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PODCAST

Religion on the Mind

Interviews with experts, writers, psychologists and more on the intersection between psychology, religion and spirituality… with a little bit of cussing. dan@religiononthemind.com

religion & spirituality religion

All Episodes

91:20

How College Students Are Finding Meaning (#322)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/04/28

In today's episode, I reconnect with Jim Wellman from the University of Washington to discuss his fascinating undergraduate course, "A Life Worth Living." We explore how Jim guides students through fundamental questions of meaning and purpose that are often neglected in contemporary education. Jim shares touching stories of student transformations and we reflect on our own spiritual journeys—his recent reconnection with Christianity and my parallel work as a therapist addressing similar existential

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37:07

Pope Francis & Listener Survey Results (#321)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/04/24

I grabbed my teammates Josh and Joy for a bonus, impromptu mid-week episode on our real-time reaction to the news of Pope Francis passing, some general updates about the pod, and to talk through the results of our listener survey (with some more specific analysis for the Patreon community).What do you think of the results? Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know! ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith

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63:06

Still Christian: “Unbelievable” Host Justin Brierly...

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/04/21

In this episode, I sit down with Justin Brierley, former host of the UK-based show Unbelievable to discuss his book Why I'm Still a Christian and explore questions of faith, doubt, and religious identity. I share my struggles with Christianity in the current American context, particularly with the rise of Christian nationalism, while Justin offers his perspective from across the pond. We discuss Justin's approach of facilitating respectful dialogue across different perspectives, something

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63:03

Where Should YHP Go Next? (#319)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/04/14

I bring in my team members Josh Gilbert and Joy Vetterlein to check in on the state of You Have Permission and brainstorm future content directions.We want your input too… take the YHP poll here to let us know what you want to hear in coming days! I begin by explaining my reduced presence over the past eight months due to my demanding psychology internship (a necessary step toward licensure) and share how YHP's focus has evolved beyond evangelicalism toward broader explorations of psychology,

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81:49

Redefining Success with John Mark McMillan & Thomas...

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/03/24

In this episode of You Have Permission, I speak with indie Christian recording artist John Mark McMillan and filmmaker Thomas Torrey about Thomas's film "Long December," which explores the story of a musician facing the painful question of when to let go of creative dreams. Thomas shares how the film emerged from his own career crisis when a major project collapsed during COVID, while John Mark reflects on his journey from simply wanting to "pay bills playing music" to desiring Grammy nominations

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98:45

Still Christian, Still Hardcore (#313)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/03/03

In this episode, I talk with Stephen Keech, frontman of metalcore band Haste the Day, about maintaining Christian faith in a scene where many have moved away from religious identification. Stephen shares his journey from rigid evangelical beliefs to a more nuanced, "malleable" faith that has allowed him to adapt while keeping his core convictions. We explore why Christian bands thrived in heavy music (the natural synergy between spiritual warfare themes and metal's intensity), the market forces that

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44:55

“Woo” Spirituality & Comedy (#312)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/02/24

Comedian Jenny Zigrino joins me to discuss comedy and mystical spirituality. Drawing from her background in Reform Judaism and early exposure to yoga, Jenny articulated how she combines traditional religious practices with what she calls "woo" elements like moon rituals and meditation. We discussed the relationship between scientific and spiritual frameworks, with Jenny making interesting arguments about celestial influences on human behavior and challenging my skepticism about astrology with

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66:16

Religion & Sports (Gods and GOATS) (#311)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/02/17

In this third appearance on You Have Permission, Dr. Terry Shoemaker of Arizona State University joins me to discuss the parallels between religion and sports as described in his new book Religion and Sports: The Basics. We look at four key parallels between religious and athletic life: rituals, devotions, identities, and communities. From early morning Arsenal fan gatherings to how families connect through college football despite tense religious differences, we unpack how sports can serve many of

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43:05

The (Spiritual) World is Not Fair (#310)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/02/10

In this episode, philosopher Michelle Panchuk joins me to discuss the "just world hypothesis" — the belief that people get what they deserve in life, similar to karma. Michelle, whose early scholarly work on spiritual abuse helped inform my own research on measuring spiritual abuse, shares how the just world hypothesis can subtly infiltrate spiritual teachings with the belief that God will always offer a sense of His presence during difficult times — implying that those who don't feel God's presence

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64:13

All About Narcissism (#309)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/02/03

In this episode, I sat down with Chuck DeGroat, known for his work on narcissism in church contexts, for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of narcissistic patterns and religious communities. Chuck shared insights from his clinical experience about how narcissism often emerges as a trauma response and explained the crucial distinction between narcissistic tendencies and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We explored how narcissistic leadership patterns can manifest across the

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62:47

Dan is Getting Libertarian-Curious (#306)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/01/13

