The Next Right Thing
By with Emily P. Freeman
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Category: Christianity
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Subscribers: 1292
Reviews: 4
Episodes: 289
Carrie
Sep 28, 2021
When Emily speaks, you'll want to listen. Her podcasts are time well spent.
lml
Jan 8, 2020
My absolute favourite podcast - Emily's words are kind, grace-filled, and continuously point me back to Jesus
blindandwise
Nov 23, 2019
lovely, concise, kind
Beth W.
Aug 23, 2018
These short podcasts are my favorite way to start a Tuesday. Emily challenges me to slow down. in a world that seems to speed up every year this space is a breath of fresh air and encouragement to pursue God and implement self-care.
Description
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277: One Question to Ask Yourself Every Quarter
13:03
This episode is called One Question to Ask Yourself Every Quarter, but of course you can ask it more often than that. It's a question I always have in mind, and it’s become such a part of my rhythm of life that I don’t really even think that much about it in one particular time. I just think about it as I go along my way and record my answers as they come. Listen in.
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May 30, 2023 |
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276: Why Self-Care Isn't Selfish with Taylor Elyse Morrison
29:14
I'm glad to welcome author Taylor Elyse Morrison, who's turned being bad at self-care into a career. She's the founder of the media company Inner Workout and the author of a book by the same name. She's a founder, facilitator, coach, and serial entrepreneur making wellbeing and personal development more accessible. She's all about supporting people's journey to know, care for, and become their full selves. I hope you'll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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May 23, 2023 |
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275: 3 Questions and 3 Books
14:21
Today I'm thinking in threes: three categories of reading, three books I recommend and three questions to help you reflect on the last several months before heading in to the new season that's upon us. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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May 16, 2023 |
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274: On Making Decisions Alone: A Conversation With A Widow
26:20
I'm glad to welcome one of my dear, in-real-life, local friends to the show, Anna Kimbrough. Anna and her husband, Tripp, met when they were both students at Chapel Hill and were married for 23 years until the spring of 2022, when Tripp died after complications with a biopsy. Now it's three years later, and I'm sitting down with Anna to talk about the difficulty and heartbreak of making decisions alone after losing your person as well as some of the hope she's received along the way. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 09, 2023 |
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273: A Spiritual Practice For The Hesitant
11:46
If you’re someone who maybe grew up going to church or used to have a steady spiritual practice, but you’ve either grown tired, weary, bored, or skeptical, I get it, and you’re not alone. Maybe lately you’ve been curious about God again, wondering if there’s anything for you in the world of faith. Maybe you’re tiptoeing back looking for something familiar, but then when you find it, you feel a bit cautious or hesitant. Maybe you have the desire to engage a spiritual practice, but you’re not sure how to do that as yourself in this new space. If that’s you, then this episode is for you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 02, 2023 |
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272: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Your Birthday
14:46
Birthdays can be fun and lovely, but also sometimes a source of our own chronic hesitation or decision fatigue. And this can add stress because we want to celebrate it, but we also may wonder how we can do that well as grownups. How can we approach our birthday like a soul minimalist, and why would we want to? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 25, 2023 |
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271: A Blessing For Friendship
05:16
A short blessing for all kinds of friendship and all kinds of friends. Here’s to you, a friend to someone, and here’s to your someone who is a friend to you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 18, 2023 |
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270: How to Listen When A Friend Asks For Advice
19:42
What role do friendships play in our decision-making lives? How can we be friends people trust to come to when they have a decision to make? Are there any tips or tricks on how not to be an annoying friend when someone comes to us for advice? Well, there are, my friend. I hope you’ll listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 11, 2023 |
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269: Friendship Breakups with Laura Tremaine
47:14
As we continue this short series on friendship, I'm glad to welcome one of my IRL friends, the author of one of my top 10 favorite books of 2020, Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First and host of the 10 Things to Tell You podcast, Laura Tremaine. Laura has written a book all about friendship for grownups and it's already helped me make some really important mindset shifts in my own relationships. It's called The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs and it releases on April 4. I'm thrilled to have her on this episode to talk about friendships, specifically what we get wrong culturally, what it means to believe the best, and what to do when a friendship ends. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 04, 2023 |
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268: What's Saving My Life: Friendship Edition
20:06
What’s saving your life right now, specifically when it comes to friendship? It’s the first in a several-week series on friendship inspired by my friend and fellow author, Laura Tremaine’s new book, The Life Council, all about 10 friends every woman needs. We’ll have Laura on as a guest next week, but this week we’ll kick off the series by dedicating this quarter’s "What’s Saving My Life" to friendship. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 28, 2023 |
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267: How To Handle Interruption
15:37
Can we escape interruptions? You know the answer is we never will, but we can make partial, imperfect, or even settled peace with them. In this episode, I’ll offer some encouragement for when your life feels like one big interruption. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 21, 2023 |
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266: On Being A Well by Macrina Wiederkehr
04:55
Today I'll share words from someone else for all of us to listen to and carry with us and reflect on together. I've chosen a poem by Macrina Wiederkehr, a writer who has been a companion for me for many years now (though she never knew it.) She was a master of everyday spirituality and had a lovely way of seeing and speaking of God in the midst of ordinary things of life. Macrina wrote a reflection on Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well, as recorded in John chapter 4. So here is "On Being A Well" by Macrina Wiederkehr from her book, Seasons of Your Heart. Listen in.
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Mar 14, 2023 |
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265: How to Know What You Want
16:29
You have a decision to make or a move to discern. You ask a friend to listen and help you figure out your next right thing. And then they ask the question that is as dreaded as it is simple: "Well, what do you want?" If your response to that maddening question is no answer, no direction, no clue, then this episode is for you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 07, 2023 |
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264: Let's Talk About Fear
11:54
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about fear, how and when it shows up, ways it lies and tells the truth, and what it means for us as we do the hard and holy work of making life decisions. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 28, 2023 |
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263: How to Human with Carlos Whittaker
36:50
Today I'm glad to welcome our favorite hope dealer and host of the podcast Human Hope, it's Carlos Whittaker. His brand new book How to Human, just released last month. In it he shares candidly from his own life about how he's wrestling through some of the biggest cultural issues of our current time and simple ways he's learning to refuse to let our disagreements define us. In his honest, relatable, Carlos way, we're invited on a path of radical love—one that requires us to become builders rather than demolitionists. Listen in.
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Feb 21, 2023 |
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262: For Who You Might Become
09:15
The decisions we make are evidence of the person who we are becoming. In the middle of our right-now, messy, beautiful, boring, terrifying wonderful lives, it's good to reflect on who we've been, who we are, and who we might become. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 14, 2023 |
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261: Where Trouble Melts Like Lemon Drops: A Story
15:21
Doing the next right thing is just that -- it's the next right thing for now, not forever. It's the next right thing as far as we understand what is good and right and next. Today I'll share my own story of continuing to discover what it means to do the next right thing in love. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 07, 2023 |
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260: Your Next Right Thing Starter Pack
18:27
After a short break, we're back with a starter pack of episodes to turn to for particular situations, especially for you who might be new here or are looking for helpful, actionable decision-making content. Today I'll share specific episodes for when you feel stuck, for making decisions with other people, and resources for your next right thing. Listen in.
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Jan 31, 2023 |
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We want to hear from you!
02:19
We're on a break! But not the Ross and Rachel kind, this one's only temporary. We're working to create content that meets you right where you are and we'll be back in a couple of weeks. But first, we have an announcement, a request, and a blessing, so listen in! Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Jan 03, 2023 |
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259: What Worked in 2022
23:06
On this final episode of the year, I'll share my list of what worked in 2022 as well as a few tips and resources for you if you want to make your own list. Listen in! Want help looking back before moving forward? Download these 10 Questions for Reflection and Discernment.
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Dec 27, 2022 |
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258: A Blessing for Christmas Week
04:40
A blessing for you and yours on this week before Christmas. You may recognize these words from Day 10 of last year’s version of The Quiet Collection for Christmas (2021). I hope they extend a welcome to you on this Christmas, when we mark the day God moved in and everything changed. Amen. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 20, 2022 |
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257: A Soul Minimalist's Guide for the End of the Year
11:24
We have a little over two weeks until the end of the year with a lot of potential activity between now and then. Here's the soul talk we all need for the finish line. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 13, 2022 |
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BONUS: The Quiet Collection 2022!
12:15
Surprise! We have a bonus episode to share with you that The Quiet Collection for Christmas is ready and waiting for you -- and we've made it better than ever. Listen in to learn about the changes we've made this year and how you can get Day One of this 10-day audio devotional collection for Christmas today. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 07, 2022 |
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256: A Reading from John 1
04:02
At the beginning of the Advent season, it's good to remember the Light. Here's a reflective reading from John 1:1-18, read from The Message version, a translation by Eugene Peterson. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 06, 2022 |
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255: Ask Emily Anything! Celebrating 20 Million
39:13
What a gift it is to be a small part of your Tuesdays over the last five years! As we celebrate 20 million downloads, we're dedicating today's episode to answering your questions. I'll say some words about why I don't give parenting advice, one of my favorite decisions of the last year, how I decided to became a spiritual director, and what is my next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 29, 2022 |
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254: Honest Advent with Scott Erickson
34:22
Today I'm glad to welcome back to the show author, artist, and spiritual director, Scott Erickson. We'll talk about one of my favorite Advent resources, his beautiful book Honest Advent. I read it last year and of course didn't finish it in time for Christmas, but I just kept right on reading through the new year, finishing it up in the middle of January and I wasn't a bit mad about it. We'll talk about vulnerability, his own Advent inspiration, and the fascination we both share this time of year. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 22, 2022 |
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253: The Enneagram and Decision-Making with Suzanne Stabile
01:10:56
Today I'm glad to welcome our favorite Enneagram teacher, author Suzanne Stabile, to talk about the three centers of intelligence and how our stances inform our decisions. Suzanne is a highly sought-after speaker and teacher, known for her personal vulnerability and creative approach to Enneagram instruction. After 25 years of studying the enneagram, learning from people’s stories, cultivating relationships, and learning under Father Richard Rohr, she has become a bestselling author and world-class teacher of the enneagram. Her most recent enneagram book is called The Journey Toward Wholeness: Enneagram Wisdom for Stress, Balance and Transformation and if you ask me, it's her best one yet. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 15, 2022 |
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252: An Unconventional Gratitude
03:40
If you're feeling pulled in all directions, looking for grounding words but unable to form them, here's a short prayer of welcoming some things we need, some things we want, and others we would rather do without. Listen in.
