GRACEPILLED with Hanna Williams

mysticism, chronic illness & the collapse of certainty [w/ Sophie Strand]

guest info: www.sophiestrand.com/ www.instagram.com/cosmogyny/ www.substack.com/@sophiestrand GO BUY HER BOOKS!!!! host info: www.hannawilliams.com www.patreon.com/gracepilled www.instagram.com/gracepilled In this episode of Gracepilled, I sat down with writer and “neo-troubadour animist” Sophie Strand for a sprawling conversation about mysticism, illness, ecology, beauty, paradox, and what it means to stay openhearted in a world that often feels unsafe. Together we explore Sophie’s unusual upbringing around Buddhist monks, interfaith spirituality, rescued animals, and ecological thought, as well as the role chronic illness played in dismantling simplistic spiritual narratives about healing, fairness, and transcendence. The conversation moves through topics like animism, Joan of Arc, climate anxiety, Groundhog Day as a spiritual text, mystical experience, riddles and parables, the difference between beauty and glamour, and why the deepest spiritual truths often live inside contradiction rather than certainty. This episode is ultimately about surrender: not as passivity, but as the willingness to remain in relationship with reality even when there are no guarantees, no explanations, and no “happy ending” waiting at the end of suffering. You can find Sophie’s work through her books, essays, and Substack.

Monica interviews me about my relationship w/ SOCIAL MEDIA

SIGN UP FOR ATTENTION 101 (reclaim your agency for change)  sign up here [hannawilliams.com/attention] Starts January 6th!  Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com](bookings, conflict school, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) Connect with Monica Alanna  Instagram:  @rooted.relating (coaching/grief counseling) [https://www.instagram.com/rooted.relating] @magicksalt (handmade jewelry, art, writing) [https://www.instagram.com/magicksalt] www.magicksalt.com [www.magicksalt.com] In this episode, Monica interviews me about what it’s really like to live and work online as a creative & mentor. We talk about our digital duplicates, attention fatigue, curating our algorithms with intention, the tension between analog life vs. digital life, what it means to be authentic on social media, and how I think about creativity, boundaries, and running Gracepilled as a business. It’s an honest look at identity, influence, and staying human on the internet. * Digital duplicates & online identity — how the internet forms a version of us, how others perceive that version, and how it affects real life. * Attention, distraction & notification fatigue — the constant pull of screens, digital audits, and reclaiming focus. * Analog vs. digital media — the sensory and emotional differences between reading physical books, using Kindles, and engaging offline. * Creativity, authenticity & running an online business — how I create content, use data, navigate the algorithm, and balance privacy with visibility. * Influence, boundaries & staying grounded online — curating your algorithm, resisting comparison culture, and choosing how you want to show up on the internet.

reclaiming your attention in the digital age [w/ Monica Alanna]

Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com](bookings, conflict school, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) Connect with Monica Alanna  Instagram:  @rooted.relating (coaching/grief counseling) [https://www.instagram.com/rooted.relating] @magicksalt (handmade jewelry, art, writing) [https://www.instagram.com/magicksalt] www.magicksalt.com [www.magicksalt.com] Today’s episode is a conversation with my friend & colleague Monica Alanna about the strange and complicated world of digital spaces. We personify the platforms we use every day—Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube—as if they were people, each with their own archetype and flavor. We explore how these apps shape culture, attention, and even our sense of self, from the pull we all experience of wanting to peek at the comment section arguments to the addictive, casino-like design of social media apps that keep us emotionally hooked. Along the way, we talk about digital “duplicates,” cancel culture, distraction, and what it takes to build real boundaries with screens. It’s funny, it’s sharp, and it gets into the gray areas of how technology can be both a tool and a trap. I think you’ll leave this one reflecting on your own relationship with social media—and maybe even laughing about it too.

learning to speak your soul’s language [w/ Ramon Parish]

Connect with Ramon, my guest: instagram [https://www.instagram.com/crowcousin/?hl=en] the drama of the planets [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drama-of-the-planets-uriel-jones/1146838987#:~:text=Drama%20of%20the%20Planets%20is,to%20victoriously%20recover%20ancient%20futures.] [his book of poetry] Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com](bookings, merch, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) In this episode of GRACEPILLED, I sit down with poet, philosopher, and teacher Ramon Parish (a.k.a. Uriel Jones), whose journey weaves together stargazing, philosophy, poetry, and spiritual practice. Ramon recently released his first poetry collection Drama of the Planets, and in this conversation, he shares the stories, influences, and practices that shaped both his art and his spiritual path. We talk about: * How Ramon’s early stargazing experiences sparked a lifelong sense of spiritual purpose * Why he sees philosophy and poetry as core spiritual practices * The influence of Rastafari, music, and mythology on his worldview * The role of movement, meditation, and community in his spiritual growth * Balancing tradition with adaptation in spirituality, and why conduct and justice matter just as much as consciousness

jesus was a witch [w/ Rev. Cindy Pincus]

Connect with Cindy: Instagram: @clairvoyantcounseling [https://www.instagram.com/clairvoyantcounseling/] Website [https://www.clairvoyantcounseling.com/]  Connect with me, Hanna, your host:  Instagram: @grace.pilled [http://www.instagram.com/grace.pilled] hannawilliams.com [http://www.hannawilliams.com](bookings, merch, etc) patreon.com/gracepilled [http://patreon.com/gracepilled] (join as a free member to get access to a collection of talks!) Today’s guest is Reverend Cindy Pincus—minister, death doula, and someone who I now consider a spiritual comrade. We originally met at a First Friday art market in Denver when she walked straight up to my table and picked up my “Money + the Spiritual Path” zine. I remember thinking, this person has sparkles around them. And I was right. In this conversation, Cindy shares the wild, beautiful, and unexpected path that’s led her through Christian seminary, Indigenous ceremony, psychic training, and years of hospice and hospital chaplaincy. She speaks with rare clarity about death, grief, ministry, and spiritual courage—and about the surprising places her deepest convictions came from. (Spoiler: one involved a protest, a votive candle, and a head injury.) There were a few things said in this interview that blew my mind — I hope you love it! We cover: * Cindy’s surprising journey from culturally Jewish roots to Christian ministry * What it means to have a conversion experience in the modern world * Her years working with death—hospitals, hospice, and the spiritual wisdom of the dying * Why she believes Jesus was psychic (and probably a witch) * The beauty and power of not looking away from grief, endings, and the collapse of empire