Simple Spirituality with Jeremy Hoover, Sarnia, ON (2026)

06/21/2022

What happens when you move from being "stuck" to "unstuck"?

"Ryan" came to me one day for a coaching session. We had done this before, so he knew what to expect.

So I was surprised when he said he didn't have a topic to talk about.

I knew there was more beneath the surface, so I asked him what was happening in his life or career.

He then proceeded to talk...for 45 minutes...about one co-worker who was a thorn in his side.

When he finally came up for air, I asked him this: "What do you want?"

The question may seem unrelated, but it isn't. It required Randy to move past complaining to clarify what he really wanted.

After some discussion, he decided that what he really wanted was a new job. The co-worker was a smokescreen, hiding what he really wanted behind relational conflict.

We were able to continue talking about what a job transition would look like for him.

This is what coaching does. It peels back layers of self until you vision your true values. Only then can you align your life activities with your values.

So let me ask you one question for today:

What do *you* want?

And, if I can help you talk through it, comment below or DM me.

(Story shared with client's permission.)

-----

I'm Jeremy, a certified coach.

Helping people “unstick” themselves is the anchor of my coaching practice.

I do this by helping nonprofit leaders, church leaders (pastors), spiritual business owners and practitioners, and stressed out salespeople slay self-sabotage by visioning their values and aligning their activities for balance and personal growth.

Want to talk to me about some of the ways you are stuck and how you can move beyond "stuckness"?

Send me a DM and let's talk.

06/15/2022

The biggest challenge when you feel "stuck" is that you probably have too many options in front of you.

When people want to make changes in their lives, they often think too big when they should be thinking more granularly.

For example, someone who wants to lose weight might set the following goals

- Go to the gym
- Eat better
- Drink only water

Leaving aside that these goals aren't specific at all, you can probably see that they are just too comprehensive and undefined to be of any help.

So, this person might go to the gym and set up a membership -- but not know what kind of routine to get on.

This person might decide to have a salad for lunch -- but not deal with the junk food that is still in the house and calling to them every night.

This person might drink water with all of their meals but get caught going for a drink after work -- that becomes two or three drinks filled with empty calories.

Instead, achieving goals often means doing some pre-planning and creating small action steps that will become habits.

For example,

If you are tempted to hit the bar with coworkers or friends after work, decide instead that you will hit the gym after work (and tell your friends, and ask them to support you).

At the gym, decide that you will walk on the treadmill for an hour. (You can always find a new routine later.)

If you want to eat better, decide to toss the junk food from your house and not snack after your evening meal.

Small, granular steps like these help you to build sustainable habits. It is not necessary, in my opinion, to flesh every goal out as a SMART goal -- but you do need concrete, actionable steps you will take each day.

If this resonates with you and you'd like to get some help moving forward with small steps toward your goals, get in touch with me. You can DM me, email me at jeremy AT jeremyhoover DOT com, or use the link in the comments below.

06/14/2022

Any minimalists here?

I’ve been on a spiritual journey for the past several months. Part of my spiritual growth has me leaning into my ascetical tendencies. This has led me to read about minimalism.

I’ve been familiar with minimalism for some time. I began, almost twenty years ago, trying to pursue a simpler life. I took up simple hobbies, tried to restrict the amount of new stuff I bought, and tempered my desires for big houses and fast cars.

But minimalism was never something I could take too seriously. I wanted to declutter (and did at times), but I found minimalism very restrictive, with people celebrating living with less than 100 things or posting pictures of a living with a futon in it. (One futon wouldn’t even sit my whole family.)

Yet, I find myself continuing to circle back to minimalism.

I’m intrigued by the idea of not letting “stuff” own or control me. I was inspired by Fumio Sasaki’s book, “Goodbye, Things,” to break the hold consumerism had over me.

And, to this day, I think I’m doing well with my goals. We are a one vehicle family, and it’s definitely not a sports car! We have a small house that suits our family well. We homeschool our kids and get to spend lots of time together as a family. We have a lot in a community garden where we grow some of our own food. We are conscious about waste.