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Nov 08, 2022 |
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251: Why Sabbath is For Everyone with Ruth Haley Barton
35:16
Today I'm glad to welcome Ruth Haley Barton to the podcast to talk about an important and often misunderstood spiritual practice: sabbath. Ruth has spent over 20 years as a student, a practitioner and a leader in the area of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation. She served on the staff of several churches before founding the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to creating space for God to strengthen the souls of leaders, equipping them to lead transforming communities. Ruth has written several books that have been transformational in my own life, and her most recent release is called Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again which is what I can't wait to talk with her about today. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 01, 2022 |
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250: One Secret to a Light(er) Heart
12:05
Doing the next right thing won't necessarily protect us from harm, regret, or embarrassment. But hopefully, it can be a practice that keeps us present, moving, and from being too hard on ourselves. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 25, 2022 |
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249: A Former Sign Language Interpreter's Guide to Listening
17:21
What can we learn about listening from other listening professions? I'm not talking about counselors or therapists, but those whose job it is to hear on behalf of someone else. As a former sign language interpreter turned writer and spiritual director, I'm reflecting on how some of my learned skills in one area of study are now informing my life as a listener in a different way. Perhaps some of these same principles can help you in your own discernment processes. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 18, 2022 |
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248: Start With Hello with Shannan Martin
38:37
All the world's a neighborhood and everyone's my neighbor. How to begin to live as such? Today's guest submits it's simple: Start with hello. Today I'm glad to welcome one of my favorite writers and also favorite humans, author Shannan Martin. Her most recent book is called Start With Hello (And other simple ways to live as neighbors). In it, she speaks directly to that part of us that wants to reach out, wants to belong, wants to embody connection with our community in a way that is tangible, accessible, equitable, and with hearts bent toward justice. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 11, 2022 |
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247: What's Saving My Life (Autumn Edition)
21:02
It's a question often asked and answered by writers and podcasters alike and it’s easy to see why — it’s simple, it’s direct, and it’s deeply thought provoking. Along with making a list of what I'm learning each season, I also love to make note of what's saving my life. Thanks to Barbara Brown Taylor for bringing this question into the public conversation, and to John Claypool to asking it of her so many years ago. So that's today's episode. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 04, 2022 |
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246: The Mindset Shift That's Changing My Work
20:11
As one season slowly unfolds into the next, I'm paying attention to some of my work and life rhythms and have discovered one thing that's been holding me back from my next right thing. Maybe it's holding you back, too. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 27, 2022 |
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245: Voices of Lament with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson and Mariah Humphries
29:07
Today I'm glad to explore a topic that doesn't usually make the headlines in our newsfeeds but one that certainly deserves some airtime in our souls. We're talking about lament -- what it is, why it matters, and who some of our best teachers are in this practice. I'm glad to welcome two guests today to help me host this conversation: Natasha Sistrunk Robinson and Mariah Humphries. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 20, 2022 |
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244: When A Public Figure Dies
13:14
The news of the passing of a public figure can be both sobering and disruptive, no matter how far removed from us they were. How we navigate the loss of a public figure depends on the age of the one who dies, the manner of their death, and the degree to which we paid attention to their work their art, or their life of service. And it depends on us, our experience and perception of this person and their impact on our individual lives and on the arc of history. When someone who seemed larger than life stops living, there is often a collective pause and there should be. Today let's consider the strange dynamic of reckoning with the loss of a public figure. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 13, 2022 |
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243: How to Move Through Regret
16:05
The disembodied smoke of regret is nearly impossible to contain, corral, or neatly repackage and conceal. Once it's released, it sticks to the fibers and hangs on for days. Perhaps you can relate. Here is a practice that has helped me not only move through it but also find peace on the other side. Not a perfect peace, but a settled one. I hope it's helpful for you as well. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 06, 2022 |
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242: Are you afraid of choosing wrong?
14:01
This conversation would be better had face to face and of course one episode won't eliminate the fear of choosing wrong. But it's a worthy conversation to at least begin here, especially considering how prevalent this fear is among many of us. Let's find clarity around what we're talking about when we say we're afraid of choosing wrong. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 30, 2022 |
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241: Write What You Know (And Other Life Advice)
10:48
C.S. Lewis once said to “always prefer the plain, direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.” What's true for language can also be true for life. Why make something complicated when it can be simple instead? Here are 3 common writing tips given to writers that can be applied to our whole life. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 23, 2022 |
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240: A Staying Prayer for Parents
03:40
Many parents are saying a big goodbye to their kids moving out of the house for the very first time. This prayer was written specifically with parents of college students in mind, but of course could apply for any parents, caregivers, or guardians sending young people out into the world. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 18, 2022 |
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239: A Sending Prayer for College Freshmen
03:14
August is a month of change and one big milestone is moving out of the house to live on your own, whether for college, work, internships, traveling, or just because it's time. This one was written specifically with first-year college students in mind, but of course could apply for any young ones who are grown, moving away from home for the first time. Here's a sending prayer for the journey. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 16, 2022 |
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238: State of the Podcast 2022
13:26
Five years ago this week, the first episode of The Next Right Thing released. In this five year state of the podcast episode, I’m glad to look back at our beginnings and share the importance of marking milestones. I'll ask (and answer) five questions to ask yourself when you have a milestone moment to mark. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 09, 2022 |
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237: For When Things Are Changing (with John Freeman)
30:58
Today I’m eager to sit with John Freeman, my husband and partner for the last 21 years. We talk about some times of discernment and decision-making in our own marriage, how serving on staff at a church for over a decade prepared him for his work as a spiritual director and what’s on our minds as we prepare to send our twins off to college. If you find yourself standing on a threshold of change, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 02, 2022 |
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236: For When You Can't Figure God Out
09:22
What if there is no rush to figure out what we think and believe about everything? What if there's room for our growth and learning to take the time it takes? If you're feeling overwhelmed with the pressure to figure things out, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 26, 2022 |
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235: On Grief and Healing with Amanda Held Opelt
30:33
Doing the next right thing is perhaps most necessary when we find ourselves in the midst of grief and loss. Today I’m glad to talk with author, speaker, and songwriter Amanda Held Opelt. She believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds. Amanda is well acquainted with grief after experiencing several years of profound loss, including the sudden death of her only sister, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans. Amanda explores the rituals of grief and what they can teach us about ourselves, our faith, and each other in times of deep loss in her new book, A Hole in the World. If you find yourself in the midst of the fog of grief or want to grow in your understanding of what grievers are going through, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 19, 2022 |
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234: Psalm 23
04:02
A reading of Psalm 23 from the following versions: New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition), New International Version, and The Amplified Bible. This episode is part of the Psalm Summer series. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 12, 2022 |
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233: Psalm 121
03:34
A reading of Psalm 121 from the following versions: New Living Translation, New American Standard Bible, and The Voice. This episode is part of the Psalm Summer series. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 05, 2022 |
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232: Psalm 103
06:28
A reading of Psalm 103, first from the New American Standard Bible, and then from the Common English Bible. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 28, 2022 |
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231: Psalm 91
04:50
A reading of Psalm 91, first from the New International Version and then from The Message. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 21, 2022 |
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230: Psalm Summer: A Series
08:42
We’re looking for God in the cracks of our lives, in the wide open spaces of our joys and the painful fissures of our brokenness. For the next several weeks I want to create some space for the Psalms to put some things to words that we might be too exhausted to articulate. Today I'll explain how it will work. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 14, 2022 |
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229: A Blessing for the Graduates
04:04
For the most recent high school and college graduates, here's a short blessing for you as you do your next right thing in love. Listen in.
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Jun 07, 2022 |
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228: The Good and Beautiful You with James Bryan Smith
32:43
What is the soul and what is the impact of fame and success on it? Also, how can we cultivate a good and beautiful life with spiritual practices without sinking into judgment or legalism? Today I’m thrilled to talk to my friend, Dr. James Bryan Smith, who has been a theology professor at Friends University for several decades and was recently named the inaugural Dallas Willard Chair in Christian Spiritual Formation. Jim is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and a co-founding pastor of Chapel Hill UMC, in Wichita, Kansas. He is also a best-selling author of twelve books, most notably The Apprentice Series (InterVarsity Press), which includes The Good and Beautiful God as well as his most recent release, The Good and Beautiful You that we’ll talk about today. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 31, 2022 |
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227: Trust the Process with Stephanie Duncan Smith
44:47
How can you move forward when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, out of control, or like you’re doing it all wrong? My guest today brings simple advice with a nuanced angle inviting us all to trust the process. Stephanie Duncan Smith is a senior editor at Baker Books, where she coaches and champions authors to bring the best out of their message. She’s worked in book and digital media publishing for over a decade, developing bestselling and award-winning writers, and personally pens SLANT LETTER, an email newsletter for writers looking to deepen their craft and tend to the soul of their work which we plan to tell you all about. So what does it look like to trust the process in parenting, faith, and writing? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 24, 2022 |
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226: When Someone You Love is Indecisive
09:03
Maybe you're not the one who is chronically hesitant but someone you love seems to always struggle with making decisions. What’s the best way to help the indecisive along? How can you help them move forward in the midst of their hesitation? Great question. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 17, 2022 |
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225: Discerning Your Next Right Thing After High School
27:58
Today's episode is especially for high school students and those who love and advise them. As my twins prepare to graduate from high school, I've been thinking a lot about our past year and how we've helped them make decisions about their next right thing. This is the episode I wish I'd had a year ago and I hope it's helpful for you. Listen in.
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May 10, 2022 |
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224: Naming What Matters in Friendship, Life, and the Kitchen with Kendra Adachi
45:07
Today's guest is all about helping us to be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. New York Times bestselling author, Kendra Adachi, shares her five-step framework for transforming every part of our kitchen based on her brand new book The Lazy Genius Kitchen. But since she is also my dearest friend, we'll talk a little about what matters in the kitchen and a lot about what matters in life. Listen in.
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May 03, 2022 |
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223: How to Move Through Small Disappointments
09:36
Whether you're making plans to travel, to be with friends or family, or to host people at your house in your very own neighborhood, chances are you have some expectations for how things will go. So what do you do when the day comes, the trip is lovely, the food is great and the company kind, but you get stuck in a disappointment that you can't seem to shake? Sometimes our next right thing turns out differently than we thought, and even if it's not life threatening or earth shattering, we feel disappointment and we may not even know all the way why. Here's a way to move through it. Listen in.
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Apr 26, 2022 |
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222: What's Saving My Life Right Now
15:34
It's the question Barbara Brown Taylor asks and answers in her memoir, Leaving Church, and one many of us have carried forward to ask and answer as well. The best questions are shareable and re-answerable and today I'll share my list of what's saving my life. Because when you are in a season of discernment and decision-making (which is almost always), it's helpful to name and celebrate where the life comes from. Listen in.
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Apr 19, 2022 |
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221: Psalm 46
02:26
May this simple reading of Psalm 46 be a reflection you can return to as you discern your next right thing in love. This Psalm is a reading from the New International Version. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 12, 2022 |
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220: Our Favorite Yeses
17:08
When was a time you said yes and were so glad you did? I asked you that question last week and this week we’ll share your answers. We're celebrating your favorite yeses and a few of mine too. Listen in. We're also celebrating a huge milestone: We've sold 100,000 copies The Next Right Thing! I'm so glad I said yes to writing that book and I'm equally glad you said yes to reading it. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 05, 2022 |
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219: 20 Questions to Ask Before You Say Yes to A Great Opportunity
18:42
How can we discern our next right thing when presented with a great opportunity? Is there a framework to follow when discerning when to say yes or when to say no? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 29, 2022 |
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218: A Story of Discernment with Jamin Goggin
47:03
What do you do when you work hard on something for years of your life, you believe you’re being faithful to your next right thing, and then you release your prayed for work into the world only to later learn new information that forces you to question what you worked so hard to offer? Author, pastor, and spiritual director, Jamin Goggin, had to wrestle with that very question and is here to tell the story. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 22, 2022 |
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217: An Early Spring Reflection
05:43
Two days a year, the earth from pole to pole receives an equal distribution of light and dark, day and night. The equinox is always around this time of year — spring for those above the equator, autumn for those below. How can we be balanced on the inside even when we're in full shadow or full light? How can we bring peace to the world even in the midst of chaos? What does equanimity mean for me today? As we approach the Spring Equinox, here is a short reflection. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 15, 2022 |
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216: How to Collect Your Favorite Quotes
21:30
We underline a quote because it mirrors, questions, or inspires something in us. But it does no good for us if we don't have a way of recording and organizing it for later use and reflection. Today I'll share my four bucket system for capturing and organizing my favorite quotes so that they might make a difference in my everyday life. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 08, 2022 |
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215: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Spring
14:28
As we begin the slow transition from one season to the next, let's revisit a familiar framework in another Soul Minimalist’s Guide, this one specifically for spring. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 01, 2022 |
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214: Psalm 22
05:43
Sometimes you need someone to read to you words spoken by a sufferer in the midst of struggle, words without a filter or a reframe. Here is a simple reading of Psalm 22, a Psalm of individual lament that may perhaps be a strange kind of comfort for you if you're in the midst of your own struggle. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 22, 2022 |
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213: How to Make Embodied Decisions with Dr. Hillary L. McBride
36:18
What do you do when you feel like your decisions are running counter to your bodily experience? How can you know when you are living a disembodied life? My guest today has asked (and answered) these questions and more in her years-long work as a psychologist, a researcher, an author and a teacher. Dr. Hillary McBride is the author of the new release The Wisdom of Your Body where she writes about what it means to find healing, wholeness, and connection through embodied living. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 15, 2022 |
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212: How to Walk Out of A Room
11:28
Some rooms are not for us. Other rooms are not for us anymore. What do we do when a room we've walked into is no longer a room where we belong? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 08, 2022 |
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211: The Daily Examen
12:18
What is the Daily Examen? How does it work? What is the purpose? And what does it have to do with discerning my next right thing? Today I'll share a spiritual practice that I’ve found to be personally transformative in my daily life. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 01, 2022 |
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210: What if You Could Trust Yourself?
