Can You Handle a Girl Like Me with Bek Condello

Special Guest: Bek Condello

Bek Condello grew up inside a closed-off doomsday Pentecostal church that controlled every aspect of her life. Leaving meant losing her family, her community and the identity she had been told was hers since she was a young girl. By her early thirties she had broken free from both the church and the marriage she had been pressured into within it, reclaiming her life and discovering who she truly was.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In a sleepy Canberra suburb, Bek Condello was raised in a strict patriarchal Pentecostal movement. The influence of the Geelong Revival Centre extended deeply into the lives of the congregation, promoting discipline and dictating how girls and women behaved, who they socialised with and who they would marry. After finding her way out and discovering her own identity, Bek has written a memoir, out on 14 July, called Can You Handle a Girl Like Me. Through her story she hopes she can inspire others to rebuild and thrive after deep loss.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via internationalculticstudies.org).

EPISODE LINKS

Can You Handle a Girl Like Me — by Bek Condello, Penguin, 2026
Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder — Richard Baker's podcast about the Geelong Revival Centre

EPISODE DETAILS

July 12th, 2026

39 mins 16 secs

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