Redefining Prayer: From Religious Obligation to Spiritual Power

What if everything you were taught about prayer was backwards?

This might be the most personal episode Dave and Jacq Conway have ever shared.

For years, Dave avoided talking about prayer publicly. It felt like a private, sacred thing, and he didn’t want to be misunderstood. But in this deeply honest and spiritual episode, Dave and Jacq Conway pull back the curtain and open up about their evolving relationship with prayer, from childhood rituals to deeply personal conversations with a higher power.

You’ll hear how prayer helped Dave stabilize during some of his darkest moments… how Jacq learned to let go of guilt around “praying wrong”… and why visualization, gratitude, and imagination are actually very powerful forms of prayer.

Together, they unpack the unspoken baggage many people carry around prayer: guilt, dogma, shame, confusion, or feeling like it’s only “allowed” inside religion.

This is a powerful redefinition of prayer:

Prayer as visualization.
Prayer as gratitude.
Prayer as a tool to release control.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered: “Am I doing prayer wrong?” “Can I pray if I’m not religious?” “What if I want prayer to feel more real and personal?”

Dave and Jacq don’t give you more rules. Instead, they give you permission. You're allowed to pray… even if you don’t go to church.

“Prayer is creative. It doesn’t have to be traditional. You can use your imagination, your words, your thoughts, and it works.” - Dave Conway

This episode is both grounding and expansive. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your spiritual self or questioned the power of prayer, this one’s for you.

Key Takeaways from Episode 33:

1. Prayer Doesn’t Have to Be Religious (2:58)

Jacq shares how many people at their seminars say they didn’t think they were “allowed” to pray unless they were religious. Dave and Jacq break this idea wide open: prayer can be whatever you need it to be, quiet reflection, gratitude, visualization, or simply talking to something bigger than yourself.

2. Gratitude Is a Powerful Form of Prayer (12:30)

Jacq keeps a small Mother Mary trinket in her home as a visual cue for gratitude. She explains how this daily reminder keeps her anchored, not just praying in crisis, but praying in appreciation. Gratitude raises your emotional baseline and invites peace into the present moment.

3. Dave’s Daily Visualization Ritual as Prayer (20:49)

Dave shares his powerful personal practice: visualizing each family member, wrapping them in golden light, and releasing them to a higher power. He calls this a form of detachment through love, letting go of control while still holding people in their highest image.

4. You’re Already Praying… With Your Thoughts! (28:21)

Dave and Jacq reflect on how every thought carries energy. When you visualize someone in their highest self, you bless them. When you worry, you’re unintentionally praying for what you don’t want. This is a bold idea that reframes daily thinking/prayer as a spiritual act.

5. You Don’t Need Permission to Start (29:59)

The episode closes with a powerful reminder about prayer: just try it. There are no perfect words, no required techniques. Whether you visualize, speak, or sit in silence, what matters is that it feels real to you.