Ep. 7 : Peggy Kelley
What happens when we're faced with our deepest vulnerabilities? Who guides us through those darkest moments when words fail and understanding seems impossible?
Meet Peggy Kelly, a hospital chaplain at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, whose extraordinary work places her at the intersection of life's most profound transitions. Far from the religious stereotype many might expect, Peggy reveals the nuanced art of spiritual care – a practice that serves people of all faiths and none, focusing not on conversion but connection.
With disarming honesty, Peggy shares her unlikely journey from aspiring actress to "soul doctor," sparked by witnessing children's existential questions after 9/11. She details the rigorous path to becoming a chaplain – a seven-year journey requiring clinical training, theological education, and thousands of hours of patient care. This isn't volunteer work; it's a calling that demands both professional expertise and profound humanity.
The conversation takes breathtaking turns as Peggy recounts experiences with dying children whose wisdom transcends their years, including a five-year-old boy who, after watching his mother die, simply observed, "I guess she's all done with school." Such moments reveal how even in our most broken times, unexpected beauty and clarity can emerge.
What makes this exchange particularly powerful is its embrace of contrasting perspectives. As the host shares his atheistic viewpoint shaped by losing his mother at eleven, Peggy listens without judgment, demonstrating the very approach that makes her work so effective – meeting people exactly where they are. Their respectful dialogue creates a rare space where faith and skepticism can coexist, united by shared human experience.
Whether you're grappling with mortality, supporting someone through illness, or simply curious about how we find meaning in suffering, this conversation offers rare insights into life's most challenging moments. Listen now to discover how spiritual care transcends religious boundaries to touch what makes us most human.
