Finding Your Place: The Difference Authentic Community Can Make with Rhiana Wiggins

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Content Warning: This episode has brief mentions of religious trauma. 

We’ve made it abundantly clear that finding connection in community is important. However, the unspoken part is that finding the right fit in a community is the most important consideration. Rhiana Wiggins learned this the hard way after her search for belonging brought her into a group that was not authentic to her being. She joins us on the podcast this week to share her story of her search for connection, reflecting on experiences of loneliness, religious exploration, and the importance of finding authenticity in the paths we choose. Episode 4 of Connection from Here is about finding your place: the difference an authentic community can make!

Rhiana Wiggins came to Chaplaincy along a winding road from being an environmental activist, massage therapist, birth doula, whitewater guide, and then decades as an RN, predominantly working as a Hospice and Palliative Care nurse. Her theological degree is a Masters in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, and her CPE training included a community hospital in Oakland, CA, and night ministry in San Francisco, CA. She also volunteered as a Chaplain in the prison system in CA. Rhiana is a lay ordained Zen Buddhist practitioner, as well as initiated in the Wiccan tradition. 

Topics covered: 

• Rhiana’s lack of community growing up led her to find community in places that were inauthentic to her. 
• The spiritual trauma shifted her perspective and led to a broader exploration of faith and spirituality. 
• Our modern transient nature offers opportunities for diverse experiences yet often amplifies feelings of isolation. 
• Community is a basic need, and a lack of it can have profound implications on our mental and physical health. 

Watch the episode on YouTube here!

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