Natalie Grant is opening up about the painful seasons, personal doubts, and spiritual restoration that shaped her life behind the spotlight.
Appearing on Andy Chrisman's One Degree of Andy podcast, the award-winning Christian singer shared deeply personal reflections on her marriage, music career, church hurt, and the journey that ultimately led her back to a deeper love for the local church.
Grant recalled how she left college, broke off an engagement, and joined the legendary Christian group Truth in the mid-1990s - a demanding experience she described as "Christian music boot camp." Touring hundreds of dates a year taught her endurance, discipline, and ministry beyond performance.
Yet the road to becoming one of Christian music's most recognizable voices was anything but smooth.
Grant revealed that two of her early record labels collapsed shortly after releasing her music, leading to moments where she questioned whether she had misunderstood God's direction for her life.
"It has not been easy," Grant admitted, explaining that there were many seasons when she wanted to quit, move home, and abandon the dream altogether.
The singer also shared the now-beloved story of meeting her future husband, producer and songwriter Bernie Herms, saying she instantly sensed they were meant to be together the moment he greeted her outside a Nashville studio.
Their partnership would later become one of Christian music's most respected creative collaborations.
But some of the interview's most emotional moments came when Grant discussed a devastating church experience that deeply wounded her family spiritually and emotionally.
Without naming the church directly, Grant described how a moral failure involving a pastor who had been one of their closest friends left her and Bernie heartbroken and disillusioned.
"It was just kind of like we knew it was our time to exit and we were really hurt," she shared, explaining that the betrayal shook them deeply because the relationship had extended far beyond church attendance into close personal friendship.
At the time, Grant admitted she had grown weary spiritually after years of constant touring, performing, and "working for God" without truly slowing down to simply be in His presence.
Healing eventually came through The Belonging Co, where Grant and her husband encountered what she described as a powerful move of God among artists, creatives, and worship leaders in Nashville.
Grant became emotional while recalling those early experiences at the church, saying she witnessed broken and cynical people encounter spiritual renewal in a way she had "never experienced" before.
"We realized we had been working for God for so long that we had forgotten how to just be with God," Grant reflected.
Now deeply involved in worship ministry, discipleship gatherings, and mentoring younger creatives, Grant says the experience transformed not only her ministry, but also her family life and the spiritual foundation of her children.
The interview also touched on Grant's first Christmas album in 20 years, a project featuring live instrumentation, vintage-inspired arrangements, and recordings with the Nashville Symphony.
For Grant, however, the biggest victory today is not career longevity - it is rediscovering joy, healing, and authentic community within the church again.
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