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Bess is in her mid 20s. She lives in a small rural Pennsylvania town. As you'd expect, she's been surrounded by conservative christians as far as the eye can see for the entirety of her life. \\xa0

Raised in the church and educated in christian schools, Bess never fit in. Everyone around her was exactly the same \\u2013 same beliefs, same hobbies, same skin color, same EVERYTHING! \\xa0

Sure, she made attempts to fit in, but as a young teen, Bess determined she could no longer pretend to be someone she wasn't. This authenticity and independence created turmoil within her family of origin -- particularly in the relationship with her father. It wasn't appropriate for a young girl to ask questions and think for herself.\\xa0

As an older teen, Bess and her dad came to an understanding that they'd just have to agree to disagree. However, as Bess' faith continued to erode, the conflict returned and this time not only with dad but\\xa0 into the larger circle of Bess' immediate family. \\xa0

Living authentically hasn't been easy.\\xa0 Bess at times wishes she could just turn off her hunger for truth switch. But for some of us, this is impossible to do!!

We are learning how to use our voices. We\\u2019re Speaking Up. And Speaking Out. Finding our Voices. And in so doing, Finding Freedom. On the Other Side. One Story at a Time.\\xa0

Enjoy Bess. She\\u2019s pretty f*&ing incredible!

#WereSpeaking
#WomenBeyondFaith
#FindingFreedom
#OneStoryataTime
#SpeakingUp
#SpeakingOut