Nomad Podcast

In this episode, Damon Garcia joins us to explore the pressure of trying to find — and faithfully follow — God’s plan for your life. Growing up in a Pentecostal and charismatic church culture, Damon was taught that God had a specific calling for each person, and that missing it could mean missing the life you were meant to live. Damon reflects on the anxiety, striving, and self-surveillance that this way of thinking can create, as well as his own complicated journey into ministry and eventual departure from evangelicalism.As the conversation unfolds, the lens widens beyond church culture to ask what happens when one version of calling collapses, only for another to take its place. From hustle culture and monetised gifts to the pressure to “become somebody”, Damon reflects on the ways capitalism shapes our understanding of purpose, success, and worth. Along the way, he offers a gentler alternative: a vision of “small, simple callings” rooted less in grand destiny and more in presence, grace, creativity, and the ordinary life in front of us.Following the interview Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on growing up in Pentecostal and charismatic church cultures where “calling” shaped everything from identity and relationships to work, status, and major life decisions. Together they explore the anxiety of trying to discern God’s plan, the hierarchies hidden within church culture, and the ways privilege, power, and gender shaped those callings.Interview starts at 12m 24sBooks, 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, Homegrown Conversations, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 25 May 2026

What if the deepest encounters with the divine are not dramatic or ecstatic, but quiet, steady, and hidden in ordinary life? Mark Vernon returns to Nomad to explore silence, mysticism, and the search for God after disillusionment. Reflecting on his own journey through priesthood, contemplative practice, psychotherapy and spiritual direction, Mark speaks about finding a form of Christianity rooted less in performance or certainty, and more in attention, presence and the inner life.In this conversation, Tim and Mark discuss The Cloud of Unknowing, Julian of Norwich, William Blake, spiritual homelessness, and why the mystical tradition may still have something vital to offer those who feel drawn to Christ but no longer fit easily within institutional church life.Following the interview Nomad hosts Tim and Anna reflect on their own relationship with mysticism, and the way it has shaped their evolving faith. Interview starts at 12m 48sBooks, 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, Homegrown Conversations, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 11 May 2026

In this conversation, Giles Goddard and Halima Gosai Hussein are joined by Natasha Chawla for a wide-ranging exploration of faith, change, and the unexpected places where different spiritual rivers meet. Drawing on their journeys within Christianity, Islam, and Hindu philosophy, they reflect on the traditions they inherited, the moments that reshaped them, and what it means to remain rooted while allowing faith to evolve.Along the way they explore rivers as both metaphor and reality: places of origin, transformation, and encounter. The conversation moves between story and reflection — from pilgrimage and practice to ecology, justice, and the sacred in everyday life — offering a glimpse of how people from very different traditions can sit together with curiosity, generosity, and hope.Conversation starts at 19m 10sBooks, 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, Homegrown Conversations, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2026

In this special episode, theologian and author Selina Stone reflects on one of the oldest and most unsettling human questions: why do the wicked prosper?Drawing on scripture, history, and her own experience, Selina explores the anger, grief and moral disorientation that arise when cruelty and exploitation seem to flourish while justice is delayed.Rather than offering easy answers, she invites us to stay present to these realities — and to notice how hope, truth and resistance might still begin to stir within us.After Selina’s reflection, Nomad host Anna Robinson guides us into a contemplative space, helping us sit with what we’ve heard and attend to what might be emerging in our own lives.The episode is woven together with original music by Jon Bilbrough (Wilderthorn), creating a meditative soundscape to hold the journey.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, Homegrown Conversations, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 6 April 2026

Lucy Sixsmith joins Nomad to explore the world of Soul Survivor and the wider charismatic culture that shaped so many young Christians in the 1990s and 2000s. Drawing on her new book When the Music Fades, Lucy reflects on surrender language, “chosen generation” spirituality, and the subtle ways power can operate in spaces that feel warm, funny and down to earth.Together we ask what happens when revival language, humility and the longing to be part of something bigger become tangled up with pressure, disappointment and the cost of being “special”. This is a conversation about youth, worship, authority, memory and what, if anything, remains when the music fades.After the interview, Tim and Nick reflect on their different experiences of Soul Survivor and the charismatic culture around it. They explore surrender, revival, and the pressure of “changing the world”, asking whether what felt like surrender to God was sometimes also a surrender to the culture itself. It’s a thoughtful conversation about power, disappointment, and what a more grounded faith might look like when the intensity fades.Interview starts at 17m 22sBooks, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2026

