Author and speaker Heather O’Brien joins Kelly Jackson on TruthWire for a candid conversation about trauma, rebellion, identity, brokenness—and the relentless grace of Jesus Christ.
Heather shares the deeply personal story behind her book A Funny Thing Happened on My Highway to Hell: Exiting Hopelessness, Trauma and LGBTQ—from childhood wounds and church hurt, to military service, sexual assault, PTSD, alcoholism, abusive relationships, a suicide attempt, and years of identifying as a lesbian.
But this conversation is about much more than what Heather walked away from. It is about Who she came back to.
Heather explains what happened when she reluctantly walked back into a church expecting judgment—and instead encountered the grace of God. She also shares what her parents did during the years she was far from her faith: they prayed, maintained biblical boundaries, refused to affirm what they believed was wrong, but never stopped loving her or reaching for her.
We talk about the difficult line Christian families often face:
How do you love someone unconditionally without affirming every choice they make?
Heather also discusses identity, singleness, sexuality after coming back to Christ, why she refuses to “prove” anything to anyone, and what it means to anchor her identity not in a label, past experience, sexuality, career, trauma or diagnosis—but as a daughter of the King.
If you have ever wondered whether someone can be too broken, too angry, too rebellious or too far from God to come home, Heather has a message for you:
You are never too far gone.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 — Meet Heather O’Brien
01:30 — What Was Really Happening Beneath the Surface
03:30 — Fatherlessness, Church Hurt & Teenage Rebellion
07:55 — Military Service, Sexual Assault & Trauma
11:40 — Coming Home: Anger, PTSD & Alcohol
13:20 — How Heather Began Identifying as a Lesbian
15:35 — The Suicide Attempt That Changed Everything
17:50 — Reconnecting With Her Family
20:15 — The Christians Who Challenged What She Believed About God
24:10 — Walking Back Into Church—and Encountering Grace
26:15 — “The Black Sheep Is Still Part of the Family”
30:30 — Did Confrontation or Correction Change Her?
32:30 — How Her Parents Loved Her Without Affirming Her Choices
36:00 — Boundaries, Respect & Keeping the Door Open
41:00 — What Heather Would Tell Someone Who Feels Too Far Gone
44:45 — Sexuality, Singleness & Life After Returning to Christ
50:10 — Finding Her True Identity as a Daughter of God
55:15 — How Broken People Can Still Be Used to Help Others
56:25 — Where to Find Heather
57:50 — Heather’s Books
62:00 — LGBTQ, Christianity & Why These Conversations Matter
64:20 — Final Thoughts
📚 FIND HEATHER O’BRIEN
Books mentioned in this episode:
A Funny Thing Happened on My Highway to Hell: Exiting Hopelessness, Trauma and LGBTQ: https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Thing-Ha...
Don’t Let the Monsters Out: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Let-Monst...
Chains of Freedom: https://www.amazon.com/Chains-Freedom...
Albus on Duty: https://www.amazon.com/Albus-Duty-Hea...
Facebook: Heather O’Brien
Instagram: @TattooedRevivalist
TikTok: @TattooedRevivalist
Website: https://tattooedrevivalist.com/
I’m Kelly Jackson, and this is Still Not Cancelled—where we question everything, especially the narrative. Because anyone can tell you what happened. We explain what it means.
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