The Spiritual Artist Podcast

In this rich returning conversation, artist and former creative director Jason McDonald shares the lived spiritual practices that shape his creative process. From studying Buddhist philosophy and living alongside monks in India and Thailand to completing a three-month silent retreat, Jason describes an ongoing “excavation of self” that continues to deepen his sensitivity as an artist.

We explore how his work is guided by a felt relationship with what he calls the creative field of intelligence — a living energetic presence that can inform artistic decisions beyond planning or technique. Jason speaks about entering a listening state while workin...

What if the tension you carry every day is not random… but communication?

In this deeply personal episode, CJ shares his journey through unexplained physical pain and the surprising realization that the body holds its own intelligence — one that speaks not through words, but through sensation. After months of medical tests and treatments that offered little relief, he began to recognize a deeper pattern: chronic tension caused by living in a constant state of urgency.

This talk explores the powerful distinction between what CJ calls “run mode” and “rest mode.” In modern life — shaped by soci...

In this short, reflective episode, CJ shares a personal memory of traveling alone to Santa Fe during a stressful season of life and studying with his mentor, abstract painter Virginia Cobb. What remains most vivid is not a technique or critique, but a quiet moment on a patio — coffee in hand, mountains in the distance, and a teacher who asked for nothing but presence.

Through this story, CJ explores how the practice of simply meeting each moment has gradually reshaped his life. He reflects on learning to recognize the body’s signals, releasing the pressure of constant achi...

In this fascinating conversation, CJ Miller speaks with psychotherapist and author Deborah Sandella, creator of Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM) and author of Goodbye, Hurt & Pain—a powerful approach that helps people access emotional healing through imagination, intuition, and body awareness.

Dr. Deb explains why modern culture has become overly dependent on logic and problem-solving while neglecting the intuitive and emotional intelligence stored in the nervous system. Drawing on neuroscience research—including the work of trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk—she describes how deeply held experiences are often stored...

What if excellence doesn’t come from pressure, but from presence?

In this episode, CJ welcomes UK-based sculptor and former world champion archer Ian Edwards, a man who has lived at the highest levels of both elite sport and masterful craftsmanship. Ian has competed internationally for Great Britain and spent decades refining his artistic practice. And through both disciplines, he discovered a simple but transformative truth: performance rises naturally when the mind becomes quiet and the heart leads.

Ian shares how intense competition didn’t create anxiety for him. It created presence. As pressure increased, his...

Matthew West’s Imperfections reads like a lifetime inventory—the running list we keep of everything we wish we could fix, hide, or improve. The song names that familiar inner critic: the voice that keeps tally, weighs the good against the bad, and often decides we come up short.

CJ also reflects on his own experience living with a non-essential tremor and vision changes following LASIK surgery—conditions that once felt like limitations, but ultimately shaped a distinctive visual language in his art. What first appeared as obstacles became collaborators, influencing mark, movement, and perception in ways he cou...

In honor of National Caregivers Day on Friday the 20th, CJ welcomes author, speaker, and leadership consultant Glenna Hecht for a deeply human conversation about caregiving, presence, and active listening. After a distinguished career in Human Resources with organizations like Starbucks and Walt Disney World, Glenna faced a challenge she could not fix—her mother’s dementia. What began as frustration and attempts to control the uncontrollable became a profound shift: if she could not cure it, she could meet it with curiosity, compassion, and play.

Out of that surrender came a simple but powerful question: “How old ar...

In this special REWIND episode, CJ revisits his conversation with poet J.K. Kennedy and reflects on the idea that we all carry a clumsy beauty within us if we are willing to listen, orient, and follow Spirit.

CJ explores what it means to simply be with someone—whether they are creating, transitioning, or moving through a difficult season of life. Often, our greatest challenges carry unexpected gifts. When we stop pushing against what’s happening and instead ask, Why is this here? What can I learn from this? something begins to shift. The challenge may...