08:08
When I asked readers to send in their episode suggestions related to discernment and decision-making, one common thread ran through them all. Today we'll take a step back and imagine what we want even more than a right decision. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 25, 2022 |
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209: Find Life After the Death of A Dream with Scott Erickson
43:27
What do you do when you feel like your life hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would or the way you wanted it to? How do you keep going in the face of personal or vocational disappointment? My guest today has spent a lot of time not only thinking his way through the answer to that question, but he’s lived his way through it and has brought us along through his own stories, questions, humor, compelling art and now, his brand new book, Say Yes. I'm delighted to sit down with Scott Erickson, an artist who is working to give us a new visual vocabulary for the spiritual journey we're all on. Listen in.
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Jan 18, 2022 |
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208: Hold the Tension Longer
13:09
What do we do when our next right thing is to wait for an indefinite amount of time or to hope in the face of what seems to be an impossible situation? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 11, 2022 |
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207: The Prayer of St. Francis
06:55
One of the most helpful spiritual practices I’ve found in the last several years is borrowing the prayers of others when I can’t find words for my own. Today I’ll share one of my favorites and maybe it will be a favorite of yours too. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 04, 2022 |
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206: What Worked in 2021
22:50
At the end of every year, I write down a list of what worked and what didn’t work that year. I’ll share my list of what worked for me this year as well as a few tips and resources for you if you want to make your own list. Listen in! Want help looking back before moving forward? Download these 10 Questions for Reflection and Discernment.
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Dec 28, 2021 |
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A Christmas Blessing
04:57
A blessing for you and yours on this week of Christmas. You may recognize these words from last year’s version of The Quiet Collection and I hope they extend a welcome to you on this Christmas, when we mark the day God moved in and everything changed. Now, God is making all things new, in you and in me. Amen. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 21, 2021 |
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205: 5 Strong Ways to Finish Regular
12:47
There are as many ways to approach the end of the year as there are people. Still, it’s easy to be fooled into thinking there’s just one right way to finish — Finish strong! they say. For anyone who feels like they might not be able to finish strong this year, your next right thing might be to just finish regular. Listen in.
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Dec 14, 2021 |
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204: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Christmas
16:40
A minimalist asks, "What am I holding on to?" A soul minimalist asks, "What has a hold on me?" Let's ease some of the decision fatigue that can come along this time of year with another Soul Minimalist’s Guide, this one specifically for Christmas. Listen in.
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Dec 07, 2021 |
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203: Introducing The Quiet Collection 2021
11:03
Chances are at some point during the next four weeks, you'll find yourself feeling extra frazzled, lonely, or distracted despite your best intentions. Here's the simplest way to quiet your mind during one of the busiest months of the year: the 2021 edition of The Quiet Collection is here and ready for you! I'll tell you all about it. Listen in.
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Nov 30, 2021 |
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202: Abuelita Faith with Kat Armas
34:00
What if the greatest theologians the world has ever known are those whom the world wouldn’t consider theologians at all? I'm glad to welcome theologian and author of Abuelita Faith, Kat Armas, who tells the stories of unnamed and overlooked theologians in society and in the Bible--mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters--whose survival, strength, resistance, and dedication to the next deeply right thing teach us the true power of love and faith. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 23, 2021 |
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201: Your Decision-Making Starter Kit
16:49
Our lives are endlessly complicated and our decisions are almost always laced with layers of nuance which is why it's always a challenge (one I love!) to create episodes about decision-making. Is it possible to share principles, perspective, and simple frameworks that are helpful no matter who you are or what decision you have to make? I say it is, or at least I try. Today I've curated the top 10 episodes to listen to if you're carrying a particular decision right now and could use some practical help to make it; a decision-making starter kit if you will. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 16, 2021 |
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200: Ask Emily Anything! Celebrating 200 Episodes
31:24
Today’s conversation is between me and you—because today we celebrate 200 episodes of The Next Right Thing! What a gift it has been to be a small part of 200 of your Tuesdays. For the first time, I'm hosting an Ask Me Anything where you asked questions and I say words about my dream guests, my limited parenting advice, what the P stands for, and if I've ever thought about quitting. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 09, 2021 |
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199: Psalm 27
02:54
May this simple reading of Psalm 27 be a reflection you can return to as you discern your next right thing in love. This reading is from the Common English Version of the Bible. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 02, 2021 |
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198: Be Present Not Perfect with Shauna Niequist
37:36
Today I’m joined by a writer who deeply understands what it means to live life on autopilot, chugging through the day "on fear and caffeine." As it turns out, that life is a train to nowhere and Shauna Niequist decided to get off. I’m happy to sit down with her to talk about writing, connection, and her next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 26, 2021 |
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197: For Us, As Our Faith Changes
12:30
A lot of us are looking for our truest words these days. We’re taking the hymns and choruses of our childhood faith, the verses we have memorized, our adolescent optimism, our adult commitments, our 2020 cynicism and our 2021 exhaustion and we’re holding them all up to the light. We have thrown some things out. We are holding on for dear life. In the sifting, there's sure to be some mix-ups. If you can relate, this episode is for you. And for me. Listen in.
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Oct 19, 2021 |
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196: Why Your Pro/Con List Isn't Working
17:05
It's the list we all know to make when we're stuck in the decision-making process. There are helpful things about the pro/con list but we all know they don't work all by themselves. This type of list could be a good starting point, but what do you do next? I dedicated The Next Right Thing to anyone who's ever made a pro/con list in the middle of the night. If that's you, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 12, 2021 |
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195: Be Your Own Friend
09:24
What do we do when we wish we were different but struggle to make a change? What do we do when a thing we’re good at (that is sometimes good) is also a thing that is sometimes trouble? Every strength has a shadow side and sometimes gifts come with burdens to bear. If you wonder what to do when your best gets the best of you, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 05, 2021 |
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194: Being Human with Kate Bowler
35:23
She believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, until she discovered at age 35 that her body was wracked with cancer. In the years that have followed, Kate Bowler has wrestled honestly with the reality she has been handed and the terrible advice she’s received along the way, like that everything happens for a reason. Hers is a voice I never want to stop listening to and in her new book, No Cure for Being Human, she is honest, vulnerable, and delightfully human, saying the words we all know but are sometimes afraid to say: that life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between. I’m delighted to sit down with Kate to talk about that and the truths we need to hear. Listen in.
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Sep 28, 2021 |
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193: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Autumn
15:53
If you need to get in that autumn state of mind, today's episode is for you. Maybe the season has caught you by surprise or you're feeling a little off but don't know why. It's time to clear the summer mind-clutter and move into fall like a soul minimalist. Listen in.
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Sep 21, 2021 |
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192: Hold On To Hope
17:31
It’s a short trip from helpless to hopeless, just a shuffling of a few letters and you’re there. If you've been struggling to hold on to hope over the last few weeks (or years), then today's episode is for you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 14, 2021 |
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191: What We're Learning
13:13
We don't learn just from experience. Transformation happens when we reflect upon our experience. Of all the lists we keep, the most important isn't a to-do list but a list of what we're learning. Because you're not just doing things, you're becoming someone. Who? And what are you learning along the way? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 07, 2021 |
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190: Psalm 139
03:40
May this simple reading of Psalm 139 be a reflection you can return to as you discern your next right thing in love. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 31, 2021 |
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189: How to Use The Next Right Thing Guided Journal
34:20
I've been meaning to do an episode like this for months now and the time has come. Whether you already have The Next Right Thing Guided Journal or if you didn't even know it existed, this episode will tell you everything you need to know about how to use it for your life, all in one place.
You don't have to wait until the end of the year to reflect on your life and this journal makes it easy to start today. I'll share tips and instruction as well as how I use this resource in my own life. Plus, I'll tell you what I wish was different about the journal. You can begin or jump back into this reflective practice and discern the life that wants to be lived in you today. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 24, 2021 |
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188: You Are Here (And It Matters)
10:13
Invisible things are real and it all matters. As we move through this month, if you’re feeling swept along, hurried up, or even passed on by, this episode is for you. It’s time to recalibrate a bit, to pay attention to what’s happening on the inside so we can do our next right thing in love. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 17, 2021 |
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187: State of the Podcast 2021: The Next Right Thing Turns 4!
25:31
This month marks the 4 year anniversary of The Next Right Thing! Today I'll share the state of the podcast using a simple framework I follow for reflecting on everything - what's been life-giving and life-draining, what I'm grateful for, what questions I'm holding and what arrows I’m following. In addition to sharing some of your favorite episodes, I’ll also pull out some key pivots over the last four years of hosting this podcast. I’ll do that because I know that you come from a variety of backgrounds, professions, interests, and hopes, I also know that you are probably making something of your own right now and you wonder if you’re doing it right, if it’s working, if it’s worth it, and if it’s time to make a change. Listen in.
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Aug 10, 2021 |
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186: A Late Summer Reflection
06:27
We’ve been wearing our burdens like thick, heavy furs. Summertime stepped up beside us, whispering kindly, May I take your coat? I hope you've let her. No matter what this season has looked like for you, there's no wrong. Here's a short reflection to help you look back before moving forward. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 03, 2021 |
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185: Why Makers Struggle to Get Things Done
17:19
If you are in a season of decision fatigue because your work, church, schooling, parenting, or just life circumstances, in general, require you to work in a way that disrupts your natural rhythms, this episode is for you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 29, 2021 |
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184: The Next Right Thing in Marriage with John Freeman
41:45
In honor of 20 years of marriage, I've invited John to join me today. We'll talk about life together through various transitions, griefs, fears, and personality quirks. We'll also share about how we met and what the Enneagram has taught us in marriage. Listen in!
