Best Tamara Ridge Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 22 - When Safety Leads Devotion: How a Nervous System Reset Transforms Spiritual Practice 14:20

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21h ago14:20

14:20

After nearly six decades of living in shutdown and over‑functioning, Tamara shares a tender update on a surprising nervous system reset that began just one month ago. She describes how a new tatami mat, a co‑regulating dog, and a night of deeper rest led to a spontaneous, interoception‑led stretching and prayer practice—without any “shoulds” or spi…

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Ep. 21 - Religious Trauma and the Body: How High‑Control Faith Hijacks Your Nervous System (and What Safety Feels Like) 38:04

5d ago38:04

38:04

What if your body wasn’t the problem in that church, spiritual community, or “transformational” retreat—what if it was wise? In this episode, Tamara pauses her “Naming the Sacred Freedom Restrictions of High‑Control Religion” series to talk about what safety actually feels like in your nervous system. Drawing on polyvagal theory and her own story o…

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Ep. 20 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #11 Freedom of Privacy & Personal Autonomy 31:17

8d ago31:17

31:17

In high‑control religion, surveillance doesn’t look like cameras. It looks like interviews, monitoring, “worthiness” checks, and a culture that teaches you to narrate your inner life to authority. Over time, this transforms your inner world into something you manage for the comfort and approval of others — and the loss of privacy becomes one of the…

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Ep. 19 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #10 - Freedom from Manipulation & Coercion: Seeing the Invisible Patterns That Shape Your Spiritual Life 50:11

12d ago50:11

50:11

Manipulation inside high‑control religion rarely looks like manipulation while you’re inside it. It looks like love. It looks like protection. It looks like “spiritual guidance.” And for many of us, it becomes the emotional atmosphere we grow up breathing — invisible until the moment we finally step outside it. In this vulnerable episode, Tamara un…

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Ep. 18 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #9 - Freedom of Religious Practice: The Wound of Temple Exclusion & Reclaiming Your Spiritual Path 23:10

15d ago23:10

23:10

In this episode, Tamara explores one of the most painful but least acknowledged wounds in high‑control religion: the loss of belonging when the Church decides you aren’t “worthy” to enter the temple. From standing outside a loved one’s wedding while family gathers inside, to decades of everyday “just come to church” pressure, Tamara breaks down how…

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Ep. 17 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #8 - Financial Freedom After Religious Control: Healing the Scarcity Wound 21:34

19d ago21:34

21:34

In today’s episode, we’re unpacking one of the most painful and unspoken legacies of high‑control religion: financial fear that lives in the body. For many of us, money was never neutral. It became fused with spiritual worthiness, obedience, punishment, and survival. And long after leaving, our nervous systems still respond to money as if danger is…

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Ep.16 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #7 - Freedom in Daily Life Decisions: How Survival Mode Quietly Controls Your Choices 37:04

22d ago37:04

37:04

For 59 years, I thought I was making my own choices — what to wear, what to eat, when to rest, how to give, how to spend my time. But a few weeks ago, my body revealed the truth: I wasn’t choosing. My dysregulated nervous system was. In this episode, I share the most vulnerable story I’ve ever told — a four-day nervous system reset that completely …

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Ep. 15 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #6 - Freedom of Information & Access: When Forbidden Knowledge Breaks Everything Open 17:19

26d ago17:19

17:19

What does it cost when you're forbidden from seeing, reading, or knowing anything outside of the authorized script? In this episode, I share three devastating moments of information control that shattered my trust in church leadership: The God Makers 2 moment - Sitting in my laundry room, sobbing, watching video evidence of Gordon B. Hinckley doing…

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Ep. 14 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #5 - Freedom of Association & Relationship: When Leaving Means Losing Everyone 29:14

29d ago29:14

29:14

I was standing in my living room, about to leave Mormonism, weighing the cost: Social support? Gone. Community? Gone. Lifelong friendships? Gone. The answer that came wasn't "yes, I can do this." It was: "I can't not." But I didn't understand then that I was about to experience the exact same isolation I'd escaped in my first abusive marriage—only …

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Ep. 13 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #4 - Freedom Over Your Own Body: Reclaiming Bodily Autonomy After Religious Control 25:26

1M ago25:26

25:26

Before you listen: Tamara shares more vulnerability in this episode than ever before. Naming what was done to our bodies, as children, as women, as spiritual seekers, is both sacred work—and tough work. If you feel big feelings or body memories, you’re not alone. Tamara felt them, too, recording this. This is for anyone reclaiming a sense of home i…

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Ep. 12 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #3 - Silenced in the Name of God – Reclaiming Freedom of Expression & Communication 31:04

1M ago31:04

31:04

🎙️ This episode is part of the Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms (Episodes 9, 11–17) What if silencing your voice started long before church, marriage, or adulthood? In this brutally honest episode, Tamara Ridge unpacks how childhood conditioning, family dynamics, Mormon doctrine, church music, and marriage all conspire to steal your vo…

