Rebecca Hitchcock on Shame, Healing, and Identity in Christ, Part One

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of child sexual assault.
In today’s conversation, Nadine sits down with Rebecca Hitchcock, author of What I Didn't Learn in Church, to unpack the heavy but vital topic of shame. Rebecca vulnerably shares her personal story of experiencing sexual abuse at age five, the lingering shame it caused throughout her life, and how it resurfaced during her struggles with postpartum depression.

Raised in a Christian home and once a high-level fashion director in Chicago, Rebecca eventually left her career to raise her family and pursue deeper spiritual healing. For more than two decades, she has led women’s Bible studies across the Midwest, helping others find freedom in Christ. Her book, What I Didn't Learn in Church, shares many of these lessons and is available at [rebeccahitchcock.org](rebeccahitchcock.org).

Rebecca explains how her understanding of God’s Word radically shifted her experience of shame. She invites listeners to stop hustling for worthiness and instead receive the “double portion” of acceptance and identity God offers in Scripture. Together, Nadine and Rebecca walk through key Bible passages that anchor the episode’s message, including:

Isaiah 61:7 — Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 — He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God.
Matthew 11:28 — Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

This episode reminds every woman that shame has no claim on her life when she stands in Christ’s freedom. Rebecca encourages listeners to take even five minutes to sit with God, ask for His love, and begin exchanging shame for the truth of who they are in Him.