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Jun 22, 2021 |
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183: Real Talk About Overfunctioning
17:27
How can you know when responsibility and being a caring grown up turns into overfunctioning? Is this exhaustion and overwhelm just a season or has it become a pattern? Today I'm sharing honestly what this looks like for me. As always, our next right thing starts with naming what is really going on. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 15, 2021 |
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182: One Fun Decision (The Shoe Episode)
15:07
For all the talk about decision fatigue, chronic hesitation, and the important practice of doing the next right thing, it could be easy to overlook some areas in life where overthinking isn’t something to avoid, but something to indulge. It's time to make one fun decision. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 08, 2021 |
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181: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Summer
21:25
Author Joshua Becker says that “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” We could say the same thing about soul minimalism, except instead of focusing on our external life, a soul minimalist does this for her internal life. What do I value most for my inner life this summer and what can I remove that will distract me from it? I've got 5 steps to consider for a simplified summer. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 01, 2021 |
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180: Use Your Voice
11:23
If you’ve been doing the sacred work of watching, listening, and paying good attention, we're grateful for your hard work. You don't have to be in the spotlight to make a difference, I know that full well. But what if now is the time to tell us what you see, hear, and notice? What if now is the time to use your voice and let us hear how it sounds? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 25, 2021 |
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179: Stop Overworking with Megan Hyatt Miller
30:16
Years ago, Megan Hyatt Miller found herself at a crossroads where she felt like she had to choose between being present with her family and present at her work. It felt like an impossible choice until she created a third way. And that’s where we’ll start off. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 18, 2021 |
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178: How to Find A Spiritual Director
17:51
Are you curious about meeting a spiritual director but don't know how to find one? A spiritual director is a person who holds prayerful space for someone else to help them discern what God is up to in and around them. If you want to know more about what spiritual direction is, check out Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners. Then listen to this one, where I'll share questions to ask, where to look, and what to look for in a spiritual director. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 11, 2021 |
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177: The Next Right Thing for People Pleasers
16:02
We all have the capacity to live our lives in such a way that we forget to remember who we are, we hurry through our minutes looking for the next important thing, we are overly attentive to what people think of us, and we are addicted to our own press. So what is the next right thing for those of us who are so aware of other people’s opinions that we have a hard time knowing our own, making wise decisions, or doing our next right thing in love? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 04, 2021 |
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176: What to Do When You Can't Find God
14:38
For generations, people have wandered through the wilderness and the valley of the shadow; they have navigated life in the midst of difficulty, loss, and seemingly impossible circumstances. If you are walking through your own wilderness right now, you are not alone even if you feel alone. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 27, 2021 |
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175: How to Find a Mentor with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson
29:00
How do you know if you're in the right place with the right people at the right time? And how can we find mentors to help us discern our next right thing? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson is a leader we all need in our lives and her voice inspires me to be the leader I'm meant to be. May she do the same for you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 20, 2021 |
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174: Is it Time to Quit My Job?
16:16
When it comes to the decisions we make in our lifetime, questions about our job and vocation top the list as the ones that can cause the most decision fatigue. For 15 minutes, let’s consider the question beneath the question and see if we can uncover more information that could help you discern your next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 13, 2021 |
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173: How to Journal Using One Word
17:31
If you want to incorporate journaling into your daily rhythm but don’t know where to begin, here's how to use just one word to get started. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 06, 2021 |
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172: Make These 2 Lists Now
17:25
When you have a decision to make, the first place to start is not with a pro/con list. Instead, start with a Q+A list: questions and arrows. I’ll use an example from my own life so you can see how this simple next-right-thing practice can help you discern your way through complicated, nuanced decisions. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 30, 2021 |
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171: What to do When the World Opens Up
14:54
We've had a year of hearing about closings, shutdowns, and cancelations. We've become somewhat expert at navigating those last minute change of plans. But now that a new season is upon us and hope is creeping toward the door, maybe you're wondering why you still lack motivation and can't seem to get anything done? We've learned what to do when the world shuts down, but how are we supposed to move forward as it opens up again? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 23, 2021 |
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170: Try Softer with Aundi Kolber
35:44
As restrictions lift and the season changes, you might be facing more decisions now than you have all year. Instead of trying hard to move through decision fatigue, what if trying softer is your next right thing? I'm talking with author, counselor, and kind human Aundi Kolber. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 16, 2021 |
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169: Create Your 10 Minute Evening Routine
22:13
From dinner time to bedtime, evening can often feel like a mad dash to end the day. Instead of closing the day with intention, we have more of a hurry up and rest mindset. Rather than giving you guideposts to design your entire evening, I'll offer a framework to help you personalize a 10 minute evening routine to help you transition from the day into the evening that you can do anywhere, in any season, no matter where you are, who you’re with, or what’s gone wrong. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 09, 2021 |
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168: Is it Time to Dream Again?
16:15
Of all the things we lost in the last 12 months, one that has taken the longest for me to name is a sense of possibility. Maybe 2020 was the year the dreamers stopped dreaming. So much felt impossible for so long (and some things still do) — but a question is rising up in me and I wonder if it would be helpful for you too: is it time to begin to dream again? Here are three things to consider. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 02, 2021 |
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167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners
23:38
What is spiritual direction and how is it different from counseling, discipling, mentorship, teaching, coaching, soul care, or friendship? We'll answer this and more in today's episode, including how spiritual direction can be a helpful practice in discerning our next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 23, 2021 |
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166: How to Cope With Disappointment
16:38
What is our next right thing when we’re confronted with disappointment? What do we do when someone else’s next right thing leads to our own broken heart? What if their win is our loss? What if their freedom leads to our grief? We’re asking some difficult questions and not demanding answers but remaining open for the arrows. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 16, 2021 |
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165: Journal Your Seasons
15:50
One way to make more confident decisions for your future is to reflect on decisions you've made in the past. I do this on a seasonal basis, but the goal is not to obey the calendar. The goal is to pay attention to your life. Here are three ways to practice seasonal reflection even if you are in the middle of a season. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 09, 2021 |
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164: Start With the Punchline in Mind with Michael Jr.
31:06
When it comes to finding your purpose and knowing your why, many of us have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's inspirational and motivating. But there is another hand, and that's the one filled with anxiety and questioning: how do we know if we're on the right track? What if we don't have a clear sense of purpose? Author and comedian Michael Jr. helps us discern our next right thing without making things complicated. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 02, 2021 |
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163: Reflection as Activism
19:02
When we witness dissonance in the world around us, when we see people make terrible choices on live TV or in the parking lot of a Starbucks or in the sanctuary of our churches or in the halls of a federal building and then we still have to decide what to make for dinner that night, it’s disorienting at best, traumatizing at worst. Many of us want to know: What can I do? What is my next right thing in this? It's an important question and it's not rhetorical. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 26, 2021 |
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162: Is it Time to Move On?
13:52
It's one thing to change your mind when you're sure of your decision. But how can you know if it's time to move on when circumstance, desire, and opinions are mixed? Here are 8 questions to ask yourself to find some clarity. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 19, 2021 |
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161: Change Your Mind
14:18
You are allowed to change your mind. In fact, this might be the most courageous, spiritually forming thing you could do. If we want to participate in true transformation, we may have to be willing to let go of what we’re good at, to move away from what we once knew for sure (or thought we knew for sure), and take a step into the mysterious shadow of unknowing. You might be surprised what you find there. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 12, 2021 |
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160: The Welcoming Prayer
10:09
This time of year encourages a new start, a letting go, a shaking loose of old skins and embracing a new kind of strength. Maybe growing and maturity means releasing. But what if part of releasing is allowing? What if shaking it off without first holding it out only means it will come back around again (and maybe not in very kind ways next time.) What if letting go starts with letting in? That's what The Welcoming Prayer from Father Thomas Keating is all about. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 05, 2021 |
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159: What We Made in 2020
18:09
From favorite foods to honest confessions, 2020 has been a year of making beautiful things. In our final episode of the year, I'm sharing seven categories of things I made and encourage you to reflect on the significant memories, confessions, decisions and more that you made this year as well. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 29, 2020 |
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158: 5 Favorite Things I Listened To This Year
19:00
This episode is part of a mini-series where I'm sharing my favorite things I read, watched, listened to, and made this year. If your year had a soundtrack, what would be on it? Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite things I listened to this year. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 22, 2020 |
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157: 10 Favorite Things I Watched This Year
24:26
Today’s episode brings us to another level of our relationship because I’m going to share with you shows I watch and in doing so, you will learn something about me for better or for worse. I tried to be super honest and share with you things I watch and love that came to mind immediately (and not just things that might impress you - these will not, I assure you) so some will be basic and mainstream TV and others aren’t TV at all because we have all kinds of ways we watch things these days. Maybe your next right thing is to kick it on back and find a new-to-you show! This episode is part of a mini-series where I'm sharing my favorite things I read, watched, listened to, and made this year. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 15, 2020 |
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156: 5 Favorite Books I Read This Year
14:06
In our brand new The Next Right Thing Guided Journal, we'll have one page per month dedicated to A Happy List: a place to record the things we read, watched, listened to, and made. In the spirit of celebrating my next right favorite things from this year, today I'm sharing 5 books I read and loved this year. Listen in! Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 08, 2020 |
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155: Collect the Quiet
10:56
This year has led us to places we would rather not go. But here we are anyway, waiting for relief, praying for healing, and holding on to hope the best we can. To help usher us into the Advent season and companion us to the finish line of 2020, I've created a brand new version of The Quiet Collection for Christmas and it's available now. In today's episode, I'll share the story behind it and I hope you'll listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 01, 2020 |
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154: Remember Who You Are
14:20
Today I want to talk about Jesus. I can’t talk about the importance of remembering who you are without talk about who I am. And to talk about who I am, I have to talk about Jesus. It’s funny when you do the kind of work I do, some people think you don’t talk about Jesus enough and others think you do it too much. I’m not trying to strike any kind of balance here y’all, I’m just trying to be a person. I mention our friend Jesus every now and then. You may be used to that by now. I want you to know you’re welcome in this space no matter what you believe about Jesus and I hope you’ll stick around for the conversation. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 24, 2020 |
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153: Keep Advent Simple (with Tsh Oxenreider)
22:32
In today’s episode I’m sharing about one decision I’ve already made for the holidays and I have a special guest to share the news with. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 17, 2020 |
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152: Say Words With Your Out Loud Voice
13:49
Most of us long for clarity -- in our decisions, our relationships, and our vocation. As Brene Brown has taught us, "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." Sometimes the simplest way to offer clarity is one we often overlook: saying words with our out loud voice. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 10, 2020 |
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151: 3 Steps to Restart Your Life-Giving Rhythms
21:33
No matter what happens in our elections, our churches, our families, and relationships we still have work to do, people to care for, places to go, dinner to make, homes to clean, proposals to write, losses to grieve, appointments to schedule, small wins to celebrate, emails to write and decisions to make. We still have life to live and if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you truly want to live your one life well. I want that too and I’ve found this next right thing posture to be most helpful when this life begins to feel like a Rubik’s cube in the hands of a toddler. Having a rhythm to count on is key, but how to get there? Let's return to 3 simple steps to help you restart your life-giving rhythms. Listen in. P.S. We're celebrating 10 Million downloads and we would love to hear from you! Details here. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 03, 2020 |
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150: A Guide for Personal Reflection
12:51
One common mistake we make when we have the desire to make good decisions is that we try to peer into the future to discover what it might hold, what the outcomes we want to achieve are, and what roadblocks we wish to avoid. The only problem is the future hasn’t happened yet, so how can it possibly teach us? Instead of looking ahead and guessing about outcomes, there’s something to be said for looking back and gathering information. Today I'll share about my weekly practice of reflection and a brand new resource I created to help! Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Oct 27, 2020 |
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149: How to Stay Grounded During Election Season
13:30
With an important Presidential election coming up in the United States in just a few short weeks, we are preparing to make decisions that don't only impact our own households but also the people who live all over this beautiful country and all over the world. No matter how you choose to vote, chances are you've experienced a fair amount of anxiety, frustration, and relational conflict during this season. What are some ways to stay grounded and clear-headed as we do our next right thing? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 20, 2020 |
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148: Remember the Medium Picture
10:52
When the big picture is impossible to grasp but the next thing feels inconsequential, it can help to remember the medium picture instead. If you're questioning if your daily decisions are adding up to something good, holding on to the medium picture can be a relief. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 13, 2020 |
