Michaela grew up in a small town in Indiana where her childhood consisted of lots of addiction, abandonment, and abuse.
As a little girl who didn’t know anything about her Father in heaven, she sought to fill the voids and find her identity in boys, partying, and drugs.
She continued on this way into college, where she’d earned a full ride scholarship to Indiana University, yet believed the devil’s lie that she wouldn’t have enough to survive, and began selling her body for money.
This added trauma resulted in more numbing and coping than ever before, and finally she reached a breaking point where she realized she needed healing.r
Having church hurt from “Christians” who didn’t strive to live like Christ, Michaela’s pursuit of God led her into counterfeit religions and New Age spirituality.
This belief system led her back into the sex work world, now believing that this was something empowering for her to do.
It was in this strip club in Arizona that she came into relations with a married man, and her life would never be the same…
God revealed the spirit world to her and she saw a demon become manifest in this man, which instantly convicted her of the sinful life she had been living.
Michaela cried out to Jesus for help and protection, and the Holy Spirit led her to throwing away all of her witchcraft, psychedelics, tarot cards, and sexually immoral relationships.
She then understood the Bible like never before and how following God’s word in our lives is what keeps us close to Him and under His shield of protection.
After becoming baptized and living and dating God’s way, Michaela met her husband, Vitality Nikolaenko, where they now live in Florida striving to honor Him in all they do.
The Raised & Redeemed Podcast came to be after Michaela came to the Lord and realized there was so much she wanted to share and warn others of so they don’t fall into the same trap she did.
God redeemed her old YouTube channel where she used to share New Age teachings from fallen angels, and turned it into a platform that honors Him instead.
Coming to an ultimately humble place in realizing she’d been wrong for all of those years, she also realized there was so much for her to learn and therefore started inviting fellow believers onto the show to share what the Lord had done in their lives as well.
Michaela believes that sharing brings healing, and listening to other people’s testimonies gives the Holy Spirit a chance to move, convict, and further reveal himself to us.
Her hope for the Raised & Redeemed Podcast is to bring light to the darkness of the sensitive things we’ve struggled with and to walk alongside others as they take steps into true healing and redemption, and out of their addictions, false religions, and sexual sins of their past.
With repentance, confession, and finding the support we need, we can move closer to experiencing God’s true best for our lives.
