Open Spaces with Jeff & Jourdan Johnson
Open Spaces Podcast is a place for honest conversations about the battles we often keep hidden, reminding us that we don't have to fight alone. Hosted by Jeff and Jourdan Johnson, it began with their own story of navigating marriage, faith, and identity. The podcast creates a space where no topic is off-limits—grief, identity, marriage, faith, and struggles that feel impossible to say out loud. Their hope is that by going first, others will find courage to share their own stories and believe that nothing is impossible with God.
Episodes
Summer Update: Viral Videos, Meaningful Conversations & What’s Coming Next
Summer has been full—in the best way. In this special update episode, we’re catching you up on what’s been happening behind the scenes at Open Spaces and giving you a glimpse of what’s ahead this fall.
From Jeff’s unexpectedly viral “dad hacks” Chick-fil-A video (yes…a couple million views!) to his first opportunity to preach at Harvest Church in Chesapeake, Virginia, we’re reflecting on the s
Parenting: Raising Kids Without Pretending to be Perfect
This week on Open Spaces, we’re joined by our dear friends Brooke and Elizabeth Mosser, founders of Intentional. If you heard Brooke’s previous episode, you already know why we love them. But in this conversation, we get to hear from both Brooke and Elizabeth as they share honestly about parenting, marriage, suffering, healing, and what it looks like to follow Jesus when life doesn’t go according
Parenting: A Lifetime of Learning (A Conversation with Buddy Burks)
In this episode, Jeff and Jourdan sit down with someone very special — Jourdan's dad, Buddy Burks. At 70 years old, Buddy is living proof that it's never too late to keep growing, keep learning, and keep showing up for the people you love.
Buddy grew up in Pensacola, Florida, shaped by a Southern Baptist upbringing and a world where certain conversations simply didn't happen. But somewhere alo
Parenting: Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World
In this episode of Open Spaces, we continue our parenting series with author, speaker, and ministry leader Laurie Krieg.
Laurie shares her powerful story of finding her identity in Christ after years of wrestling with same-sex attraction, and explains how that journey has shaped her passion for helping parents navigate conversations about sexuality, gender, and faith.
Together, we discuss
Parenting: Sharing a Broken Past
In this episode, Jeff and Jourdan open up about the challenges and blessings of sharing their personal story of struggle and faith with their children. Their honest journey offers practical insights for parents seeking to foster transparency, trust, and spiritual growth within their families.
Key Topics:
• The importance of vulnerability and authenticity in family communication
•
Parenting: Divorce, Grief & Single-Parenting with Toni Collier
What happens when the life you imagined for your family changes completely? How do you help your kids process grief when you’re grieving too? And where does faith fit into the middle of heartbreak, healing, and rebuilding?
In this honest and hope-filled episode, we sit down with Toni Collier for a vulnerable conversation about divorce, single parenting, recovery, and finding your footing in the ch
Parenting: Talking to Kids About Porn
Discover the vital importance of open conversations about pornography, healing from betrayal, and how to guide your children through a world saturated with explicit content. Greta Eskridge shares her personal journey of redemption, practical advice for parents, and the power of honesty and compassion.Main Topics Covered:
• Greta Eskridge's story of God's redemption after her husband's confe
Parenting: The Love that Formed Us
We begin our Parenting series with a tribute to Jeff and Jourdan’s mothers. They take the opportunity with Mother’s Day approaching, to honor the women who instilled love and belief into them. They talk about what each meant to themselves and to each other.
Both women held a quiet but confident faith and generously poured love into their children and so many others. This episode is not only a tri
Owning Your Identity (feat. Jason Mellard)
Content Warning: This episode includes sensitive discussion around childhood abuse and suicide. Please listen with care and discretion.
In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, we sit down with Jason Mellard, founder of Own Your Identity — a ministry helping men around the world navigate same-sex attraction without allowing attractions to define who they are.
Jason’s message is clear: attr
Finding True Intimacy (feat. Rita Springer)
In this powerful conversation, Jeff and Jourdan sit down with Rita Springer for an honest and deeply moving discussion about identity, intimacy with God, disappointment, dependency, fear, singleness, and learning how to keep trusting the Lord when life does not turn out the way you thought it would.
Rita shares from her own story with remarkable vulnerability, opening up about unanswered prayers,
Community: What We Learned
Jeff and Jourdan reunite after Jourdan’s hiatus to recap their "Community Series." They share personal stories about vulnerability, discuss the nuances of terminology within the LGBTQ+ Christian space, and offer encouragement to those seeking deeper, more authentic friendships.
Key Discussion Points
• Opening & Catching Up:
◦ Jourdan returns to the podcast after a break following the passi
Family Secrets and Forgiveness (feat. Brook Mosser)
Every family has secrets. Some are small, tucked away in quiet corners. But others—the ones that shape us, break us, and ultimately define us—demand to be told.
