From Porn to Purpose: Joshua Broome’s Story of Identity, Trauma, and Redemption

What if your greatest shame became the platform for someone else's freedom?

In The Impossible Life Podcast Ep. 206, Garrett and Nick sit down with Joshua Broome, whose life journey defies imagination. From international fame in the adult film industry to the brink of suicide—and then into a completely new life built on the grace of Jesus—Josh’s story is raw, redemptive, and necessary.

But this isn’t just a story about porn. It’s a story about identity. About father wounds. About the lies men believe and the slow erosion of who we’re meant to be. And most importantly, it’s a story of how God’s kindness, not condemnation, leads to transformation.

“I wanted someone to tell me I mattered. And I thought success would do that.” — Joshua Broome

Fatherlessness and the Search for Identity

Josh grew up the son of a teenage mother, with no consistent father in the picture. He describes his early years as “marked by absence”—a longing for affirmation and identity that never came.

“I wanted to prove I mattered. I wanted someone to tell me I was enough.” — Josh

That father wound drove him to perform—to chase success, recognition, and attention. But all of it was a mask. It was a survival strategy. And it led him straight into the counterfeit world of pornography.

The Trap of Porn: Performance, Manipulation, and Disconnection

Josh didn’t grow up wanting to be in porn. He wanted to act. But after a single adult video tanked his mainstream career, he took a meeting that changed everything. Five years later, he had starred in over 1,000 adult films and earned over $1 million. On paper, he was successful.

But internally, he was dying.

“Every time I performed, I became more disconnected from myself. I didn’t even recognize who I was anymore.” — Josh

He described the porn industry as manipulative, coercive, and soul-numbing. Performers were often isolated, emotionally damaged, and desperate for connection. And the deeper he got, the more he lost touch with reality, with God, and with his own worth.

Josh shared how objectification doesn’t just hurt those watching porn—it dehumanizes everyone involved. It rewires the brain, kills intimacy, and makes people believe the lie that they’re only valuable for what they produce.

“Porn disconnects you from reality. You can’t engage in that kind of life and walk away unaffected.” — Josh

The Turning Point: A Bank Teller, a Phone Call, and the Grace of God

At the height of his career, Josh was more isolated than ever. He had fame, money, and access to anything he wanted—and he was planning his suicide.

But then a simple moment interrupted everything:
He walked into a bank. The teller asked, “Are you okay?”
And something broke. He walked out and called his mom.
The spiral stopped. The grace started.

“I didn’t hear a voice from heaven. I didn’t see a burning bush. I just heard someone care.” — Josh

He moved home. Started over. Sat in silence for months. And eventually, began rebuilding from the inside out.

The Long Road Back: Identity, Marriage, and Real Freedom

Josh didn’t go viral. He didn’t get platformed. He spent five years in anonymity, working on himself, soaking in Scripture, being discipled, and finding out who he was in Christ.

“Romans 2:4 says it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. That’s what changed me.” — Josh

Eventually, he met his wife Hope, got married, became a father, graduated from Liberty University, and stepped into full-time ministry. Today, he’s the Executive Director of Walkworthy with the AACC and a leading voice for men’s identity and freedom.

He doesn’t share his story for shock value—he shares it to point people to the grace that restored him.

“I’m not the guy from those movies. I’m who God says I am.” — Josh

What Every Man Needs to Hear About Porn

Josh’s message to men is simple:
Porn is a counterfeit. It promises intimacy but delivers emptiness.

• It trains your brain to view people as objects

• It blocks connection in marriage and dating

• It slowly kills your sense of purpose and spiritual strength

• And worst of all, it feeds the lie that your value comes from performance or pleasure

“Porn is not a lust issue. It’s a worship issue. You’re trying to fill a God-sized hole with counterfeit satisfaction.” — Garrett

The way out isn’t willpower—it’s truth.
It’s knowing that God already made a way back through Christ.
It’s repenting, renewing your mind, and submitting your body and spirit to something greater.

Final Thoughts: Your Past Is Not Your Identity

Josh’s life is living proof: you are not what you’ve done.

You’re not your past. You’re not your lowest moment. You’re not your public shame.

You’re who God says you are—forgiven, redeemed, restored, and called.

So whether you’re caught in addiction, carrying a hidden wound, or questioning your worth…

There’s hope. There’s healing. There’s freedom.

And His name is Jesus.

“The worst thing you’ve done is not the thing that defines you. Jesus already paid for that.” — The Impossible Life