Joni Miller, Ph.D.
We’re all navigating something—loss, change, uncertainty, purpose. Beneath it all, many of us are quietly longing to live with integrity: to align who we are on the inside with how we show up in the world.
That longing is what led me to create Spiritual Geography.
It’s not about having the right beliefs. It’s about honoring the inner compass that keeps pulling you toward truth, even when it disrupts everything you thought you knew. It’s for people who sense there’s more to this life—more depth, more mystery, more love—and who want to find their own way there.
In 2002, I received the kind of phone call that divides a life in two. My sister-in-law’s voice was shaky: “He’s gone,” she said. But all I could think was—gone where?
The sky was still blue. The sun was still shining. But something foundational had shifted. My brother—so full of life just days before—was no longer here in the way I’d known him.
That day, grief cracked something open. After making the impossibly hard calls to my family, I collapsed onto the living room floor—exhausted, hollow, numb. And then something happened that I still can’t explain.
I heard my grandmother’s voice. Not just in memory, but vivid and unmistakable—calling my brother’s name in the way only she did. It wasn’t only sound. It came with a wave of love so profound, so alive, it brought tears to my eyes. A sense of reunion. Of joy. Of something sacred unfolding just beyond the veil of this world.
In the span of a few hours, my understanding of life—and what might lie beyond it—was forever changed. In the weeks that followed, other moments came—intuitive whispers, visitations, a sense that the world was more layered than I’d ever been taught to believe. But none of this fit neatly into the version of faith I was living publicly. I kept attending church. I held music and leadership roles. But privately, I was reading books on spiritual gifts and mediumship. I was listening to the voices of the departed. I was questioning everything.
Eventually, the gap between my inner truth and outer life became too wide to ignore. One spring morning in 2009, I walked out of church—not in anger, but in quiet resignation. I hadn’t planned on leaving for good. I just couldn’t keep showing up as someone I no longer was.
I needed space to find a faith that fit. Not smaller, not tighter—but wider, more honest, more alive.
That moment wasn’t the end of my relationship with church or even Christianity. But it was the beginning of something more essential: a deeper commitment to integrity. To exploring the Divine on terms that honored both my experience and my evolving understanding of truth.
Over time, I began to gather the scattered threads of my experience—grief, intuition, theology, psychology—and weave them into something cohesive. Not perfect. Not permanent. But true.
I went back to school and earned a PhD in pastoral counseling, which means I was trained not just as a therapist, but as someone who could honor the spiritual dimensions of human life. I studied the ways people make meaning through change. How belief evolves. How we heal. How we stay connected to the sacred in all its forms—especially when the old forms no longer fit.
Today, I’m a writer, speaker, and spiritual coach. I work with people who are unraveling and reweaving their own beliefs—people who long to live what they know to be true, even when it costs them comfort or certainty. People who want to grow more love: for themselves, for others, and for whatever name they give the Infinite.
That’s what Spiritual Geography is about. Not mapping the “right” path—but honoring that each of us is already on a path, whether we realize it or not.
Some of us are standing at a crossroads. Some are circling back to reclaim parts of ourselves we left behind. Others are building something entirely new from the fragments of what no longer fits.
The question isn’t “Are you walking in integrity?” as if it’s a simple yes or no. It’s more like:
Where am I being invited to be more honest? More whole? More aligned with what I know in my bones to be true—even if I can’t yet explain it?
If you’ve ever felt like your inner life no longer matches the outer structures around you—if your spirituality feels like a patchwork quilt rather than a polished creed—you’re not alone. You’re not broken. You’re becoming.
Spiritual Geography is a place for that becoming. A place to ask better questions. To explore the sacred in all its forms. To reconnect with the voice inside you that already knows the way forward—if only you’d trust it.
Whether you’re reimagining old beliefs, forging new practices, or simply trying to stay aligned in a world that pulls you in a hundred directions, you’re welcome here.
There is no one right path—just the one that fits the shape of your soul.
And if you’re still finding that shape, still navigating uncertainty, I’m walking with you.
That’s what this work is. A shared journey. A deeper alignment.
A quiet revolution of the heart.
Presentations|Speaking Engagements
Guest Lecturer (2025, March). Personal Spiritual Exploration Seminars. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2025, March). Ripple Effects of Love, Kindness, and Presence. Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2024, October). We are Here! (meow, woof, oink, moo, neigh, caw, quack). Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Speaker (2024, June). Visioning for the Vision-less. Fulfill Your Calling Online Summit.
Guest Speaker (2024, April). The Benefit of a Doubt. Worship Service for Zion Reformed United Church of Christ, Hagerstown, Maryland.
Guest Lecturer (2024, March). Personal Spiritual Exploration Seminars. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2024, March). Telling a New Story ... of Love. Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2023, October). I Married a Bug Lover. Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2023, April). The Benefit of a Doubt. Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Workshop Leader (2022, November). Spiritual Geography: A Spiritual and Religious Values Card Sort. Zoom workshop with Moravian Theological Seminary.
