Almost Awakened

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...

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 individu...

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 quest...

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...

In this episode of Almost Awakened, we sit down with Rainn Wilson, best known to many as Dwight Schrute from The Office, for a wide-ranging conversation on spirituality, meaning, and the search for depth in a modern world. Rainn Wilson has spent the years since moving beyond sitcom fame to explore some of life’s biggest questions. Through his podcast Soul Boom, Rainn brings together voices from a...

The Hardest Part of Leaving Religion: On Loss of Community Leaving religion often comes with a sense of relief, clarity, and freedom, but for many people, the hardest part isn’t the loss of belief. It’s the loss of community. In this episode, Teresa talks about the quiet grief that often follows a faith transition: losing built-in belonging, shared language, familiar rhythms, and the sense ...

In this solo episode of the Almost Awakened Podcast, Teresa Hobbs explores codependency through a nervous-system and systems lens, with a specific focus on why high-demand religious environments, especially Mormonism, are fertile ground for codependent patterns. Rather than framing codependency as a flaw or character issue, this episode reframes it as a survival adaptation that develops when safety, be...

Getting together with family during the holidays can be beautiful… or it can feel like stepping into a spiritual escape room you never signed up for. In this episode of Almost Awakened, Teresa and I dive into the real-life challenges that mixed-faith families face this time of year — from surprise prayers to passive-aggressive testimony moments to the subtle pressure to play your old role ...

Britt Hartley from No Nonsense Spirituality and Bill Reel from the Almost Awakened Podcast are teaming up again for a brand-new series built around honest, wide-open conversations on spirituality, atheism, psychology, consciousness, and whatever else grabs our curiosity in the moment. In this first episode, we jump from one fascinating question to the next. What is the nature of reality? Are we living ...