There’s a story many people expect when someone leaves church.

Anger. Bitterness. Scandal. Collapse.

But what happens when someone leaves not because they were rejected… but because they finally healed?

In this deeply personal episode of The Radiant Soul Podcast, Jay Clark shares the story of returning to church after more than twenty years away following rejection from the Baptist church as a young gay man. What began as a simple Lenten commitment on Ash Wednesday of 2025 became a profound year of healing, belonging, service, contemplation, and spiritual restoration within the Episcopal tradition.

Jay opens up about becoming deeply involved in church life, serving Eucharist, teaching, leading groups, and finally living the spiritual life he once believed had been stolen from him forever.

But one year later, another Ash Wednesday brought an unexpected realization:
the wound had healed.

This episode explores religious trauma, embodied healing, burnout, spirituality beyond performance, nature as sanctuary, contemplative practice, and what it means to outgrow survival mode without losing your faith.

This is not a story about abandoning God.
It’s a story about finally no longer needing to prove your belovedness.

Topics include:
• Religious trauma and healing
• LGBTQ+ spirituality and belonging
• The Episcopal Church and contemplative faith
• Burnout and over-functioning in spiritual spaces
• Embodied spirituality and meditation
• Nature mysticism and sacred presence
• Leaving church without anger
• Healing beyond certainty

If you’ve ever wrestled with faith, belonging, identity, burnout, or the ache of spiritual reconstruction, this conversation may feel like sitting beside a fire with someone who finally learned how to breathe again.

Follow The Radiant Soul Podcast for more conversations on embodied spirituality, healing, contemplative living, and the sacred ordinary.

Have you ever looked at a deck of Tarot cards and felt more "arcane-shy" than intuitive? In this episode, host Jason Clark welcomes back his very first podcast guest, the brilliant Emilie Muñiz, to strip away the "mystical fluff" of divination.

Emilie, a NYC native and creator of the Simplicity Tarot and Simplicity Lenormand, shares her journey from reading coffee cups in a Brooklyn kitchen to becoming a world-renowned deck creator. We dive deep into why you don't need a PhD in the arcane to trust your gut, how to feel a "yes" or "no" in your physical body, and why the future is never set in stone.

In this episode, we explore:

The Somatic Shift: Why a "No" lives in your stomach and a "Yes" lives in your chest.

Tarot vs. Lenormand: How these systems differ and why one is like a "snapshot" of your current energy.

The Ethical Lines: Why Emilie refuses to predict death but will help you navigate your love life.

Spiritual Humility: The hilarious (and humbling) story of the time Emilie was "bitch-slapped" by a spirit.

Whether you’re a chaos gardener, a mindfulness practitioner, or just someone looking for the sacred in your morning coffee, this conversation will help you befriend the cards and trust your own Radiant Soul.

About Emilie: Emilie Muñiz is a tarot reader, deck creator, and teacher born in New York City with over two decades of experience in the mystical arts. She’s passionate about making tarot and Lenormand easy to learn and powerful to use, teaching in a fun, down-to-earth style that helps others trust their intuition and read with clarity. Emilie is the creator of Simplicity Tarot, Simplicity Lenormand, and the upcoming Fox Crystal Tarot, which blends crystal energy with animal wisdom. Her mission is to make divination approachable, empowering, and real for everyone. Learn more at TarotByEmilie.com or follow her @EmilieMunizTarot tarotbyemilie.com#TheRadiantSoul #TarotForBeginners #EmbodiedSpirituality #EmilieMuniz #SimplicityTarot #IntuitionTools #EcoSpirituality #ModernMystic #SomaticHealing #DivinationCommunity #TarotReader #MindfulnessPractice

Do you ever feel like the word "God" is a suit that doesn’t quite fit?

In this deeply soulful episode of The Radiant Soul, host Br. Jay Clark explores the profound, often messy journey of finding a personal language for the Divine. We often think of spirituality as a fixed map handed down by others, but what if the "many names of God" are actually an invitation to discover the view from your own unique vantage point?

Whether you identify as spiritual but not religious, a seeker in the midst of faith deconstruction, or an atheist who finds your "holy" in the silence of the woods, this conversation is for you. We’re peeling back the layers of dogma to reveal the "Grounded Mystic" within.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

• The Power of Curation: Why even the most dogmatic believers are actually "curating" their own understanding of the Divine.

• The Language of Trauma: How to heal your relationship with the sacred by reclaiming your vocabulary and letting go of names that hurt.

• Eco-Spirituality & The Book of Nature: Finding the Divine in the "fractal of a fern" and the rhythm of the earth through a Franciscan lens.

• The Atheist’s Altar: Why a rejection of a "small God" is often a sacred act of integrity.

• The Paradox of Silence: Exploring the "Apophatic" path—where the most honest name for the Holy isn't a word, but a state of peace.

It’s time to stop arguing about the map and start experiencing the mountain.

• Subscribe & Review: If this episode resonated with your soul, please leave a review! It helps other seekers find their way to our campfire.

• Join the Conversation: Follow Jay on Instagram @theradiantsoulpodcast for daily reflections on nature, somatic wellness, and the art of living radiantly.

• Deepen Your Practice: Check out the book Quantum Theology (edited by Keith Giles), featuring a chapter by Jay Clark on the intersection of modern mystery and ancient faith.

