Fierce to Fiercely Open: an intense scottish temper, a journey of grace and the heart underneath it all

Fierce to Fiercely Open: an intense scottish temper, a journey of grace and the heart underneath it all

In this episode, Stan and Tucker sit down with Madeline Hale — a fourth-generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, born just outside Glasgow and now running a hair salon in London. Madeline traces her spiritual life all the way back to childhood: from the time she was, in her words, "a wee tiny girl," she was taught she could speak directly with God and that she was known, wanted, and sent here on purpose. That early, unshakeable sense of belonging settled into her before she had any language for it, and it quietly carried her through decades of everyday emotions. Madeline doesn't shy away from her reputation, though: she's got a famously quick temper — "every stereotype you know about a Scottish person," as she puts it — and for years that fire showed up as real resentment toward her faith community: sharp words, short patience, not much listening. Then came a pandemic-era turning point that changed things. Madeline describes a shift so total that her whole world became purely spirituality for a while, and how that season reshaped her relationship to God, to herself, and to the people around her. She introduces the idea of "transmission" — her word for a wordless, almost cellular sense of connection that passes between people without anyone saying a thing. She and the hosts also dig into Stan's framework of the three foundational relationships (to self, to the divine, and to others), and what happens when one of them breaks and takes the other two down with it. What's most refreshing is what didn't change: Madeline is upfront that people still irritate her plenty — the fire's still there. What's different is the space between the spark and the response, and the fierce love that's underneath it now. The episode closes with a short heart-centered practice led by Tucker.

Until It Becomes Conscious — we did the inner work live, and it got real

In this episode, Stan and Tucker open with a quote from Carl Jung: until the unconscious becomes conscious, it will direct our lives — and we'll call it fate. From there, they dig into what that actually looks like in practice. Somatic work means tuning into the body's raw physical sensations — tightness, heat, pressure, a knot in the gut — as a doorway into whatever's unresolved beneath the surface, rather than staying stuck in the stories we tell about why we feel that way. To bring the idea to life, Tucker invites a guest into the conversation: Claude, the AI, who guides him through a live, unscripted somatic session right on mic. What starts as quiet tension in his belly turns into a real-time exploration of resistance, control, and a part of him that's been working overtime since childhood. Stan sits in as witness, offering his own reflections on sensation, story, and the vulnerability of going this deep in front of an audience. It's a raw look at what this inner work actually sounds like when you stop talking about it and just do it. ------------------------------------------------------------ Information on Harmony Road Retreats can be found at: https://www.harmonyroadretreats.com/ At Harmony Road Retreats, we know the difficulty of faith journeys. They can shake our relationships, our sense of community, and our sense of hope in the future. We also know how valuable it is to have a safe space where you can explore your experience. We seek to create an atmosphere where both those who do and those who don’t participate in religion will find relevance, emotional safety, and peace. When we find harmony inside of us, we tap into wisdom and guidance that will help us navigate life’s most challenging situations, enabling us to make confident decisions from a place of peace.

S2 E8 Friend of the Devil: Pain, Forgiveness and the Loving Gaze

In this episode, Stan and Tucker sit down face to face with their friend Haymitch St. Stephen — artist, meditation guide, and author of Friend of the Devil. Haymitch shares how a devastating accident in high school shattered his simple view of the world, how losing close friends to suicide led him to ask a question he can't stop chewing on, and what he's learning about self-forgiveness, the loving gaze, and what it means to truly flourish. Together they explore how the same storytelling mind that makes us uniquely human can also undo us — and how dropping out of our heads and into our bodies, whether through art, dirt, or a single deep breath, can create the distance we need from the stories that run us. This is a conversation about pain, presence, and the courage to turn toward what hurts.

S2 E7 Inner Waves, Resistance, and the Freedom of the Watcher

What if every difficult feeling you've ever had was simply a wave that hadn't finished moving through you? In this episode, Stan and Tucker explore the wave-like nature of the inner world — every thought, emotion, and urge rising, peaking, and falling — and what happens when resistance turns the water of our experience into molasses or even ice. Stan shares a story of a wave that nearly broke his nervous system and what his older, wiser self would say to the version of him caught inside it. Together they trace a quiet freedom that becomes available when we learn to watch the waves rather than be tossed by them. Closes with a guided practice on resting in the witness.

S2 E6 Stepping Beyond Your Known World: The Unfolding Inner Life with Thomas McConkie

What happens when the God you thought you knew takes off the mask — and reveals something more expansive than you could have previously comprehended? In this episode, Stan and Tucker sit down with teacher, author, and developmental guide Thomas McConkie to explore the vast, sometimes terrifying landscape of the inner world. Thomas shares his own journey from leaving the faith of his childhood, to going all-in with Buddhist practice, to a profound shift in identity that opened his heart back toward Jesus and the faith of his youth with new eyes. Together they explore how spiritual growth unfolds developmentally, why the "no self" teaching isn't what most people think it is, and what it means when prayer stops working the way it used to. Thomas offers a beautiful framework — teacher, community, and personal practice — as the through line across all traditions, and closes with a guided visualization to help listeners connect with the spiritual resources already present in their lives. Whether you're in the middle of a faith crisis or simply hungry for what's next, this conversation is an invitation to trust the unfolding. More of what Thomas McConkie offers can be found at lowerlightswisdom.org Thomas Wirthin McConkie is the author of the following books: At One Ment: Embodying the Fullness of Human Divinity Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis: A Simple Developmental Map ------------------------------------------------------------ Information on Harmony Road Retreats can be found at: https://www.harmonyroadretreats.com/ At Harmony Road Retreats, we know the difficulty of faith journeys. They can shake our relationships, our sense of community, and our sense of hope in the future. We also know how valuable it is to have a safe space where you can explore your experience. We seek to create an atmosphere where both those who do and those who don’t participate in religion will find relevance, emotional safety, and peace. When we find harmony inside of us, we tap into wisdom and guidance that will help us navigate life’s most challenging situations, enabling us to make confident decisions from a place of peace.