Chasing Joy is a podcast about the pursuit of joy in the midst of real life — with all its unfolding, obstacles, and unexpected turns. Hosted by Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne, each episode blends honest conversation, personal stories, and thoughtful reflections on how we show up to ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us.
Along the way, they’re joined by guests who bring their own inspiring — and sometimes heartbreaking — stories of resilience, loss, hope, and transformation. Their experiences open space for all of us to learn, reflect, and discover new ways of living with authenticity, purpose, and joy.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Most of us know we spend too much time on our phones. Very few of us know what to do about it, and quitting has not worked for anybody.
Co-hosts Spencer, Wayne and Bryan spend this episode on screen time, phone addiction, and what mindfulness actually asks of us once the novelty of a digital detox wears off. Spencer teaches college students who tell him out loud that they know their phones are a problem and that they cannot help themselves. Wayne gets a screen time report every month and spends the first few seconds arguing with the number instead of acting on it. Bryan has two sixteen year olds at home, one with a healthy relationship to technology and one who is confident they have one.
The turn comes when Spencer stops treating the phone like cigarettes and starts treating it like food. You do not quit food. You get honest about what you take in. Wayne brings the Buddhist teaching on nutriments to meet it, four kinds of food we consume, and the thing about a seed is that it only grows if you feed it.
A quarter of your day is feeding something. This hour is about whether you chose it.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
12 Aug 2026
Spirituality vs. Religion: The Shell and the Egg
Spirituality may be hardwired into human biology. That's the research behind this week's conversation... scientists put people in MRI machines and played back recordings of their own spiritual experiences. A region tied to stress and the sense of self went quiet. And the researcher behind it, Dr. Lisa Miller, has spent two decades showing that people with strong spiritual lives are markedly more resilient to depression and addiction.
So after years of dancing around the topic (with a certified spiritual director in the room), Bryan, Spencer, and Wayne finally go there. Where is the line between spirituality and religion? Spencer's answer takes one word. Wayne's runs through Enneagram training, monkey mind, the 110 tabs open in every head, and a practice as simple as following the next breath. The conversation covers religion as the shell an egg needs before it hatches, why even the people the world writes off still need to be fed, and what it might look like to teach inner life the way schools teach math.
If the word spirituality makes you flinch, this episode is for you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
5 Aug 2026
Befriending Anxiety: Mindfulness, New Rhythms, and a Summer of Change
After a summer away, we're back with a conversation about anxiety, mindfulness, and what it takes to stop outrunning your own feelings. Spencer arrives on opening day of Santa Barbara's Fiesta, and the three of us trade what the break held. For Bruyan, that was launching the alpha of JoyFindr, the app this show has been shaping through years of conversations... and handing it to my mom, who is navigating Alzheimer's. Three weeks in, she told me it gave her permission to paint. Wayne is building a new rhythm inside a new job, using the Buddhist five remembrances to stay with the feelings he has spent a lifetime escaping. And Spencer said yes to everything... a David Arquette movie, three weeks without cell reception, and the grief that was waiting for him when the momentum slowed. An episode about rhythm, limits, and the difference between chasing joy and chasing escape. Welcome back to Chasing Joy.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Contact Chasing Joy
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Chasing Joy?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