But my real problem is my hobbies. requires you to accumulate some things. I play Magic the Gathering and Pokemon and I read comics. I also read books. This all means that I have accumulated a lot of…stuff.

I’ve been able to part ways with some of my books–mostly by donation, some by selling. But the rest…well, they take up space.

What I *need* to do is go through the rest of my books, DVDs, and comics and pare down…significantly.

What I *want* to do is ignore it and hope it all goes away.

What are some of your tips (minimalists, especially) for not bringing more stuff in?

06/10/2022

Today's theme: Loneliness.

This may say more about myself than you. But I hope you'll find value in my words.

I had two interesting conversations yesterday with End of Life Doulas (thank you, Janet Pillay and Susie Ruth). It brought me back to my time as pastor when I worked with traditional churches.

It took me awhile to clue in that churches are often places of loneliness. This is especially pronounced at the time of death, when some families yearn for someone to walk alongside them and be present with them in their grief.

But, many church members, and even pastors, are uncomfortable with this. So they stay away...and the ones grieving stay lonely.

I wonder if this is also the case for digital nomads...

or solo entrepreneurs...

or employees working behind an office door or the walls of a cubicle...

or stay-at-home parents who take care of children all day...

or people are depressed...or grieving...or anxious...

Loneliness is a burden. I've been there. I stand with you.

If you need to chat, or want some encouragement, comment below. Or, DM me -- my DMs are open to those who need some healing hope.

Blessings.

06/09/2022

I've been talking more and more with spiritual business owners, and I've learned one thing...

Running a spiritual business is hard!

Spiritual practitioners are dedicated to serving those who come to them. That means

- Building your empathic nature

- Depleting your energy to help fill up someone else's energy

- Being available when your clients are available

- Helping those you serve walk through difficult, and sometimes traumatic, emotions and experiences

All of these are wonderful services you offer...but all of these can leave you feeling exhausted, tired, and empty.

It's ironic that many healing and spiritual practitioners do not understand the importance of self-care.

Or, if they understand, they don't practice.

It's an easy temptation to fall into--using our gifts to help others is so important, but collapsing in a heap at the end of the day is not healthy.

Spiritual business owners need to prioritize their self-care. They can do so by

- Connecting daily with nature

Go for a walk, sit under a tree, smell flowers, or stand with your feet connected to the earth. All of these practices will help to ground you.

- Building space into your day for yourself

If your modality normally takes 60 minutes, build at least 90 minutes (and preferably 120 minutes) for each appointment. That way, if an appointment starts or runs late, you still have time to refocus and recharge before your next appointment.

- Cultivating your own daily practice

Whether it's journaling, meditation, sacred reading, or whatever, do not let it slip when you become busy or stressed. Create simple habits that you can stick to.

- Finding a coach

This last one is admittedly self-serving, but I would love to help any spiritual business owner who feels stuck, confused, or overwhelmed. Together, we will work on YOU -- and your own self-care. (Scheduling link, if you are ready, is in the comments.)

What would you add to this list?

06/08/2022

Ever have one of those days where you yearn for a reset?

Yesterday, by 10:30am, I had already had one of those days!

I woke up, had my morning coffee, and began feeling a headache creep in. I spent some time with my kids (we homeschool them), got on a call with a friend, then sat down to start chipping away at my to-do list.

The headache had moved from visiting me to taking up residence in my head!

I could tell it was mostly going to be a lost day for me.

And I was ok with it.

Here is what you need to do when you realize your day has gotten away from you.

- Be gentle with yourself.

There is no point in getting frustrated with yourself, stressing yourself out, and trying to catch up. Yes, you should do your best, and if you're still at work, not cheat your employer. Keep working as hard as you can, but be gentle with yourself, giving yourself lots of grace for not getting done what you wanted to, but celebrating what you were able to do.

- Do what you can.

There is always a big project looming, work on the desk, or appointments to keep. Sometimes, following through with an appointment means you will have to let some busier work go until the next day. Do what you can and be happy with it.

- Take your big priorities and schedule them elsewhere in your week.

If you've fallen behind because of a headache or because something else has jammed you up, you will not be able to catch up on that day. Protect your mental health. Look at your calendar for the rest of the week (or next), prioritize what must be done quickly and what can be delegated out, and push some of those items until later in the week.

