The Living Story...
Every path begins
with a listening.
A quiet moment when something within calls us to serve—often before we understand what that service will become. The Living Story of Shared Wisdom is not a single beginning, but a continual unfolding shaped by devotion, inquiry, community, and lived experience. Rooted in decades of spiritual study and practice, this story continues through the understanding that wisdom is not static, but alive—expressed through relationship, reflection, and compassionate service.
1. The Call
Long before there was an organization or a name, there was a listening. A quiet recognition that service is not chosen so much as it is received.
For Nichola, this call unfolded through years of spiritual study, lived inquiry, and devotion across traditions—not as a search for answers, but as a willingness to remain present with questions. Rather than committing to a single path, she was drawn toward what connects all paths: compassion, presence, and care for the whole.
This early formation shaped a lifelong orientation—to listen deeply, to learn across boundaries, and to serve in ways that honor both inner truth and collective well-being.
2. Spirit House
As this call matured, it took form as Spirit House—a gathering sanctuary rooted in study, reflection, and shared spiritual practice.
Spirit House became a place where individuals came together to explore inner life through multiple traditions, engage in healing and inquiry, and support one another in the work of becoming more whole. It was not defined by doctrine, but by relationship—by the understanding that wisdom is revealed through lived experience and community.
Here, the work of transformation was personal and collective, grounded in presence, devotion, and the courage to look within.
3. Shared Wisdom
Over time, the work naturally expanded beyond a single place. What had been cultivated inwardly and communally began to move outward, responding to the wider world with compassion and service.
Shared Wisdom emerged as the living expression of this evolution—carrying the understanding that inner awakening and global care are not separate paths, but one continuous practice. Wisdom, when embodied, seeks expression. And service, when rooted in presence, becomes an offering of love.
This unfolding continues today, guided by the same listening that began the journey.
Founder and Guiding Presence
Nichola Johnson
Nichola’s journey did not begin with a plan, but with a listening.
In 1973, she heard an inner call to serve — without knowing what that service would become, or where it would lead. Rather than seeking certainty, she followed the questions, allowing her life to unfold through devotion, study, and lived experience across cultures and traditions.
Over the years, her path moved fluidly between spiritual inquiry and ordinary life. She explored many expressions of religion, healing, and contemplative practice, guided not by doctrine, but by relationship — with teachers, communities, and the quiet intelligence that lives beneath surface understanding. In the early 2000s, this devotion found form through interfaith study and ordination, inspired by a desire to bring diverse paths into conversation and care.
In 2005, Nichola founded Spirit House, a gathering sanctuary devoted to reflection, shared practice, and the inner work of becoming more whole. What began as a place of study grew into a living community — one rooted in presence, humility, and the courage to look inward together. Her journey later expanded through extended time in India and years of travel, allowing her spiritual life to be shaped as much by service and daily rhythm as by formal learning.
Today, Nichola continues to blend the role of householder with that of spiritual guide. Her work is grounded not in credentials, but in lived devotion — drawing from wisdom traditions, healing practices, and a lifetime of listening. Her greatest joy is offering gentle illumination to everyday challenges, and walking alongside others as they deepen their relationship with themselves and the world.
Her Work and Training:
Nichola’s guidance is informed by decades of study and practice across spiritual, therapeutic, and interfaith traditions. Her background includes:
• Interfaith ordination and theological study
• Founding and leadership of Spirit House (2005–2015)
• Training in Ayurveda, Somatic EMDR, and Pastoral Care
• Long-term study and practice within Eastern and Western wisdom traditions
• Extensive travel and service in India and throughout the world
These foundations support the one-on-one guidance, mentoring, and community work offered through Shared Wisdom and Fragrance of Joy.
How Shared Wisdom Becomes Lived Action
Community & Care
The Fragrance of JOY
The Fragrance of JOY is a living community rooted in shared practice, presence, and relationship. It is not a program to complete, but a space to belong — where inquiry, devotion, and everyday life are held together with warmth and trust.
Here, wisdom unfolds through conversation, silence, ritual, laughter, and mutual support. Each person brings their own fragrance to the whole, shaping a community that is continually listening, learning, and becoming.
A gentle path, walked together.
How Shared Wisdom Becomes Lived Action
Community & Care
Global Relief
Global Relief is love expressed through action. As a nonprofit, our work responds to the needs of the wider human family — offering support where care, dignity, and basic necessities are most needed.
Guided by care, dignity, and responsibility.
This relief work flows organically from the same listening that shapes our inner and communal life. As circumstances arise, we partner with trusted organizations — including Feeding America — and remain flexible in responding to the world as it calls.
Compassion, in motion.
Where Reflection Becomes Shared Voice
Writing & Conversation
Nichola’s work also unfolds through the written and spoken word — through reflections shaped by lived experience, spiritual inquiry, and years of listening in community.
Her writing and conversations explore the inner life with honesty and warmth, offering language for what is often felt but unnamed. Whether through essays, recorded conversations, or longer-form work, these offerings invite readers and listeners into deeper presence, discernment, and relationship with everyday life.
This is a living dialogue — one that continues to evolve through story, silence, and shared inquiry.