voice of God interrupting everything: “Remember who you are.”

Across two episodes, Megan and Amy unpack how condemnation differs from conviction, why spiritual warfare is real (and practical), and how identity in Christ becomes the doorway to healing, freedom, and legacy. Amy’s story moves from hiding to holy boldness as she now mentors women, integrates identity work with nervous-system care, and advocates for compassion-first, truth-anchored support for mothers and families.

Part 1:
Amy describes a loving home shaped by heavy church involvement—and a heart shaped by fear. She accepted Jesus young, but her faith operated like a checklist: be “good,” look put-together, don’t fail. That performance lens followed her into early marriage, motherhood, and ministry habits that looked right but left her empty.

Under stress, unhealed wounds (unworthiness, fear, pride) met a well-timed lie: “Did God really say?” Boundaries slid. Conviction was ignored. An affair began. Amy’s inner world hardened—anger, isolation, and spiritual numbness—while the outer mask stayed polished. Part 1 closes with her acknowledging how ignorance of spiritual warfare and identity made her vulnerable, and how the enemy’s strategy—tiny compromises, weaponized shame—was steadily advancing.

About Amy:
Amy Dial is the author of Ring of Fire, a speaker, and the founder of Fit for the Kingdom, where she helps women rebuild identity and wellbeing—spirit, soul, and body. She and her husband are parents to a beautifully blended family and grandparents, living testimonies of beauty from ashes. Learn more at AmyDial.com and find Ring of Fire on Amazon.

Connect With Amy:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amydial513
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydial513
Website: https://amydial.com/

About Megan Babcock:
Megan Babcock is a board-certified holistic nurse, board-certified nurse coach, and certified mental health coach with a specialization in trauma and crisis. She is the founder of It’s Your Story to Tell and host of the It’s Your Story to Tell podcast. With over two decades of experience in healthcare and a personal journey marked by deep resilience, redemption, and restoration, Megan is passionate about helping others transform pain into purpose.

Through her writing, speaking, coaching programs, and transformational workshops, Megan equips individuals with the tools to heal from hidden trauma, build emotional regulation, and live lives rooted in authenticity, vision, and wholeness.

Her work is deeply informed by her own story a powerful journey from domestic abuse, religious wounding, and burnout to emotional freedom, healthy relationships, and soul-aligned leadership. She weaves together evidence-based practices, biblical truth, and personal testimony to walk with others as they move from merely surviving to fully thriving.

She believes every person was created with purpose and placed here to make a difference and she’s here to help you uncover the dreams inside you that are calling you forward. Because those dreams. They’re not random. They are a window to your soul and a roadmap to the purpose you were created to fulfill.

Link to Connect: www.itsyourstorytotell.com/links
Link to Book Unstuck: https://a.co/d/dg9iJAH
Link to Sacred Presence for Parents: https://www.itsyourstorytotell.com/sacred-presence-support-for-parents
Link to Sacred Presence & Sacred Pathways: https://www.itsyourstorytotell.com/Sacred-presence-&-pathways