Struggling with sleep? Try Dream and save up to 43% off sitewide with my exclusive link + code CTC: https://shopbeam.com/CTC Athena Grimes grew up in mainstream Mormonism under a mother who, Athena says, used “personal revelation” to justify extreme control, isolation, pun*shment, and ab*se—including telling nine-year-old Athena that God required an “Abraham experience” in which she would die, leading Athena to plan her own funeral and say goodbye to her family. Years later, after joining the military, getting married, entering therapy, and eventually leaving Mormonism, Athena began recognizing the religious framework that had been used to control her, and ultimately made the decision to cut contact with her parents and reclaim her life. Find and support Athena! IG: https://www.instagram.com/athena.grimes_/ TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@athena_grimes YT: https://www.youtube.com/@Athena_grimes Chapter Marks 00:00:00 — Intro: “God Told Her I Had to Die” 00:02:05 — Athena's Extreme Mormon ChiIdhood 00:03:32 — Athena's mother's extreme Mormonism 00:09:19 — CW: Mentions of SA & CA, “My Mother Was Cruel. My Father Was Indifferent.” 00:15:31 — CW: Mentions of CA, Obscure Rules, Isolation & Physical Pun*shment 00:20:13 — Athena’s Mother's “Revelations" 00:23:22 — Mom's “Abraham” Revelation 00:27:19 — Surviving while confined and controlled 00:29:32 — Sibling Triangulation & Public Humiliation 00:36:00 — CW: CA, Hom*phobia, Rules around dating Being “Broken” Into Obedience 00:41:51 — CW: Su*cidal Ideation, Joining the military 00:43:18 — Joining the Military & Finding Strength 00:49:00 — Mom Reveals She “Never Actually Believed” 00:55:47 — CW: CA, Marriage & still being controlled by her mother 00:57:25 — Marriage, Therapy & Learning to Say No 00:59:46 — Leaving the church 01:04:00 — Untangling Ab*se From Mormonism 01:08:27 — How the relationship evolved & coming out 01:11:00 — Breaking the Family Control Cycle 01:17:27 — Cosplay, fitness & life now 01:18:00 — Going No Contact 01:23:08 — Final thoughts & Linda listen 01:24:06 — “You Are Not Alone” & Life After Control Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClips Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/ Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_ https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_ TikTok @cults.to.consciousness https://www.tiktok.com/@cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon https://twitter.com/cultstocon **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**