Explore every episode of the podcast The Next Right Thing
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| 334: Silence Tells A Story | 03 Sep 2024 | 00:14:53 | |
There are a lot of gifts that silence can bring and it's good to name what they are. But before we can enter into a practice of meaningful silence, it may be important to name some reasons why we may be avoiding it in the first place. Silence always tells a story. Listen in
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| 333: The List That Could Save Your Fall | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:16:05 | |
Today, I'm going to share with you a list I made at the beginning of my summer that changed the way I thought about productivity. So now I'm making another one for fall and I'm calling it a For My Future Self list. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 324: The Path by Lynn Ungar | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:02:30 | |
Today I'll share words from someone else for all of us to listen to and carry with us and reflect on together. Here is "The Path" by Lynn Ungar. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 323: The Kind of Quiet that Wakes Us Up | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:14:02 | |
They say May is the new December, and we all know it's true. Though we have a month until we get there, chances are this season's activities are in full swing now and not likely to stop until June. It's times like this when I often find myself busy doing the things that don't matter as much, and avoiding doing the things that do. Sound familiar? How can we start to wake up in a world that seems intent on keeping us asleep? Listen in.
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| 322: 5 Next Right Thing Principles I Use Every Week | 02 Apr 2024 | 00:15:49 | |
Five years ago on this very day, Tuesday, April 2nd, The Next Right Thing book released into the world. It was based roughly on the first 30 episodes of this podcast. And now that book has sold over 100,000 copies, and it's still going. As a way to mark the moment, I thought I would share five decision-making principles from The Next Right Thing book that I still use every single week. Maybe you'll remember one you've forgotten, or maybe you'll hear one of these tips with fresh ears. I hope you'll listen in.
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| 321: What We Wish We'd Known with John P. Freeman | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:40:40 | |
Today's guest is one you're familiar with by now. It's my friend, partner, and husband, John Freeman. Aside from being my biggest cheerleader, John is also a pastor. He served for 12 years in two different churches as a youth pastor, until 11 years ago when he walked out of the room of official church ministry and walked into the room of our actual home, where he worked for several years as a stay-at-home dad. For the last few years, he's been running his own nonprofit called Grace Discipleship, offering soul care and spiritual direction for couples, pastors, and Gen Z high school and college students. Now that How to Walk into a Room is out in the world, John and I wanted to host a conversation about the book, specifically our own personal reflections on this side of sharing certain parts of our story. I hope you'll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 320: Following Your Intuition with Grace P. Cho | 19 Mar 2024 | 00:32:57 | |
Grace P. Cho is a Korean-American writer and Senior Acquisitions Editor at Revell, which is an imprint of Baker Publishing Group. Grace has authored and edited several inCourage bible studies and devotionals. And she's most recently contributed to the book Voices of Lament: Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for Justice. I've known Grace for many years and she is a kind and gracious presence for me personally, but she extends this beyond just her personal friends. She creates space for people to be known, nurtured, and challenged through her work and she desires to elevate women of color's voices in the publishing industry. Grace has said several goodbyes in the last year, but her experience is is a beautiful illustration of how not all goodbyes are sad. Her kind, generative presence and perspective on life and change is right on time. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Find my new book from your favorite bookseller below (or another one not listed): Barnes and Noble Amazon US Amazon CA Bookshop Books-A-Million Bookmarks (for personalized copies!) | |||
| 319: Finding Vocational Clarity with Parker J. Palmer | 14 Mar 2024 | 00:50:06 | |
Today we're continuing our conversations with people who have a lot of wisdom to offer when it comes to leaving rooms and finding new ones. My guest today is a writer, speaker and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. He is the founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal and his name is Parker J. Palmer. He's the author of 10 books including one of my favorites, Let Your Life Speak. He's a member of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers, and he lives together with his wife Sharon in Madison Wisconsin. I invited Parker on because his work has had a profound impact on my own personal formation and has helped to shape my own understanding of the human soul. I'm grateful he said yes to sitting in the room with me today. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 318: How to Walk into a Room: Release Day! | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:19:54 | |
Today's the day! It's the official release day for my brand new book, How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away. It's available in hardcover or audiobook format at any retailer, and you can order it this very moment. If you're not sure if this is a book for you, today's episode will help. If you're waiting for your copy to arrive, you can get starting at the beginning right now, because I'm reading the entire introduction right here. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| Bonus: For Leaving a Beloved Space | 07 Mar 2024 | 00:07:13 | |
A quick bonus episode! I'm here to let you know that I have a post script from Tuesday's episode — an announcement about preorder bonuses (Monday, March 11 is the last day to receive your gifts!), and a sneak peek — one of the blessings from the Blessings for Hellos and Goodbyes audio collection. Listen in.
