MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS BOOK STUDY

This week Kelley and Erin complete their book study of Meditations for Mortals. Oliver Burkeman’s fourth week of the book focuses on showing up in our own lives.

Conversations this week start a little heavy - the thought of life and death. But Erin ties our mortality into the Burkeman’s concept of finitude - the idea that things end. Lots of us keep “planning” for the future with the idea that our struggles today will eventually make our lives better in the future. In many cases, that’s true. But should we procrastinate in life's enjoyment all the time? Maybe not.

The point is that we are going to die, and perhaps it’s important for us to take initiative in enjoying our moments now rather than focus so heavily on the future.

We’ve loved this book study and hope to do more of these! If you have suggestions, drop us a note!

https://www.atheistpodcast.com/meditationsformortals

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

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(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS BOOK STUDY

Continuing our book study, Kelley and Erin finished Week 3 of Meditations for Mortals. This week was all about letting go - the idea of moving past the stress of productivity and people pleasing and instead focusing on the value of doing less and enjoying more. Focus in on the false allure of effort!

We’re curious! Where have you learned about letting go? 

Comment on the episode if you’re using Spotify, or visit our Facebook page, comment on Instagram or Threads, OR visit our website to send us a note!

https://www.atheistpodcast.com/meditationsformortals

As of August 12th, we’re starting to read Week 4! We’ll be recording our reflections on August 18th… we’d LOVE to incorporate any comments you have into our episode! Leave us a comment somewhere and we’ll speak to it during the recording!

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

Facebook: The Atheist Podcast

www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS BOOK STUDY

Continuing our book study, Kelley and Erin finished Week 2 of Meditations for Mortals and have a very deep conversation around the theme of taking action.  

Did you reach the same conclusions they did? Did you interpret things differently? How are you carrying some of the Week 2 messaging into your daily life?

Please comment and let us know what you think about Week 2 - either directly from the book or from the episode!

Comment on the episode if you’re using Spotify, or visit our Facebook page, comment on Instagram or Threads, OR visit our website to send us a note!

https://www.atheistpodcast.com/meditationsformortals

As of July 28th, we’re starting to read Week 3! We’ll be recording our reflections on August 4th… we’d LOVE to incorporate any comments you have into our episode! Leave us a comment somewhere and we’ll speak to it during the recording!

– – – 

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

Facebook: The Atheist Podcast

www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS BOOK STUDY

Kelley and Erin just finished reading Week 1 of Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitation and Make Time for What Counts.

This week was all about being finite. We break down each day - Days 1 through 7 - of the first section of the book to discuss Oliver’s messaging, examples from their own lives, and what messages resonated with them the most.

Are you reading along with us?! Please comment and let us know what you think about Week 1 - either directly from the book or from the episode!

Comment on the episode if you’re using Spotify, or visit our Facebook page, comment on Instagram or Threads, OR visit our website to send us a note!

https://www.atheistpodcast.com/meditationsformortals

We’re starting to read Week 2, which is all about taking action. We would love to know if you’re reading along with us!

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

Facebook: The Atheist Podcast

www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

It’s been HOT in St. Louis! We’ve just experienced a major heatwave and in a late night conversation, Kelley brought up the recent New York Times article The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. After some discussion, Erin and Kelley decided to jump on to record their own "best movie lists" of the 21st Century (and, a little bit of the late-90s!)

Maybe you’ll hear about one you haven’t seen and can cool down by watching a GREAT MOVIE!

Also check out the NYT article here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/best-movies-21st-century.html

And COMMENT below on Spotify or YouTube... what are YOUR favorite movies of the 21st century?

**HEADS UP**

On July 14th, we’ll publish the first of a four-part book study of Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. The book is divided into 4 weeks, so we’re inviting our audience to study one week at a time… except we publish episodes every other week, so you actually get TWO weeks to read! Each episode we’ll unpack our reactions, practices, thoughts, and what’s changed for us as we read this book. We’d love it if you join us!

You can pick up the book here: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/ or on Audible.

You can also learn more about our project at www.atheistpodcast.com/meditationsformortals. 

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

Facebook: The Atheist Podcast

www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

In the second of a two-part series about Mel Robbin’s The Let Them Theory, Erin and Kelley discuss how the theories apply to adult relationships: How do adults make friends? Why is it so much harder than when we’re kids? (Hint: It’s NOT just because of work!) And, what can we do to create more meaningful relationships in our lives?

Underlying all of this is a very powerful cognitive behavior that has been proven to decrease anxiety, improve mood, and generally make people happier!

**HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT**

At the end of the episode, Kelley announces a new project we’re working on…. We’re inviting our listeners to read along with us as we start working through Oliver Burkeman’s new book!  We’ll launch details VERY soon… keep an eye on our socials and our website!

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

Facebook: The Atheist Podcast

www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

We’re back! Erin and Kelley took a month long hiatus where they highlighted two very special episodes from the early days of (A)Theist. Now we’re back with all-new episodes and awesome plans for the future!

In the first of a two part series, Erin walks Kelley and the audience through The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. 

Far from a traditional self-help book, The Let Them Theory offers extremely tangible, realistic methods for an individual to discover happiness, clear themselves from self-doubt, and find a path to success.  Deeply rooted in the concept of stoicism (one of Erin’s favorite philosophies), author Mel Robbins suggests that we should stop wasting time on the things - and PEOPLE - we cannot control.

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

Instagram: @atheistpodcast

Facebook: The Atheist Podcast

www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

Kelley and Erin are still working on new episodes in the background. In the meantime, please enjoy the second (A)Theist Encore!

This week we’re replaying our conversation with New York Times best selling author Oliver Burkeman.

A world-renowned journalist, Oliver has published several popular books including:

• HELP!: How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done

• The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking

• Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

He also published a weekly column for The Guardian for over a decade called “This Column Will Change Your Life.”

Writing with a scientifically-based approach to self-help, philosophy, and the psychology of time management and happiness, Oliver took precious time out of his life to help our fledgling podcast VERY early in our production run. 

He specifically discusses his most famous book: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. The premise is simple: Our lives last approximately 4,000 weeks; perhaps we should slow down and prioritize what matters most to each of us.

We are eternally grateful to Oliver for gracing us with his time and brilliance and hope our audience enjoys this replay!

Also, we’ve got a new project in the works that involves Oliver Burkeman’s most recent book. Check out the details at www.atheistpodcast.com/oliverburkeman! 

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

https://www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

Presenting “(A)Theist Encores” where we highlight previous episodes that are fan favorites AND carry significant weight today!

Our first encore highlights Dr. Belden Lane, a retired Professor of Theology from St. Louis University. Dr. Lane offers a unique perspective to all things religion, specifically focusing on finding God in non-traditional places. He authored Backpacking with the Saints: Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice” where he highlights the spiritual journeys he has taken in natural areas throughout the world.

Dr. Lane was our very first interview, recorded back in March 2023 and premiered on the day of our podcast’s initial launch: July 3, 2023. To date, this is our most played episode and the one that influenced every conversation we’ve had since our start. You’ll hear mentions of names, places, theories, and concepts that we cover in more detail in later episodes.

On a personal note, as you’ll hear us talking at the beginning, Erin and Kelley are both moving through some challenges; revisiting Belden offers a solace: His vulnerability and openness become powerful moments during the interview and provide strength and meaning to everyone: theist, atheist, or somewhere in between.

We hope all of you enjoy revisiting this early episode as much as we did!

Be sure to visit www.atheistpodcast.com/episodes/beldenlane to learn more about this phenomenal person!

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We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions!  

Contact us at [email protected]. 

https://www.atheistpodcast.com 

(A)Theist is produced by Trend Media STL.  Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

Becky Garrison is an American author, storyteller, journalist, and of most interest to Kelley and Erin, a religious satirist!  Her incisive commentary on faith, culture, and spirituality is bolstered by her extensive background, including a MDiv from Yale Divinity, a MSW from Columbia, and publishing with The Wittenberg Door since 1994.

On (A)Theist, Becky shares the importance of satire in modern religious movements, essentially arguing that the satirist provides the much-needed reflection that keeps movements (in this case, churches) healthy for everyone. Becky also introduces us to the concept of a spiritual narcissist. We’re confident a number of people in our audience have encountered these individuals!

Becky’s recently published Jesus Died for This?: A Satirist Searches for the Risen Christ (2024) points specifically to a number of instances in which churches had the ability to take a firm stand against injustices but actively chose not to.

In 2026, Becky will publish Gaslighting for God: A Satricial Guide to Saving Yourself from Spiritual Narcissists through Lake Drive Books. The book has an active Kickstarter; become a backer today!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gaslighting/gaslighting-for-god-by-becky-garrison?ref=project_link

And find more links to Becky’s works on www.atheistpodcast.com/episodes/50.

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(A)theist is produced by STLPodcasts and Trend Media STL.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

www.atheistpodcast.com

Contact: [email protected]