Almost Awakened

What if the reason you felt like you were never enough… wasn’t you? In this episode, Teresa explores the striking parallels between narcissistic relationship dynamics and high-demand religious systems, specifically within Mormonism. Through a compassionate but honest lens, she examines how institutional patterns like shifting expectations, avoidance of accountability, image preservation, and conditional belonging can shape identity, nervous system regulation, and long-term wellbeing, especially physical health. This conversation goes beyond theology and into lived experience and explores: • Why high-demand systems can mirror narcissistic dynamics. • How that creates codependency patterns. • Chronic self suppression and its impact on the nervous system. • Why chronic symptoms like fatigue, pain, anxiety, and autoimmune conditions can emerge in these environments. • How healing often requires moving through grief, anger, and identity reconstruction. • And why the body’s response is not a character flaw, but a survival adaptation. If you’ve ever felt exhausted from striving, confused by persistent symptoms, or disconnected from your authentic self after leaving a high-demand environment, this episode may help you understand why and that healing is possible. Join us at our NEW CHANNEL: @almostawakenedpodcast Teresa will be launching her upcoming Anchor and Regulate groups beginning March 11th. These groups are structured nervous system healing spaces designed for individuals navigating chronic symptoms, chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety and mystery illnesses that are driven by stress or trauma. These groups combine psychoeducation, somatic practices, emotional processing, and supportive community to help you rebuild safety in the body and support you in resolving chronic symptoms.Learn more here: https://www.monarchintegrativecoaching.com/group-support Join the conversation. Like, share, and subscribe to support this work. Donate to Almost Awakened: https://donorbox.org/almost-awakened-2 Learn more about coaching at https://awakenandthrive.org

You were never broken. You were disconnected. In this unforgettable episode of Almost Awakened, we sit down with Kimberly Bryant — also known as Miss Bliss — a dominatrix and intimacy coach who helps people leaving high-demand religion reclaim the parts of themselves that were labeled “forbidden.” This isn’t just a conversation about sex. It’s about Eros — your life force. Your creativity. Your desire. Your intuition. Your pleasure. Your internal authority. High-demand religion didn’t just regulate behavior. It regulated bodies. It regulated desire. It regulated play. And when desire is suppressed, something deeper goes offline. We explore: How kink can become structured, consensual nervous-system healing Why dominance and submission can rebuild consent and personal agency The difference between indulgence and embodied reclamation Why play is threatening to controlling systems How erotic energy reconnects us to wholeness The role of safety, consent, and aftercare in healing sexual shame This conversation is provocative — yes. But more than that, it’s trauma-informed, sovereignty-centered, and deeply aligned with the principles of Almost Awakened: Slow down. Regulate. Get curious. Reclaim your voice. Reclaim your body. Reclaim your choice. Because awakening isn’t about rejecting your past. It’s about inhabiting your present — fully, consciously, and unapologetically alive. If you’ve ever felt both curious and terrified of your own desire… This episode is for you. Southern Utah Event on April 24-26th Reclaiming the Forbidden Where Sensuality, Soul & Surrender Meet Hosted by Kimberly Bryant Founder of That Deeper Feeling https://www.facebook.com/events/hurricane-utah/reclaiming-the-forbidden-where-sensuality-soul-surrender-meet/1220237470257148/ Kimberly’s Personal Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH5BWHaHe/?mibextid=wwXIfr Kimberly’s Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/kimberly_mccooey_bryant?igsh=MWkxeGxvenY5Z3k3bQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr Learn more about Kimberly at: thatdeeperfeeling.com Follow her on Instagram & Facebook: @thatdeeperfeeling

What if humanity suddenly shared one mind? In this episode, Bill Reel and Britt Hartley dive into the provocative sci-fi film Pluribus and unpack the ethical, psychological, and existential questions it raises. Would you join a collective consciousness if it promised peace, belonging, and an end to loneliness? Or would you choose autonomy—even if it meant isolation? We explore: • Whether individuality is sacred or just biological habit • If shared consciousness eliminates conflict—or eliminates dissent • The ethics of consent when “the greater good” becomes dominant • Why some characters embrace the hive while others resist • What this story reveals about human nature, freedom, and fear Is a hive mind utopia… or the softest form of tyranny? This conversation goes beyond the plot and into deeper territory: identity, morality, connection, loneliness, trauma, agency, and what we’re actually afraid of losing when we say we value “freedom.” If you had the choice, would you join? Let us know in the comments.