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| 317: When Things End Without Closure with Sharon McMahon | 05 Mar 2024 | 00:49:51 | |
Today's guest is a former high school government and law teacher who earned a reputation as America's government teacher amidst the historic 2020 election proceedings for her viral efforts on Instagram to educate the general public on political misinformation. Her name is Sharon McMahon and her simple mission is to share nonpartisan information about democracy. I am one of over a million people who learn from Sharon on a weekly basis, who call ourselves the Governerds, and we're regularly grateful for the truth and logic that Sharon brings in a society that's often plagued by bias and conspiracy. I brought Sharon on because one of the many things she reminds us of is the importance of changing your mind when you receive new and better information. So what do you do when the new information it seems someone has received is about you? And what about when that information is false? How can we navigate the various endings in our lives, especially the ones we don't choose, didn't want, and don't offer any closure? I'm grateful for Sharon's willingness to share vulnerably about her own experience of being forced out of a room. Listen in.LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 316: The Faithfulness of Staying and Leaving | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:12:29 | |
One thing that's important to talk about when we consider leaving and staying is that faithfulness can be found in both. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 332: Quit or Take A Break? How to Know the Difference | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:17:40 | |
Maybe you've been able to take some time off over the summer, either from work or social media or other activities. Or perhaps you haven't had that luxury and you're left wondering here toward the end of August if this nagging feeling you have inside is because you're on the edge of some kind of shift. Perhaps you've been standing at that threshold for quite some time. The question we'll hold together today: Is it time to quit or do I just need a break? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 315: One Thing We Need for Making Tough Decisions | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:14:19 | |
When it comes to making tough decisions, there's one thing we all need that we cannot steal, force, rush or fake. Want to know what it is? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 314: Yes or Now? Decision-Making for the Over-Eager | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:11:58 | |
When I started The Next Right Thing back in 2017, I had the chronically hesitant and the decision fatigued among us in mind. But we are not the only ones who need decision-making help. There are also those who are chronically eager and that's who I want to talk to today. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 313: The Liturgy of Lightheartedness | 06 Feb 2024 | 00:16:15 | |
At the end of December, I shared what worked in 2023 here on the podcast, but for my letter subscribers at the end of the year, I also shared five things that did not work for me in 2023. One of the things I listed that didn't work for me last year was caring too much, specifically as it relates to parenting. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 312: What's Saving My Winter Life | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:17:29 | |
It's time for our seasonal episode of What's Saving My Life Right Now. I'll be sharing the things that are life-giving to me during this current winter season and I'll encourage you to make your own list. It could be anything from a favorite product to a spiritual practice, a fun new show or a meaningful relationship. When it comes to naming what we love this winter, everything counts. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 311: Bless Your Hellos and Goodbyes | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:14:40 | |
In this episode, I'll share what it could look like to begin to bless the hellos and goodbyes of your life no matter what they are. I'm also so excited to share a few free resources that will help you do just that. Listen in.
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| 310: 5 Questions for When You Feel Stuck | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:17:42 | |
Chances are, in some area of your life, you're either thinking through a big decision, working to clear up your brain from some false narratives, or maybe you're feeling like you're in a funk, but you can't quite figure out why. Sometimes, you just need someone to help you get unstuck and to take one next right step forward. So that's what we'll work today to do together. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: | |||
| 309: How to Walk into January Like a Soul Minimalist | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:18:39 | |
I've now declared January to be the new week between Christmas and the New Year. And in today's episode, we'll unpack how to make it so. Listen in.
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| 308: We Want to Hear from You! | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:02:07 | |
It's my annual, "I'm here, but I'm not really here" episode. I'll only keep you for two minutes. We'll be back next week for our first real episode of 2024. You can take the survey here until Monday, January 8. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: | |||
| 307: What Worked in 2023 | 26 Dec 2023 | 00:28:25 | |
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| 306: Are we going to be okay? | 19 Dec 2023 | 00:08:11 | |
Today, I need to slow down for just a few minutes to take a breath, to take a beat here in the middle of December. And so I want to offer you a four minute and thirty-eight second meditation for being okay. It's from one of the Advent collections in The Quiet Collection app called Compassion. It's track eight, named simply Okay. It's one of the simpler ones, but it's one I personally return to over and over again. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 331: State of the Podcast 2024 | 13 Aug 2024 | 00:16:26 | |
This first week back we're celebrating seven years of The Next Right Thing with our annual state-of-the- podcast conversation. The gifts for a seven-year anniversary are traditionally copper and wool that signify love, durability and comfort. We'll use those three as our framework for today's conversation. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 305: Creating an Evening Routine with Emily Ley | 12 Dec 2023 | 00:31:36 | |
Emily Ley is the founder of Simplified, which is a bestselling brand of planners and organizational tools for busy women. She has spent nearly 13 years empowering, inspiring, and equipping women in the areas of organization, planning and simplicity. She's the host of the Simplified podcast and author of national bestselling books, but today, we're going to talk about concepts she writes about in her newest book, Near in the Night: A Collection of Reflections on Finding God's Peace and Rest. If you, like me, have trouble turning off your mind at the close of day and are hoping for some simple practices to help you do that with ease, listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 304: For When You Don't Have a Church at Christmas | 05 Dec 2023 | 00:13:33 | |
There are a lot of reasons why the season of Advent might be a difficult one for you this year. Among them could be because you don't currently have a church or a faith community or it looks different than it used to, or you're about to move or make a change, or you just moved and made a change and it's all impacting your current reality, and you're feeling some kind of way about it all. If that's you, I hope you'll find welcome in today's conversation. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 303: The Quiet Collection 2023 | 29 Nov 2023 | 00:15:15 | |
It's time to share the scoop about this year's Advent resources in The Quiet Collection app. I've got good news, I've got medium news, and I have some fun news. You want to hear it all? Listen in.
