About Me
Hi, I'm John.
I'm a clinical psychologist, former Evangelical pastor, and author of Straight to Hell, a memoir about the search for belonging—and what it costs when belonging requires abandoning yourself.
For much of my life, I became the person everyone needed me to be: husband, father, pastor, leader. I spent years trying to earn love, acceptance, and a place to belong. When that life unraveled, I lost far more than I ever imagined. What I found on the other side was something I had been searching for all along: home.
That experience changed not only my life, but the way I understand suffering, healing, and the courage it takes to become yourself.
Today, I help adults navigate anxiety, depression, religious trauma, life transitions, identity concerns, and the quiet ache of feeling disconnected from themselves. My approach combines clinical expertise, genuine compassion, and the belief that healing begins when we stop fighting who we are and start living more honestly.
When I'm not working, you'll usually find me making music, staying active, enjoying the outdoors, or having meaningful conversations with people I love.
If you're struggling to find your footing, reconnect with yourself, or find your way home, I'd be honored to help. I offer virtual therapy for adults across the United States.
About the book
Where do you belong when the place you called home no longer wants you?
Raised in poverty in the backwoods of South Alabama, John grew up amid violence, instability, and fear. Home was never safe. Love was never secure.
When a small Pentecostal church offered safety, purpose, and belonging, he embraced it completely.
But belonging came at a price.
To remain part of that world, he had to hide the truth about himself—a truth he was taught would send him straight to hell.
So he abandoned himself and became the person everyone needed him to be.
A husband. A father. A pastor.
For years, he believed that obedience, sacrifice, and faithfulness would finally earn him a place to belong.
But when he could no longer hide the truth, the life he had spent decades building collapsed, forcing him from the only world he had ever known.
Today, as a psychologist, John returns to the ruins of his past to understand what it cost to abandon himself in order to belong—and what it takes to come home.
Hello, friend.
I'm glad you stopped by. I hope you'll come back soon—and often. This space is for you.
Be sure to check out my upcoming podcast, where we explore belonging, shame, identity, religious trauma, relationships, and the ways we learn to hide parts of ourselves in order to be loved.
Together, we'll examine what it means to lose yourself, find your way home, and build a life rooted in authenticity.
And if something here resonates with you, reach out. I'd love to hear from you.
— John