You’ve been told to “bloom where you’re planted”. . .

. . . which sounds great, but what if that advice is actually keeping you stuck?

In this episode of Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction, we unpack why spiritual growth doesn’t happen in environments where you can’t be your authentic self — and how Christians are often trained to distrust their own thoughts, feelings, discernment, and instincts.

We explore the difference between real transformation vs. just accumulating more knowledge, and why external alignment matters just as much as what’s happening in your inner world.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, restless, or like you’ve outgrown your environment — but felt unsure about trying new spaces, then this one’s for you.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

If you’ve ever…

• felt like you should be growing spiritually… but aren’t
• been told to stay somewhere that doesn’t feel right
• struggled to trust your own thoughts, feelings, intuition, or instincts

… then this will help you:

• understand why spiritual growth is more than just gaining knowledge
• recognize how environment impacts your ability to grow
• rebuild self-trust and move out of performance-based faith
• identify when it might be time to find “better soil”

Purchase Martin’s excellent book on spiritual growth here.

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If you want the full visual teaching with slides & diagrams, watch this episode on our Unhinged YouTube channel. (Or watch the entire Align With Your Design series here. And remember to SUBSCRIBE while you’re there!)

If this stirred something in you, don’t just watch — take the next step.

Join Michele’s online community, New Creation Academy

Join Martin’s 30-Day Spiritual Growth Challenge inside his online community, The Gathering

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ABOUT OUR SHOW

Unhinged helps you unlearn toxic religious thinking and rediscover a freer, healthier way of understanding God, faith, and yourself.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Unhinged: Separating Faith from Fiction!

00:29 Why More Knowledge ≠ Spiritual Growth

06:34 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” … Really?

12:33 Feeling Safe to Be Your Authentic Self

18:22 The Role of Environment in Spiritual Growth

22:09 The Beautiful Messiness of Being Human

25:53 Not All Soil is Good Soil

27:22 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Promotes Self-Blame

29:21 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Reinforces Spiritual Passivity

30:06 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Confuses “Endurance” with True Calling

30:43 “Bloom Where You’re Planted” Disconnects You From Your Design

31:35 Neuroscience Teaches Us: Your Environment Shapes Your Identity

33:23 A Helpful Reframe: Bloom Where You’re Nourished

34:21 Final Thoughts & A Few More Unhinged Moments