What if relief doesn’t come from fixing your thoughts, but from moving your body and putting words on the page? In this episode of The Spiritual Artist Podcast, CJ Miller sits down with poet Jodie Kennedy, an observer, mumbler, overthinker, and accidental creative writer from Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Jodie is the author of Clumsy Beauty, a debut poetry collection rooted in anxiety, attention, and the quiet work of noticing what it feels like to be alive.

Jodie shares how writing poetry helps her listen to herself again when anxiety pulls her into mental loops. For he...

REWIND: After a conversation with Rabbi Rami Shapiro, CJ reflects on why spiritual independence matters—especially for those burned by religion. Drawing from the Gospel of Thomas, mystic traditions, and insights echoed by Eckhart Tolle, CJ explores the difference between belief and realization, form and essence, doing and being. When presence becomes primary and effort softens, coherence emerges—and the Field of Creative Intelligence reveals itself.

Want to learn more about CJ Miller? Check out his Spiritual Artist Retreats, 1:1 Personal Coaching, and Speaking Engagements at www.spiritualartisttoday.com. His retr...

In this wide-ranging and deeply human conversation, CJ sits down with Rabbi Rami Shapiro—award-winning author of more than three dozen books, longtime contributor to Spirituality & Health Magazine, and co-founder of the One River and One Foot Judaism Foundations.

Together, they explore what it truly means to live as a spiritually independent person—not as an idea or belief system, but as a way of being in the world.

Rabbi Rami speaks candidly about 12-Step spirituality, surrender, and the illusion of control, offering a liberating reframe: we don’t surrender to a greater power—...

In this Rewind episode, CJ reflects on what stayed with him after his recent conversation with intuitive artist Cameron Cohen. While re-listening to the interview, he shares a new morning ritual of doodling and how it deepened his understanding of body-led intuition.

CJ explores key lessons from Cameron’s approach to energetic sensitivity and her ability to feel and register emotional information through the body. The episode weaves into CJ’s evolving somatic framework, asking simple but powerful questions: Where do you feel emotion in your body? What happens when you let it move instead of trying to f...

In this deeply embodied conversation, CJ is joined by Cameron Cohen, a Los Angeles–based intuitive artist known for her Manifestation Paintings—custom works created as living tools for clarity, alignment, and intention.

Together, they explore why words often fall short and how the body becomes our most reliable guide. Cameron shares how she listens for a full-body Yes through sensation—tingling, warmth, chills, and goosebumps—and how those signals guide both her life and her art. For her, the body is a receiving instrument, like a microphone tuned to Creative Intelligence.

Cameron walks CJ...

After the recent events in Venezuela, I noticed my mind looping and my body tightening. I’ve always considered empathy a strength—but every strength has a shadow side. When sensitivity turns into over-identification, it stops being a gift and becomes a burden.

In this video, I share a simple awareness framework: noticing thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotional tone—without becoming them. You are a drop of Spirit, not the whole ocean. You can care deeply without carrying the weight of the world. Coherent alignment comes from balance, not force—and when thinking, feeling, and emotion realign, clarity...

In this special podcast episode, CJ turns on the record button during one of his real counseling sessions with breathwork and Somatic Experiencing specialist Jonathan Schechter, offering listeners an intimate look into embodied healing in real time. Together, they explore how we’re often taught to view life—and healing—through a strictly material lens, while our medical system is far less equipped to address emotional states, stress, and the nervous system. Jonathan encourages listeners to become their own practitioners by cultivating curiosity and awareness, likening it to discovering new colors beyond a limited palette—and even noticing...

In this end-of-year episode, CJ reflects on the highlights and growth points that shaped his 2025. He speaks openly about “hitting the wall” when chronic pain entered his life, and how choosing to share his struggle created unexpected openings. By practicing presence instead of isolation, CJ found himself in deeper relationship with others.

He describes trying countless approaches to find relief—medications, exercise, physical therapy, breathwork and more. While nothing offered a quick fix, the experience “cracked him wide open,” and deepened his empathy. And it reminded him that living in a physical body brings challenges that aren’t always the...

