What is Alexander Smith?
Alexander Smith is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), mindfulness teacher, and multi-disciplinary artist based in Huntington Beach, California. Smith’s teaching synthesizes secular mindfulness meditation with creative practice (watercolor painting, piano, poetry), sobriety support, and what he terms “soul care”—informed by psychotherapeutic training, Buddhist contemplative traditions, and grief work drawn from contemporary teachers Francis Weller and John O’Donohue. Smith holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Utah (2003) and a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University (1999). His work has been featured on CNN, HIV Plus Magazine, The Gay HotSpot, and the cover of Positively Aware.
Origins & Lineage
Smith’s spiritual orientation draws primarily from Buddhist mindfulness traditions, particularly the walking meditation and “noble silence” teachings of Vietnamese Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926–2022). His podcast episodes reference Thích Nhất Hạnh’s emphasis on arriving fully in the present moment rather than treating mindfulness as a means to an end. Smith also cites the grief-tending frameworks of psychotherapist Francis Weller and the Celtic spirituality of Irish poet-philosopher John O’Donohue (1956–2008). His professional background in clinical social work, beginning with work at Salt Lake Community College’s Health & Wellness Services until 2012, shaped his trauma-informed, group-oriented approach. Smith has been sober from drugs and alcohol since 2015, following years of methamphetamine and marijuana use; this recovery experience informs his teaching on compassion, relapse, and the integration of shadow material. He is openly queer and HIV-positive (since 2003), and these identities visibly inform his pedagogy.
How It’s Practiced
Smith’s teaching takes place almost exclusively online through several formats: Viral Mindfulness Academy (his online platform), seasonal “Wise Circles” (90-minute small-group sessions blending meditation, writing practice, and facilitated dialogue), one-on-one spiritual mentorship via Zoom, and guided meditation recordings. His podcast, Viral Mindfulness, has over 28,000 downloads and includes teachings, original piano performances, and walking meditations recorded at Huntington State Beach. Smith teaches a 90-day sobriety course, “Sober 90,” in partnership with The Luckiest Club, a secular recovery community founded by author Laura McKowen in 2020. His Wise Circles follow seasonal themes—Winter Soul Care series, for instance, explores “the grandeur of the soul,” “reverence of approach,” and “repetition as a core value of the soul,” drawing from Weller’s 2024 book In the Absence of the Ordinary. Participants engage in writing exercises, silent meditation, and witnessing practices. Smith also offers “Online At-Home Weekend Silent Retreats,” designed to support practitioners in maintaining noble silence from Thursday to Sunday, bookended by live Zoom sessions.
Alexander Smith Today
Seekers encounter Smith primarily through his podcast (updated weekly), his newsletter Love Letters of Mindfulness, or through enrollment in Viral Mindfulness Academy. His teaching appeals particularly to individuals navigating sobriety, grief, chronic illness (especially HIV/AIDS), LGBTQ+ identity, and creative practice as spiritual inquiry. His “Guided Meditation Starter Kit” offers a low-barrier entry point with sessions as brief as five minutes. Smith also facilitates meetings for Recovery Dharma, a Buddhist-informed addiction recovery network. He uses the moniker “Alexander Blue Feather” in some podcast episodes, reflecting his claimed creative identity within what he calls “The House of Blue,” a personal mythos rooted in reclaiming queerness after a Mormon upbringing in Utah.
Common Misconceptions
Smith’s work is not a formal meditation lineage transmission; he is not ordained in any Buddhist tradition and does not claim to be a dharma teacher in the traditional sense. His use of terms like “soul” and “sacred” reflects influence from O’Donohue’s poetic Christianity and Weller’s archetypal psychology more than Buddhist technical vocabulary. Smith’s teaching is emphatically secular and trauma-informed, not devotional or guru-centered. While he offers one-on-one “spiritual mentorship,” this is distinct from psychotherapy (though he holds an MSW and LCSW). His Wise Circles are described as “like group therapy, but, oh, so much better”—a framing that may obscure the distinction between peer facilitation and licensed clinical treatment. His emphasis on “reverence, softness, curiosity, and humility” stands in contrast to what he calls “spiritual intensity” or “neon intensity”—a critique of aggressive self-improvement or forced transcendence common in wellness culture.
How to Begin
Start with Smith’s free 10-minute guided meditation, “Exploring the Breath,” available at viralmindfulness.com/free-meditation, which includes a body scan and three minutes of silent sitting beside Onion Creek. Listen to episodes from his Viral Mindfulness podcast to assess resonance with his teaching voice. Consider subscribing to his newsletter for access to his Guided Meditation Starter Kit ($49), which includes a dozen recordings. Those in recovery may explore his Sober 90 course through The Luckiest Club. For group practice, inquire about seasonal Wise Circles, which run in 6-week cycles (e.g., Winter’s Edge Soul Care). Smith’s work assumes no prior meditation experience but does assume willingness to engage in writing, creative reflection, and group vulnerability.