Nomad Podcast

• Joy Brooks - Faith’s Shadow Side: Facing Spiritual Bypassing (N347)

  In this episode, we speak with therapist Joy Brooks about spiritual bypassing—how well-meaning spiritual beliefs and practices can sometimes mask or avoid the difficult emotions and wounds we all carry. Drawing on psychology, contemplative traditions, and Joy’s own journey out of charismatic Christianity, the conversation uncovers why confronting pain honestly is essential for genuine growth. Joy reflects on how communities and individuals alike can unintentionally use faith to silence, dismiss, or rush past suffering—and the emotional costs this often brings. She also explores how the Christian tradition holds resources for facing the “messiness” of being human, embracing vulnerability, and resisting the temptation to perform a polished, “all-good” spirituality. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on their own experiences with spiritual bypassing and the importance of creating safe spaces where questioning and emotional honesty are welcomed rather than shunned. Interview starts at 14m 19s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

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• Rowan Williams - Christianity After Certainty (N346)

  In this episode, we speak with former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams about his vision of faith as attentiveness, not answers — a path not of mastery, but of mystery. Drawing on themes from his book Discovering Christianity, Rowan reflects on the difference between faith and toxic religion, and explores how trust, not certainty, might be the deeper thread that runs through the Christian story. We talk about the appeal of other traditions, Rowan’s appreciation of Buddhism, and why — despite it all — he remains rooted in the Christian faith. Along the way, he speaks candidly about the beauty and the cruelty of the Church, the liberating potential of theology, and how contemplation can shape not only our spiritual life but our way of seeing the world. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on the complexities of letting go of toxic religion, while staying open to what faith might still become. Interview starts at 15m 2s Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

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• Lamorna Ash - Faith on the Edges (N345)

  In this episode, we speak with writer Lamorna Ash about her two-year immersion in Christianity—an unexpected journey that took her from conservative Bible studies and charismatic worship to Quaker silence, Jesuit retreats, and the poetry of mystical experience. Inspired by the sudden conversions of two close friends, Lamorna set out to understand what faith might look like from the inside. Along the way, she wrestled with the limitations of belief, the beauty of ancient rituals, and the uncomfortable weight of institutional Christianity. Her story is one of tentative openness—a slow, uncertain movement toward mystery rather than certainty. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflects on their own journey through doubt, deconstruction, and the quiet possibility of faith on the edges. Interview starts at 16m 22s  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

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  1:41:54
• Dan McClellan - Does the Bible Say Jesus is God? (N344)

  In this episode we speak with Bible scholar Dan McClellan about one of Christianity’s most foundational claims: the divinity of Jesus. Drawing from his deep engagement with biblical scholarship, Dan invites us to consider whether the Bible actually presents Jesus as God in the way later doctrine insists. He explores how early Christian texts reflect diverse and competing understandings of Jesus’s nature, and how ideas about divinity were shaped as much by evolving theology and politics as by the biblical text itself. Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Anna Robinson reflect on their own relationship with Jesus’s divinity, and what it means to engage these questions with both intellectual honesty and spiritual openness. Interview starts at 15m 22s If you’d like to sponsor Tim on his 165 Mito Miles in May challenge, go to his GoFundMe page.  Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad’s thoughtful, ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful and wonderful listeners. By supporting us, you gain access to Nomad’s online spaces—like the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge, and Book Club—as well as bonus episodes such as Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections, and Nomad Revisited. If you’d like to join our lovely community of supporters, head over to our Patreon page. You might even be rewarded with a Nomad pen or our coveted Beloved Listener mug! If a monthly commitment isn’t possible right now, a one-off donation is always deeply appreciated—you can do that here. Looking to connect with others nearby? Check out the Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook group. And if you're up for sharing your own story, we regularly post reflections from listeners on our blog—all with the hope of fostering deeper understanding, connection and supportive relationships. If you'd like to share your story on the blog, contact us for more information here.

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  1:47:16
• Gareth Higgins - A Little Lower Than the Angels (N343)

  In this special Easter meditation, writer and storyteller Gareth Higgins invites us into a deeper experience of reality—one rooted not in fear, despair, or division, but in love. With characteristic warmth and clarity, Gareth reflects on the challenges of our time: overwhelming empathy, collapsing certainties, and the temptation to believe that love is unrealistic. Yet through all this, he offers a simple but radical reframing—what if we are not only capable of love, but made of it? Drawing from spiritual wisdom traditions and personal insight, Gareth gently calls us to see ourselves and one another as we truly are: not broken beyond repair, not merely surviving—but bearers of gifts and just a little lower than the angels. Following Gareth’s reflection, Anna Robinson leads us in a gentle stilling and examen practice, inviting us to pause, listen, and carry the meditation into our lived experience. Original music for this episode was composed and produced by Wilderthorn. Books, quotes, links → The creation of Nomad's thoughtful, wonderfully ad-free content is entirely funded by our equally thoughtful, wonderful listeners. Supporting us gives access to Nomad's online communities through the Beloved Listener Lounge, Enneagram Lounge and Nomad Book Club - as well as bonus content like Nomad Contemplations, Therapeutic Reflections and Nomad Revisited. If you'd like to join our lovely supporters head to our Patreon Page to donate and you may even be rewarded with a pen or Beloved Listener mug! If you're hoping to connect with others who are more local, you can also take a look at our Listener Map or join our Nomad Gathering Facebook page. Additionally, we share listener's stories on our blog, all with the hope of facilitating understanding, connection and supportive relationships.  

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