390: 3 Benefits of Living a Reflective Life
The Next Right Thing
April is my birthday month so every year I like to dedicate one episode to birthdays in general - maybe something you can come back to when your birthday rolls around. Of course birthdays are a time for celebration, for treating ourselves, for toasting to another year of life. They are also a good time for personal reflection. If you are someone for whom reflection does not come naturally, you may wonder why do it at all: We can’t change the past so what’s the point of looking back? What are the real benefits of reflecting on your life? I’m so glad you asked. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES...
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389: What's Saving My Spring Life
The Next Right Thing
Some seasons we’re more aware of the ways we need our lives to be saved. For me it’s always good to keep a list and pay attention to the small and big things that are saving me. It’s been especially good for me this month. Maybe in hearing the things on my list you’ll be inspired to make and share your own. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: by Andy Weir by Kate Bowler FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room
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388: Do What You Can
The Next Right Thing
Inevitably in life, all of us will face unexpected turns and be required to navigate terrain we didn’t choose and don’t understand. What do we do when life is interrupted, when the story you were happy to tell is no longer true? When the crisis isn’t obvious or clear or public? When the help we need feels as desperate as a house fire but it’s not fully ours to ask for? I have a few ideas. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on
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On Being A Well by Macrina Wiederkehr
The Next Right Thing
This episode originally aired on March 14, 2023. Today I'll re-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...
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387: Learning to Let Go
The Next Right Thing
Today I want to share a bit more personally about my own journey this last 6 weeks. As always, my only hope in sharing with you my inner processing is that perhaps it will help you begin to make sense of your own. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room
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386: Counter Your Weights
The Next Right Thing
If you continue to struggle with knowing how to carry the hard stuff without becoming cynical, angry, or sad all the time and also how to carry the good stuff without feeling guilty or succumbing to toxic positivity you’re in the right place. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Order by Shannan Martin FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room
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385: Our Friend Jesus
The Next Right Thing
I’ve been hosting The Next Right Thing for nearly nine years and through sharing simple, soulful practices for making life decisions, I’ve also offered a window into my own walk with God, including my questions, struggles, gratitudes, and growth. Like you, I’ve experienced a lot of change in nine years – from parenting middle schoolers to now having college aged kids; going to graduate school and becoming a spiritual director; from loving our church to leaving our church, and finding a new one, including becoming curious about the Quaker expression of our Christian faith. In the midst...
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384: When to Protect Your Peace
The Next Right Thing
Today I’m sharing another phrase we might hear often – Protect your peace. I like that phrase and I also wonder sometimes if we take it too far. Does our peace need protecting? When and to what extent? How can we know when our next right thing is to protect our peace and when instead we might need to extend it or even step into discomfort on purpose? That’s today’s episode. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room
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383: How to Know if a Process is Worth Trusting
The Next Right Thing
What does it mean to “trust the process”? What qualifies as a process worth trusting? How can we discern the difference between when it’s time to trust the process and when we need to disrupt it? Let’s get into it together. FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room
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382: A Reset List for Your Soul
The Next Right Thing
Clearing the clutter on the inside will almost always lead to more confident decisions on the outside. If you’re in need for a gentle inner-life wellness check, this episode is for you. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room
info_outlineThis summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on October 12, 2021.
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:
- 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
- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
- Download The Quiet Collection app
- Join The Soul Minimalist Substack
- Order a How to Walk into a Room
- Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide"
- Download the transcript