What happens after you leave religion — but still feel a deep pull toward meaning, ritual, spirituality, or transcendence? In this conversation, Bill Reel and Britt Hartley sit down with religious ethicist and author Liz Bucar to explore what fills the vacuum when traditional faith falls away. From modern wellness culture and yoga to psychedelics, embodiment, and moral pressure, we ask hard questions about where people turn next — and whether those new spaces truly free us or quietly recreate the same dynamics we thought we escaped. Liz shares insights from her work and her book Beyond Wellness, examining how even “spiritual but not religious” communities can reproduce shame, hierarchy, and invisible expectations — often without realizing it. Together, we explore: Why wellness culture increasingly functions like religion How moral pressure sneaks into spiritual spaces What it means to “steal from religion” ethically Why humans still crave ritual and transcendence How authority, identity, and meaning-making persist after deconstruction What secular communities often miss emotionally How embodiment, yoga, and psychedelics can be approached with care rather than dogma This is an honest, thoughtful, and deeply human conversation for anyone navigating life after faith — especially those who are intellectually out but still feel emotionally or culturally tethered to their religious past. If you’ve ever wondered why leaving belief didn’t automatically bring peace… this episode helps explain why 00:02:41 – Who is Liz Bucar and how she became a religious ethicist00:04:13 – Why Liz wrote Beyond Wellness00:07:01 – What modern wellness culture gets wrong00:12:22 – When spirituality becomes moral pressure00:16:45 – Stealing from religion ethically00:22:38 – What secular people often miss after deconstruction00:30:14 – Yoga, embodiment, and deeper spiritual practice00:38:52 – Psychedelics, meaning-making, and ethical use00:49:41 – Authority, experience, and who gets to decide truth01:00:27 – Why humans still crave ritual and transcendence01:10:36 – Advice for those intellectually out but emotionally tethered01:17:39 – Reflections on Beyond Wellness and modern spirituality01:19:26 – Britt & Bill reflect on Liz’s insights

What happens when reason starts questioning itself? In this episode of Almost Awakened, Britt Hartley and Bill Reel sit down with Austin DiValentino, creator of the rapidly growing platform Reason & Religion (@austindivalentino). Austin has built a large following by exploring philosophy, belief, atheism, morality, and meaning—often asking the questions most people quietly avoid. While he has identified as an atheist, his thinking continues to evolve, and this conversation dives straight into the tension between certainty, doubt, and what it actually costs to pursue truth. Together, we explore: What led Austin to begin creating content around religion, philosophy, and critical thinking When belief or disbelief stops being theoretical and becomes deeply personal Whether reason and religion are truly opposed—or falsely framed as enemies Why modern humans vastly overestimate how rational we actually are Where reason genuinely helps us—and where it completely breaks down We also wrestle with some of the biggest existential questions people face after faith shifts: Can morality exist without God or a transcendent framework? Is losing belief in God harder—or losing belief that the universe “cares”? Is it always good to know what’s true, even if truth destabilizes hope and meaning? Should everyone be exposed to ideas that may unsettle mental health—or should some stories be handled with care? Austin also reflects on: The emotional cost of studying philosophy deeply Whether there are ideas that feel beautiful even if they may not be true What modern people most avoid asking because the answers might change them What he ultimately hopes people take away from his work beyond simply “being right” This is an honest, human conversation about meaning after certainty—about what remains when belief loosens, and how we learn to live anyway. If you’re navigating belief, disbelief, or somewhere painfully in between, this episode is for you. Follow Austin DiValentino— Reason & Religion Instagram: @austindivalentino Support Almost Awakened https://donorbox.org/almost-awakened-2 If anyone needs support dealing with spiritual trauma, 1-on-1 coaching and support groups are available at: https://awakenandthrive.org/