The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman
Older episodes
- 193184: The Next Right Thing in Marriage with John FreemanIn 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! Links + Resources From This Episode: Receive $100 off your first month with Talkspace with code NEXTRIGHTTHING Learn more about John's work here Episode 183: Real Talk About Overfunctioning Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Read a transcript of this episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 194185: Why Makers Struggle to Get Things DoneIf 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: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule by Paul Graham On Being with Krista Tippett with guest Arlie Hochschild Psalm 23 (New Century Version) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 195186: A Late Summer ReflectionWe'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: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript
- 196187: State of the Podcast 2021: The Next Right Thing Turns 4!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. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Episode 60: Start Before You're Ready Episode 35: Be Kind (with Candace Cameron Bure) Episode 130: Do What Sounds Fun A Blessing for the New Year Episode 88: Come Away for Awhile Episode 120: What To Do When The World Shuts Down Episode 161: Change Your Mind Episode 11: Wear Better Pants Episode 65: Take Off Your Crown Episode 73: Design Your Rhythm of Work - Theme Days Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Episode 103: Look For The Children: Mister Rogers and Decision Making Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript
- 197188: You Are Here (And It Matters)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: Here and Now by Henri Nouwen Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript
- 198189: How to Use The Next Right Thing Guided JournalI'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: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this episode
- 199190: Psalm 139May 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: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download transcript
- 200191: What We're LearningWe 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: Pantsuit Politics end-of-month Instagram posts: July and August Annie B. Jone's August Instagram post Because I Love You by Kaitlin Walden In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this episode
- 201192: Hold On To HopeIt'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: La Foce Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this and every episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 202193: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to AutumnIf 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 181: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Summer Simplify by Joshua Becker Becoming Minimalist Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this episode at www.emilypfreeman.com.
- 203194: Being Human with Kate BowlerShe 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler Learn more about Kate's work here Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this and every episode at emilypfreeman.com/podcast.
- 204195: Be Your Own FriendWhat 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: Friends University's Master of Arts in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership Learn more about the StrengthsFinder assessment The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this and every episode at www.emilypfreeman.com
- 205196: Why Your Pro/Con List Isn't WorkingIt'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: Gilmore Girls: Season 3, Episode 17 (Netflix) Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman
- 206197: For Us, As Our Faith ChangesA 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: Walking in Wonder by John O'Donohue Find Annie F. Downs online here and on Instagram here On the Brink of Everything by Parker Palmer To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this and every episode at emilypfreeman.com
- 207198: Be Present Not Perfect with Shauna NiequistToday 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: Learn more about Shauna on her website and Instagram Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist Laura Tremaine and Shauna Niequist talk about journaling Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript for this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 208199: Psalm 27May 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: Psalm 27 Other episodes like this one: Psalm 139, Read Psalm 23, Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 209200: Ask Emily Anything! Celebrating 200 EpisodesToday'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: Episode 187: State of the Podcast 2021 Episode 115: Before You Decide, Halt Episode 189: How to Use The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Episode 172: Make These Two Lists Now hope*writers online writing community Episode 106: Let's Talk About Disney's Frozen 2! Episode 185: Why Makers Struggle to Get Things Done Episode 71: Let Time Be Your Friend Episode 103: Look for the Children What Now? by Ann Patchett Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this and every episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 210201: Your Decision-Making Starter KitOur 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: Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Episode 32: Stop Collective Gurus Episode 70: The Best Time to Make a Decision Episode 109: Wait Until the Morning Episode 113: Decide to Decide Episode 136: Decision-Making for Slow Processors Episode 172: Make These 2 Lists Now Episode 196: Why Your Pro/Con List Isn't Working Episode 162: Is It Time to Move On? Episode 168: Is It Time to Dream Again? Episode 174: Is It Time to Quit My Job? Episode 121: How to Discern and Decide Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 211202: Abuelita Faith with Kat ArmasWhat 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: Find Kat's work online and on Instagram Abuelita Faith by Kat Armas Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com
- 212203: Introducing The Quiet Collection 2021Chances 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Quiet Collection for Christmas (all new for 2021!) The Lazy Genius aka Kendra Adachi The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider Come Lord Jesus Honest Advent by Scott Erickson Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 213204: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to ChristmasA 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Episode 181: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Summer Episode 193: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Autumn The Quiet Collection (all new for 2021!) The More of Less by Joshua Becker Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr. Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this and every episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 214205: 5 Strong Ways to Finish RegularThere 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: Honest Advent by Scott Erickson 10 Questions For Reflection and Decision-Making The Quiet Collection (closes Wednesday, December 15!) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 215A Christmas BlessingA 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: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.
- 216206: What Worked in 2021At 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. Links + Resources From This Episode: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Episode 189: How to Use The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Receive my monthly letter by signing up here Gino Wickman's Entrepreneurial Operating System Traction by Gino Wickman Michael Hyatt's Full Focus Planner Lara Casey's Power Sheets (Cultivate What Matters) Episode 185: Why Makers Struggle to Get Things Done Episode 163: Reflection as Activism Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Episode 178: How to Find a Spiritual Director Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.
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