Big G Talks

Julie Berry grew up Catholic in Argentina — baptized, first communion, church every Saturday. Then a priest told her, at age 10, that missing Mass because her parents wouldn’t drive her was ‘a capital sin.’ That moment cracked something open. In this episode of Big G Talks, Julie walks through her entire faith journey: the hypocrisy she witnessed in church as a kid, two decades spent exploring yoga, Buddhism, and Deepak Chopra’s teachings, the sudden loss of her father that left her feeling furthest from God, and the answered prayers that kept bringing her back. We talk about what she loves and struggles with in scripture, why she doesn’t attend church today, and how she’s built a daily relationship with God entirely on her own terms.

Timestamps:
 0:00 Intro — meet Julie Berry
 0:46 Growing up Catholic in Argentina
 1:54 The line her mom drew: birth control and Opus Dei
 3:53 ‘That’s a capital sin’ — confession at age 10
 6:09 Witnessing hypocrisy in church
 7:47 Walking away from Catholicism — yoga, Buddhism, and a God without guilt
 11:02 Teaching spirituality and the start of manifestation
 14:04 Discovering Deepak Chopra’s yoga school
 16:51 Divorce, loneliness, and a friend’s kindness
 18:03 Trying church again in Colorado — too crowded
 22:31 Her most distant moment: her father’s death
 27:31 Her closest moment: moving to Denver for herself
 28:33 Her daily relationship with God today
 32:16 The book that changed her life at age 13
 34:43 Defining God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
 40:19 Two stories of answered prayer
 44:01 What she loves — and struggles with — in scripture
 46:22 Why she doesn’t go to church now
 49:53 Is there such a thing as a sin-free day?
 52:28 Finding purpose through teaching
 54:58 Closing thoughts and where to find Julie

If this conversation resonated, subscribe for more honest faith stories on Big G Talks — and let us know in the comments: when have you felt furthest from God, and what brought you back?

Ever prayed for something and gotten total silence back? In this episode of Big G Talks, I get honest about the prayers of mine that never got answered — and the ones that did. We cover why treating faith like a transactional relationship with God is a trap, the difference between selfish prayers and prayers to be helpful, why scripture never actually promises all your prayers will be answered, and a personal story about a prayer that got answered in a way I didn't expect.

Timestamps:
 0:00 Intro — Episode 5: Unanswered Prayers
 0:26 Point 0: Faith isn't transactional
 1:14 Confession: testing God with prayers
 2:31 Point 1: The types of unanswered prayers
 3:13 1a — Selfish prayers vs. prayers to help others
 8:18 1b — Wrong direction, right silence
 10:13 1c — Chasing results vs. the journey
 12:15 Point 2: Scripture never promises every prayer gets answered
 15:23 Point 3: Get curious, not discouraged
 16:32 Point 4: The prayer that got answered (a serial-dating confession)
 19:56 A theory on which prayers get answered

If this episode helped you think differently about prayer, subscribe for more honest conversations about faith — and drop a comment with a prayer of yours that wasn't answered the way you expected.

Episode 4: Why loving Jesus is hard for me.

This one's less structured than usual — I sat down to write out why loving Jesus feels so difficult for me personally, and it turned into a waterfall of reasons. So instead of saving the big realization for the end like I planned, I moved it up front. This might end up being part one of a series.

What I get into:
- Why I'm a perfectionist and a control freak about faith, and how that makes we want a "right answer" for what loving Jesus even looks like
- Why obeying Jesus's teachings — especially loving my neighbor — feels so awkward in real life (yes, there's a bit about literally knocking on my neighbor's door to say "I love you")
- Why Jesus can feel like he's stuck 2000 years in the past, and why it's easier to feel love from a friend who says "I love you, man" today than from Scripture written centuries ago
- Why I think I'm just bad at love in general — awkward expressing it, afraid of giving too much, and putting "love" on a pedestal I don't feel like I can reach
- The fear that if I tell Jesus I love him, it's somehow fake or transactional — like I'm just trying to get something out of it
- Wrestling with "faith without works is dead" vs. the idea that the sacrifice on the cross already covers it — and landing on the idea that maybe love is just having faith that the sacrifice actually happened

This is Big G Talks: real people, real faith, told honestly — including when it's genuinely hard.

