Conversations with Whitney R. Simpson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney R. Simpson. Them and their team share their story with us below:

She began her popular prayer and meditation podcast in January 2020, Exploring Peace Meditations. People have meditated with Whitney and Exploring Peace over 52,000 times in over 115 countries in the past 94 episodes.

You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

As a soul care practitioner, she helps others reach their fullest human potential as they explore the gift of God’s peace.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Leaning into my work offering embodied soul care has indeed been bumpy! My health continues to be a priority in my life. In order to do the work I am invited to do, I must prioritize and care for my body and spirit as well. It takes discipline to prioritize for myself what I love to offer others – space, presence, wholeness, embodiment.- all of that is soul care. Before my stroke, I never considered going slow on purpose.

I never imagined engaging in regular meditation practice. I never thought yoga could help me physically, mentally, and spiritually. After my stroke, due to chronic pain and severe anxiety, I was desperate enough to try anything and everything! And so, yoga and meditation practices became vital to my healing process. Seventeen years later, this December (when I turn 48), I still prioritize these in my life so that I can feel healthy and whole – inside and out.

I’m passionate about sharing the benefits of these practices with all people because of how they have impacted my life. And I have had to help people understand there’s no reason to be afraid of yoga, meditation, or the energy of our amazing bodies!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love creating! I’ve just published my second book, Fully Human, Fully Divine: An Advent Devotional for the Whole Self, inviting Christians to use their bodies to connect with their Creator during the season of Advent (the four weeks before Christmas). I love helping people become more intuitive about listening to their bodies. Our world pushes us to go fast, do more, multitask, and not pay attention to the body we live in. It’s no wonder we struggle to pay attention or hear what our body’s wisdom may be offering us each day. But it is possible! It just takes practice. My first book gives practical tools for this as well, Holy. Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit is a 40-day devotional inviting you to use your whole body to connect with God through yoga, aromatherapy, breath prayers, and more. I love creating and am really excited about some future writing projects currently in the works.

My meditation podcast began with a $25 microphone from Amazon and has been recorded in my closet for the past two and a half years! I never fathomed it reaching over 50,000 people in over 115 countries already (there are 94 episodes) who choose to pray and meditate with me. It began because a yoga client asked if she could have a copy of a meditation I read to her in a session. I explained to her, I did not read that meditation but created it for her session.

From there, she told me she wished she could tuck my voice and that meditation in her pocket and take it with her anyway. That statement invited me to ponder her request and so I began recording my meditations to share – for free. The timing was perfect in that the podcast began before the pandemic, a time when people needed it most. It’s been such a privilege to companion with people I will never get to meet. I even received a message from a hospital chaplain across the country who was playing the meditations for their patients at the height of the pandemic, when they were spread too thin to pray themselves.

In addition to time creating, I meet regularly with private clients from all over the world for monthly soul care sessions – connecting body and spirit, asking questions, slowing down on purpose, and exploring energy, movement, breath, prayer, and meditation.

While I may have dreamt about being an author when I was a kid, I never really pondered becoming a yoga teacher or spiritual director. My undergraduate degree is in Mass Communications from Middle Tennessee State University and I minored in Speech and Sociology. Before my stroke, I worked in both television and non-profits. But my health crisis led me to seminary and then yoga teacher training. Today, I use my degree not only for creating podcasts but also for my writing. My education and experiences connect beautifully with the creative work I get to do each day! I grew up in rural South Carolina and moved to Tennessee to attend college at MTSU. I fell in love with this state and my neighbor. We married after college and have been here ever since.

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
I am passionate about creating a safe space for all people – in body and spirit. After my health crisis, I understood what it felt like to be alone, isolated, and disconnected, from myself and others. That healing time gave me an appreciation for prioritizing safe space for myself and later for others on their healing journeys.

I long to offer safe spaces for people wherever I am – in my closet recording a podcast, in person or on Zoom with a private client, in my books and other writings, in a yoga session, at a retreat, or at a speaking event. Safe space and the trust of others are vital in the healing journey. I long to be the kind of person that others look to when they need a safe space to be themselves. It’s not always easy but it is a privilege.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.ExploringPeace.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/WhitneyRSimpson
• Facebook: Facebook.com/WhitneyRSimpson
• Twitter: Twitter.com/WhitRSimpson
• Other: http://www.WhitneyRSimpson.com

Image Credits
FemForce Nashville