Rupert Sheldrake joins us for a wide-ranging conversation that begins with psychedelics and quickly opens into bigger questions. Why do some experiences feel “more real than real”? What happens when the familiar boundaries of self dissolve, and the world returns charged with meaning, beauty, and presence?Along the way Rupert reflects on his own encounters with psychedelics, the long ritual history behind them, and why he thinks they’re just one doorway into a much larger landscape. From dreams and near-death experiences to prayer, music, nature and the possibility that mind might not be contained by the brain, this episode doesn’t aim to settle the questions so much as to sit inside them — and see what they reveal.Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on curiosity, caution and the strange tension between breakthrough moments and slow formation. From therapy and music to dogs, dreams and those hard-to-explain moments of connection, they explore what it might mean to live in creative puzzlement before a world that still feels charged with mystery.Interview starts at 13m 5s. 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.

Transcribed - Published: 9 March 2026

In this episode, Tim speaks with feminist theologian and author Meggan Watterson about the Gospel of Mary and the Acts of Paul and Thecla — early Christian texts that didn’t make it into the New Testament. They explore what these stories reveal about the diversity of early Christianities, the formation of the biblical canon, and the ways women’s voices were preserved, reshaped, or silenced. What does it mean that some communities treasured these texts enough to pass them on — and how might Christianity have looked if Mary and Thecla had been read alongside Paul and Peter?The conversation moves from history into questions of authority, embodiment, and discernment. Meggan reflects on what drew her to these texts and what she means by “inner authority,” while Tim probes the tension between personal revelation and communal accountability. Together they ask what kind of faith might emerge if we loosen our grip on a single master story without losing our grounding.Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Joy reflect on growing up with a narrow vision of “the early church,” the uneasy relationship between canon and power, and what it means to reclaim inner authority without losing community.Interview starts at 14m 01sBooks, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 23 February 2026

In this gentle and quietly unsettling conversation, Hiroko Yoda invites us into a world where spirituality doesn’t begin with belief, but with attention. Drawing on her Japanese upbringing and her book Eight Million Ways to Happiness, Hiroko reflects on grief, ancestors, everyday ritual, and the idea of “half belief, half doubt” — a way of living that makes space for ambiguity rather than trying to resolve it. From small shrines in city parks to the simple act of taking a walk, she describes spirituality as a set of tools for pausing, noticing, and staying connected to the living world around us.Together, Tim and Hiroko explore what happens when faith becomes less about certainty and more about participation: how joy and play find their way into sacred spaces, why traditions can be blended and remixed without anxiety, and what it might mean to belong without needing to define what you believe. It’s a conversation that gently challenges Western ideas of religion and invites listeners to experiment with a slower, softer, more attentive way of being in the world.Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Anna reflect on the disorientation and gift of meeting a spirituality that doesn’t play the same “belief game,” exploring simplicity, attention, and the idea of spiritual practices as tools rather than tests.Interview starts at 17m 53sBooks, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 9 February 2026

In this Nomad Revisited episode, we return to a 2017 conversation with Anglican priest, poet, and writer Rachel Mann. As the first trans person interviewed on Nomad, the exchange unfolds in a spirit of curiosity and vulnerability, with questions that are sometimes tentative and awkward, met by Rachel’s remarkable patience, clarity, and generosity of spirit.The conversation explores identity as something lived into rather than solved, faith as something encountered in vulnerability rather than certainty, and God as a presence found in darkness, woundedness, and becoming. Rachel reflects on transition, embodiment, sexuality, and the slow work of becoming a self who can live a life rather than perform one — offering not answers so much as an invitation into mystery, nuance, and transformation.After the interview, Nomad hosts Tim and Nick reflect on what it means to live with questions rather than conclusions — exploring identity as something embodied, evolving, and discovered over time, rather than fixed or declared.Interview starts at 17m 43sBooks, quotes, links →If you’ve found Nomad helpful and would like to support the ongoing work of the podcast, you can make a one-off donation via our secure Stripe donation page. Any amount is genuinely appreciated and helps us keep Nomad sustainable into 2026.DONATE HERESmall monthly donations are Nomad's financial life blood. If you're able to support us in that way, visit our Patreon page. 

