What True Spirituality Looks Like Beyond Religion | Shabana Serang

In this heartfelt Spiritual Ninja Podcast episode, Jonathan Hewitt speaks with Shabana Serang, known as The Mercy Queen, about growing up with a father who taught her that spirituality begins with love, mercy, and intention rather than judgment or labels.Shabana shares how conversations with her father shaped her understanding of faith, compassion, and human connection from an early age. She reflects on arriving at UC Berkeley, the pressure to fit into religious identities, and the realization that seeking acceptance from others led her away from her authentic self. Her journey is an honest reminder that true spirituality is not about becoming someone else, but returning to who you have always been.Together, Jonathan and Shabana explore forgiveness, discernment, mental health, trauma, purpose, and the balance between strength and compassion. They discuss how intention shapes our lives, why love should unite rather than divide us, and how healing begins by extending mercy not only to others, but also to ourselves.This is a soul-to-soul conversation about spiritual identity, authenticity, resilience, emotional healing, and the courage to live from the deepest truth within yourself.In this episode:Growing up with stories of Sufi saints and prophetic wisdomHow intention shapes a meaningful spiritual lifeFinding authenticity instead of seeking approvalFaith, identity, and belonging at UC BerkeleyThe balance between forgiveness and healthy boundariesMental health, depression, and learning to ask for helpThe influence of both parents on strength and compassionReligion, spirituality, and finding unity beyond labelsWhy mercy begins with yourself before it can be shared with othersLiving with purpose instead of external validationThe Spiritual Ninja Podcast is about awakening, healing, consciousness, courage, love, wisdom, and the practices that help us live with more peace, purpose, and connection.More about Shabana Serang (The Mercy Queen):YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMercyQueen/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shabanamarkar/Mercy Mindset: https://mercymindset.com/about/Miracles 4 Mercy: https://miracles4mercy.com/Mercy Mediterranean: https://mercymediterranean.com/Luna’s Halal Taqueria: https://www.lunashalaltaqueria.com/More about Jonathan, Life Ki-do, and Spiritual Ninja:https://lifekido.com/family-life-skills/https://spiritualninjapodcast.com/#SpiritualNinjaPodcast#ShabanaSerang#TheMercyQueen#SpiritualJourney#SpiritualIdentity#Authenticity#MentalHealth#EmotionalHealing#Faith#PersonalGrowth#Forgiveness#SelfDiscovery#ConsciousLiving#IntentionalLiving