- Go for a walk.

Sometimes, just getting out of your office or workspace, walking for 30 minutes, and clearing your head will do wonders. You might even find that you are not as overwhelmed as you thought you were! Take initiative and take care of yourself by doing something that is healthy and good for you.

Being overwhelmed at times happens to everyone and is nothing to be ashamed of.

Take care of yourself, be gentle with yourself, and do your best.

06/07/2022

The scariest thing in the world isn't the dark, or snakes, or even speaking in public.

Do you know what the scariest thing in the world is?

It's making a decision to change and grow.

Complacency is one of the biggest challenges, and threats, to growth there is.

- It's easier to stay home and watch TV instead of going to the gym.

- It's easier to bite your tongue and say nothing instead of standing up for yourself in a work environment.

- It's easier to order pizza instead of getting up, going shopping, and doing the work to prepare your own healthy food.

So when we find ourselves in these spots where we know that things need to change and be different, the fear of change takes over and we look for the easiest solution to get through it.

This fear is so subtle that we often don't even realize it.

Then, when growth opportunities arise, we tend to self-sabotage because it is easier than doing the harder work to grow.

One of the reasons you default to this is because your values aren't clarified. You think they are, but what happens when fear rises up is that you default to what you really believe about yourself.

- I deserve to watch TV.

- I'm not worth sticking up for at work.

- I'm an unhealthy person.

But this isn't the truth. These are limiting beliefs. They are false beliefs that you have about yourself.

And real, true, lasting change comes by changing these limiting beliefs first...and behaviours second.

(We often reverse these. We try to change behaviours first. But until we attack our limiting beliefs and change them first, our behaviours will not align.)

In coaching, we find that the topic the client comes with is often masking the inner work of challenging and changing limiting beliefs that must be done first.

In coaching, we strip away these limiting beliefs and empower you to ideate your true values in a way that lets you align your activities and behaviours with your true values.

If this post describes you, or if you're ready to take this challenge on, contact me--DM me here or email me at jeremy AT jeremyhoover DOT com and let's talk.

06/06/2022

Remember when Donald Rumsfeld said something like, "There are things you don't know that you don't know, and there are things you don't know that you know"?

That's the kind of philosophy that works for good coaching!

Our values can be mysterious things. There are many times where you think you have a handle on your values and are living according to them, but then when real life hits, you act opposite of what you think your values are.

Your stated values are likely different from your deeply-held values.

We often construct what we think are our values from other sources--what we think our family wants, what our job expects from us, how we can fit comfortably into society.

But when challenged, these values don't always hold up.

Coaching helps you peel back these layers to discover what is most important to you and what you really believe.

Frustration comes when you sense that your actions are not aligned with your values.

You work a job you don't really enjoy, you tolerate friends that you don't really like, and you stay in toxic relationships because you think you should.

But it doesn't have to be this way!

You can have the life that you dream about and desire in the moments before you fall asleep at night.

I recently coached someone who came to the session with a topic in mind. (This happens almost every time!) As we talked, and this person began to gain clarity around their topic, it was obvious that more was happening below the surface.

So, our conversation shifted--we began to explore this person's values, beliefs, and motives.

A shift happened, and this person was able to identify some limiting beliefs and let go of them. They emerged with some solid action items to work on.

If you're stuck, in over your head, struggling to find meaning, or working a job you don't enjoy and feeling like there *has* to be more, DM me or email me at jeremy AT jeremyhoover DOT com. Let's talk.

06/03/2022

Being authentic and true to yourself is a difficult skill to master.

Yes, I believe it is a skill.

It's definitely an attitude, mindset, and way of being.

Part of the challenge is that we are conditioned, from a young age, to conform to what others expect of us.

For a long time, I did "Christian things" because I knew it was expected of me and I wanted to be a good Christian.

But I began to see the harm in that. I began to peel back some of the control that was inherent in a system of cultured expectations.