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2026

This episode began life as our 2025 Patreon fundraiser — but we’re releasing it here, freely, on the main feed, with a new intro and two additional questions!For this special episode, we invited last year’s guests to turn the tables and ask us whatever they liked. What came back was a rich, surprising mix of the playful, the personal, and the deeply searching. Questions came in from Rowan Williams, Brian McLaren, Selina Stone, Chine McDonald, Lamorna Ash, Gareth Higgins, Jennifer Bird and many others.Along the way, we talk about:  • the gap between what we believe and how we actually live  • remembering joy in a world wired for disappointment  • scripture, inspiration, and what still feels life-giving  • whether love really does conquer everything  • faith, imagination, childhood toys, books we’d reread forever, and the strange magic of 1980s technology  • and which portrayals of God in the Bible we find hardest to love or respectWe also talk openly about why we ran a fundraiser in the first place, what we learned from it, and why we ultimately decided to make this episode freely available to everyone.Supporting Nomad: If you’ve found Nomad helpful and would like to support the ongoing work of the podcast, you can make a one-off donation via our secure Stripe donation page. Any amount is genuinely appreciated and helps us keep Nomad sustainable into 2026.DONATE HEREAnd if you’re not in a position to give, you are still completely welcome here. No pressure. No guilt. Just thanks for listening.

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2026

In this special episode, writer, priest and theologian Jarel Robinson-Brown reflects on the power of love in a world that so often feels fragile, unjust, and burning at the edges.Drawing on the story of his grandmother’s resilience and tenderness, the radical imagination of Mary, and the embodied life of Jesus, Jarel invites us to see Christian truth not as a text but as a life — love made flesh, love that puts its body where its heart is.After Jarel’s reflection, Nomad host Anna Robinson guides us into a contemplative space — a gentle invitation to sit with the stories we’ve heard, notice what stirs, and discern how love might ripple outward in our own lives.The whole episode is woven together with original music by Jon Bilbrough (Wilderthorn), creating a meditative soundscape to hold the journey.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.

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2025

In this episode we speak with Anglican Deacon and writer Jayne Manfredi, whose work explores the female body as a place of truth-telling, theological insight and spiritual transformation. Jayne talks with striking honesty about midlife, menopause and the shifting experience of embodiment — the leaking, aching, changing realities many women learn to hide — and reflects on the Church’s persistent discomfort with women’s bodies and the silence that often surrounds this life stage.Drawing on her book Waking the Women, Jayne describes menopause as a kind of wilderness: a time when old maps fail, identities unravel and a more authentic self begins to emerge. She speaks of rage, grief, liberation and the unexpected sense of resurrection that can follow the drying-up of long-held roles and expectations. Along the way she reflects on class and authenticity, the pressure to remain “nice”, and the ways midlife invites a more grounded, embodied, unapologetic faith.This is a conversation about bodies, meaning and the sacred work of becoming ourselves in midlife, told with warmth, humour and fierce honesty.After the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Joy Brooks consider what Jayne’s insights stirred in them, reflecting on embodiment, ageing, social expectations, and the wide range of experiences that shape how different people navigate midlife.Interview starts at 12m 39sBooks, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2025

As far-right movements gain visibility in Britain and beyond, many are drawing on Christian language, symbols and stories to justify exclusion and division. What happens when the gospel of love is co-opted by the politics of fear?In this conversation, theologian and Baptist minister Helen Paynter explores how theology, scripture and nationalism are becoming dangerously entangled. She reflects on why parts of the church are vulnerable to far-right narratives, how faith can be weaponised, and what it means to resist with wisdom, compassion and courage.Following the interview, Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Nick Thorley reflect on anger, numbness, purity spirals and the quiet work of resisting despair, and ask what it might look like to keep telling a better story when the old one keeps getting twisted.Interview starts at 15m 29sBooks, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 24 November 2025