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| 302: Discomfort: An Unconventional Gratitude | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:04:32 | |
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. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: | |||
| 301: When Your Next Right Thing is to Apologize | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:43:18 | |
What do we do when we realize our next right thing is to apologize? And how do we do it in a way that the person we're apologizing to will know that we're sincere? I'm so glad to welcome bestselling author, TEDx speaker, leadership consultant and psychologist, Dr. Jennifer Thomas. Jennifer is the co-author of The Five Apology Languages with Dr. Gary Chapman, and together they've also written a book in partnership with Paul White called Making Things Right at Work. With a PhD in clinical psychology and community psychology from the University of Maryland, Jennifer helps readers and leaders know the right things to say to keep growing. If you're curious about why the last apology you gave fell flat, or if you wonder why you just don't believe people when they're apologizing to you, today's conversation will hopefully provide valuable insight for your next right apologetic thing. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 300: Your Questions Answered | 07 Nov 2023 | 00:26:26 | |
In honor of the 300th episode of The Next Right Thing, I'm giving you the microphone to ask me your questions. I love hearing your voices whenever I can and I think this will be a lot of fun. I'll do my best to offer some solid responses, if not answers. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 299: The Problem with Binaries in Decision-Making | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:17:46 | |
How can we know the difference between a yes, an absolutely yes, a maybe, a probably not, and a no? And what do we do with the simple one line advice that doesn't always seem to apply? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 298: What I'm Learning as a Spiritual Director | 24 Oct 2023 | 00:18:50 | |
Today's question is a continuation of a conversation we started over 100 episodes ago, all about spiritual direction. I mentioned at the beginning of every episode that I serve as a spiritual director, and maybe you've heard that and wondered what it means or what that looks like. Well, I'll answer some of those questions about that today. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 297: Am I Doing This Wrong? | 17 Oct 2023 | 00:13:59 | |
When it comes to spiritual practice and life with God, it might be your default to think you're doing it wrong. Even though I've walked with my friend Jesus for many decades, have written many faith-based books, hold a master's degree in Christian spiritual formation and even teach in a master's level program on the same topic, I still carry around that childlike question sometimes without even realizing it. Am I doing this wrong? Am I on the right track? Am I going to be okay? Let's talk about it. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: | |||
| 296: What's Saving My Autumn Life | 10 Oct 2023 | 00:20:17 | |
What's saving your life right now, specifically when it comes to autumn? It could be anything from a favorite product to a spiritual practice, a fun new show or a meaningful relationship. When it comes to naming what we love this fall, everything counts. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 330: Mister Rogers and Decision-Making (Emily's Favorites) | 28 May 2024 | 00:16:55 | |
This week we'll finish up our walk through past episodes with one of my all-time favorites about Mr. Rogers. I had been wanting to do an episode related to Fred Rogers for quite some time, but it took me a while to finally pull some threads together and connect my thoughts just a little bit. This episode was originally published as episode 103 in November of 2019, and it explores how important it is to realize the impact other people have on the choices that we make for good or for ill. It's about the creativity that can come from frustration, the connection that can happen when we offer a little space, and the generosity that we all have the ability to spread. I hope you'll listen in.
