Have you ever felt a longing you could not explain?
In this episode of The Sacred Travel Podcast, Julia speaks with presbyterian pastor, author, traveler, and lifelong pilgrim Douglas Brouwer about the deeper longing that calls us beyond the familiar.
Together they explore pilgrimage, vulnerability, peacemaking, sacred encounters, indigenous wisdom, and the unnoticed moments that quietly transform our lives.
What begins as a conversation about travel unfolds into a reflection on curiosity, humanity, faith, and the art of truly seeing one another.
๐ The Meaning of Sehnsucht & The Call Beyond The Familiar
Discover the deeper spiritual longing that calls some people beyond the familiar and into a life of exploration, growth, and continual discovery.
๐ฅพ Why Pilgrimage Transforms Us
Explore how journeys such as the Camino de Santiago invite vulnerability, openness, and unexpected encounters that transform us from the inside out.
๐ค The Art of Bridge Building
Learn how curiosity, listening, and genuine presence can help us connect across cultures, beliefs, and differences and truly see one another as equal.
๐ฟ Braiding Sweetgrass & Indigenous Wisdom
Hear Dougโs reflections on relationship, reciprocity, and what becomes possible when we remain open to wisdom beyond our own traditions.
โจ Finding the Sacred in Ordinary Moments
Why life's most profound turning points often arrive quietly and unexpectedly, hidden within seemingly ordinary moments of everyday life, rather than through dramatic awakenings.ย
ABOUT DOUGLAS:
Douglas Brouwer (Doug) is a Presbyterian pastor and writer. He received his master's and doctoral degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary as well as a BA from Calvin University and served congregations across the U.S. and Europe, including senior pastorates in Zรผrich (Switzerland), Fort Lauderdale, Ann Arbor, and Wheaton IL, spanning over four decades.ย
He returned to Europe in retirement to serve as interim pastor in The Hague, the Netherlands.ย
He is the author of seven nonfiction books, including his most recent, The Traveler's Path (2025). He lives in Holland, Michigan, with his wife Susan DeYoung, who was an attorney in private practice for much of her career. His older daughter stepped into his footsteps as a Presbyterian pastor and his younger daughter is a health economist.
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๐ Connect with Doug:
Substack: https://dougsblog.substack.com/about
LinkedIn: @douglasbrouwer
Facebook: @douglas.brouwer.1
Instagram: @douglasbrouwer
ย เผห๐*:Resources Mentioned:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Travelerโs Path: Finding Spiritual Growth & Inspiration Through Travel by Douglas Brouwer
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ย ๐น๐นโ๏ธ๐นโ๏ธ๐น๐น
๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐๐! ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐๐! ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐๐!
๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป - ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ - ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐!
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐-๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ โ ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ โ ๐ฎ๐ฐ โ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ
๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ
๐น๐นโ๏ธ๐นโ๏ธ๐น๐น
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๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐จ๐๐ช๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐
๐งฌ Whatโs Your Sacred Travel Style? ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ค๐๐ถ๐!โจ
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๐๐งฌ๐ Where does your Soul Lead you in 2026?ย
Join us for a ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
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๐นHeart Womb Oracle โ20-24 June โ Sainte Baume, France
โ๐๐๐โ๐พ ๐๐๐โ!
๐ Return of the Bee Priestesses โOctober โCrete
๐ Architects of Light โ20 Nov - 04 Dec โEgypt
๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐
๐น๐งฌ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ธ๐ถ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
๐๐๏ธ Travel Kits & Meditations to Connect with Your favorite places - Visit โ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐น ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐โ
โ๏ธ๐งฌ 1:1 Soul Blueprint โ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒโ | Your 7 weeks transformation to align with your Soulโs Blueprintย
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