I began to see that while people *appeared* to be good, healthy Christians, underneath the surface, they were struggling...with fear, anxiety, doubts...and they didn't know what to do because to raise those questions and concerns was to cast a shadow on yourself that would cause some to question your worthiness.

So these hurting people keep their hurts bottled up because...it's expected of them.

(Please note that I am not saying that "Christianity" is like this. Yes, some iterations are. But I am making a larger point about expectations and what happens when we live by others' expectations.)

I wish more churches were open to people who are hurting, doubting, or skeptical. I'm thankful for the ones that are.

But in the meantime, the best we can do for ourselves and our own self-care is to come face-to-face with our own values and beliefs, and weigh those against the life we feel we *must* live.

Are your values and beliefs true to that? If not, are you sacrificing your values and beliefs for that?

True healing is found where and when you know who you are and live according to that truth.

You discover (or uncover or recover) your own values and beliefs, and then begin making adjustments in your life to align your activities with those (newly) visioned values.

Sometimes you've been living by others' expectations for so long that you don't even know what your own values and beliefs are.

If this is you, reach out and book a free, 30 minute conversation with me. (The scheduling link is in the comments.) I will help you discover your values and guide you to practices that will help you embed those values in your life.

06/02/2022

Living by fear is limiting.

I met with a friend recently who spoke in categories of fear.

- "The government is trying to control us..."

- "If the PCs win the next election, we're all doomed..."

- "My church can't participate in [community event] because some people might get the wrong idea..."

Each of these statements is limiting. Each statement does nothing but hold us back.

We need to live in the land of possibility. Instead of fear, there is hope.

Instead of worrying about what the government supposedly won't let you do, live by your priorities in ways that you can.

Instead of being fearful about the next election, focus on who you can help and serve right now.

Instead of holding back in fear, love and serve your community according to your values.

When we let ourselves be defined by fear, we will always come up short. We will always struggle to move forward.

Fear is limiting. Fear contrasts with our values. Fear places blame.

Instead, we ought to take responsibility for who we are and what we can do (each of us), and then do that work as best we can.

Let go of fear. Live by your values and let your values define you.

If you are ready to do this--to do the hard work of taking responsibility for yourself and not blaming others in fear--DM me here or schedule a free 30-minute discovery session.

Let's talk and see how we can get you moving in the right direction. (Link is in comments.)

06/01/2022

What "stones" mark important times in your life?

I went camping with my son, Dad, brother, and two nephews last weekend.

It was an important time for us. We were marking our first trip together, and our first camping trip together, since my mother passed earlier this year.

She loved camping, and we had been talking about a "men's trip" together at Christmas. She passed away early this year, and we decided to do the trip in her honour.

The trip was fun. It was good to be together. It was good to be in nature.

(I was helped in this by actually forgetting my phone and being for the weekend!)

We spent some time reminiscing about Mom while sitting around the campfire. We told stories and even cried a little.

It was very good.

We may mark this as a yearly event, both to strengthen our bonds as a family and to remember and honour Mom.

In the Bible, as the Israelites moved throughout the wilderness, they marked important events with a stone altar. That way, whenever they came upon the altar, they had a story to tell future generations about how God had been good to them. (See Joshua 4:20-24)

These things helps us remember and mark important moments and events in our lives. We can refer to them as "stones," "rituals," or even "altars."

What are the important "stones" in your life?

If you need help discerning them, or working through them, let me know. As a life-balance guide, I help people sort out their life situations and infuse meaning through helpful practices. DM me here or email me at jeremy AT jeremyhoover DOT com to let's talk.

05/31/2022

Hey everyone - I appreciate all of you who read my writing. I hope it blesses you.

If you have found value in my writing, would you please do a couple of things for me?

1/ Share a post you especially enjoyed to you feed and ask people to "like" the page.

2/ Go to my page and leave a review/recommendation.

This will help me continue to build my audience. Thank you!

P.S. If you are in need of a spiritual life coach, or a work-balance guide, please message me. I can help you with this.

Simple Spirituality with Jeremy Hoover

06/21/2022

06/15/2022

06/14/2022

06/10/2022

06/09/2022

06/08/2022

06/07/2022

06/06/2022

06/03/2022

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05/31/2022

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