Palestinian peace activist Sami Awad has lived his whole life under military occupation. He’s witnessed violence, loss, and deep injustice. Yet rather than turning towards hatred or certainty, he’s journeyed into a spirituality rooted in compassion, healing, and what he calls Christ consciousness — a way of seeing that refuses separation and fear.In this conversation, Sami reflects on what it means to love your enemy amid war, to resist without hatred, and to awaken to the divine even in the midst of suffering. He speaks about his rejection of institutional Christianity, his lifelong commitment to nonviolence, and how ritual, grief, and steadfastness have become his practices of hope.Following the interview, Tim and Anna reflect on how Sami’s experience of faith under occupation challenges their own journeys. They discuss privilege, embodiment, and what it means to find Jesus beyond the institution. Together they explore sumud — steadfastness — as a contemplative form of resistance, and how love, rather than fear, can become the organising principle of faith.Interview starts at 17m 39sBooks, 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.

Transcribed - Published: 10 November 2025

Over the last year, Tim and his eleven-year-old son Elliot have been quietly experimenting with faith at home — exploring a different spiritual practice each month and discovering what happens when faith is lived, not just discussed. From gratitude...

Transcribed - Published: 23 October 2025

Many of us have left behind the religion we inherited. But what, then, are we reaching for? In this conversation, Celtic teacher John Philip Newell reflects on what he calls the Great Search—a deep yearning for soul, earth, and home at a time of...

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2025

In this conversation, Joy sits down with eco-therapists Jenny Biglands and Vicky Broadbent to explore the growing field of ecotherapy, where nature itself becomes a partner in the healing process.Jenny and Vicky reflect on their faith journeys, what led them into therapeutic work, and how moving outdoors has transformed their practice. They explore themes of power and vulnerability, showing how simply walking side by side or sitting beneath a tree can open new pathways to presence and change. And they wonder whether reconnecting with the natural world might help us face climate grief with courage, creativity, and love.After the conversation, Nomad hosts Anna Robinson and Joy Brooks reflect on the blurred lines between therapy, spirituality and nature connection, the importance of finding safety and edges in outdoor spaces, and how Celtic rhythms and seasonal rituals can root us more deeply in our own places.Conversation starts at 16m 08s Books, quotes, links →This episode was recorded at the beautiful Cow Close Farm in Derbyshire, UK. If you’d like to stay in one of their holiday cottages and experience the same stunning surroundings, they’re offering Nomad listeners 15% off with the code nomad15. Find out more here.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.

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2025

In this conversation, womanist theologian reflects on the hidden ways power is shaped by theology — and how theology, in turn, can be shaped by power. Drawing on her book , she explores how divine calling, servant leadership, and spiritual...

Transcribed - Published: 8 September 2025

Halima Gosai Hussein is the former chair of the Inclusive Mosque Initiative. Giles Goddard is an Anglican priest and author of . On paper, their backgrounds could hardly be more different. But their paths converged through a shared commitment to...

Transcribed - Published: 22 August 2025

In this episode, Tim chats with author and activist about his new novel The Last Voyage, a provocative and emotionally rich exploration of what might happen when the powerful elite try to escape a dying Earth and build a new civilisation elsewhere....

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

In this episode, Tim speaks with Episcopal priest and author Kira Austin-Young, about the moral, theological, and pastoral dimensions of abortion. Together, they reflect on the silence in progressive churches, the complexity of personhood, biblical...

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

In this episode, Tim chats with psychologist and theologian about his book , which explores the idea that much of modern misery stems from a life turned inward—and that joy comes when we shift our attention beyond ourselves. Drawing on ancient...

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2025

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...

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025

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...

Transcribed - Published: 9 June 2025

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...

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2025

In this episode we speak with Bible scholar 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...

Transcribed - Published: 9 May 2025

In this special Easter meditation, writer and storyteller 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...

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

In this episode we speak with Shane Meyer-Holt—, speaker, and co-host of podcast—about the impact of capitalism on our understanding of ourselves, our relationships and our need for care. Drawing from his own experiences of parenting, community...

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

What happens when the idealised image of motherhood meets the lived reality? In this episode, we sit down with Director of Theos, Chine McDonald to explore the complexities of motherhood and faith. Chine shares her personal journey, from growing up in...

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2025

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. , Professor of Christian Origins and New Testament, as we explore the complex relationship between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. Helen unpacks the challenges of reconstructing...