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Brook Mosser from Intentional Parents to discuss a chapter of his life he's never publicly shared before. We explore complex family dynamics, the silent struggle of hidden same-sex attraction, and h
Community: The Messy Beginnings (feat. Wes Martin)
In this deeply personal episode of Open Spaces, Jeff sits down with his longtime friend Wes Martin — the first friend Jeff ever shared his struggle with.
Wes had a front row seat to the earliest and most fragile days of Jeff learning how to bring his story into the light. What started as an awkward and uncertain conversation between two friends eventually grew into something much deeper. Durin
Community: You make sense (feat. Drew Worsham)
In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Open Spaces, Jeff and Jourdan sit down with one of their closest friends of over 23 years, Drew Worsham — illusionist, author of The Magic of Curiosity, pastor, and trusted confidant.
This conversation is far more than a reunion. Drew has walked with Jeff and Jourdan since the very beginning of their story — through dating, breakups, Jeff’s early
Community: Don’t Fight Alone (feat. Bryson Vogeltanz & Kristian Stanfill)
This week on Open Spaces, Jeff sits down with the two guys he walks with most closely in Atlanta, Bryson and Kristian, for a “guys-only” conversation (ladies, you’re absolutely invited to listen too). After last week’s episode with both couples, the three of them go deeper into the real question so many people ask: What do your weekly accountability time(s) actually look like?
They unpack their
Community: The Power of Being Known (feat. The Stanfills & The Vogeltanzes)
We’re kicking off a brand new series on community because we believe you were never meant to walk alone.
In this episode, we’re joined by our closest friends, Kristian & Kerri Stanfill and Bryson & Emily Vogeltanz, the couples we’ve done daily life with for over a decade. We laugh (a lot), tell some stories you’ve never heard, and open up about what it actually looks like to live known.
From
Catching up!
It’s been a full season and today we’re catching you up. In this episode, we share what life has actually looked like lately. From the conversations we’ve been having with listeners, to the pastoral moments we never expected, to the sheer number of messages from people who feel seen for the first time this season has been full. We talk about what Open Spaces has quietly become: not just a podcast,
Practical Steps for the Struggle
In this episode of Open Spaces, Jeff shares what he would say to someone navigating same-sex attraction while pursuing Jesus. He unpacks the two key questions he always asks—“Where is this path leading?” and “Is that what you really want?”—as a starting point for anyone who wants to fight this struggle.Drawing from his own journey, Jeff offers honest encouragement and practical guidance on how to
What I Needed Growing Up
In this episode of Open Spaces, Jeff shares what it was like growing up with same-sex attraction (SSA) in a loving Christian home. Jourdan interviews him about early experiences, missed moments, and what he wishes might have been different. While neither claims to be a parenting expert, their honest conversation offers a rare window into the inner world of a child processing shame, secrecy, and id
Q & A: Top 5 Questions Answered
In this powerful follow-up episode of Open Spaces, Jeff and Jourdan respond to five of the most raw and frequently asked listener questions since releasing their story - including navigating marriage with same-sex attraction, building trust, staying vulnerable in ministry, and loving others with grace and conviction. They share honest reflections from their own journey and practical wisdom for any
The Impossible Becomes Possible
In this final episode of their introductory series, Jeff and Jourdan step into marriage after years of breakups, questions, and hard-won revelations. Their engagement wasn’t marked by grand gestures but by a quiet, resolute decision to move forward together.They talk about their wedding day - beautiful monument - and that even after the vows, new challenges arise: intimacy, identity, and the call
Navigating an Unconventional Relationship
After years of back and forth, Jeff and Jourdan take us into the most painful and transformative season of their journey. This episode revisits their three breakups, the heartbreak and healing that followed, and the unexpected road that led them back together.Jeff opens up about his internal battles—how confession was freeing, but the struggle for wholeness was far from over. Jourdan shares her pe
Embracing What You Don’t Understand
In this powerful episode of Open Spaces Podcast, Jourdan shares her side of the story—what it was like to hear Jeff’s secret, navigate her own beliefs, and wrestle with what it meant for their future. Growing up in a traditional Christian environment, she never imagined she’d be faced with this reality. Yet, through love, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of grace, she found herself stepping i
Desires and Faith Collide
In this deeply personal episode of Open Spaces Podcast, Jeff takes a courageous step forward, sharing the raw reality of his lifelong battle with same-sex attraction. With honesty and vulnerability, he unpacks his journey—from secret struggles and shame to surrendering his desires to Jesus.Jeff and Jourdan discuss the power of radical obedience, the role of faith, and the impact of community in hi
The Secret That Changed Everything
Welcome to the Open Spaces Podcast! In this very first episode, Jeff and Jourdan Johnson take a courageous step into vulnerability, sharing their journey of faith, love, and struggle. They open up about their relationship, the challenges they faced, and the pivotal moment when Jeff revealed a deep secret he had never spoken out loud—one that changed everything.Through raw honesty and grace, they e
Open Spaces Podcast Trailer
A preview of what's to come on Open Spaces with Jeff & Jourdan Johnson.Follow us on Instagram
