Episode 7: The Atheist's Prayer: Healing Religious Trauma with Nicholas Howland

This episode of the JOA Publishing Podcast features JOA author and plastic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Howland, whose book The Atheist's Prayer: A Memoir of Gratitude traces his journey from twice being excommunicated from the LDS church and walking away from God, to rebuilding his life through radical self-honesty, healing, and self-love. In a vulnerable, truth-telling conversation, Nicholas and host Keira Brinton talk about religious trauma, the way excommunication shatters your sense of worth, and how years of numbing, overworking, and self-abandonment can finally give way to inner freedom. Nicholas shares how therapy, breathwork, plant medicine, and daily "me time" helped him uncover the self-love that was always there—and how his story is a lifeline for anyone who feels abandoned by God, community, or themselves and needs to know they are never truly alone. Host: Keira Brinton Guest: Dr. Nicholas Howland Websites: keirabrinton.com | joapublishing.com | drnicholashowland.com Instagram: @keirabrinton | @joapublishing | @drnicholashowland Best Quotes: "At the end of the day, they're missing the whole point. It's self-love. It comes from nowhere else." "You are never alone, ever." "I don't think that self-love is this thing that we create. I think it's there. It is innate and it's been there from the day you were born." #selflove #religiondetox #healingreligionstrauma #faithjourney #authorship #joapublishing #calling If you're ready to write the book you're called to write, start now with Keira's free course: The Book Activator — https://go.keirabrinton.com/minibookactivator When you feel the nudge that it's time to stop circling your book and step fully into authorship, I invite you into The Author Threshold Workshop. This is a live activation for those who know their book isn't just a project—it's a calling. A threshold is a doorway. And when you step through it, everything begins to move. Join me here: 👉 https://go.keirabrinton.com/author-threshold-workshop