“It wasn’t like we woke up one day and said, let’s talk about sex… all of the time. No, we had wounds that caused a lot of pain but then, we got healing. That’s when everything changed!”
In this episode of the Sexual Wholeness Revival podcast, hosts Mary and Katieann interview each other to explain why they do the show and how their personal experiences revealed the need for sexual wholeness.
Katieann shares that growing up in a conservative church with little conversation about sex led her to assume marital sex was a wife’s duty, mostly for the husband, and that talking about intimacy was shameful; reading Song of Solomon, observing mentors Danny and Sheri’s marriage, and reflecting on Genesis (“it is good”) helped reshape her view of God’s design for intimacy.
Mary describes entering her first marriage with an idealized, “1950s” Christian-marriage expectation and being shocked by a painful, unloving first sexual encounter on her wedding night, leading her to internalize blame and settle in silence; she later experienced healing, learned to speak up, and replaced the lie that she was unlovable with God’s truth, including in her current marriage that is honoring and loving.
They discuss the relational and cultural cost of telling the truth about sex—Mary recounts being poorly received when publicly enthusiastic about her message, while Katieann notes she’s comfortable being the “awkward person in the room,” even as a pastor, and believes the church must address sex or others will without a godly perspective.
Both identify core lies they had to unlearn (“unlovable” for Mary and “not enough” for Katieann) and explain how their healing became a calling to help others, including parenting without introducing shame—highlighted by Katieann stopping her husband from joking about their daughter’s developing body.
The episode ends with their vision to normalize godly, practical conversations about intimacy, continue their G.I.F.T.S. cycles, and an invitation to Mary’s free ebook, God’s Gift to Marriage, available at LimitlessIntimacy.com.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Pulling Back the Curtain: Why This Podcast Exists
01:21 Katieann’s Hot Seat: Duty Sex, Naivety & a New Vision for Intimacy
04:49 ‘It Is Good’: The Genesis Moment That Reframed Sex as God’s Design
06:38 Mary’s Hot Seat: Wedding-Night Shock, Pain & Losing Her Voice
10:18 Telling the Truth About Sex: Pushback, Awkward Rooms & Speaking Anyway
12:43 Unlearning the Core Lies: ‘Unlovable’ and the Healing That Changed Everything
14:26 Called to Carry It for Others: From Personal Breakthrough to Ministry Message
16:02 Katieann’s Turn: The Cost of Truth-Telling as a Pastor
19:40 Breaking ‘Not Enough’: Healing for the Next Generation
22:10 Protecting Kids from Shame: The Parenting Moment That Sparked a Mission
24:29 Wrap-Up: The G.I.F.T.S. Vision, Free e-book & What’s Next
TAKEAWAYS:
- Name the lie that shaped your story and replace it with God’s truth.
- Refuse silent endurance—reclaim your voice in intimacy.
- Let healing turn your pain into motivation to serve others.
- Create a shame-free legacy by changing how the next generation learns about sex.
- Start honest, godly conversations even when you’re the awkward one in the room.
FREE RESOURCE:
Want a surprising look at what God really says about sex in marriage? Download the free e-book: God’s Gift to Marriage
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DISCLAIMER:
This podcast is designed for informational purposes only. Any and all actions or consequences from the podcast are the sole responsibility of the podcast audience participant. Information should not be seen as medical or mental health advice, and is not meant to take the place of seeing licensed health professionals.
Special thanks to Suzanna Storey of Saphron Music for “Shape Shifter”, on her Identity Crisis album.