Dr. Ray is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of Recovering from Religion. He has been a psychologist for over thirty years and is the author of four books: two on organizational teamwork as well as "The God Virus-How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture" and "Sex and God-How Religion Distorts Sexuality".

Dr. Ray has been a student of religion most of his life and holds a Masters Degree in religion as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a Doctorate in Psychology.

Kendra is a VITA Certified Sex Coach, Registered Professional Counsellor and Somatic Sex Educator. She combines tantric and somatic practices with traditional therapeutic methods to support her clients in feeling more confident, sexy and passionate in bed. She believes getting out of your head and into your body is the key to clearing shame and unlocking a vibrant, toe-curling, multi-orgasmic, sex life!

Mike Phillips has been a counselor for 39 years, specializing in Sex and Trauma work. He first became certified as a sex therapist working with the British Columbia government, focusing on sex offenders in the prison system. He also worked for 35 years as a pastor in conservative churches. Though he is no longer religious, he works with former and current church people to loosen their grip on the shame and repression associated with their sexuality. 

These days, Mike works with BDSM and Polyamory practitioners, as well as those escaping the sexual shame associated with religion. He is now semi-retired in Sacramento, CA. He and his partner have 3 children and 7 grandchildren. Mike is the author/co-author of four books and 155 articles.

Pleasure Coach Nikole Mitchell has made many public appearances including the Dr. Phil Show, Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and CBS. Raised in a conservative Evangelical Christian home, Nikole was a pastor and homemaker until she lost her faith while working on her master’s degree.

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In 2019, Nikole left her church and moved with her husband and young children to California. Once there, she began acting, modelling, and making erotic content on Only Fans. Being an Only Fans creator allowed her to explore her sexuality, and Nikole came out as queer.

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Today, Nikole Mitchell is a divorced mother of 3, living as a queer woman. Not only does she have a thriving career as an Only Fans creator, but she also empowers others through her extremely successful coaching practice.

A native woman of Cherokee and Irish descent, Tessi Ynada Muskrat holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and is a doctoral student researcher at the University of Missouri. Co-founder of the international Purity Culture Research Collective (PCRC), Tessi’s research centers the voices of those who have experienced sexual and gender-based trauma in religious contexts. 

Additionally, Tessi works as a post-traumatic growth coach, companioning those who have experienced religious or purity culture trauma on their journey to health and thriving. Tessi’s upcoming projects will examine the impact of purity culture's gender binary on trans and nonbinary persons, and the ways in which post-purity culture adults achieve empowerment through healing from oppressive systems in religious spaces. When she's not studying or researching, Tessi enjoys snuggling her cats, watching trees dance in the wind, and playing complex tabletop board games with friends. 

Dr. Kayden Vargas (they/he) is a trans nonbinary poet, parent, and psychologist living, loving, and working in the traditional homelands of the Yakama nation. They are a first generation scholar and poet, growing up in Brewster, Washington in a town of about 2,000 people. His first love was and always will be, the Columbia River. Their poetry revolves around themes of small-town living,

bicultural/bilingual/biracial life, trauma healing, and trans identity. They also work as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Heritage University, a small not-for-profit university that is both a Hispanic-Serving-Institution and Native American Non-Tribal Serving institution located in Toppenish, WA. Their clinical specialties include gender affirming healthcare, eating disorders, religious trauma, and queer psychosocial development.