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147: Be Anti-Racist
15:32
It’s been four months since we all put black squares in our Instagram feeds. While the messaging and origin of those blackout Tuesday posts may have become confusing and some of the initial intentions of that initiative was lost in the frenzy of the fast-paced nature of social media, I remain grateful for that day in early summer of 2020. For some of us, it marked a beginning, or a maybe a new beginning — a moment we can point back to and say: “That was the day I made a decision to be more than not racist. That was the day I decided to be anti-racist.” Here's a personal update of what has happened since and what it could look like to be anti-racist in our everyday lives. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 06, 2020 |
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146: Life With God: Start With Your Senses
16:03
In this final episode in our senses series, today we'll discover the role our senses might play in our life with God. One of the most life-giving discoveries I've made over the past decade or so has been to understand that our expression of faith doesn’t have to look just one way. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 29, 2020 |
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145: When You're Afraid: Start With Your Senses
14:28
Fear can be our friend because it helps us to survive by telling us to avoid dangerous things. But when fear works too hard, it's easy to lose our context. We can become hyper-focused on certain cues while ignoring other ones. When fear starts to work overtime, it can help to engage in this simple practice to bring us back to center again. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 22, 2020 |
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144: When You’re Feeling Stuck: Start With Your Senses
14:49
Questions of timing, next steps, and which path to take can consume our thoughts, causing us to be distracted, lose sleep, or make a decision in haste just to have it behind us. That’s because unmade decisions hold power. If you find yourself stuck in the decision-making process, it could help to re-engage in the world around you in ways that have nothing to do with the decision. Maybe it’s time to get out of your head and into your body. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 15, 2020 |
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143: At Home: Start With Your Senses (with Myquillyn Smith)
33:45
In an attempt to disrupt the cycle of overthinking and get out of my own head, I'm working to pay attention to my body, namely my five senses. This is not my most natural way. If you can relate, I hope that intentionally seeing, touching, smelling, tasting, and hearing might prove to be a grounding practice as we consider our next right thing in several areas of our lives. Today I'm glad to have my sister, Myquillyn Smith (The Nester), join me for a conversation about how to start with our senses at home. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 08, 2020 |
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142: Start With Your Senses
09:28
If you have decisions to make but feel like you’re just circling around the same thoughts, fears, ideas, and possibilities in your head but can’t find an out to take action, I want to invite you to journey with me over the course of the next several episodes toward discovering better decision-making habits by engaging our bodies, particularly our five senses. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 01, 2020 |
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141: Redo Your Morning Routine
10:49
Sometimes we create routines and other times, we have to break them down. Today's episode is an encouragement for anyone who feels stuck because the routines you had before aren't working anymore. Solidarity, sister. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 25, 2020 |
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140: Do The Opposite
12:22
In the fifth season of Seinfeld, Jerry's friend George Costanza decided to do the opposite of his instincts and as a result, he had the best day of his life. Ignoring your instincts may not be good advice, but there's still something to learn from doing the opposite. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 18, 2020 |
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139: Decide Once (with Kendra Adachi)
30:11
I have invited one of my best friends in the world, author Kendra Adachi, to sit down and talk with us about simplifying our choices by deciding once (when we can) and remembering that we are the boss of our decisions and not the other way around. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 11, 2020 |
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138: Leave It Behind
13:02
When it comes to the decisions we have to make, the choices we carry and the many potential roads we could walk down, its important to remember that we don’t face these decisions neutrally or at zero every time. Like a good novelist begins her story with the story already happening, that’s how we arrive at every decision we make. And that means we're carrying some things we may need to leave behind. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 04, 2020 |
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137: Remember What You Know
12:33
From the scientists to the school board, no one really knows for sure what the next best step is in the midst of this continuing coronavirus epidemic — and those who thought they knew for sure before keep changing their minds. We have to make decisions without all the facts, with a rapidly changing landscape of advice, and with fewer certainties we’ve come to rely upon. Now more than ever it’s essential to remember what we already know and practice doing just the next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 28, 2020 |
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136: Decision-Making for Slow Processors
15:47
Today’s episode is inspired by a few comments I received after I shared on Instagram that I am a slow processor. Several of you raised your hand and said you are slow processors too and it’s good to hear from someone like me who continues to put content out weekly and seems to be a functioning human adult person but that I too am someone who thinks slow. Is there room for slow processing in this fast moving world? How can we make thoughtful decisions when everything moves so fast? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 21, 2020 |
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135: Fill The Vault
11:32
For the last few years, I've created some intentional space to slow down a bit on purpose around the same time every year. In today’s episode I wanted to share with you what that looks like practically and a few ideas that could help you do the same. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 14, 2020 |
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134: How to Pray When You're Sad
13:45
How can we continue to move forward when so many things seem like they’re standing still? When we're still carrying grief? When our hearts are broken? Sometimes our next right thing isn't to solve a problem, it's to carry it longer. It's called lament and I'm learning it is my next right thing. Maybe it's yours too? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 07, 2020 |
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133: Learn The Art of Asking Questions
11:00
American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey once said, “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” At the end of every month, I take some time to reflect because in order to discern my next right thing, it's important to learn from the past. If you would like to practice refection but don't know where to start, asking and answering questions is a solid beginning. Today I'll show you how. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 30, 2020 |
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132: Why is Decision-Making So Hard?
12:46
In the United States, we place a high value on our independence, on our ability to choose for ourselves, and to have things the way we want them when we want them. And while I know I’m speaking in broad strokes and this doesn’t necessarily describe every US citizen, it does in many ways describe us as a whole. But this is not necessarily a shared value around the world. Why is it so hard for us to make decisions? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 23, 2020 |
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131: Start Where You Are
10:03
What can I do? This is a question many of us are asking as we're learning more about what it means to work towards hopeful change and justice in this country. And in that question, it can become quickly overwhelming to know where to start. Speaking as a fellow journeyer without easy answers, I still believe what we talk about here every single week is as relevant now as ever - do the next right thing. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 16, 2020 |
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130: Do What Sounds Fun
14:15
I'm used to asking what sounds smart, wise, kind, or thrifty. But when it comes to making decisions, one question I often forget to ask: what sounds fun? Here’s a personal story of how I’m learning to give that question some attention in my own life and how it's impacting my business and ministry. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 09, 2020 |
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On Racism: Learning to Speak and to Listen
05:10
This episode may seem a bit disjointed, last minute, and scattered. That’s because it is all of those things. But if we wait to speak out until we feel polished or impressive, I fear we’ll be silent for far too long. I confess that’s been true for me. Sometimes our next right thing is to stumble forward together, not because we know exactly what we’re doing but for the sake of love and justice. May we know when to speak up and when to stay silent. When we are silent, may it be because we are learning and listening and not because we are afraid. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Jun 02, 2020 |
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129: Where Are You At Home in The World?
11:43
Months of stay-at-home orders or even safer-at-home campaigns can drive even the most homebody among us to find ways to at least want to get outside or find a change of scenery. But since travel might not be in the cards for us anytime soon, what might be a next-right-thing posture we could practice today? Inspired by Tsh Oxenreider's book At Home in the World, lately I’ve been thinking a lot about books and about home so today you’ll get some reflection on both. Perhaps you, like me, could use a bit of reframing as it relates to this place called home. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 26, 2020 |
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128: Use Your Reimagination
11:56
At the beginning of the year, you may have imagined what 2020 would bring. I feel sure no one imagined what we would end up getting. Today I want to invite you to join me in an exercise of reimagination. And here’s a hint: you’re already really good at it. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 19, 2020 |
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127: Don't Try To Be Great
11:15
In his book based on a commencement speech he gave at Dartmouth College in 2011, Charles Wheelan tells a story about advice he never forgot and wants to pass on to graduates: Don't try to be great. Let's put the pandemic aside, discover the freedom in that counter-intuitive advice, and give three cheers to the students, teachers, and families of the graduating class of 2020. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 12, 2020 |
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126: Being Consistent Is Not The Goal
12:41
These days, we all are making decisions with less awareness of what’s going to happen next, with less dependence on a predictable life rhythm, and with less solid information. It’s no wonder our daily decisions feel so hard. Should we clean or rest? Watch the news or avoid it? Be strict with the kids or lighten up? Should we use this time to be productive or take a break? Work hard or calm down? See friends from a safe social distance or not at all? Celebrate now or wait for when we can all gather? What is our next right thing and how can we know? That’s today’s episode. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 05, 2020 |
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125: Read Psalm 23
09:09
The six verses in Psalm 23 do more than comfort us in death. They guide us in life. And if we’re paying attention, these six lines can teach us how to walk into every room every day of our lives. Psalm 23 is a next right thing kind of psalm and I will never get over it. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 28, 2020 |
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124: Reimagine Your Work Day
16:22
Today I’m revisiting a topic we’ve talked about here before but with a bit of a new spin in light of the world having changed and everything. I hope this will be especially helpful if you worked from home before the pandemic and now you have to find new ways to do that thing you’ve always done — listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 21, 2020 |
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123: Practice Your Life
11:27
From Halley's comet in 1986 to the Total Solar Eclipse in 2017, I've been fascinated with sky things my whole life. Earlier this month it was the full April moon that reminded me of the truth I hold most dear: that in every transition, in every grief, in every goodbye, disappointment, offense, breakup, misunderstanding, and ending, there is mysterious potential. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 14, 2020 |
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122: Speak A Good Word
10:51
Sometimes the words we speak when we're afraid sound like fear. Other times, they sound like control, irritation, confusion, manipulation, ambivalence, shame, discipline, guilt or research. Fearful words come out naturally in all kinds of ways. The fearful words find us. But good words are found by us. Let's find some good words together. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 07, 2020 |
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121: How to Discern and Decide
15:23
How can we trust ourselves to make wise decisions during an uncertain time? I have a couple of tools I hope will help. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 31, 2020 |
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120: What to do When The World Shuts Down
12:02
Doing the next right thing has been a life-line for me in parenting, schooling, work, relationships and all manner of decision-making. But these last few weeks navigating the rapidly changing situation in our world as we fight to slow the spread of Covid-19, doing the next right thing has taken on an entirely new level of meaning. As we move forward together I want to walk along with you as you navigate your next right thing - for yourself, in your families, with your friends, and as you carry so many question marks as it seems the world has shut down. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 24, 2020 |
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119: How to Help Children Make Decisions
15:58
Today’s episode is for parents, caregivers, or anyone with children in your life who may need help with their next right thing. Though this episode was recorded just a few days ago, a lot has changed in the world since then as our global community continues to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. I only address the pandemic for a moment at the top of the episode and then continue with the regularly scheduled conversation about helping children navigate their own decision-making posture. Perhaps more than ever before this is a good time to talk with kids about keeping our minds on just the next right thing in front of us. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 17, 2020 |
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118: Start Small
09:31
Today’s episode is for anyone who has let something go and is now considering what it might look like to re-invite that thing back into your life in a new way. If you’ve been thinking about returning to something you left behind but aren’t sure where to start, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 10, 2020 |
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117: Don't Look At The Wall
10:46
Weighing our options is important. But overthinking options and possibilities can keep us from actually making a decision. It's possible to be so distracted looking at the wall that we spend all our time there and we forget where we’re going and why we’re on the road in the first place. Here's a 10 minute reminder to keep your eyes on the road. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 03, 2020 |
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116: See Through the Fog
12:25
In our last episode, I talked about the HALT method and how using that can help when we have big decisions to make. In summary, try to avoid making big decisions when you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Instead, do the next right thing - eat, breathe, find a friend, or go to bed Today I've come up with another acronym to help us consider other states of being that could skew our ability to think clearly about decisions: FOGI (pronounced foggy - Are you annoyed with me yet? Hang in there!) Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 25, 2020 |
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115: Before You Decide, HALT
09:12
If you’re listening to this episode and you’re well-rested, well-fed, clear-headed, at peace, happy, even-tempered, and feeling basically great about life then this episode might not be for you today. For the rest of us? The halt method could save us from making decisions more complicated than they need to be simply by asking these four simple questions. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 18, 2020 |
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114: Welcome Your Loneliness
16:15
In my letter to my readers last week I mentioned some loneliness I’ve been experiencing lately and a reader wrote back and asked me to share more about that. My first response in my head was a sharp no way but then my second thought was maybe. And the ellipses that follow that maybe? Is today’s episode. When we’re feeling lonely, what’s our next right thing? I can’t say I really have answers to that question, but I do have words and I do have stories and sometimes when you’re feeling lonely, words and stories land better than answers anyway. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 11, 2020 |
