EP #40 | Atheist Spirituality: She Went to Theology School and Lost Her Faith | Britt Hartley

Britt Hartley, a secular spirituality advocate and former Mormon, joins Nicole to discuss how core values shape belief systems more than facts. She discusses why leaving religion often feels like losing a community and how embracing a spiritual, but not religious, life can bring joy free from dogma. Britt shares her journey from faith to atheism, highlighting how culture and core values influence beliefs. The episode delves into the cherry-picking of scripture to justify harmful beliefs and offers a secular framework for finding meaning and authenticity. 

Host: Nicole Spencer

Guest: Britt Hartley

Executive Producers: 

Glenn Milley https://www.instagram.com/goforglenn 

and 

Bessie Fong https://www.instagram.com/bessiefong

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ABOUT THE GUEST:  

Britt Hartley is an atheist spiritual director with a Masters Degree in Theology. She is the author of the book No Nonsense Spirituality and focuses on religious deconstruction, nihilism recovery, feminist spirituality, and secular spirituality. 

https://www.instagram.com/nononsensespirituality/

https://www.tiktok.com/@nononsensespirituality

https://www.youtube.com/@nononsensespirituality

ABOUT THE HOST:

Nicole Spencer is the host and curator of Spirituality for Skeptics, a show that explores the shift from doubt to belief through raw, transformative conversations. Raised without spirituality or religion, she never expected to find herself on this path. In her mid-30s, mentors and personal experiences opened her to curiosity about the unseen, inspiring her to create a space where others could explore freely without dogma or prescription.

Before launching the show, Nicole built and sold two coaching companies at different stages of her career. Most recently, she scaled a business coaching brand to 8-figures in six years, generating over $13 million in that time. The success was rewarding and she remains grateful for it, but even at the height of achievement she sensed there was something more. Stepping away, she turned her focus to the deeper pursuit of peace, fulfillment, and meaning.

Through unpolished, emotionally honest stories, Spirituality for Skeptics offers a rare space for those who doubt but long to believe.