Sometimes I Feel Afraid to Trust Myself Because My Life Is Beginning to Call Me in a Different Direction — The Emotional and Spiritual Growth That Helped Me Trust My Higher Power and Discover My True Purpose
Episode of We! · October 20, 2026 · 1 h 32 min
Joe Mittiga reflects on trusting one's higher power, stages of consciousness, his addiction recovery, and a painful breakup that redirected his emotional healing.
Summary
In this solo episode of the WE Podcast, host Joe Mittiga discussed the fear of trusting oneself when life calls in a new direction. He described a practice of 'sacred silence' he had kept for about ten weeks, during which he worked a large Disney jigsaw puzzle, and he outlined a framework of internal guidance systems progressing from 'glass empty' and 'glass full' thoughts through emotions and discernment to 'knowings,' and finally guidance by a higher power, which he said began for him on September 20, 2022.
Mittiga argued that a person's higher purpose is not an external achievement but becoming the 'grandest' version of oneself through conscious growth. He criticized popular motivational speakers and podcasters who advise ignoring the past, contending that refusing to reflect eliminates the capacity for remorse, apology, trust, and therefore love. He also claimed that many people on spiritual paths are right-brained thinkers poorly served by schools, citing his son Ryan's difficulties with reading.
He recounted his recovery story, including a spontaneous loss of compulsion to drink after praying, recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse, and over 32 years of sobriety. The centerpiece story concerned a relationship in his late twenties with a married waitress whose infidelity plunged him into three days of terror, leading to a 'womb experience' awareness of lifelong abandonment and a shift from mental to emotional therapy with a therapist who later introduced him to Alcoholics Anonymous. He used Wayne Dyer's orange metaphor to explain that anger originates within, recommended anger-release exercises and dual-hand journaling, and promoted his book Filling the Void.
Chapters
- 0:27
Introduction: Afraid to Trust a New Direction
Mittiga introduced the theme of trusting a higher power as life calls him toward a different purpose.
- 2:50
Football Rage and Sacred Silence
He contrasted yelling at a college football game with his ten-week practice of sacred silence and jigsaw puzzles.
- 10:24
Spirituality Versus Religion
Mittiga discussed humanity's awakening, consciousness change, and his non-religious spiritual path.
- 16:16
Stages of Internal Guidance
He outlined guidance systems from glass-empty and glass-full voices through emotions, discernment, knowings, and his 2022 higher-power awakening.
- 26:26
Sobriety Story and Redefining Higher Purpose
Mittiga recounted his path to sobriety and argued higher purpose means becoming the grandest version of oneself.
- 40:57
Critique of 'Just Do It' Influencers
He argued that influencers who refuse to reflect on the past lack remorse, trust, and the capacity for love.
- 50:34
Right-Brained Thinkers
Mittiga claimed spiritual seekers are often right-brained and failed by schools, citing his son Ryan.
- 55:33
Examples of Unconscious Behavior
He used Elton John fandom and Wayne Dyer's orange metaphor to illustrate unconsciousness and recommended anger-release practices.
- 1:05:52
The Breakup and the Womb Experience
Mittiga told of a relationship with a married waitress whose infidelity triggered an awakening and a shift to emotional therapy.
- 1:20:08
Trusting the Inner World and Closing
He concluded that external events serve inner growth, previewed the next episode, and described helping others as living one's highest self.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga describes 'knowings' as the highest guidance system he has personally experienced as a human.
“your knowings are the highest guidance system that I personally experienced as a human”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga says that on September 20, 2022, while hearing a woman call her divorce a failure, his higher power told him he had chosen divinity over humanity.
“you didn't fail your marriage. You chose to live your divinity over your humanity”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga recounts that after praying for help on his seventh day without drinking, his compulsions for drugs and alcohol disappeared.
“A tear comes out my left eye and my compulsions for drugs and alcohol were gone”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga argues that higher purpose is not an external action but becoming the highest vibrational version of oneself.
“I believe your higher purpose is literally to live as the highest vibrational you that your path can grow into”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga proposes a test: if a person cannot watch college football without drinking a second time, it is time to address alcohol use.
“Then you have no issue with alcohol. When you can't do it the second time, it's time”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga contends that motivational speakers' passion comes from belief rather than heart connection.
“passion isn't connection folks passion is belief these people literally believe it because they've done it”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga argues that people who refuse to reflect on their past lose the capacity for remorse and apology.
“if you can't reflect on your yesterday, that means you have zero capacity of remorse. Zero capacity of remorse means you cannot say you're sorry”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga claims society has failed right-brained thinkers because it does not know how to educate them.
“Society has failed these people. They have failed right brain thinkers. Why? Because society doesn't know how to educate a right brain thinker”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga says meditation helps calm the mind in the moment but does not heal underlying wounds.
“you calm the voices and the solution is in meditation. And I love that. Is it good for the moment? Yeah. Does it heal anything? No”
Linked moment · 1:01:15Skip to 1:01:15 using a listen link in the info box.
Joe MittigaMittiga recommends that men release anger weekly by hitting with a wiffle ball bat rather than taking rage out on partners.
“take a wiffle ball bat and pictures of people you don't like and let it rip let the anger come out”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga describes shifting from a mental, hypnosis-based therapist to a massage and emotion-based therapist after his breakup.
“shift a three and a half year relationship with a therapist who is mental and hypnosis to them, a therapist who is massage and emotional”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga argues external events are consequences that mirror inner lessons rather than a gauge of right and wrong.
“The external world ends up mirroring back whatever you have to learn inside”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga says his second therapist became his AA sponsor and taught him to emote and use dual-hand journaling.
“the therapist I was with ended up being my AA sponsor. She introduced me to AA after I got dry. She was the one that taught me how to emote”
- Joe Mittiga
Mittiga contends that constant drinking suppresses emotions and stunts spiritual growth.
“You can't drink all the time, suppress your emotions, and think you're going to have a spiritual life”
People
In the conversation
- Joe MittigaHost of the WE Podcast, author of Filling the Void, and recovering alcoholic who speaks on emotional and spiritual growth
Discussed
- Wayne DyerLate American self-help author and speaker
- Elton JohnBritish singer-songwriter and collaborator of Brandi Carlile
- JesusFounder figure of Christianity
- John BradshawAmerican author known for inner child work
- Tony RobbinsAmerican life and business coach, entrepreneur and bestselling author
- Matt DamonAmerican actor cast as Odysseus in Nolan's film
Topics
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From the publisher
What if the life you've been chasing is no longer the life you're meant to live? In Episode 66 of the WE Podcast, host Joe Mittiga explores the fear, uncertainty, and transformation that come when life begins calling us in a different direction. Through deeply personal stories of addiction recovery, heartbreak, emotional healing, and spiritual awakening, Joe shares how some of life's most painful experiences can become turning points in discovering who we truly are. He challenges the belief t...
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 22, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.