Spiritual Conversation: My Story and FAQs
- Feb 12
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Spiritual Conversation could be for you if you’re struggling with existential questions, seeking to balance a busy life with spiritual/religious values, or simply wish to begin connecting with “the beyond,” whatever it means to you. Upon request, I also integrate this offering into Executive/Life Coaching.
You might be wondering how this will work. Will you feel safe telling me what you really think about controversial topics? What if we disagree about important subjects? What are my credentials to talk about this subject? I’m here to answer all your questions.
What is Anoma's story and her qualifications when it comes to spirituality & religion?
I was raised in an atheist family, where we never talked about religion, but as of today, many world religions have shaped my worldview and belief system.
I felt very sad and alone as a child. I experienced trauma, bereavement/grief, bullying, and depression. Having always been drawn to spirituality, around the age of 15 I turned to religion. I wondered, how did people thousands of years before me grapple with such sadness and despair? Soon, I found comfort in reading the theology of four major world religions, daily prayer, and visiting holy sites in my city, a melting pot of diverse cultures. I also started studying energy healing and traditional medicine.
A few years on, one of my most transformational experiences was a multi week retreat where I meditated 12+ hours a day, fasted, and took a vow of silence. Before the retreat, certain painful memories surfaced regularly, bringing me to tears, but I noticed that after the retreat, I could conjure these same memories with equanimity. The healing potential of contemplation awed me.
At college, I majored in Religious Studies, with two focus areas. The first was mystic traditions (those that seek connection with spiritual truth/divinity through contemplation). The second was the nexus of religion and political violence. I also studied four languages to read religious texts in their original forms, and personally explored religious communities of all kinds.
I ultimately turned my academic interest into my career. I spent years in international peacebuilding, supported refugees who had fled religious persecution, and designed a program to help LGBTQ youth reconnect - in a safe manner - with faiths that had excluded them.
As I pursued excellence professionally, I got distracted from spirituality on a personal level, leading to another great period of darkness. I became focused exclusively on external accomplishments, skipping meditation and straying from my purported values. I made prestigious career moves at the expense of my health and personal life, and ignored my body’s warning cues. As years passed, I became so riddled by chronic pain that I physically could not work anymore, and had to leave the workforce. This terrified me, but all I could do was be still and rehabilitate.
In the quiet of ‘doing nothing’ externally, a great internal shift was at play. A few months into accepting my situation and beginning recovery, I began having spiritual experiences that left me in complete wonder. I restarted my meditation practices in earnest. I found that the closer I drew to my values, the better my physical health also became. I felt deeply grateful to have stumbled across Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), which healed my inexplicable pain and transformed my relationship with my body.
Having had the privilege of pursuing such transformational healing, I yearned to give back. I undertook coursework in spiritual care, got certified in PRT, furthered my training in energy healing, and began clinical pastoral education (a secular work-training program in chaplaincy) at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. This involved being a listening ear for patients of all religions who were sick and/or dying, and helping them and their families process and make painful, complex decisions.
Eventually, I started my coaching practice because my dream was to do this same work for people in everyday settings. I especially wish to help those who feel lost, fearful, and downtrodden by life, because that’s something I can relate to deeply. I find true delight in making people feel seen and helping them reconnect to their inner flame – that internal spark from which joy, love, peace, intuition, and insight can spring.
What is Anoma's belief system or religion?
I don’t center my own religious identity in conversation unless you request that I share. I accompany people across many faiths, as well as those who identify as atheist, secular, questioning, or unaffiliated. My approach is rooted in deep listening, compassion, and respect for whatever spiritual or philosophical framework gives your life meaning.
If knowing more about my beliefs helps you feel comfortable, I’m happy to share more detail. For now, I can tell you that I have always been drawn towards mysticism, which is present in many faiths (including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism). Mysticism is a calling towards a deep, personal connection with the sacred and seeking truths through contemplation, beyond ordinary logic or sense perception. As described above in my story, I have learned tremendously from every religion I've had the privilege of studying.
Meditation is a big part of my spiritual practice. Values that inform my belief system include:
Compassion
Love
Acceptance
Service
Community
Presence
Mindfulness
Humility
Honesty
How is this different than Executive/Life Coaching?
Executive/Life Coaching focuses on goals, performance, next steps, and/or behavior change. Spiritual Conversation is oriented more towards making sense of meaning, integrating spirituality or ritual into your life, defining your relationship to the sacred, and/or talking through thorny religious questions.
Sometimes, spirituality comes up in discussion with my coaching clients who are spiritual or religious, but that is not the focus of our work. If you're interested in both coaching and spiritual conversation, we can certainly find a rhythm that suits your needs.
How does Anoma work with people who are very religious, grounded in a specific tradition?
Between my work in interfaith peacebuilding, chaplaincy, and coaching, I have productively worked with hundreds of people who consider themselves highly religious, even when their beliefs are fundamentally different than mine.
My goal in spiritual care is not to replace your tradition, texts, or religious leaders. I’m not here to convert anyone or universalize all religions. I don't claim to know for sure "how it all works." I feel profoundly connected to spiritual life and wish to create more space for that in this busy world.
In our intake call, I'll ask about your practices, your relationship to the divine, your favorite sources of theology, and what your religious community is like. As we work together, we will explore what you’re experiencing through those lenses. I'll accompany you using the values, rituals, and wisdom that feel authentic to you. And if I need additional context to support you well, I will spend time outside of sessions reading and learning as needed.
I’m here to listen deeply, ask thoughtful questions, and help you make sense of what you’re carrying, whether you identify as devout, questioning, culturally religious, or anything in between.
Book a free intro call to get started.