"I Left A Cult—And Wrote a Song About It”

Franni Cash joins Rita Springer for an incredibly honest conversation about growing up in what she describes as a cult, losing her community, questioning her faith, and eventually learning to separate who God is from the people who misrepresented Him. Franni shares the story behind We the Kingdom and why she ultimately knew she needed to step away—even while the band was experiencing incredible success. She opens up about crying every night on tour, the return of self-harm, and the realization that something looking “blessed” from the outside doesn’t always mean you’re supposed to stay. They also talk about forgiveness, therapy, rediscovering her love for music, the real story behind “Kool-Aid,” and Franny’s new chapter as a solo artist. Now that so much of the pain has healed, Franny is wrestling with a completely new question: What happens when an artist who has always created from pain learns to create from peace? If you’ve ever experienced church hurt, confused success with calling, or had to rediscover who God is beyond the people who represented Him, this conversation is for you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro 1:08 Welcome + Meet Franni Cash 3:15 Who Was Franni Cash? 5:43 Growing Up in a Church Cult 8:04 The Truth Comes Out 11:09 Finding God After Spiritual Trauma 17:17 Forgiveness, Surrender + Healing 18:50 Amazing Kids 19:46 Learning to Forgive 21:26 Songwriting, Theology + Finding Her Own Voice 22:56 Why Franni Left We The Kingdom 28:32 Choosing Her Life Over Success 31:29 Redefining God’s Favor 34:25 Who Is Franni Cash Now? 38:36 Breaking the Christian Music Mold 39:40 Falling in Love With Music Again 43:19 Choosing Art Over Commercial Success 47:52 Staying Creative Without Losing Yourself 51:20 Authenticity After a Controlling Church 53:23 The Story Behind “Kool-Aid” 55:32 Creating the Album + Finding Freedom 58:43 Can Great Art Come From Peace? 1:01:06 Creating Beyond Pain 1:04:22 Who Is Franni Cash Becoming? 1:07:27 The Future of Christian Art 1:11:25 Art, Evangelism + Authenticity 1:15:23 The “Unknown Daisy” Encounter 1:18:03 Creating With God 1:20:22 The Songs Still Waiting to Be Written 1:23:01 Franni’s New Record + Closing If you're enjoying the show, please rate and review! Follow Rita on ALL Social Media: https://linktr.ee/ritaspringer If you would like to support the Worship Is My Weapon podcast you can donate to Wearing Justice at https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=0f0e22b... 🙏🏻🕊️🤍 💌 Stay connected with Rita by signing up for her exclusive mailing list: https://2f1ja.share.hsforms.com/2ioKtH_9GRNiXq3hp6ykFmw