Guest Speaker (2022, March). It's Not About a Goat. Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Workshop Leader (2020, August). Stress Reduction through Emotional Freedom Technique (Tapping). Zoom workshop for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Workshop Leader (2020, June). Spiritual Geography: A Spiritual and Religious Values Card Sort. Wednesdays at 7 Program for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2020, June). Through a Glass Dimly. Worship Service for Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2019, September). Praying in Secret. Worship Service at Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2019, June). Coming Home. Workshop Service at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Finksburg, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2019, April). Gratitude Interrupted. Worship Service at Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Workshop Leader (2019, February). Spiritual Geography: A Spiritual and Religious Values Card Sort. Furloughed Friends Series at Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Speaker (2018, December). Dividing Lines. Blue Christmas Service at Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Guest Lecturer (2018, October; 2017, March; 2016, May; 2015, December, November). Spiritual Geography: A Spiritual and Religious Values Card Sort. Lectures in various counseling classes at Loyola University Maryland.
Presenter (2017, March). Building Bridges: How to talk about values-based referrals with other counselors. Presentation given at the American Counseling Association conference in San Francisco, CA.
Retreat Leader (2017, March). Telling Our Stories: Turning Points. RUC Women’s Retreat, Flintstone, Maryland.
Workshop Leader (2017, February). Why the Truth Doesn’t Matter. Speaking in a way that leads to changes of heart and mind. Workshop at Rockville United Church, Rockville, Maryland.
Workshop Leader (2017, January). How can I forgive when I feel like screaming? Workshop given at the 2017 Gay Christian Network Conference held in Pittsburgh, PA.
Co-presenter with Hanna, H. (2016, November). Laying down our swords in dialogue. Presentation given at the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Atlantic Region, Fall meeting held in Aston, Pennsylvania.
Workshop Leader (2016, January). Building Bridges: Using counseling concepts for self-insight, improved communication, and breaking down the barriers between us. Workshop given at the 2016 Gay Christian Network Conference held in Houston, TX.
Presenter (2015, October). Engaging counselor-in-training values (even the religious ones). Presentation given at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision conference in Philadelphia, PA.
Co-presenter with Schreiber-Pan, H. (2015, October). Creating value-savvy counselors: How to connect with clients of diverse backgrounds and sexual orientations. Presentation given at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision conference in Philadelphia, PA.
Co-presenter with Cheston, S. (2015, July). Religious counselors, LGB clients: Supporting counselor growth in theological & counselor identities. Presentation given at the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling in New York, NY.
Guest Lecturer (2015, March; 2014, October, June, March; 2013, December). Religious and Spiritual Aspects of Working with LGBTQIA clients. Lectures in Diversity Issues in Counseling classes at Loyola University Maryland.
Presenter (2014, December). Religious therapists, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual clients: When personal religious values conflict with client actions. Presentation for the Psychology Department Colloquium, Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, MD.
Co-presenter with Schreiber-Pan, H. (2014, November). Creating Cross-Cultural Counselors: How to Connect with clients of Diverse Backgrounds and Sexual Orientations. Presentation given at the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Atlantic Region, Fall Meeting held in Columbia, MD.
Co-presenter with Greene, G. (2014, November). Anti-racism/Multicultural Justice Presentation. Presentation given at the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Atlantic Region, Fall Meeting held in Columbia, MD.
Guest Lecturer (2014, September). Perspectives on Protestantism. Lecture in Contemporary Religious Perspective class at Loyola University Maryland.
Presenter (2013, November). Counselor Theological Identity and the Response to Value-Based Conflicts over Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients. Presentation given at Annual Interdisciplinary Conference at the Center for the Study of Health, Religion, and Spirituality at Indiana State University held in Terre Haute, IN.
Presenter (2013, November). Counselor and Theological Identity Formation and the Ethic of Inclusion for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients. Poster session at the Annual Interdisciplinary Conference at the Center for the Study of Health, Religion, and Spirituality at Indiana State University held in Terre Haute, IN.
Co-presenter with Schreiber-Pan, H. (2013, November). Bridging the Gap: Respecting your religious beliefs and being an effective pastoral counselor with LGBT clients. Presentation at Loyola University Maryland.
Panel Moderator (2013, November). Intervening to Promote Forgiveness: Religious and cultural applications to pastoral counseling. Session at the 2013 Atlantic Region American Association of Pastoral Counselors meeting in Columbia, Maryland.
Presenter (2013, November). Counselor and Theological Identity Formation and the Ethic of Inclusion for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients. Poster session at the 2013 Atlantic Region American Association of Pastoral Counselors meeting in Columbia, Maryland.
Co-presenter with Braganza, D. (2013, April). The Changing Face of Spirituality. Presentation as part of the Diversity Awareness Series at Loyola University Maryland.
Co-presenter with Lemons, M. & Maynard, E. (2012, September). Ethics, Theology, and Service to LGBTQ Clients. Presentation given at the 2012 Conference of the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES), held in Savannah, GA.
Presenter (2012, September). Religious Counselors, LGBT Clients: Supporting counselor identity development and ethical practice. Presentation given at the 2012 Conference of the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES), held in Savannah, GA.
Publications
Miller, J. L. (2017). Room at the Table. Column in Interaction, the quarterly magazine of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, as division of the American Counseling Association. Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and Fall 2017.
Miller, J. L. (2015). Understanding pastoral counseling research. In E. A. Maynard & J. L. Snodgrass (Eds.), Understanding Pastoral Counseling. NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Miller, J.L. (2014). Counselor and Theological Identity Formation and the Ethic of Inclusion for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
Cheston, S. E., & Miller, J. L. (2011). The use of prayer in counseling. In C. S. Cashwell & J. Young (Eds.) , Integrating spirituality and religion into counseling: A guide to competent practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 243-260). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.