Dallas-based painter Matt Kaplinsky captures the spirit of place through a warm, folksy impressionism that blends nature, memory, and imagination. A self-taught artist inspired by Matisse, Van Gogh, and Bonnard, Matt paints with curiosity and flow—allowing each brushstroke to reveal where Creative Intelligence wants to go next.

In this conversation, Matt and CJ explore how the path of least resistance guides both art and life. Matt shares how his work continually “veers off,” and instead of fighting it, he listens to the subtle energies leading him downstream. From vivid cowboy scenes to delicate garden still...

Today’s guest is Tina Jacobson, a lifelong artist and spiritual explorer from Australia whose creative journey weaves art, intuition, and healing. Raised on an animal-filled farm by creative parents, Tina has spent her life immersed in design, murals, and illustration. Her coloring books, including The Colorful Life Colouring Book, invite readers to reconnect with creativity as a gentle, spiritual practice rather than a task to complete.

Through years of self-discovery, Tina learned that healing begins by watching the mind. Once trapped in cycles of self-criticism and dark thoughts, she discovered that thoughts aren’t trut...

In this deeply moving episode, CJ Miller talks with Nancy Amlin Watson, a yoga instructor who turned to her mat after the devastating loss of her child and discovered that yoga was one of the only things that made her feel “maybe not better, but just a tiny little bit less shitty.”

A devoted practitioner for more than 25 years and a teacher for the past three, Nancy now helps others navigate life’s many forms of loss—whether through death, divorce, illness, job change, or even the loss of a beloved pet. Her interactive Yoga for Grief Workbook...

Jonathan Schecter is a breathwork specialist, integration coach, and founder of Blue Magic Alchemy, where he helps others explore non-ordinary states of consciousness and reconnect with what he calls the inner healer. Certified in multiple breathwork and mindfulness modalities—including Somatic Experiencing and Holotropic Breathwork—Jonathan combines nervous system regulation, evocative music, and creative expression such as mandala art to guide participants toward emotional release and spiritual insight. In our conversation, we discuss how the ego takes a back seat during these states, allowing Creative Intelligence to flow freely through breath, sound, and movement. Influenced by the Wim Hof Meth...

After a recent argument, I woke up with a deep ache in my chest—an emotional pain that felt stronger than the chronic pain I’ve been carrying in my hips. It reminded me how the body holds emotion, how tension can live in us for years if we don’t give it space to move.

That morning, I turned to painting. I played the saddest song I could find and let the emotion pour through my brush. Painting became my way to release. When we create from that raw place, creativity becomes a healing modality. It transm...

How to Trust the Voice of the Heart. The heart is the most powerful portal we have. When we open it, intuition becomes our guide, leading us toward love, freedom, and authentic self-expression.

In this episode, CJ Miller speaks with Natasha “Tash” Sumner, author of Accept Who You Are, whose journey from corporate burnout to spiritual coach is a story of courage and alignment. Natasha shares how she learned to step out of performance, drop the weight of people-pleasing, and instead live from the truth of her heart.

You’ll hear about:

We’re living in a time of radical resentment — where even when people or companies change, some voices still say, “I won’t forgive them even if they change their ways.” This posture leaves no room for growth, no chance for transformation.

In this episode, I reflect on how forgiveness is upheld across the world’s great faith traditions — from Christianity and Islam to Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism, the Bahá’í Faith, and Jainism — and how Shinto and Taoism teach us that forgiveness can also be understood as realignment and balance.

Forgiveness is not about excusing the h...

Cam Leids shares how ayahuasca and mushrooms helped him move beyond patterns, open to Spirit, and let creativity flow through.

What happens when we step beyond our patterns and allow Spirit to flow through us? In this episode of The Spiritual Artist Podcast, CJ Miller sits down with storyteller and guide Cam Leids, host of the Being Human and Shit podcast. Living in Peru, Cam works with plant medicines such as ayahuasca and magic mushrooms to help people deepen their self-awareness, release fear, and reconnect with their higher selves.

Cam shares, “When I ca...