🌐 www.BigGTalks.com

#BigGTalks #Faith #Christianity #ChristianPodcast #spirituality

Episode 3: This is Big G Talks' first interview episode — I sit down with comedian, writing coach, and published author Mimi Hayes.

Mimi rates her belief in "God" a 2.5 out of 10 — but that number doesn't tell the whole story. We get into her philosophy of a "source energy" that runs through everyone, why she calls herself a "recovering Catholic," and the two brain hemorrhages (nine years apart) that made her rethink everything about mortality, purpose, and faith.

What we get into:
- Why Mimi believes in "source energy" instead of a "big guy in the sky"
- Surviving two brain hemorrhages — the first at 22, an unexpected second one years later — and what it's actually like to think you might die
- Family ghost stories: a broken garage fan that turns itself on, and what that means about energy after death
- The "eight grams theory" and why she believes souls can have unfinished business
- Growing up Catholic, the guilt and shame that came with it, and why she now calls herself spiritual rather than religious
- Finding her purpose as a storyteller — from wanting to be an actor as a kid, to teaching, to standup comedy, to now working on a documentary
- A very honest, very funny story about praying over croissants on a first date

By the end of the conversation, Mimi's own number moves from 2.5 to 3.5 — proof that just talking about this stuff can shift things.

This is Big G Talks: real people, real faith (or lack of it), told honestly.

Find Mimi:
🌐 writingwithmimi.com
📸 Instagram: search "Mimi Hayes' Brain"

🌐 www.BigGTalks.com

#BigGTalks #Faith #Spirituality #Interview #MimiHayes

Episode 2: Should you put your faith in "the universe" — or in Jesus?

I spent 15 years (age 19 to 34) believing in "the universe" as my higher power instead of God. In this episode I walk through the real pros and cons of both — no judgment, just my honest experience — and then share the personal story of how I ended up choosing a relationship with Christ instead.

What we get into:

• The cons of believing in "the universe" as God — it's vague, and for me, it got lonely

• The one real pro of believing in the universe (and why it's more compelling than people admit)

• Why church left a bad taste in my mouth, and how that pushed me away from God for over a decade

• The pros of faith in Christ — specific teachings, grace, forgiveness, and yes, even the "self-help" angle

• The real con of choosing Christ: you can't fully avoid the church

• My own journey — growing up attending church out of obligation, 15 years exploring the universe, meditation, and other philosophies, and finally coming back to faith in Christ at 35

This isn't a sermon. It's just a regular person's honest attempt to figure out real-life spirituality, out loud.

🌐 www.BigGTalks.com

Chapters:
0:00 Christ or the universe? Setting up the question
1:25 Believing in "the universe": the cons
2:44 Believing in "the universe": it gets lonely
3:36 The one pro of believing in the universe
4:26 Why church left a bad taste in my mouth
5:33 Pros and cons of believing in Christ
7:06 Pro: specific teachings, grace, and forgiveness
7:53 "God and Jesus love me more than I hate myself"
9:00 Con: you can't fully escape the church
11:00 Christ, self-help, and real life
12:25 My story: church as a kid, 15 years chasing "the universe"
14:41 How I came back to faith in Christ at 35
16:37 Closing thoughts

#BigGTalks #Faith #Spirituality #Christianity #ChristianPodcast

Welcome to Big G Talks — a new podcast about real faith, real people, and real life.

In this short intro episode, I explain what Big G Talks is all about: honest conversations with everyday people — not just pastors or platform-builders — about what it actually looks like to pursue a relationship with God in ordinary life. Whether you're a mechanic, a mom, or just someone trying to figure out your own faith, this show is for you.

What is Big G Talks? A podcast about real-life spirituality.
Why Big G Talks? Because that honest, unpolished story is missing from most faith content today.
Who's talking? Regular people — not professionals selling a brand or image.
When do new episodes drop? Whenever life (and guests) allow — stay tuned.

More episodes coming soon. Thanks for being here from day one.

🌐 www.biggtalks.com

#BigGTalks #Faith #Spirituality #Podcast #ChristianPodcast