None But Curious - A Podcast for Nones and Agnostics

Candyce Glave
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

In a world that often demands you choose a belief system, being a none, agnostic, or spiritual-but-not-religious can feel isolating. None But Curious is a space for people exploring meaning outside traditional categories. At times we lean on reason, and at others we wander into the wonder hidden in ordinary life. This podcast explores everything from the quiet rituals that shape our days to the myths and stories that have traveled across cultures. Together, we explore big questions, small moments of awe, and the playful, thoughtful spaces in between belief and doubt. If you’re searching for a grounded, open-hearted way to make sense of the world, this podcast is your companion on the journey. A new episode is uploaded every two weeks! #nonebutcurious #findmagicinthemundane #awedinary

  1. 3d ago

    Jainism and the Art of Doing Less Harm

    A Jain monk walks with a soft broom, gently clearing the path ahead so he doesn't accidentally harm even the smallest living thing. It’s an extraordinary image. But what if we aren't meant to imitate the monk? What if we're simply meant to notice what he's doing? In this episode, we explore: Why ahimsa, or nonviolence, is more than a rule What the Jain practice of attention can teach us about everyday choices The blind men and the elephant, and the problem of assuming we see the whole picture Why intellectual humility can be part of nonviolence The Jain idea of non-possession and the question, How much is enough? What it means to ask forgiveness for harm we didn't intend Why trying to make the perfectly ethical choice can leave us exhausted The Jain understanding of karma and liberation And what it might look like to make one slightly less harmful choice at a time You don't have to eliminate all harm. You don't have to become perfectly ethical. Maybe the practice is simply to notice what's in front of you, make the next choice with a little more care, and keep going. Because sometimes the whole path isn't ours to figure out. We just need to clear the ground for the next step. @nonebutcurious nonebutcurious.org --Hey! check out roomforcuriosity.org -- the space for agnostics, nones, spiritual atheists, spiritually curious and in-betweens to gather locally (and even virtually this winter). It's time we get out of our headspace and talk out loud together --

  2. Sep 17

    What Taoism Says About Rest, Control, and Trying Too Hard

    What if the most productive thing you did today was nothing? Not giving up. Not avoiding responsibility. Not turning three hours of scrolling into “self-care.” Just choosing not to force something that doesn't need to be forced. In this episode of None But Curious, we explore wu-wei, the Taoist idea often translated as “non-action” or “effortless action.” But wu-wei isn't about laziness or doing nothing. It's about learning the difference between effort and forcing, and noticing when trying harder may not actually be helping. Through stories and images from Taoist tradition, we explore: Water and the rock: How persistence can work without aggression or force The farmer and the horse: Why we don't always need to decide whether something is good or bad right away The uncarved block: What happens when we stop insisting we already know what we're supposed to become The crooked tree: The Taoist idea of the “usefulness of uselessness” in a culture obsessed with productivity The Butterfly Dream: Why uncertainty doesn't always need to be resolved Cook Ding the butcher: How noticing openings can be more effective than pushing through resistance Yin and yang: Why rest and action, knowing and not knowing, aren't as separate as they seem Along the way, we consider a question that can be surprisingly difficult to ask: What if the problem isn't that you aren't trying hard enough, but that you're pushing in the wrong direction? Wu-wei doesn't promise an effortless life. Some things genuinely require persistence, discomfort, and hard work. Instead, it invites us to notice the difference between necessary effort and unnecessary struggle.   nonebutcurious.org @nonebutcurious

  3. Sep 2

    How to Let Go Without Caring Less: The Buddhist Practice of Non-Attachment

    What does it actually mean to let go? “Empty your cup” sounds peaceful until you start wondering what you're supposed to let go of. Your expectations? Your relationships? Your hopes? Your desire for things to work out? In this episode of None But Curious, we take a closer look at the Buddhist idea of non-attachment and why it isn't the same thing as not caring. We explore: The empty cup — why certainty can leave us with no room for something new The monkey and the trap — how reaching for something can turn into gripping it Kisa Gotami and the mustard seeds — what grief teaches us about the universality of loss Mindfulness — creating space between what we feel and what we do The six animals — how our constant urges to pursue, avoid, and react can keep us from being fully present Love vs. attachment — how to care deeply without needing to control someone or keep them from changing The raft — recognizing when something that once helped us is no longer something we need to carry The poisoned arrow — why we don't have to solve every question before addressing what is hurting Impermanence (anicca) — remembering that everything we love, including ourselves, is changing At the heart of it is a deceptively difficult question: How do you care completely without trying to control how things turn out? This isn't an episode about becoming detached, emotionless, or impossible to hurt. It's about learning to hold things with enough care that they don't have to become possessions. You can love something without owning it. You can care deeply without controlling the outcome. And sometimes, letting go means recognizing that something did its job, thanking it, and finally setting it down. Come explore what non-attachment might look like in an ordinary life.

