ABOUT THE REBEL SPIRIT RADIO PODCAST

MY GOALS AND VISION

Do you have a spiritual longing that isn’t fulfilled by traditional religion? Do you want to know more about the world’s religious and spiritual traditions but don’t know where to turn for information you can trust? Do you have a passion for philosophy? Do you want a healthier relationship with the planet and desire to contribute to a just society? Are you interested in creating a flourishing life for yourself and all members of the Earth community? My mission is to provide accurate information and engaging dialogue with authors, educators, artists, activists, and spiritual leaders that inspire your own personal journey. I invite you to join me in exploring the world’s wisdom traditions and nurture your own rebel spirit.

MEET THE HOST

N.S Mather

Host

Greetings! I’m Dr. Nick Mather, host of Rebel Spirit Radio. I have been studying philosophy and religion for over 30 years. I have a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in Religious Studies, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religion. Before starting on this journey, I worked as a writer for a small family-owned newspaper in a little mountain town, Manitou Springs, nestled in the foothills of Pike’s Peak–the nation’s purple mountain majesty.

During that time I was awarded two shared editorial writing awards from the Colorado Press Association. However, I decided journalism wasn’t for me, so I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and left the country. I rode a bicycle through Italy and France–with copies of Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces and Carlos Castaneda’s Journey to Ixtlan stuffed in my backpack–until the money ran out. Then I returned to Colorado where I crashed on a friend’s floor in Denver for a few months.

After moving to Denver I returned to school and earned an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Metropolitan State University of Denver. I then completed a graduate degree in Religious Studies from the University of Denver. I was also a staff member at the University of Denver for ten years, with my last position being the assistant instructional designer for their adult education program. As a graduate student, I participated in a service learning program in Nepal and in 2003 the university hired me to be the site director for the program. I returned to Nepal a third time in 2009 to study Sanskrit.

I moved to California in 2004 (though I have to admit, I missed Colorado every single day), and began teaching philosophy and religious studies courses at Pasadena City College and East Los Angeles College. I earned my doctorate in Philosophy and Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. My areas of specialty are environmental ethics (with an emphasis on virtue ethics), religion and ecology, and comparative religion and mysticism. I moved back to Denver in the summer of 2023. I like to say that I’m now back on the Front Range doing missionary work.

I decided to create Rebel Spirit Radio so I could utilize my background in journalism and breadth of knowledge in the world’s wisdom traditions to bring my audience credible information and engaging conversations with writers, artists, educators, activists, and spiritual leaders to help nurture their rebel spirit.