Mormon Stories Podcast "Groomed" for Mormon Motherhood Perfection - Chelsey Rencher Liaga | Ep. 2132
Apr 1, 2026
Chelsey Rencher Liaga, a licensed therapist raised in Gilbert, Arizona, shares her journey from perfectionism and mission service to motherhood, faith deconstruction, and work supporting maternal mental health and religious trauma. She talks about purity culture, how she was groomed for idealized motherhood, eating disorder struggles, navigating a mixed-faith mixed-race marriage, and rebuilding identity and joy beyond church expectations.
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Practice Choosing Small Things To Rebuild Inner Authority
- Reclaim inner authority by asking yourself 'What do you want' and practicing prioritizing your needs instead of deferring to everyone else.
- Chelsey coaches clients to choose between options (calendar check) rather than deferring—train small decisions first.
Cumulative Small Traumas Produce Complex PTSD Patterns
- Chelsey frames Mormon-related harm as complex PTSD from repeated 'small t' traumas: chronic loss of choice, suppressed emotions, and role-conditioning.
- CPTSD explains long-term distrust, poor self-knowledge, and relational difficulties among ex-Mormon women.
A Marco Polo Group Gave Safe Space For Deconstruction
- Chelsey created a Marco Polo group with BYU friends to process doubts; the private group became a daily 'therapy' space to share CES Letter findings and feelings.
- That peer support reduced isolation during deconstruction.