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113: Decide to Decide
09:40
As I pay attention to my own life and the life of people around me, I’ve come to the conclusion that we can trace a lot of our anxiety, stress, and feelings of overwhelm back to a single or a series of unmade decisions. It’s not always because we are putting those decisions off. Sometimes It’s because we don’t even realize we’re carrying them. Today’s episode is a simple practice in uncovering decisions that need to be made and doing the next right thing to make them. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 04, 2020 |
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112: Two Words to Avoid
09:52
A lot of what we talk about here isn’t necessarily about the specific decision you’re holding like which job to say yes to or whether or not you ought to marry that person. Instead, we talk a lot about mindset, posture, and cultivating a listening way of life so that when tough decisions come our way, we’re better equipped to move through them. Today I’ll share two words we can eliminate from our vocabulary, especially when we’re talking about our roles, our work, or the roles and work of others. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 28, 2020 |
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111: Never Believe Anything Bad About God
08:16
We all want to make our choices with wisdom, courage, and discernment. Today we come back home to one of the most foundational truths I hold on to when making decisions. On the surface it may not sound like it has to do with decision making at all. But these six words from Dallas Willard have changed the way I make decisions. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 21, 2020 |
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110: Build for the Years You Can’t See
12:43
Since adults make over 35,000 decisions every single day, it’s no wonder that this idea of doing the next right thing feels like such a relief. But there are also times when doing the next right thing doesn’t seem like enough. Maybe you’ve been practicing this simple discipline for a while now and still, it’s not leading to where you thought it would lead or bringing results you hoped to see by now. If you can relate, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 14, 2020 |
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109: Wait Until The Morning
09:53
Back in Episode 70 we talked about The Best Time to Make A Decision. Spoiler Alert: Being a good decision-maker has less to do with having a certain kind of magically decisive personality and more to do with timing. In today’s episode, I’ll share one simple practice that has helped me this very week to make better decisions for my own life. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 07, 2020 |
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108: Walk at Your Own Pace
11:57
Because I talk a lot about reflection and intention regularly throughout the year, when December/January come around and everyone else talks about it too, I find myself leaning forward to hear what they have to say. So here on the last day of the month, the last day of the year and the final day of the decade, I’m asking myself as I share these words with you: do I have anything to add? I've decided that I do. It’s a simple observation that I hope will encourage you to walk at your own pace in freedom. If you want a little no-shame companionship as you stand between the year you’ve just lived and the one you’re entering into, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 31, 2019 |
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BONUS: For Anyone Waiting for Home
06:41
Today’s episode is a bit different than our usual format so I’m offering a brief introduction to welcome you to it and give a bit of background. Every year my church here in Greensboro creates one of my favorite offerings called Lessons and Carols. It’s a service of music, both original compositions and familiar favorites, as well as a collection of readings from scripture that tell the story of Jesus, this year it was told through the lens of home, both the one we have here and the one we continue to long for. Advent is a season of waiting and this night of lessons and carols is a time to remember how God’s people waited many years for the Messiah, how he chose to make his home among us, and how we wait still for him to come again. This year, my friend and pastor Michael Van Patter asked if I would be willing to write a short piece to end the night, a reflection to close our time together. It was an honor, as a writer, to hold space for this idea of home, to listen for the ways my own longing mixes with my current reality and how joy and sorrow coexist for all of us. That can be especially true at Christmas. I wish I had the rights to broadcast the entire night right here on the podcast so you could hear how the creative image of God is so beautifully reflected in the music of some of my dearest friends at Hope Chapel. That would be my first choice. Instead, I’ll settle for my second choice which is to simply share with you that piece I wrote to close Lessons and Carols service. Whether you’re surrounded today by friends and family who know you well or if you find yourself in an unknown place this Christmas, I hope these words will bring a bit of comfort and clarity as you continue to honor the tension you may feel between being where you are and longing for a home you miss. And Merry Christmas to you. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 24, 2019 |
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107: 8 Books for Soulful Decisions
16:44
Today I'm sharing some trusted books I've turned to multiple times over the years. If you’ve been listening for any amount of time, these recommendations probably won't surprise you. But it seemed fitting to have them all in one place and dedicate at least one episode to some of the books I’ve turned to over the years that have helped to shape my own decision making process, path, and posture. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 17, 2019 |
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106: Let's Talk About Disney's Frozen 2!
18:14
Spoiler Alert! Today's episode will have spoilers about Disney’s new animated film Frozen 2. Months before the movie released previews of some of the songs were made available and one of those songs was called The Next Right Thing. As the host of The Next Right Thing podcast and the author of the book, many have wondered what I think about Disney publishing a song with the same title as my own work. Well today I'll share my response to that question and more; like what we can we learn from an animated princess about love and sorrow? And where did the songwriters find their inspiration for The Next Right Thing? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 10, 2019 |
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105: How to Manage Holiday Decision Fatigue
12:16
Is there a way to enter this season thoughtfully with our whole hearts? How can we manage the holiday decision fatigue that seems inevitable? Is there a way to remain centered even in the midst of lots of activity? If you’ve had these questions too, listen in. Plus: The Quiet Collection for Christmas is available starting today! Visit emilypfreeman.com/christmas to learn more. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 03, 2019 |
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104: Make Soup (And Eat It, Too)
10:30
For those of us in the US, this is Thanksgiving week which for many may mean a shorter workweek, a few days off school, lots of travel and/or preparation for the arrival of friends and family. Whether this holiday comes as a welcome pause or an unwelcome interruption, or if you’re listening during a regular week with regular routines, I hope these few minutes we have together can be for you like a deep breath and a kind friend. This week I’m carrying a question with me: In what ways has my experience at the table ministered the gospel to me? How can I participate in sacred table moments in the midst of everyday life? Can our time around the table really change the way I see myself, my family, my decisions, and the world around me? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 26, 2019 |
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103: Look for the Children: Mister Rogers and Decision-Making
14:16
Sometimes decision-making is a straightforward choice between two things. Those things may be both great things, both not great things, or one is greater than the other but the choice is nuanced and not as simple as it seems it should be. But then there are other times where choices are clouded by the personality and demeanor of other people, where this one thing looks great on the surface but you know this situation isn’t so simple and you wonder how to move forward in a situation that is clouded by interpersonal conflict or relational tension. If you can relate, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 19, 2019 |
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102: Say Short Prayers
12:07
If your concerns, decisions and complicated problems feel like they need an extra complicated solution, I hope you’ll listen in and find some relief. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 12, 2019 |
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101: Read Your Own Headlines
12:05
In the midst of what might be a busy schedule, a life transition, a big decision, or the constant demands of everyday life, it can be easy to lose the thread of the story our lives are telling. That may not seem like it matters . . . until it does. And that’s what today’s episode is all about. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 05, 2019 |
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100: Tell Me About You (and I'll Tell You About Me)
12:11
As we celebrate 2 years, 100 episodes and 5 million downloads, it seems like a good time to learn more about who you are and to share a personal update about my own next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 29, 2019 |
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99: Tear Down the Old, Make Room for New
12:10
I am not a tear it down kind of person. But keeping things intact is not a character trait. It’s a decision, and it’s not always a good one. The painful truth is that sometimes in order to experience wholeness, first we have to tear something down. It sounds counter-intuitive, and you’d better believe it often feels that way, too. But God himself understands the necessity of being torn down to be remade. We don’t want to be people who shut our eyes to reality, hiding in comfortable corners and declaring the world is not our problem. We also realize every story has nuance and there’s no such thing as an “issue.” It’s all people and stories of people and I’m learning to pay attention. If you’re learning too or at least want to learn along with me, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 22, 2019 |
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98: Don't Preach to Your Emotions
12:02
Making a decision is hard enough. But add the unpredictability of emotion to the mix and making a confident decision can feel nearly impossible. What do we do when we have a decision to make but we have such strong emotions surrounding that decision that we feel paralyzed to move one way or another? It’s a great question and I can’t say I have a clean, linear answer. But I do have thoughts and I hope you’ll listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 15, 2019 |
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97: Take a 10 Minute Timeout
11:29
In nearly every major and sometimes not-so-major decision, I’ve prayed for clarity. I’ve shared here before how in times of cloudy decision-making frustration, I’ve even Googled how to make a decision. More and more, though, every time the word “clarity” comes out of my mouth, I hesitate. I’m realizing for me, clarity can be a more acceptable word for control. If I could just see the future, I could make a good decision about this part of my life. Today's practice is to take a 10 minute timeout and consider a few simple questions in the presence of God. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 08, 2019 |
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96: Listen to Your Crazy Ideas
12:07
When the problems of life feel big and the way through seems impossible, the last thing we want to do is to consider what we most want or to look desire in the face. But what if clues to our next right thing are embedded in the last place we feel free to look? Instead of talking yourself out of your crazy ideas, maybe it's time to listen to them. I’m not here to say listening to your crazy idea will lead to big things. But what I truly believe is that at least listening to your crazy idea is often the thing that will lead you home - to your greatest contribution and the place where God wants to meet you. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 01, 2019 |
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95: Practice Friendship
12:53
For a few minutes each Tuesday, our directive is to do the next right thing, not to think about doing the next right thing. Of course thinking is a part of doing. But they at least have to work together to bring about meaningful change. We practice what we want to improve and certain things lend themselves well to our idea of practice - playing piano or a team sport, learning to paint, draw, dance or sing. In elementary school we practiced math problems, cursive letters, how to share our toys. As adults, we may still practice some of those things, but we also practice in more nuanced ways, things that have to do with our faith, our identity, and our relationships. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 24, 2019 |
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94: Ask the Second Question
12:24
It’s often the simplest phrases that have the power to change our lives. Like “I love you” and “I’m sorry” and “You’re not alone.” Since adults make over 35,000 decisions every single day, it’s no wonder that this idea of simply doing the next right thing feels like such a relief. My goal in these few minutes we have together on Tuesdays is to make one simple suggestion that could help ease the load of your own daily decision-making. If you’re feeling stuck, confused, hesitant, or overwhelmed today, maybe it will help to ask and answer the second question. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 17, 2019 |
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93: Borrow Prayers
14:49
We’ve been told not to borrow trouble and to be careful borrowing money, but when is borrowing okay, even welcome? Listen in. *Content warning: This week's episode references the events of September 11, 2001. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 10, 2019 |
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92: Point and Call
12:17
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that help to ease our decision-fatigue the most. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 03, 2019 |
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91: Be A Placemaker
14:43
If you’re in the ellipsis in your own life right now, you might have more questions than answers, more furrowed brows than nodding heads. But there are some things you can still choose - like making a place where roots are lacking, like believing for sure that God is with you, like doing your next right thing in love. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 27, 2019 |
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90: Start with this Simple Rhythm
17:59
I talk a lot about the importance of creating space for your soul to breathe. One question I often hear is how? What does it look like to create space for your soul? Practically, on a Tuesday, in the middle of your regular life? Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 20, 2019 |
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89: Come Back With Peace
16:02
In our last episode I shared about my plan to take a six week sabbatical, but going away to plan, pray, and create is only helpful if you return. Today I'll share about the equally important task of coming back. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Aug 13, 2019 |
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88: Come Away for Awhile
17:21
Is there a difference between a vacation, a sabbath, and a break? How can we tell and why does it matter? Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 25, 2019 |
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87: Create Space
16:42
Creating space for the soul is part of being a healthy human. For some of us that phrase sounds delightful. But for others, not so much. What does it mean to create space for the soul and why does it matter? Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 18, 2019 |
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86: Decision-Making with James Bryan Smith
26:32
The second most often quoted phrase from this podcast is one I didn’t even say. The first phrase people repeat the most is obvious, do the next right thing. Want to know the second most often quoted phrase? Well it comes from James Bryan Smith and here's where he'll share the story behind it. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 11, 2019 |
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85: Hold Space When Someone Dies
13:05
Grief descends as a permanent part of our rhythm of life, coloring everything, reshaping the narrative, changing us in ways we would never ask for but there it is anyway. Death changes every part of life, including our ability to do our next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 04, 2019 |
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84: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Reflection
17:30
This is a practice that has changed my life and, I believe if you do it regularly, will change yours as well. Here's a step-by-step explanation of how I reflect on my life and some questions I ask that make it both simple and meaningful. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 28, 2019 |
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83: Remember What's More Important Than Your Decision
12:13
Today I’m stepping away from the daily nuts and bolts of decision-making to remind us what it’s all about. Yes, we want to make better decisions. More, we want to make decisions in a better way — but what does that mean, exactly? Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 21, 2019 |
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82: Find the Beginning in the Ending
16:02
Are you facing the end of something but find yourself dragging your feet to the finish line because you aren't sure what will come after? Today I'll offer 3 things to consider just before or right after an ending as you discern your next right thing.
Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 14, 2019 |
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A Blessing for the Mothers
04:18
Today I’ll offer a short blessing for all the mamas everywhere - both the newest ones, the most experienced ones, the ones who are still waiting as well as those who don’t think of themselves as mothers but they mother us in their own ways. Maybe you'll see yourself in a few of these lines or maybe you'll see a friend, a sister, a cousin or a daughter. We all need to be mothered and this is a small celebration of the mother-work all women are doing in the world. I raise my coffee mug to you. Find me at emilypfreeman.com or on Instagram @emilypfreeman. |
May 07, 2019 |
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81: Listen to This Before Graduation
15:12
If you are a graduate, have a graduate, or love a graduate, this episode is for you. It's help for that question people keep asking: So what will you do after graduation? Here are 3 things to remember as you respond and plan your next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Apr 30, 2019 |
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Bonus: Myquillyn Smith, The Nester
20:26
Do you have a no mentor? Someone who helps you find both your brave yes and your life-giving no? If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you know my sister Myquillyn is my No Mentor and today I’m thrilled to host her as my guest. Where to find Myquillyn: |
Apr 25, 2019 |
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80: Don't Take Offense
12:41
If you feel like you don't have enough time in the day, here's one way to open up some space: Refuse to take offense. It's not easy, but it is interesting. Let's get curious about it. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 23, 2019 |
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Bonus: Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius
21:03
Do you prefer to make decisions quickly, acting first and thinking later? This episode is part of a short series we’re doing this month to celebrate the release of my new book, The Next Right Thing. Today's guest is sitting my dear friend Kendra Adachi and I’m sitting down with her to talk about her decision-making habits, regrets, quirks, and questions. You may know her as The Lazy Genius and she hosts a podcast by the same name where she teaches us all how to be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t. Links from this episode: Find Kendra at thelazygeniuscollective.com and if you just can't get enough of the two of us together, you can listen in to another conversation on The Lazy Genius Podcast episode 102.
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Apr 18, 2019 |
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79: Find Relief From Regret
15:21
What if you try to do the next right thing but later you look back and realize it wasn’t the right thing after all? What do we do when our next right thing turns out to be wrong? And how do we handle regret? Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 16, 2019 |
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Bonus: Annie F. Downs
21:09
If you've ever felt unable to move forward because you’re worried there’s only one right answer and you don’t know what that right answer is, today’s episode is for you. This is part of a short series we’re doing this month to celebrate the release of my new book, The Next Right Thing. I’m sitting down with a guest to talk about their decision-making habits, regrets, quirks and questions. Today I’m thrilled to talk with my dear friend Annie F. Downs, bestselling author, nationally known speaker, and podcast host based in Nashville. Her recent books include Remember God and 100 Days To Brave and you may also know her from her fantastically entertaining That Sounds Fun podcast. Listen in to more Emily + Annie here: Episode 131 of That Sounds Fun. |
Apr 11, 2019 |
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78: Feeling Stuck? Start Again
13:01
If you set a goal and haven’t been able to meet it, it doesn’t mean you set the wrong goal. Maybe it means you’re measuring it the wrong way. Instead of starting over, here's how to start again. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 09, 2019 |
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Bonus: The Next Right Thing Live Show!
42:44
Listen in as we gathered in my hometown the night before The Next Right Thing book released into the world! You can now grab a copy of the book wherever books are sold - learn more at NextRightThingBook.com. With special guests Kendra Adachi (The Lazy Genius), and Myquillyn Smith (The Nester). |
Apr 04, 2019 |
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77: Do The Next Right Thing
11:34
You never know how your simple next right thing could have an impact on people 100 years from now. Today is the official US release of The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions -- and it all started with a little poem written 122 years ago. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 02, 2019 |
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76: Create A Simple Morning Routine
15:35
Where is your fixed point in the midst of life transitions? I want to suggest that fixed point can be found in the morning and it's simpler than you might think. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 26, 2019 |
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75: Tell Yourself the Truth
15:55
On Tuesday March 12, 2019, fifty people in six different states were accused by the Department of Justice of playing a part in a major college admission scandal. Our belief informs our action. What we believe will always direct our next steps. So what happens when we believe something that isn’t true? Links + Resources From This Episode:
Don't miss these! |
Mar 19, 2019 |
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74: What's Your Decision-Making Style?
11:04
We all approach our decisions from our own unique point of view, our own set of personal filters, and a particular posture that’s baked in to our personality. Today’s episode will narrow all of that uniqueness down to three simple categories we’ll call your decision-making style. Take the quiz to find out yours! Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Mar 12, 2019 |
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73: Design A Rhythm of Work - Theme Days
15:58
Today’s episode is all about the one thing I’m doing in my work that is saving my life this year. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 05, 2019 |
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72: Design A Rhythm of Life
13:42
If we want to make life decisions in a better way, then we can’t wait to start with the decision. We actually need to start with the life. That’s what a rhythm of life is for. I’d love to help you create one. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 26, 2019 |
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71: Let Time Be Your Friend
14:45
If you’ve ever felt like you could make better decisions if only you had more time or wished for time to stop just for a while so you could catch your breath, today’s episode is for you. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 19, 2019 |
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70: The Best Time to Make A Decision
11:31
Being a good decision maker has a lot to do with timing. When is the best time to make a decision? Research has some actual answers. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 12, 2019 |
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69: Tell Someone
11:22
One life-giving choice I’ve made when I’m feeling overwhelmed with indecision is to decide not to walk through it alone. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 05, 2019 |
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68: If You're Afraid of Making the Wrong Decision
13:10
If your fear of making a wrong choice is keeping you from making any choice at all, this episode offers 3 simple things to remember. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 29, 2019 |
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67: Wait Now Go
12:30
So much of our lives are filled with waiting but no one really ever teaches us how to do it. How do we know when we need to wait? How do we know when it’s time to move? There’s several kinds of waiting, today I’ll share four: the kind we talk about, the kind we don’t talk about, the kind that sneaks up on you, and the kind that needs to stop. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 22, 2019 |
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66: Don't Let the Ending Define the Whole Story
15:47
When an ending is difficult, it's easy to color the entire reality through the lens of how it ended, whether it's a relationship, a job, a dream project, or a life. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Jan 15, 2019 |
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65: Take Off Your Crown
10:15
One question can make the difference between living with all consuming daily stress and a lighthearted sense of hope. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 08, 2019 |
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A Blessing for the New Year
03:03
Before you make any major decisions in the new year, here's a 3 minute blessing to start things off. |
Jan 01, 2019 |
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64: Acknowledge Your Soul
10:43
We don’t want to wait until the other side of Christmas to finally pause and say, hello soul. I’ve missed you this month. Instead, we work to create space now. For a few minutes today, we’ll make room, we’ll take a moment to acknowledge our soul and remember the miracle of God With Us. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Dec 18, 2018 |
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63: Make Room
08:04
During Advent, it’s true we wait expectantly. It’s also true we’re preparing for an arrival. What does preparation look like for you today? Might it include creating some space? Making some room? Clearing some clutter - and not just the kind you can see? Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Dec 11, 2018 |
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62: Sit Down on the Inside
16:40
If you want to find relief from seasonal anxiety, I would love to help. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Dec 04, 2018 |
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61: Look Back - How Reflection Can Help You Make Better Decisions
18:22
Our choices define our lives - not just the ones we’re carrying now about our future, but also the ones we’ve already made in our past. Wouldn’t we do well to bring them to mind and see what they have to teach us? In this episode I’ll share my own simple rhythm of reflection in hopes that it could inspire you to come up with your own. Links + Resources From This Episode:
And here’s that big announcement from last week, just in case you missed it! |
Nov 27, 2018 |
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60: Start Before You're Ready (PLUS A Big Announcment!)
19:49
Starting before you’re ready moving even when you’re not sure where you’re going is only possible when you have a next-right-thing mindset. Links + Resources From This Episode:
And here's that big announcement!
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Nov 20, 2018 |
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59: Find A Quiet Space
13:11
It’s possible to be surrounded by silence everyday and completely miss the point. It’s also possible to lead a full, loud life and still receive the gifts God has to offer us in the pockets of silent time we can find. You can be busy and soulful at the same time. The key is in paying attention. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 13, 2018 |
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58: Welcome Silence
14:14
In 2012 singer John Mayer had surgery on his vocal chords and was ordered not to speak for two months or sing for six. His healing depended on his silence. While his need was physical, perhaps silence is required for all kinds of healing: the wounds of the body and of the soul. Today's episode offers a short practice to help ease into silence, one small moment at a time. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Nov 06, 2018 |
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57: Don't Dread Your Weird Life
14:59
To take action and make a decision requires something of you. But make no mistake — putting decisions off require something too, and that may be even more expensive. Links + Resources:
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Oct 30, 2018 |
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56: Focus on One
17:49
Focus is hard because there’s both so much going on and often not enough information. When you have a big idea but aren't sure where to start, listen in.
Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 23, 2018 |
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55: Learn to Walk in the Dark
13:01
There’s a skill to walking in the dark: you have to go slow, trust what you know, and take it one step at a time. After the winds and rain of hurricane Michael knocked out power in the city, we navigated our way through our dark house, not a beam of light from a street lamp or a night light or even the moon. Whether darkness comes as an absence of light or a waning faith, the way to walk through it is by doing the next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 16, 2018 |
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54: Find Someone to Mother
12:01
In a world that seems to only value a twisted kind of angular strength, let’s find ways to receive the curves, to be nurtured by God and one another. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 09, 2018 |
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53: Allow the Present to Be Imperfect
14:05
The rest from decision fatigue doesn’t descend upon me when my work is finally finished. Instead, it comes slowly as I'm willing to allow the present to be imperfect.
Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Oct 02, 2018 |
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52: Grow as You Go
12:43
Decision fatigue can creep into our life for any number of reasons, but one isn’t as obvious as some others. When change rises slow or comes up from behind, it can turn your life a different color so gradually you don’t realize it until you compare things to this time last year. Discover what slow change might be happening within or around you and see if that might help clarify your next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 25, 2018 |
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51: Choose A Pastime
17:10
If you are feeling overwhelmed, carrying a heavy decision, or live with what seems to be a growing imbalance between the work you do during the week and the rest you’re supposed to be doing on the weekends, choosing a pastime could be a worthy next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 18, 2018 |
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50: Go Forward
13:23
Last year I decided to enroll in grad school. But first, I lost sleep, asked everyone's opinion, and made myself crazy. Here's what happened next. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 11, 2018 |
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49: Collaborate
13:29
Making the decision to move forward with an idea is hard enough, but one thing that can keep us feeling especially stuck is trying to move forward with a decision alone because we are afraid. When it comes to collaboration it takes a certain amount of courage to say yes to an invitation. But for some of us it takes courage in even greater measure to extend the invitation in the first place.
Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Sep 04, 2018 |
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48: Receive the Waiting Time
08:43
As we continue to make our way through an ever changing set of circumstances, the seasons will keep rolling on, bringing with them both dreaded and hoped-for hellos and goodbyes. You may be holding on to a hopeful vision for your future, but perhaps you're questioning what that means for today. What do we do while we wait for seeds to grow? Listen in. |
Jul 31, 2018 |
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47: Receive One Another
05:40
When someone around us is struggling, what is our next right thing? Listen in.
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Jul 24, 2018 |
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46: Receive the Shadows and Light
07:16
Both the light and the shadows have an important role in our lives and embracing them both helps us grow towards our next right thing.
Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Jul 17, 2018 |
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45: Receive a New Beginning
08:00
We want see evidence of growth in our lives, but it can be discouraging when we can't figure out how to release old habits. Perhaps true maturity and a growing faith show up not in our ability to stand up straight and blameless, but in our willingness to turn, again and again, back to the face of God. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jul 10, 2018 |
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44: Receive Healing
07:49
If you know you need to make a move but something is holding you back, listen in.
You can read the transcript to this episode here. Instagram: @emilypfreeman Website: thenextrightthingpodcast.com |
Jul 03, 2018 |
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43: Receive Silence
07:20
Psalm 139 is a familiar chapter, but what does it take to let your heart be searched by God and be led in the everlasting way? It sounds lovely, maybe a little terrifying, but mostly out of reach. Maybe it isn't as hard as all that. Maybe we just need a little bit of silence. I hope these few minutes will lead you right to it. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 26, 2018 |
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42: Receive Peace
07:10
Studies show our brains process spoken and written language differently. We may often sit to read scripture, but how often do we allow scripture to read us?
It might be surprising how a small amount of intentional time can begin to smooth out the chaotic edges of your soul. This continues our summer series of still moments.
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Jun 19, 2018 |
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41: Take A Breath
09:16
When we take a deep breath, it sends our body a message: You're going to be okay. In the beginning, God breathed life into mankind -- breath was the beginning. So it makes sense this is the first step to decluttering the soul, especially in the midst of transitions as we learn what it means to begin again. Today I'll share how I am working to maintain the integrity of my own offering to you by creating some space for my own soul to breathe. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Jun 12, 2018 |
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40: Keep Your Rest
14:12
Beneath our hectic schedules, our proud accomplishments, and our self-sufficiencies, we simply long to be loved and cared for right where we are, no strings attached. Maybe in these few minutes we have together, our God will father and mother us in all the ways we need the most. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jun 05, 2018 |
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39: Don't Give Your Critic Words
10:45
The voice of the critic can keep us from our next right thing. But not all critical voices are created equally. Here's help to discern who to listen to and who to ignore. A few links from the episode:
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May 29, 2018 |
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38: Zoom Out
10:37
This one simple sentence from a New York pastry chef could help you shift your perspective and take your next right step. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: |
May 22, 2018 |
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37: Take a Hometown Tour
12:43
With our full schedules and daily concerns, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with even the slightest disruption to our routine. With that in mind, today’s suggestion might seem counter-intuitive: disrupting our routine can sometimes be exactly what we need to get unstuck.
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May 15, 2018 |
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36: Stay in Today
15:38
Two things guaranteed to make your day more complicated: unawareness of your current situation and exaggeration of your future inability to handle it.
Here's one simple practice to help you stay in today and simply do the next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 08, 2018 |
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35: Be Kind (with Candace Cameron Bure)
25:49
When you're on a roll in Hollywood, you don't leave the industry. But that's exactly what actress, producer, and author Candace Cameron Bure decided to do. In the midst of the fear and second-guessing, one character trait remained certain throughout her life and career transitions - kindness. Listen in as she shares her story, because when you're in the midst of making a big decision, it helps to hear the decision-making process other people go through.
Links + Resources From This Episode:
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May 01, 2018 |
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34: Pick What You Like
12:56
The decisions that add to our fatigue aren't always big and significant ones. Sometimes things in life that are meant to be fun and delightful - choosing a paint color, wrapping a present, picking out plants - turn out instead to be one more decision we feel incapable of making. What is the next right thing in situations that overwhelm us but shouldn't? How can we move forward as a beginner in areas where we may not feel a lot of confidence but wish we did? Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Apr 24, 2018 |
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33: Gather Co-Listeners
13:43
If you are facing a big decision that could lead to a new start, perhaps you don’t need a collection of gurus as much as you need a a group of co-listeners. Here’s how I found mine.
Find show notes and a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Find me on instagram @emilypfreeman
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Apr 17, 2018 |
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32: Stop Collecting Gurus
12:44
At a time when I felt pulled in many directions, I realized I was looking outside myself for a plan when I needed to look inside for a vision. Links + Resources From This Episode:
Visit The Next Right Thing for a complete transcript of this 12 minute episode. |
Apr 10, 2018 |
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31: Be A Beginner
14:42
It's one thing to experience a new beginning, to usher in a time of new roles, new adventure, and new season of life. No matter what kind of new beginning a transition might bring, it also brings a new identity for us: a beginner. I've discovered I don't love being a beginner. I'd rather be an expert, thank you very much. But being a beginner is an unavoidable part of life transition. Let's close the gap between the joy of a new beginning and the dread of actually being a beginner by simply doing the next right thing.
For Writers! |
Apr 03, 2018 |
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30: Hold One Thing at A Time
21:27
The way we move through our days is a lot more instinctual than we care to admit. We like to think we have clear reasons for things when in fact, most times we are feeling our way through. Do I feel safe? Do I feel seen? Do I feel heard? Do I feel in control? Do I have what it takes? On the surface, the decision could be as simple as deciding to join the PTA or not join the PTA. But deeper down and further in, it isn’t always quite so clear cut. Today rather than tell you one of my own stories or the story of someone who has inspired me, I want to guide you through telling yourself your story, particularly as it relates to a decision you’re carrying. New! Grab the free downloadable Practice Guide: How to Make One Decision at A Time right here.
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Mar 27, 2018 |
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29: Remember the Real Art
11:17
When you hold a dream – to craft a song, write a book, open a shop, get a degree – it can be hard to let it go even when the dream no longer fits. It feels like more than a loss, it feels like failure. But it doesn’t have to. In fact, what if the letting go was actually a making room? The real art isn’t the song, the book, the shop or the degree. The real art is something more, something deeper, something good. Today I'll share a story of a couple who realized their next right thing was to let a long-held dream go. But because they understood the real art, the dream lives on. Download a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Links + Resources From This Episode: |
Mar 20, 2018 |
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28: Stand on Your Head
14:37
Any de-clutterer knows the only way to make room is by letting stuff go. It's true for your house and equally true for your soul. Today I'll share 3 ways standing on your head can make room for something good - even if you never physically get upside down. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Mar 13, 2018 |
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27: Stop Rushing Clarity
15:31
If you are distracted and overwhelmed by a particular decision and you just can't seem to move forward, you might feel like either something is wrong with your process or something is wrong with you. Neither one of these has to be true. In today's episode, I'll share two things you can let go of today that will help you take your next right step. Links + Resources From This Episode:
If you prefer reading to listening, download a transcript of this episode right here. |
Mar 06, 2018 |
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26: Choose Connection
14:04
Doing the next right thing in relationships starts with how we enter a room. It can mean the difference between connecting with them or comparing ourselves to them. Fair warning, today’s episode is brought to you by some healthy self-reflection and a dash of narcissism. It's for a good cause. I hope you'll stick with me. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 27, 2018 |
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25: Come Home to Yourself
16:06
The only person you’re guaranteed to be with every day of your life is you. Maybe your next right thing is to make some peace with yourself and come back home.
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Feb 20, 2018 |
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24: Look for Arrows (Not Answers)
15:00
When I have a question, the first thing I want is an answer. Sometimes answers are fairly easy to come by – How do you make pizza? What should I wear today? Who can drive to piano practice? But so often, the questions we have in life that give us trouble are the ones that aren’t so linear. In my experience, these usually have to do with things like faith, vocation, and relationships. Today I'm sharing about a time in our life when my husband John and I desperately wanted answers but what we got instead was a series of arrows. This is a story of where they led. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Feb 13, 2018 |
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23: Release Your Agenda
12:01
How can we discern our next right thing when we're confronted with unpredictable people? Today we'll explore the difference between a loving intention and a fear-based agenda. More From This Episode:
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Feb 06, 2018 |
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22: Embrace Your Limits
12:31
When you finally find, name, and move toward the things you feel most called to, you will quickly discover some roadblocks in the form of some kind of limitation like time, money, fatigue, or support. Instead of fighting those, perhaps your next right thing is to embrace them. Links + Resources From This Episode:
Visit The Next Right Thing Podcast show notes to download a complete transcript of this episode. |
Jan 30, 2018 |
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21: Find A No Mentor
17:21
What do you do when you can't make a decision and you’re too close to even know what you want and don’t want? You need to find a No Mentor and eventually, learn to be your own. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 23, 2018 |
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20: Ignore With Intention
17:55
With computers in our pockets, the truth is we all have low-grade anxiety that messes with our ability to discern our next right thing. Today I'll share practical steps to take to eliminate of one of the most common anxiety triggers: the ones that show up in our feeds, our follows, and our online accounts. Mentions in this Episode:
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Jan 16, 2018 |
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19: Choose Your Absence
15:19
In January it's tempting to search the horizon for what might be next and open ourselves up to new opportunities. But decision fatigue can set in when every opportunity that comes our way seems to have potential. How can we choose which opportunities to take and which ones to pass up? That's today's episode. Links + Resources From This Episode:
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Jan 09, 2018 |
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18: Wait With Great Hope
14:01
Astronaut Scott Kelly was the first American to spend 340 consecutive days in space. But the night he returned home, the news cameras were looking in another direction. In our last episode of 2017, we'll take a few moments to consider what it means to wait with great hope during one of the busiest months of the year. Mentions in this Episode:
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Dec 05, 2017 |
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17: Let It Count
16:49
When it comes to discerning your next right thing, maybe this one small word will make a difference for you as it has for me. Visit thenextrightthingpodcast.com for a full transcript and a copy of today's prayer. Mentions in This Episode:
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Nov 28, 2017 |
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16: Walk Slow and Carry Questions
18:17</ |
