The Spiritual Forum cover art
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The Spiritual Forum

An ordained minister with an engineering background hosts heart-to-heart dialogues with authors and experts on practical spiritual living.

The brief

This is a weekly long-form interview show where the host explores a wide range of spiritual and New Age topics. Rev. Saunders acts as a thoughtful bridge for listeners, using her own analytical background to gently probe mystical concepts and make them accessible. The conversations are collaborative and supportive, aiming to provide a 'voice of hope, inspiration, and awakening' rather than critical debate.

The host's unique blend of a logical, 20-year engineering career with her current role as an ordained minister sets the show apart. She often references this background to build rapport with guests and frame questions for a potentially skeptical audience, making abstract spirituality feel more grounded.
— What makes it distinctive
§1 · The host

Who hosts this show

Rev. Carol Saunders is an ordained Interfaith and Unity minister who hosts The Spiritual Forum podcast. With a 20-year background in chemical engineering, she now facilitates conversations exploring conscious and practical spiritual living, from divine encounters to healing and forgiveness. Her guests range from authors and filmmakers to everyday people sharing their spiritual journeys. She also leads an annual retreat focused on 'Whole Planet Spirituality'.

AI-extracted bio · help us verify· Source: gemini-video-grounded

Credentials & credits

  • Ordained Interfaith Minister, One Spirit Interfaith Seminary
  • Ordained Unity Minister, Unity Worldwide Ministries
  • B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Purdue University
  • Licensed Unity Teacher
  • Founded and led a church in Deerfield, IL for seven years
  • Author, "The Forgotten Teachings of Charles Fillmore"

Other ventures

  • Whole Planet Spirituality Forum and Retreat (annual event)
  • The Wolf and the Lamb (blog)
  • Wedding Officiant
  • Founded and led a church in Deerfield, IL
§2 · Classification

What kind of podcast

§3 · Cadence & catalog

When new episodes drop

Publishing rate
~6/week
Not shown by Apple / Spotify
Total episodes
659
Last episode
7 days ago
Jun 23, 2026
Status
Active
§3b · Editor's picks

Notable episodes

AI-extracted picks + commentary · help us verify
  1. 01
    High Five Your Spirit Guides with Katherine Marie

    This episode is a prime example of the host bonding with a guest over a shared background in technology and logic, demonstrating the show's core theme of bridging analytical thinking with spiritual experience.

  2. 02
    Let the Compassion Games Begin! with Jon Eliot Ramer

    Defines the show's focus on practical, real-world application of spiritual concepts like compassion, moving from the philosophical to actionable community projects.

  3. 03
    Children of the New Earth with Jill M Jackson

    Showcases the host connecting a guest's esoteric concepts (Indigo and Blue Ray children) directly to the mission of her own 'Whole Planet Spirituality' retreat.

§4 · Signature

What you'll be asked on this show

AI-extracted from recent episodes · help us verify
How the host interviews

Rev. Saunders runs a warm and affirming interview. She typically opens by asking for the guest's origin story or for clarification on a core concept from their work. She builds rapport by sharing her own journey, particularly her transition from a logical engineering background to a spiritual path, which she uses to connect with guests from similar fields. Rather than pushing back, she asks clarifying questions to make abstract ideas more concrete for the listener (e.g., "When you say journaling, what do you mean?"). She guides the conversation with a gentle hand, allowing guests ample space to share their stories without interruption. Her interviews close with a signature sign-off, such as "Remember to step into your divine nature and welcome to the Forum."

The format is a one-on-one guest interview. Rev. Saunders begins with a detailed, pre-written introduction for the guest, then guides a collaborative conversation. She actively participates, sharing her own related experiences and often connecting the guest's ideas to the philosophy of her own spiritual retreat.

Questions the host keeps coming back to

10 catalogued

If you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.

origin

1
  1. Q.01

    Could you share your background story and how you came to do this work?

    This is often her opening question, used to establish the guest's personal journey and motivation.

personal

2
  1. Q.01

    When your spiritual awakening happened, did you embrace it or did you resist it?

    She asks this to explore the emotional reality of a spiritual transformation, acknowledging the common struggle between skepticism and belief.

  2. Q.02

    Are you in constant communication with your guides, even for mundane, everyday things?

    This explores the day-to-day reality and integration of the guest's spiritual practice.

technique

1
  1. Q.01

    How do you differentiate spirit guides from God, the Holy Spirit, or other divine concepts?

    This question seeks to clarify the guest's specific terminology for a broader spiritual audience.

process

3
  1. Q.01

    What did it look like when [the spiritual experience] was happening?

    She uses this to ground abstract spiritual claims in concrete, descriptive experience for the listener.