In this timely conversation with returning guest Bonnie Kristian, we explore libertarianism and its evolving role in today's political landscape. Moving beyond the dated "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" cliché, we discuss how true libertarianism centers on skepticism of government power, while distinguishing it from a newer "folk libertarianism" emerging among younger Americans. Bonnie helps clarify how traditional libertarians focus specifically on limiting state power and coercion,

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76:58

“Is It True?” vs. “Does It Work?” (#305)

Religion on the Mind ·

2025/01/06

Turn your brains on for a fascinating conversation with scholar and author Tara Isabella Burton (Self Made, Strange Rites, Social Creature) about one of the core tensions in modern spirituality: does it matter more if a religious or spiritual practice works, or if it's true? Drawing from my experience as a therapist and Tara's background in theology, we explore how this plays out in everything from manifesting culture to ancient religious practices. I share my more pragmatic perspective, focused on

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95:37

Religion, Humor & Therapy (#304)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/12/30

Spencer Bland joins me to discuss his journey through various Christian denominations as a southern-based comedian who now takes a more open-ended approach to spirituality. We explore how he uses his religious background as source material for his comedy, including a hilarious story about a demon named Kyle, while maintaining a thoughtful and nuanced perspective that honors personal experience rather than broad critique. Our discussion brings up the parallels between comedy and therapy as tools for

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79:08

Authoritative vs. Nurturant Religion (Re-Broadcast)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/12/23

Around Christmas, we often rebroadcast a favorite episode. This year, we’re revisiting an episode about nurturant versus authoritarian religion, one of my personal favorites and a listener favorite too. It’s especially relevant now as many of us reflect on family dynamics over the holidays—parenting, upbringing, and how we think about God. The episode is both practical and theoretical, with insights for parents and anyone thinking about their own childhood.Original Show Notes: John Sanders joins

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42:47

5 Election Takeaways w/Kristen Tideman (#303)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/12/16

Over breakfast in San Diego, I sat down with returning guest Kristen Tideman to analyze the 2024 presidential election through fresh eyes. Drawing from a 15-speaker mega-panel Kristen had just attended at the American Academy of Religion conference, we explored several alternative frameworks for understanding the election results. We discussed the concept of "vibes-based voting" using David French's curling analogy, which suggests voter sentiment (like a curling stone) can only be marginally

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37:47

Raising Spiritually Healthy Kids (#301)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/12/02

Jon Ogden, co-founder of Uplift Kids, joined me to talk about navigating spiritual parenting in ways that prevent religious trauma. As a father of two young children, and someone who frequently references Dr. Lisa Miller's research on child spirituality and mental health, I was particularly interested in Uplift's approach. Jon explained their model of combining internal guidance with modern science and ancient wisdom from a variety of traditions, moving beyond simplistic "follow your heart"

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46:06

GGCH: 300th Episode Party (#300)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/11/25

For our 300th episode, Josh, Tony and I get together for another Generation Gap Culture Hour. We reflect on our recent Beer Camp adventures (including an unexpected AirBnb mystery guest) before diving into cultural analysis of the Tyson-Paul fight and our changing relationships with political media consumption. We explore how each of us is processing post-election coverage differently — from my focus on constructive analysis to Josh abandoning his NPR habits to Tony's insights from conversations

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35:24

Wonder As an Antidote to Religious Trauma (#298)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/11/18

Writer Sarah Southern joins me to share her deconstruction journey from fundamentalism to freedom. Sarah shares how her initial process was paralyzed by the infinite stakes of questioning faith, until wonder—particularly through Colorado's mountains—offered an unexpected path forward. Drawing on Abraham Heschel's wisdom about wonder as the foundation of religious experience, Sarah found that direct encounters with natural beauty provided a way to remain spiritually engaged while processing religious

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86:36

Psychedelics & Corporate BS with Comedian Tom Fell...

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/11/12

In this episode, I'm joined by Tom Fell, a social media comedian whose satirical videos brilliantly blend corporate speak with existential themes. Raised in conservative Baptist churches, Tom shares how his faith evolved through real-world experience rather than theoretical doubts. Our conversation explores psychedelics, consciousness, and what I'd call Tom's "materialist wonder" - exemplified by a profound encounter with a whale that he chose to interpret through a scientific rather than

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102:26

Election Processing (#296)

Religion on the Mind ·

2024/11/07

The You Have Permission team of Dan Koch, Josh Gilbert and Joy Vetterlein sit down to process the election a day later. Dan puts on his therapy hat and offers some general coping mechanisms and how to deal with the catastrophizing thoughts blue voters might have around a Trump presidency. We also discuss listener comments and questions, and talk through what we’re learning and taking away from the experience. Listen if you could use some friends to process with and find a bit of hope, but skip this

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