Spirituality, Mindfulness, Faith Deconstruction, Religious Trauma, Somatic Healing, Eco-Spirituality, Nature-Based Practice, Self-Discovery, Personal Growth, Wellness, The Universe, Inner Peace, Divine Feminine, Ancient Wisdom, Modern Mystic.

Why do so many of us keep collecting spiritual practices but struggle to stay consistent with any of them? In this episode, Jay talks about the difference between consuming healing content and actually being formed by a daily practice. From bookmarked breathwork videos and nervous system tips to the deeper need for rhythm, roots, and repetition, this conversation explores why the next shiny thing can feel so tempting and what it takes to come back to what really grounds you. Jay shares his own struggle with inconsistency, how Atomic Habits helped him build a container for daily meditation, somatic practice, and time in nature, and why curiosity is not the problem… lack of roots is. If you’ve ever felt spiritually scattered, overwhelmed by wellness content, or tired of starting over, this episode is your invitation to stop curating a spiritual life and start living one.

What if God isn’t somewhere far away… but already here?

In this episode, Jay shares a story from his childhood in rural Oklahoma-standing at the edge of a canyon, leaning into the wind, and discovering a deep sense of peace that felt like being held.

This is a reflection on embodied spirituality, presence, and the sacred found in nature.
On noticing God not just in belief… but in breath, in the body, and in the world around you.

If you’ve ever felt something shift while standing in the wind, walking through trees, or simply being still… this episode is an invitation back to that.

Back to presence.Back to your body.Back to the quiet awareness that you are not alone.

#Spirituality#Mindfulness#NatureHealing#EmbodiedSpirituality#Presence

Do you feel that low-grade hum of anxiety in your chest? That’s the "Digital Hangover"—and it’s time for a revolution.

In this episode of The Radiant Soul, host Jay Clark dives deep into the canopy to explore the radical, science-backed practice of Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku). We aren’t just going for a walk in the woods; we are stage-managing a nervous system reset.

In this episode, we explore:

• The "Tree Pharmacy": How phytoncides and terpenes (like Alpha-Pinene) literally boost your immune system’s Natural Killer cells by 50%.

• Fractals for the Brain: Why nature’s geometry acts as "Visual Xanax" for your optic nerve.

• Urban Bathing Hacks: How to find the "breath of the earth" even if you live in the heart of Oklahoma City.

• The DIY: Jay shares his signature Forest Bathing Mist recipe (Fir, Cedarwood, and Bergamot) for those days when you’re stuck at your desk.

• Eco-Anxiety & Solastalgia: How to move from "Ecological Boredom" to deep, embodied belonging.

Whether you’re a seasoned eco-practitioner or a city dweller looking for a way to turn off the "Fight or Flight" response, this episode is your bridge back to the earth.

Connect with The Radiant Soul:Follow us on Instagram @theradiantsoulpodcast for visual guides to natural fractals, essential oil recipes, and behind-the-scenes shots of the trail.

Keywords: Forest Bathing, Shinrin-yoku, Nervous System Regulation, Eco-Spirituality, Somatic Healing, Digital Detox, Essential Oils, Wellness Bio-hacks, Solastalgia, Nature Therapy.

We often think of "spirituality" as something that happens in silence—on a mountaintop, in a hot spring, or in a perfectly quiet room. But eventually, we all have to come down from the mountain and get back to the "mud" of our daily lives.

In this episode, Jay shares a personal journey from the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies to the reality of an Oklahoma backyard. He explores the concept of the "Chaos Garden" and why our most profound growth doesn't happen when things are perfect, but when we’re elbow-deep in the manure and the mess. From the "Poppycock Principle" to the power of being a participant in your own life, this is a conversation about finding balance when the "mountain" feels a world away.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• The Spectator vs. The Participant: Why looking at a beautiful life isn't the same as living one.

• The "Poppycock Principle": A reminder that taking ourselves too seriously is the quickest way to lose our peace.

• Reframing the "Crap": How to see the stresses and failures of your past as the fertilizer for your future.

• The Mountain and the Seed: A final mantra for staying grounded when life feels overwhelming.

Key Takeaway:You don’t have to choose between being "deep" and being "dirty." You are the mountain, but you are also the seed.

Peace isn't a destination you arrive at; it’s a frequency you tune into. In this episode of The Radiant Soul Podcast, Jason Clark tackles the exhausting world of "hustle culture" routines. We’re replacing high-pressure 5:00 AM cold plunges with Sacred Rhythms—simple, somatic habits that act as biological bookends for your nervous system.

If you wake up reaching for your phone and go to bed with a racing heart, this is your guide to circadian grounding. Jason explores how to reclaim the first and last fifteen minutes of your day to ensure your soul stays "in your skin," even when the world gets loud.

In this session, we explore:

• Routine vs. Rhythm: Why most self-care feels like another "to-do" and how to shift into a somatic pulse that actually sustains you.

• The Ritual of the Morning Cup: A deep-dive into sensory layering and using your morning coffee or tea as a powerful grounding anchor.

• The Evening Descent: How to "unzip the day" using somatic unloading to signal to your brain that it is finally safe to rest.

• Sleep Hygiene as Spiritual Practice: Moving beyond "blue light filters" and into the art of total surrender for restorative sleep.

The Practice: A guided 60-second Morning Invocation and a soothing Body Scan for Sleep to help you drop the weight of the day.