When we invite a higher wisdom into our everyday grind, even five intentional minutes each morning, we don’t escape reality; we upgrade it.
– Todd M. Jackson
Todd M. Jackson isn’t your average spiritual voice. Once a high‑performing business strategist chasing quarterly wins, his life pivoted after an unexpected mystical jolt: a surge of divine energy and the vision of two luminous guardians. That split‑second encounter ignited a ten‑year quest to decode what lies beyond death—and how that knowledge can transform everyday life.
Rather than cling to dogma, Todd distilled his discoveries into bite‑size habits anyone can fold into a five‑minute morning ritual. His book, God Is Greater Than Religion, packs those insights into fewer than 100 pages, encouraging readers to swap fear‑based beliefs for a direct partnership with the divine. In this insightful interview, host Stacey Chillemi unpacks Todd’s research approach, demystify the mechanics of past‑life reviews, and share practical exercises that convert Monday‑morning stress into fuel for soul evolution.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
Absolutely, Stacey. If you’d met me fifteen years ago, you would have found a fairly conventional guy—successful in business, active in church, but spiritually restless under the surface. In 2013, everything shifted. During a moment of deep meditation, I felt what I can only describe as a torrent of divine energy pour through my body. In the same instant, two luminous beings—my guardian angels—briefly appeared in my peripheral vision. It was breathtaking, exhilarating…and utterly disorienting. I assumed the sensation meant I should double down on organized religion, so I threw myself into church life. Yet the harder I tried, the more I noticed a painful gap between lofty sermons and the fear‑based behaviors playing out in real time.
One Sunday, I left the sanctuary, sat in my car, and shouted at the heavens, “God, show me how this universe really works—no more platitudes!” Three days later, a long‑lost friend sent me a single near‑death‑experience (NDE) video link. That testimony echoed the very questions I had screamed into the sky. Intrigued, I watched dozens more, then hundreds. Patterns emerged—consistent descriptions of unconditional love, life reviews, and soul planning. I realized I had stumbled onto a living library of metaphysical field reports. Over the next decade, I analyzed NDEs across cultures, interviewed experiencers, and studied fifteen major religions. The result is my book, God Is Greater Than Religion, which distills those insights into under a hundred pages so busy seekers can move from blind belief to lived knowing.
What inspired you to write God Is Greater Than Religion ?
Two powerful forces: compassion and urgency. Compassion, because each testimonial revealed that our everyday choices reverberate far beyond this life. People who returned described feeling every ounce of love they gave—and every ounce they withheld—during their life review. Urgency, because I realized many of us are unknowingly wiring our afterlife reality through habitual fear, judgment, or tribalism. I kept thinking, “If only they knew!” I wanted to gift readers a concise, jargon‑free roadmap that answers the big questions: Does God exist? Why are we here? How do we overcome judgment?—while offering practical tools to reorient their lives toward compassion, creativity, and service.
How did near‑death testimonials validate your search?
Imagine interviewing thousands of strangers from different continents who have never met, yet they independently report the same core truths: a tunnel of light, an oceanic love beyond language, a panoramic life review where they feel their actions from every perspective. Statistically, that coherence is staggering. It told me these weren’t random hallucinations but glimpses behind the cosmic curtain. Skeptics often dismiss NDEs as brain chemistry, yet many experiencers were clinically dead—flat EEG, no oxygen—and still returned with verifiable details outside their body or knowledge of events that occurred miles away. The testimonials became my data set, my laboratory. They validated that the spiritual architecture I was piecing together wasn’t wishful thinking but echoed across humanity.
You argue, “God is greater than religion.” What’s the biggest misconception when they’re fused?
The common misconception is that God endorses one institutional brand over another, like divine favoritism. In truth, God is an all‑pervading consciousness that existed before any scripture was penned and will remain long after our institutions evolve. Religion can be a beautiful set of training wheels, yet when people equate dogma with divinity, they weaponize belief, justify exclusion, and miss the essence: cultivating unconditional love. My research shows that during life reviews, no angel asks what denomination you joined; they ask, “Did you grow more loving? Did you help others feel seen?”
In one sentence, what is the true purpose of life?
To refine our souls through unconditional love while collecting vibrant experiences that expand the universe’s understanding of itself.