What happens when art is created not just with the hand, but from the heart? For contemplative abstract painter Chad Glazener, painting has become a spiritual practice—one that grew from his past life as a pastor and now anchors his present as an artist. His layered compositions and organic marks emerge from silence, forming a visual record of presence that invites viewers to pause, turn inward, and encounter wisdom in new ways.

Rooted in a background of theater and movement, Chad brings an embodied dimension to his art. Influenced by the Viewpoints method and Su...

My new book, Spiritual Parable As a Daily Practice: Modern Stories for the Spiritually Curious, invites you into a 40-day journey of alignment and inspiration.

Each story was received through my connection with my higher self—spiritual lessons “downloaded” in the form of modern parables. These are not bound by religion or dogma; they are timeless truths that help you return to presence, release fear and judgment, and realign with Creative Intelligence.

Just as I’ve learned to align before painting, this book encourages you to pause, choose a story, and let it guide your day. You...

What does it mean to create your own personal theology? In this episode, CJ Miller sits down with author and spiritual explorer Larry Jordan to review and unpack his book The Way and to discuss the journey of questioning, searching, and embracing a wide spectrum of wisdom traditions.

Raised Catholic in Western Pennsylvania, Larry found himself in midlife asking life’s biggest questions: Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? His search led him through Christianity, mysticism, Eastern faiths, and even science—discovering along the way that no single tradition holds all...

What if your creativity was already written into the rhythm of the Earth?

In this conversation, Spiritual Artist CJ Miller sits down with visionary guide Moon Tucker, whose past work with the Spiral Return reawakened a living remembrance field carried by the Earth. Building on that foundation, she now shares her new framework called The Four Walks, a practice that helps artists and seekers dissolve layers of conditioning and return to their original creative tone.

🌿 Earthwalk restores connection to body and land
☀️ Skywalk opens higher...

Podcast Host CJ Miller shares how both the body and the planet carry within them an incredible, built-in self-healing mechanism. Drawing from his own journey with back pain and insights from a neurosurgeon, CJ explores how Creative Intelligence restores balance when we learn to step aside and remove obstacles—whether those obstacles are false beliefs, unhealthy habits, or the ego’s need for control. With simple examples, like how a Band-Aid doesn’t heal but only protects, CJ reminds us that healing is already wired into our design. He also references Louise L. Hay’s classic book Heal Your Body, wh...

Your body is always speaking—through pain, posture, and even memory. In this episode, Dr. Colby Lovelace joins CJ to explore how neuromechanics, fascia, and neurotags reveal the hidden roadblocks to healing. Discover how listening to your body restores balance, wholeness, and flow.

In this episode, CJ welcomes Dr. Colby Lovelace, a highly accomplished chiropractor with a background in Nutritional Sciences, Health and Wellness, and a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Parker University. With certifications in sports injury management, concussion treatment, rehabilitation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Dr. Colby brings a wealth of knowledge about how the body heals, ad...

On this episode, CJ sits down with Santa Fe artist Eneida Valverde, whose life journey spans from her roots in Costa Rica to decades of teaching art in Maryland, and now, to the creative sanctuary of New Mexico. Surrounded by hollyhocks, peaches, and the ever-changing desert light, Eneida shares how her intuitional transcendental practice became the gateway to her current body of work—13 luminous angel paintings inspired by traditional retablos.

Her process blends meditation, free-flow journaling, and intuitive mark-making, where shapes, patterns, and words emerge organically. Using watercolors, acrylic pens, and gold leaf, she transforms panels into sp...

After returning from a one-month sabbatical in Santa Fe, CJ Miller shares a fresh perspective on the growing conversation around AI and creativity. In this thought-provoking mini episode, CJ invites spiritual artists to release black-and-white thinking, drop their defenses, and stay curious. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, he asks: What if it’s simply another tool in the creative toolbox—like a brush, a ruler, or a camera? With a calm and centered voice, CJ explores how true creativity arises not from the tools we use but from the presence, intention, and feeling we bring to the proc...