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Ep 11. - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #2 - Freedom of Thought & Belief: When Questioning Becomes a Sin | Religious Thought Control & Reclaiming Your Mind 23:19

1M ago23:19

23:19

🎙️ This episode is part of the Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms (Episodes 9, 11–17) In this raw and soul-stirring episode, Tamara Ridge opens up about her journey through an emotionally abusive marriage and a high-control religious environment that taught her to doubt her own perception, intuition, and spiritual experiences. With unfli…

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Ep. 10 - From Knowing to Feeling: How to Live as God’s Beloved (Even After Religious Trauma) 39:37

1M ago39:37

39:37

You know God loves you… but do you feel it? In this powerful capstone to our Spiritual Intimacy series, Tamara Ridge unpacks the journey from intellectually understanding divine love to truly embodying it. If you’ve ever struggled to feel loved by God—especially after religious trauma or deconstruction—this episode is for you. You’ll learn: Why man…

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Ep. 9 - Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms #1 -Why I Say 'God' - Reclaming Sacred Language After Religious Trauma 25:57

2M ago25:57

25:57

🎙️ This episode is part of the Bonus Series: Reclaiming Your Sacred Freedoms Episodes 9, 11-17) After leaving organized religion, many of us water down our spiritual language to avoid triggering ourselves or others. But what if reclaiming words like 'God' is part of our healing? In this episode, I share why I choose authentic language over palatabl…

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Ep. 8 - How I Inherited Yogananda's Original Teachings (And Why You Don't Need Institutional Permission to Connect with God) 29:53

2M ago29:53

29:53

How did a former Mormon therapist end up teaching ancient yogic wisdom? In this deeply personal episode, I share my spiritual heritage story—how I inherited original teachings from Paramahansa Yogananda through a direct disciple who lived with him in the 1950s, and why I believe you don't need anyone's permission to access divine truth. After 10 ye…

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Ep. 7 - Recognizing Divine Messages: How to Hear God Speak Directly to You (Even When Life Feels Quiet) 50:54

2M ago50:54

50:54

Episode 7: Recognizing Divine Messages - How to Hear God Speak Directly to You Your windshield wipers start cycling on their own. A feather falls in your path when no birds are around. The exact thing you've been praying for shows up synchronistically. Coincidence? In this episode, I teach you how to recognize when the Divine, the Universe, or your…

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Ep 6. - When God Feels Distant: Reclaiming Spiritual Intimacy After Religious Trauma 58:01

2M ago58:01

58:01

In this deeply personal and transformative episode, Tamara explores what it means to pursue an unmediated, direct connection with the Divine—especially after leaving the confines of organized religion. Drawing from her own experiences of trauma, deconstruction, and spiritual silence, she offers insight into how shame, perfectionism, and external au…

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Ep. 5 - Chasing the Spark: Deepening Your Intimacy with the Divine 24:29

2M ago24:29

24:29

What if your relationship with the Divine could feel more real and fulfilling than any human connection you’ve ever known? In this episode, Tamara Ridge explores spiritual intimacy—a lived relationship with the Divine that grows stronger through simple, embodied practices. She shares the single insight that changed everything for her: learning to n…

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Ep. 4 - Rain, Thunder, and Sacred Questions: A Friday Night Spiritual Check-In 34:09

3M ago34:09

34:09

Why do we feel distant from God—and how do we come home again? In this cozy Friday night reflection, Tamara explores how spiritual intimacy can be rekindled through rest, creativity, and beauty—even in the middle of life’s storms. 🌿 Want to go deeper? Start with the free Sacred Intimacy Snapshot. 👉 Full show notes + links: Click here. In this cozy,…

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Episode 3: The 12 Sacred Intimacies: Why Your Spiritual Growth Feels Stuck (and How to Move Forward) 31:29

3M ago31:29

31:29

What if your spiritual plateau isn't a lack of devotion—but an imbalance in how you're connecting? In this inaugural episode of The Inner Light Companion Podcast, longtime therapist and spiritual counselor Tamara introduces the 12 Sacred Intimacies—a groundbreaking model that maps multidimensional spiritual connection across self, others, and the d…

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Episode 2: What If God Isn’t Who You Think? | Healing Worthiness After Religion 45:06

3M ago45:06

45:06

Do you ever feel like you're not enough for God? In this deeply honest episode, Tamara Ridge explores how our upbringing, relationships, and religious past can distort our ability to feel truly connected with the Divine. Through personal stories and spiritual reflection, Tamara unpacks the lie of spiritual unworthiness — and invites you into a new …

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Ep. 1 - Welcome to The Inner Light Companion: My Journey & What to Expect 25:57

3M ago25:57

25:57

What happens when the foundation of your faith no longer holds? In this first episode of The Inner Light Companion, I invite you into the sacred moment my spiritual journey truly began—not with certainty, but with the aching honesty of letting go. I was a devoted Mormon. A therapist. A mother. A woman quietly yearning for something more. Then one d…