How do fear, judgment, and punishment extend the soul’s journey?
Every judgmental thought or punitive act creates an energetic echo that we must eventually harmonize. In soul terms, that means arranging new lifetimes—sometimes as the very group we once feared or scorned—until empathy replaces condemnation. It’s cosmic remedial education: fail the lesson, take the class again.
How can someone move from simply hoping to truly knowing?
Begin by cultivating a conversational relationship with your guardian angels. Each morning, ask, “What is my lesson today?” Then stay alert to synchronicities—song lyrics, overheard phrases, gut nudges. Record them. Over weeks, you’ll notice patterns so precise that coincidence becomes an obsolete explanation. That repetition converts faith into personal evidence.
What is “soul age,” and how does it affect our perspective?
Think of soul age like educational grades. First‑grade souls see the world in black‑and‑white, gravitating toward rigid safety rules. Middle‑grade souls wrestle with nuance—justice, equity, systemic issues. Graduate‑level souls operate from a nondual lens, caring less about labels and more about direct acts of love. Recognizing your soul’s current grade fosters patience toward yourself and compassion toward others who are simply at a different stage of the cosmic curriculum.
What is the role of a past‑life review in Near Death Experiences (NDEs)? Which NDE story best illustrates the soul’s continuity?
It’s an immersive holographic replay where you experience your life from multiple vantage points: you, the recipient of your kindness, and even the bystander who witnessed your actions. You don’t face a punitive judge; you face your own expanded awareness, which lovingly but firmly shows where you uplifted or diminished collective well‑being. The goal isn’t shame, it’s course correction and soul growth.
A nurse from Brazil described meeting her deceased grandmother, who revealed shared past lives—and explained the nurse’s lifelong affinity for 19th‑century French culture. After resuscitation, the nurse unearthed family diaries confirming ancestral ties to France she’d never known. This tapestry of cross‑lifetime connections underscored that identity transcends one body or era
What does “spiritual common sense” look like on a stressful Monday at 7 a.m.?
It’s choosing a micro‑pause. When traffic jams or the coffee machine misfire, you inhale for four counts, exhale for six, and silently affirm, “I’m safe, I’m guided.” That 10‑second reset prevents cortisol spikes and keeps you aligned with higher guidance, turning potential chaos into a classroom for patience.
How does your Augmented Teachings podcast expand on the book’s ideas?
The podcast is my sandbox for integration. We host sound‑bath experiments, invite listeners to practice empathy drills, and debrief real‑time results. One episode featured our “Third‑Thursday” gatherings, where friends rotate hosting soulful experiences—like chanting in a candle‑lit labyrinth or floating crystal bowls in a pool—to illustrate how intentional community accelerates growth.
What practical exercise can replace fear with curiosity this week?
Deploy the “What If Up” method: when fear whispers “What if I fail?” immediately counter with an elevated possibility—”What if this challenge reveals my resilience and opens unexpected doors?” Write three uplifting “What if” statements each morning. This reframes your neural pathways from survival mode to creative exploration.
How does embracing our shared divinity fuel social progress?
When we genuinely perceive every person as a fractal of the divine, policies that exploit or marginalize become untenable. Historically, abolition, women’s suffrage, and civil rights movements gained momentum precisely when collective consciousness tipped toward recognizing inherent worth beyond race, gender, or creed.
Which emerging scientific field resonates with your metaphysical claims?
Biofield science—using quantum sensors and high‑definition Kirlian photography to map human energy patterns—correlates shifts in emotion with measurable electromagnetic changes. As this tech matures, it may offer empirical bridges between spirituality and mainstream medicine, validating concepts like prayer’s healing impact.
What final message would you like our readers to take away?
Your smallest act of kindness today reverberates across lifetimes. Choose love in ordinary moments—holding the elevator, listening without interrupting—and you’ll discover that heaven isn’t a distant realm but a state of consciousness you cultivate daily.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can dive into everything we offer through my Linktree, email us directly at [email protected], catch weekly insights on our YouTube channel , or pick up and preview my book God Is Greater Than Religion from Balboa Press or my website!
Todd, your stories and insights have been both grounding and expansive. Thank you for sharing this roadmap from faith to knowing.
Thank you, Stacey. May your readers walk in love and curiosity