  4. Aug 19

    The Greek Gods Were Dysfunctional On Purpose: A Guide to Your Own Contradictions

    Before psychology had a name for it, the Greeks had Ares. Before "impulse control" was a phrase anyone used, they had Aphrodite rearranging someone's entire week over a pretty face. Before self-help books told us to "find balance," they had Apollo and Dionysus locked in permanent tension. This episode kicks off Season 5 of None But Curious with a simple reframe: Greek mythology isn't a set of morality tales about becoming a better person. It's a map of the very human, very contradictory forces that take turns running the show inside all of us. We talk through Athena bursting fully formed from Zeus's head as a metaphor for sudden insight, why Icarus's story has a second warning almost nobody remembers, and how Demeter's grief over Persephone became a yearly season instead of something she was expected to just get over. None of it resolves into a tidy lesson. That's kind of the point. If you've ever felt like a different version of yourself shows up depending on the day, this one's for you. Topics covered: Why the Greek gods were never designed to be role models Athena, Ares, and Aphrodite as internal forces, not distant deities The Apollo/Dionysus balance between order and letting go Icarus and the warning most retellings leave out Demeter, Persephone, and grief treated as a season, not a flaw A simple prompt: "Which god is driving this week?"   New to the show? None But Curious is a podcast for agnostics, the religiously unaffiliated, and anyone curious about meaning, ritual, and identity outside of traditional belief systems. New episodes drop biweekly. 🌐 nonebutcurious.org 🎧 Subscribe on your favorite podcast app

  5. Apr 10

    Why Waiting is Good for You: Mindfulness, Anxiety and Letting Go of Control

    We all wait. In traffic. In lines. For texts. For answers. For life to move. And most of us hate it. This episode explores why waiting feels so uncomfortable — and how those very moments may be some of the most powerful opportunities for building patience, emotional regulation, and self-awareness. You’ll learn: Why waiting triggers tension in the body and nervous system How our culture trains us to resist stillness and expect constant progress What mindfulness traditions say about pauses, delays, and stillness The psychology behind patience as a trainable skill How everyday waiting becomes practice for emotional control A simple W.A.I.T. method you can use the next time you’re stuck in a delay Waiting turns out not to be wasted time. It’s a quiet training ground for presence. This episode reframes delays, traffic jams, slow lines, and unanswered messages as opportunities to strengthen patience, calm anxiety, and learn how to relate to life when you can’t speed it up. Because control isn’t about making life move faster. It’s about learning how to be steady when it doesn’t.   Subscribe to podcast - None But Curious Find on social @nonebutcurious Subscribe to email - nonebutcurious.org

  6. Mar 26

    What World Stories and Spiritual Practices Teach Us About Grief, Burnout and Change

    What if feeling like you’re going downward isn’t failure… but part of a pattern humans have recognized for thousands of years? In this episode of None But Curious, we explore why so many ancient stories begin with loss, disorientation, and darkness before renewal. Across cultures and centuries, myths tell the same surprising truth: descent often comes before transformation. You’ll journey through: The underworld descent of Inanna from ancient Sumer The grief-filled journey of Orpheus in ancient Greece Shamanic initiation practices from Siberian and Mongolian traditions, where symbolic dismemberment precedes healing Together, these stories offer a wider frame for experiences like: Grief that feels disorienting Burnout that strips away your sense of identity Seasons where life feels like it’s unraveling instead of progressing This episode doesn’t try to solve those seasons. It helps you see them differently. You’ll hear reflections on: Why transformation often begins with subtraction, not addition How myths normalize collapse as part of the human arc Why “hallway seasons” of life may be passages, not destinations How loss, doubt, and disorientation show up in nearly every culture’s storytelling If you’ve ever felt like you were moving backward instead of forward, this conversation will remind you: you are in very old company.   @nonebutcurious nonebutcurious.org

  7. Mar 18

    Setting a New Bench Mark: Rebuilding Yourself When Life Feels Off

    Nothing is technically wrong… but something just feels off. In this special bonus episode, we continue to sit with that strange in-between space—the one where you’re not falling apart, but you’re not quite yourself either. What these in-between seasons can feel like from the inside What it looks like to keep showing up anyway A personal story about lifting, confidence, and finding your footing again The Bench Mark Program and how steady support can change everything This episode is part of Podcasthon, a global podcast event focused on supporting meaningful causes. It highlights Bench Mark, a program that’s making a real difference in young people's lives, and shares how steady support and small, consistent effort can help you find your way forward.   @nonebutcurious nonebutcurious.org

  8. Mar 12

    When Life Feels Off but Nothing Is Wrong

    Ever feel like something is off… even when nothing is technically wrong? In this contemplative episode of the None But Curious Podcast, we explore the strange and familiar experience of existential restlessness—that subtle sense that life feels slightly misaligned even when everything looks fine on paper. Instead of rushing to fix the feeling, we ask a different question: What if this discomfort is actually a signal? Drawing from philosophy, psychology, and reflective writing, this episode explores how periods of dissatisfaction may actually be transitional spaces where growth begins. You’ll hear insights inspired by: Philosopher Alain de Botton and The Consolations of Philosophy Reflections on life transitions and identity shifts The idea of liminality—the space between who you were and who you are becoming A thoughtful perspective from Tiny Buddha’s “Feeling Off—It’s Okay” Together, we consider how to sit with uncertainty rather than immediately trying to solve it. Because sometimes the feeling that something is off isn't failure. It may simply mean something inside you is changing. In This Episode Why dissatisfaction can appear even when life seems fine The difference between depression and existential restlessness Why we feel pressure to “fix” every emotion What philosophy says about the human search for meaning How to navigate life’s in-between seasons If this resonates Share the episode with someone who might be in their own season of transition. Subscribe for more reflective conversations about curiosity, meaning, and living with unanswered questions. Website: nonebutcurious.org Podcast: None But Curious

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About

In a world that often demands you choose a belief system, being a none, agnostic, or spiritual-but-not-religious can feel isolating. None But Curious is a space for people exploring meaning outside traditional categories. At times we lean on reason, and at others we wander into the wonder hidden in ordinary life. This podcast explores everything from the quiet rituals that shape our days to the myths and stories that have traveled across cultures. Together, we explore big questions, small moments of awe, and the playful, thoughtful spaces in between belief and doubt. If you’re searching for a grounded, open-hearted way to make sense of the world, this podcast is your companion on the journey. A new episode is uploaded every two weeks! #nonebutcurious #findmagicinthemundane #awedinary

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