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| 295: My New Book! How to Walk Into a Room | 03 Oct 2023 | 00:13:01 | |
In this episode, I'm sharing about one of my next right things. For the last two-ish years, I've been working on my next book and it's finally time to tell you about it. If you're standing at a threshold, this book offers a framework for knowing when it's good to stay and when it might be time to move on. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 294: Standing at the Threshold with Lowland Hum | 26 Sep 2023 | 00:49:43 | |
Today I'm talking with not one, but two guests. From their rural homestead in Charlottesville, Virginia, it's husband and wife duo Daniel and Lauren Goans, known as Lowland Hum. With the release of their brand new album From Self, With Love, this seemed like the perfect time to have them on the podcast to talk about some of the key decisions they've made along their way. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 293: Making Decisions When Feelings Are Big | 19 Sep 2023 | 00:18:29 | |
Our emotions and feelings can take up a lot of space at the table. There may have been times we've gotten in trouble for them, either because we've shared too much and regretted it later, or we've been scolded or blamed for being too sensitive or too much or too something. That's when we've tended to label our feelings as not okay. But this is not the only story there is. How do our feelings impact our ability to make wise decisions and what good role can they play? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 292: What Every Decisive Person Knows | 12 Sep 2023 | 00:20:03 | |
Today's questions, what do decisive people know that indecisive people don't know? Is there a common skill or mindset present in people who consider themselves to be decisive that those of us who are more indecisive might lack? Can we learn it? Can we cultivate it? We'll talk about it. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 291: The Next Right Thing for Perfectionists | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:16:56 | |
Today's question: when is good enough great? We'll talk about when perfectionism keeps us stuck. I hope you'll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 290: The Next Right Thing in the Kitchen with Bri McKoy | 29 Aug 2023 | 00:37:38 | |
The kitchen is the room of our house where we make many of our daily decisions which means it also has the potential to be the root cause of a lot of decision fatigue. Today I'm glad to welcome one of my in-real-life friends, Bri McKoy. Bri is an accidental home cook, a lover of gathering people around her everyday table, and the author of two books: the first is Come and Eat and the second is her brand new release: The Cook's Book, the only cookbook I've ever read cover to cover. I'm thrilled to have her join us today to talk about our next right thing in the kitchen. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 329: Decision-Making for Slow Processors (Emily's Favorites) | 21 May 2024 | 00:14:12 | |
This week, we're continuing our walk through past episodes doing something we've never done before. I'm looking back at some of my personal favorites. This episode was originally published as episode 136 in July of 2020, and it explores the question, "Is there room for slow processing in this fast moving world? How can we make thoughtful decisions when everything moves so fast?" It's a great one to revisit. I hope you'll listen in.
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| 328: Let Time Be Your Friend (Emily's Favorites) | 14 May 2024 | 00:14:38 | |
For the next several weeks, we're doing something we've never done before. It's a bit of a look back at some of my personal favorite episodes. Today's replay was originally episode 71, Let Time be Your Friend. It came about after months of ruminating over this idea of the passing of time and how it's always part of our lives, but we don't often sit and think about it. If you've ever felt like you could make better decisions if only you had more time, if you've ever wished for time to stop just for a while so you could catch your breath, well, today's episode is for you. Listen in.
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| 327: 17 Syllable Prayers | 07 May 2024 | 00:11:21 | |
Today I'll be sharing a beloved spiritual practice and a bit of a personal update as well as what to expect here on The Next Right Thing in the coming months. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 326: What's Saving My Spring Life | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:11:44 | |
It's time for our seasonal episode of What's Saving My Life Right Now. I'll be sharing the things that are life-giving to me during this current spring season and I'll encourage you to make your own list. It could be anything from a favorite product to a spiritual practice, a fun new show, or a meaningful relationship. When it comes to naming what we love this spring, everything counts. So what's saving your life right now? Here's what's saving mine. Listen in.
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| 325: How to Know What You Like with Myquillyn Smith | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:35:11 | |
I'm so glad to welcome New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Myquillyn Smith. You may know her best as The Nester and I know her best as my big sister. The good news for all of us, is that Myquillyn has a brand-new book available on this very day. It's called House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style and Budget. She's never met a house she didn't love, and today, she's here to help us learn how to do the same. If you struggle knowing where to start or feel overwhelmed with the number of decisions you believe stand between you and the room that you love, I hope you'll listen in.
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| 335: How to Quiet Your Inner Chatter | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:21:29 | |
When it comes to thinking about how to quiet your inner chatter, we all probably have a lot of different ideas about what could be helpful, and I hope today's idea is something that you would consider. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 336: The Quaker Practice of Silence with Carrie Newcomer | 17 Sep 2024 | 00:39:44 | |
My guest today is internationally known as an Emmy-winning songwriter, recording artist, educator, activist, and poet whose work centers around finding beauty in a world that often feels broken. As a practicing Quaker, Carrie Newcomer's albums include Betty's Diner, The Gathering of Spirits and A Permeable Life, which has an accompanying book of poetry and essays. I'm so glad to speak with Carrie today on what we can learn from Quaker practice about silence, about discernment, and our next right thing. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 337: How to Engage the Quiet | 24 Sep 2024 | 00:13:31 | |
How can we practically integrate quiet into our everyday lives and why would we want to? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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| 338: What Every Good Listener Knows | 01 Oct 2024 | 00:11:09 | |
How can we become better listeners for the sake of our own formation and for the good of those around us? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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