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2025

In this episode, we speak with about navigating difference and division in a polarised world. Justin shares his journey reconciling his identity as a gay man with his evangelical Christian upbringing, a path that led to his work fostering dialogue...

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2025

In this episode, we sit down with biblical scholar Dr. to explore the Bible’s complex portrayals of marriage and sexuality. Jennifer shares her journey from conservative evangelicalism to a more nuanced, humanistic perspective, and helps us unpack,...

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2025

In this episode, we speak with Munther Isaac about the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and what led to the current crisis in Gaza. Munther, a Palestinian pastor and theologian, reflects on the intersection of theology and politics, and what...

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2025

In this episode, we’re joined by theologian and minister, . Sally helps us explore the idea of Jesus as Sophia, the embodiment of the female divine. Together, we unpack themes like righteous anger, justice, and the sacredness of all creation. Sally...

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2025

In this special devotional episode, anabaptist, anarchist and animist explores the profound mystery of incarnation from his unique perspective as a Christian animist. He considers the interconnectedness of all things—seeing the sacredness in both...

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2024

In this special seasonal episode, your Nomad hosts come together for a Q&A session filled with festive cheer and thoughtful reflections. As a heartfelt thank-you to our amazing supporters—whose generosity has made this year’s Nomadic journey...

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2024

Back in 2019, Tim Nash and David Blower sat down with Brian Zahnd to explore the toxic entanglement between Church and Empire, and the resulting religion Zahnd calls "Americanism." From rethinking how we read Scripture to the deeply political...

Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2024

No stranger to loss and trauma, feminist theologian, helps us to reconsider some commonly held perspectives around spiritual practice. Sharing from research and lived experience, she offers insight into how we might benefit from reimagining our...

Transcribed - Published: 8 November 2024

Dave Tomlinson joins us to reflect on his faith journey and how his evolving understanding of God has profoundly reshaped his approach to prayer. He explores the idea that prayer is for everyone, regardless of belief, advocating for the...

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2024

In this episode Joanna Leidenhag explores the fascinating nature of consciousness and its implications for how we understand ourselves and the world around us. She challenges traditional views that separate mind and body, and instead advocates for...

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2024

Author and activist joins us again, this time to explore how we navigate the many current crises humanity is facing. He reflects on the role of art, spirituality, and indigenous teaching in fostering the wisdom and resilience we’ll need as we try...

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2024

Theologian joins us again to explore a vision of God as radically loving but not omnipotent. We look at the implications of challenging this traditional notion of divine control and how it has reshaped Tom’s understanding of creation, evolution,...

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2024

In this episode artist and musician reflects on his spiritual and creative heritage and how it shaped his unique musical journey. From early memories of communal singing to the experimental sounds of the 90s, Jon shares his deep connection with...

Transcribed - Published: 23 August 2024

On this episode Elizabeth Oldfield joins us to talk about what it means to tend to our souls during turbulent times. Elizabeth shares the practices that are helping her become a depolarising presence in a culture of outrage, tribalism, and division,...

Transcribed - Published: 10 August 2024

In the canonical gospels, we’re told that Jesus met privately with his disciples to “explain everything”. Ever wondered what those teachings were? Teacher and author Keith Giles believes that the Gospel of Thomas could unveil these private...

Transcribed - Published: 24 July 2024

In this episode we welcome professor , who shares her profound journey of faith, gender identity, and self-acceptance. Identified male at birth, Sophie Grace reflects on her early sense of being female, her experience of the evangelical church, and...

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2024

Host Joy Brooks has gathered a group of psychotherapists from the Nomad to see how they answer questions from members of the Beloved Listener Lounge. Considering questions such as "what makes therapy transformational?”, "what would you say to...

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2024

Drawing on his life as an organic farmer and over six decades of meditation, contemplative John Butler gently guides us on a journey towards inner stillness. Born in the 1930’s, John reflects on the slow emergence of a spirituality shaped by years...

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2024

When our faith is shifting we're often met with a variety of challenging responses from others. Drawing from her research, Olivia Jackson helps us to consider whether or not these responses reflect the lived experiences of those who are...

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2024

In this episode we chat with pastor turned artist , aka Naked Pastor. David shares his journey from church leadership, through faith deconstruction, to a more expansive spirituality. The conversation focusses on David’s marriage, and how he and his...

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2024