Ex-Homeschoolers Club

Want to join our Purity Culture Livestream? Follow Kate on Substack: https://substack.com/@katejohnsonwrites or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katejohnsonwrites

Kate Johnson joins me to share one of the most powerful and difficult stories we've featured on the podcast. We talk about growing up homeschooled in a conservative Christian environment, navigating life after her father's arrest for child sexual abuse material, and how isolation, purity culture, and parentification shaped her childhood. Kate also reflects on finding her voice, questioning long-held beliefs, and rebuilding her identity as an adult. This conversation is heavy at times, but it's ultimately about healing, resilience, and why protecting vulnerable children must be part of the homeschool conversation.

In this episode we discuss:

• Kate's experience growing up homeschooled using Abeka, Calvert, Classical Conversations, and other Christian curricula.
• How her father's arrest shattered the sense of safety her family had built around homeschooling and church.
• The hidden dangers of isolation, parentification, and secrecy within some homeschooling environments.
• Purity culture, consent, and the long-term impact those teachings had on both girls and boys.
• Finding healing, embracing authenticity, and reclaiming her own voice.

Connect with Kate Johnson:

• Substack: https://substack.com/@katejohnsonwrites
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katejohnsonwrites
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@katejohnsonwrites
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katejohnsonwrites
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katejohnsonwrites

Resources Mentioned:

• Coalition for Responsible Home Educators: https://crhe.org

If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear it. If you'd like to support the show, be sure to join the newsletter for updates and future episodes.

Connect with me:

• Newsletter: https://exhsclub.beehiiv.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub
• Email me at exhsclub@gmail.com
• Substack: https://exhsclub.substack.com

Chapters

00:00 Trigger Warning

00:39 Invitation To Purity Culture Livestream

01:20 Welcome and Guest Intro

02:28 Kate’s Homeschool Origins

02:43 First Day Was 9/11

08:15 Finding a Homeschool Rhythm

11:05 Classical Conversations Explained

17:32 Curriculum Nostalgia and Resources

23:16 Siblings and Public School Switch

25:38 High School Culture Shock

28:51 Pastor’s Kid Pressure

31:21 TW: Dad’s Arrest and Fallout

36:38 TW: Isolation and System Gaps

39:36 TW: Silence, Control, Parentification

44:04 TW: Healing and Purity Culture

46:46 Guys Taught No Control

50:17 Consent And Worthlessness

52:45 College Identity Shifts

57:27 Politics And Deconstruction

01:01:32 Trusting Inner Intuition

01:03:41 TW: Dad Arrested Again

01:08:42 Somatic Healing Journey

01:15:50 Ritual Of Letting Go

01:23:20 Values And Bodywork Tools

01:29:22 Where To Follow Kate

01:31:45 Homeschool Safety Advocacy

01:34:25 Final Thanks And Wrap