In this episode, CJ Miller explores key insights from Michèle Cassou’s book Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits. He discusses her powerful approach to overcoming creative blocks by asking the right question—a question rooted in the specific fear or resistance at hand. For example: “What would happen if I didn’t care whether this painting sold or not?”

CJ shares a personal story about working on a new circular painting. Feeling stuck in one section, he realized his block stemmed from a fear of losing something he found interesting. When he asked himself, “What would happen if I d...

Magdalena Westman is a Czech art therapist and author whose innovative approach helps people reconnect with their innate creativity through intuitive mark-making and collaborative reflection. With over a decade of experience—and roots in both corporate marketing and art therapy—she leads transformational workshops and seminars across Europe. Her acclaimed book explores how spontaneous, unconscious doodling can open doors to emotional insight, personal healing, and creative freedom.

A former marketing strategist turned art therapy pioneer, Magdalena draws on childhood memories, emotional exploration, and the wisdom of scribbles to guide participants back to a childlike state of wonder. Insp...

In this episode, CJMiller reads a parable from his upcoming book Spiritual Parable as a Daily Practice and reflects on the emotional dance we often resist. He shares a simple but powerful method for tuning into intuition—by letting a book choose a message for the day—and opens up about allowing emotions to move through him while painting. This is a reminder to stop resisting and start flowing.

Want to learn more about CJ Miller? Check out his Spiritual Artist Retreats, 1:1 Personal Coaching, and Speaking Engagements at www.spiritualartisttoday.com. His retreats are designed to help you...

Author and nutritionist Terri Chrisman shares powerful insights on food, cravings, and simple changes that can transform your health—starting with breakfast.”

In this episode, CJ sits down with Terri Chrisman, a renowned speaker, podcaster, author, and board-certified nutritionist with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Terri is the founder of the Fabulous Health Show podcast and fabuloushealth.net, where she shares evidence-based insights to help people reclaim their health through practical, sustainable choices. With warmth and clarity, she breaks down the science behind how food affects our energy, mindset, and long-term well-being—offering hope and st...

In this heart-centered episode, CJMiller sits down with singer-songwriter Eugene Kurolap, whose most recent release, “Nothing is Free,” reveals a cinematic evolution in his music. Eugene shares how songwriting isn’t something he forces—it arrives through antennae mode, a deep listening to the universe. The first half of a song, he says, is pure intuition. The second half? That’s when the mind steps in to shape it.

From early choir days to strumming a guitar passed down by his father, Eugene discovered that music was always his Creative DNA. Today, he travels in...

In this episode, CJ Miller explores a deeply personal question: How do we respond to negativity without losing our center? After sharing a joyful video filled with light and love, CJ received a few unexpected negative comments. Rather than reacting, he chose to reflect—and here, he invites you into that process.

He discusses the spiritual cost of people-pleasing, the importance of creating from a space of love, and how to hold your focus when others try to pull you off balance. You’ll hear about the power of sacred space, the role of community, and why we m...

In this episode, CJ welcomes artist, musician, and spiritual creator Ariel Basso, whose entire life is devoted to following the breadcrumbs of Spirit. Ariel lives nomadically, led by inner guidance and a mission to create sacred, healing spaces through art, sound, and vibration. From painting symbolic language to playing ancient wind instruments like the didgeridoo, Ariel’s work becomes a living dialogue with the Divine.

He shares his transformative journey from grief and depression to a powerful spiritual awakening in his teens, which launched a “spiritual boot camp” of meditation, prayer, stretching, and journaling. That period...

In this soul-stirring episode, CJMiller dives deep into the heart of originality in the creative process. Sparked by a listener’s comment that struck a nerve, “Little CJ” makes an honest appearance—offended, vulnerable, and ready to set the record straight.

CJ shares why he refuses to teach style mimicry—and how his method is rooted in helping artists discover their unique mark. Through music, mindfulness, somatic movement, spiritual asemic practices, and even back-and-forth dueling exercises, he guides students into the sacred space where true originality lives.

He also opens up about a painful past experience...