S03 - EP20 - Surviving Suicide Loss & Spiritual Abuse: Rachel Powell on Unsafe Faith Spaces

Widowed AF: Real stories of love, grief and beyond - With Rosie Moss

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with Rachel Powell, who lost her husband Andre to suicide after years of battling undiagnosed depression, sex addiction, and harmful church dynamics.

Rachel opens up about the reality of living in a marriage marked by broken boundaries, secrecy, and the crushing weight of spiritual control. She explains how her attempts to set a safety plan were met with resistance, and how guilt, silence, and church pressures compounded the crisis that ended in Andre’s death.

We talk about:

• The intersection of addiction, mental health & faith communities

• Surviving suicide loss while raising children and adopted relatives

• Leaving unsafe faith spaces to protect her daughters

• The judgement she faced from family and church members

• Her journey through suicidal thoughts, therapy, and rebuilding identity

• Founding Hope Speaker to support others affected by suicide and loss

Rachel’s story is one of unflinching honesty, deep pain, and incredible resilience. She shares how honesty with her children about their father’s death has opened a path toward healing, and how community, therapy, and a safer faith space have helped her reclaim her life.

This is an episode about truth-telling, survival, and the strength it takes to rebuild when the systems meant to support you instead cause harm.

More information about Rachel Powell can be found here www.hopespeaker.com/coaching

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