  2. Q.02

    Is the knowledge you're sharing channeled, or is it received from your spirit guides?

    This question seeks to understand the specific source and methodology behind the guest's information.

  3. Q.03

    Let's get practical. What is the [project/game] you've created?

    She uses this to pivot the conversation from philosophical discussion to the tangible application of the guest's work.

advice

3
  1. Q.01

    How do spirit guides communicate with us, and how can we communicate back?

    Aimed at providing practical, actionable advice for listeners who want to try the guest's methods.

  2. Q.02

    If someone hears a voice, is that necessarily their spirit guide?

    She asks this to help listeners discern between different types of inner phenomena, adding a layer of practical caution.

  3. Q.03

    When you recommend journaling, what do you mean and what are you writing?

    This pushes for specific, actionable details beyond generic advice.

Signature segments

  • · Promotion for the annual 'Whole Planet Spirituality Forum and Retreat'
  • · Closing sign-off: "Remember to step into your divine nature and welcome to the Forum."
  • · Host referencing her engineering background to relate to logical concepts
  • · Host sharing her own spiritual journey and skepticism

Topics covered repeatedly

Spiritual AwakeningSpirit GuidesHealingConscious LivingCompassionForgivenessFaithDivine EncountersRites of PassageScience and Spirituality
§5 · Guests

Who gets booked here

AI-extracted guest list + profile · help us verify
Typical guest

Guests are typically authors, spiritual teachers, founders of compassion-focused movements, or 'everyday individuals' with a profound spiritual journey to share. Many have a book, a specific healing modality, or a framework (like the Compassion Games) to discuss.

Recent guests
  • Jon Eliot Ramer
    on Let the Compassion Games Begin! with Jon Eliot Ramer
  • Jill Jackson
    on Indigos Meet Blue Rays at the Retreat
  • Katherine Marie
    on High Five Your Spirit Guides with Katherine Marie
  • Adam Guzman-Poole
    on Can Love Transform the World? with Adam Guzman-Poole
  • Robert Joseph
    on Restoring Rites of Passage
  • Ronald Dulek
    on Moments of Reverence
§6 · Channels & links

Where to find this show

§7 · Stats

Audience & reach

YouTube · first-party
Subscribers
4.7K
4,680
Avg views / video
64
Trailing window
Total views
202K
201,999
Videos published
659
Sponsor readEstimated

The podcast is primarily sponsored by the host's own annual event, the 'Whole Planet Spirituality Forum and Retreat', suggesting the show serves as a key content marketing and community-building platform for her broader ministry.

AI-extracted sponsor read · help us verify

Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.

§8 · Contact

Pitch this show

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Verified contact
Host / booking email
r•••@•••.com
Direct line
+•• ••• ••• ••••

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§9b · FAQ

People also ask

AI-extracted researched answers · help us verify
Who is the host of The Spiritual Forum?
The host is Rev. Carol Saunders, an ordained Interfaith and Unity minister with a previous 20-year career in chemical engineering.
What is the format of the podcast?
It is a weekly, long-form interview podcast. Rev. Saunders has heart-to-heart dialogues with guests like authors, experts, and everyday people about their spiritual journeys and insights.
Is The Spiritual Forum still releasing new episodes?
Yes, the podcast is active and releases episodes on a weekly basis.
What kind of topics are discussed?
Topics include love, faith, awakening, forgiveness, healing, spirit guides, and other themes related to conscious and practical spiritual living.
How can I listen to the podcast?
The Spiritual Forum is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as on YouTube.
How can I pitch a guest for the show?
The podcast's official website has a contact page with considerations for guest pitches. The host is generally interested in stories of healing, overcoming fear, radical forgiveness, and the intersection of science and spirituality.
Last updatedJun 29, 2026Not yet host-verified
Research depthDeep dossierHigh confidence · Jun 29, 2026 · gemini-2.5-pro

Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.

§9c · Methodology

Sources & how this page was built

This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence

  1. [01]About Rev Carol - The Spiritual Forumthespiritualforum.org
  2. [02]The Spiritual Forum (Official Website)thespiritualforum.org
  3. [03]Rev. Carol Saunders - All-Creatures.orgall-creatures.org
  4. [04]Whole Planet Spirituality Forum & Retreatthespiritualforum.org
  5. [05]About Rev. Carol (Wedding Officiant Bio)revcarolsaunders.com
  6. [06]The Spiritual Forum - Podchaserpodchaser.com
  7. [07]Meet Rev. Carol Saunders, Minister for All Living Beings - YouTubeyoutube.com
  8. [08]Carol Saunders - Parliament of the World's Religionsparliamentofreligions.org
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