the remind{h}er podcast

This podcast is for women with anxious hearts and distracted minds, who could use a reminder of who God is and who God calls and invites us to be in the middle of it all. Life often makes it easy to forget, but through a brief reflection and a moment to pause, my hope is that you will be encouraged, comforted, inspired, and reminded of God's presence and faithfulness in your life. Hosted by Julianne Clayton | Cover Art by Gabriela Denton

134: Matthew 26:36-46 04/09/2025

134: Matthew 26:36-46 If you are listening in real time, next week is Holy Week, a week when we remember, observe, and follow Jesus’ journey to the cross before we celebrate the good news of Easter. With that in mind, today, I’d like to offer a simple reading from the gospel of Matthew, from one of the many passages that gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ experience in the last days of his pre-resurrection ministry. After reading it through, I’ll offer just a few questions for your consideration, as you explore how God’s Spirit might be speaking to you through these holy words today. Feel free to pause, to rewind, to experience this passage in whatever way you need in the coming days. As always, I hope it serves you well :) /episode/index/show/remindher/id/36054525

133: Remember Who You've Been 03/26/2025

133: Remember Who You've Been In her book, , author and poet Maggie Smith writes, “How I picture it: We are all nesting dolls, carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside. We carry the past inside us. We take ourselves—all of our selves—wherever we go.” That’s how I’m learning to picture it, too. From the tiniest, earliest version of me, all the way to the person I am today, and even beyond to the person still to come, I’m finding each iteration belongs. Each iteration is connected. And each iteration matters. So here’s how I see it: in order to be who we are, we need to remember who we’ve been. What might that look like? Listen in. Contribute a question to our Five Year Q+A episode Sign up to receive my monthly letter, Interested in spiritual direction? Find out more /episode/index/show/remindher/id/35876215

132: Reset 03/12/2025

132: Reset A reset can be helpful in lots of different circumstances, and a reset can look lots of different ways. For some of us, it looks like tidying up a living space or cleaning out a closet. Sometimes it looks like returning to a familiar routine or a ritual we know well. Sometimes it looks like an apology or like offering forgiveness. Sometimes it looks like breathing in some fresh air or getting a good night’s sleep. Today, though, I want to extend an invitation to reset in a very simple, particular way, in a way that has been helpful and grounding in my own life recently. And in a world that continues to swirl, I wonder if it could be a helpful way for you to reset, too. Listen in. Submit a question for our upcoming Q+A episode celebrating FIVE years of the remind{h}er podcast! Interested in giving spiritual direction a try? Connect with me ! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/35646680

131: Steward Your Soul 02/26/2025

131: Steward Your Soul When there is work to do, ground to cover, progress to make, we tend to want to get moving as quickly and efficiently and significantly as possible. We are bound and determined to make it happen, whatever “it” might be. And while we might begin with good intentions, it usually doesn’t take long before we run ourselves ragged. We quickly grow exhausted, and end up leading with bitterness, cynicism, anxiety, and fear. It’s so easy to get ahead of ourselves. To get ahead of our souls. Could there be a more sustainable way? There is work to do. And as followers of Jesus, I'm learning the way we approach it matters. What might this look like? Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/35441840

130: A Spiritual Practice of Surprise 02/13/2025

130: A Spiritual Practice of Surprise So often, at least in my experience, we cling so tightly to our plans, agendas, timelines, strategies, and deadlines. We easily become hyper-focused on a desired outcome. Anxiety, pressure, and bitterness creep in. And we begin to forget and overlook the movement and presence of God in our midst. We clench our fists and white-knuckle through, totally unaware of how God might be leading or what God might be up to. It’s been my experience over and over and over again, all throughout my life. And it is exhausting. Maybe you can relate? One thing that has been helpful for me in this is what I call a spiritual practice of surprise. I’ve been trying it on for size for a couple years now, and it continues to be a practice that cultivates a lightness, a gentleness, a freedom, and a flexibility within me. It’s led to an openness and a trust that isn’t always easy, but that has been incredibly life-giving. What does it look like? Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/35265045

129: Let Love Be Genuine {Romans 12:9-21} 01/29/2025

129: Let Love Be Genuine {Romans 12:9-21} I don’t know for sure about you, but if my read on our current reality is even a little bit accurate, I imagine we could all use a collective deep breath right now. And so today, as we’ve done here on the podcast several times before, I thought it might be best to offer a simple reading from Scripture {Romans 12:9-21 NRSV}, reminding us of what is ours to do as followers of Jesus. I’ll also offer a few reflection questions and a little bit of space for silence toward the end. Whether you are feeling encouraged or discouraged, at peace or on edge, hopeful or despairing, I hope these words and these questions serve you well. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/35058905

128: Keep Going {Take Breaks} 01/15/2025

128: Keep Going {Take Breaks} How do we keep going when life and faith and work are so hard and heavy? I'm learning that sometimes, the brave decision to keep going might actually look like taking a break. Like opening ourselves to God’s kindness and compassion when we need it most, honoring our capacity, our limits, and the current reality of our lives. It might look like taking the time to take good care so that, eventually, with God’s help, we might be enabled to continue and take another step. As author and therapist advises: “Keep going, but take breaks.” That's what we're exploring today on the podcast. I hope you'll listen in :) Related remind{h}ers: /episode/index/show/remindher/id/34867560

127: Look Both Ways 01/01/2025

127: Look Both Ways As we begin a new year, let's look both ways. Not left and right, east and west. But backward and forward. Ahead and behind. Both are important. And I’m learning that if we only focus our attention and energy in one particular direction, we’re missing out. It’s incomplete. If the goal is to be whole, we would do well to look both ways and engage the wisdom of both reflection and intention. Looking back. Looking forward. Hoping for what’s ahead. Remembering what’s behind. So, what might this look like? Listen in. Sign up to receive The Re{collection} Book a spiritual direction session with me /episode/index/show/remindher/id/34640740

126: Start Small 10/23/2024

126: Start Small There is so much going on in our world that is heavy and hard. And it can be difficult to know how to approach it all, address it all, hold it all. It’s all so very overwhelming. If we want to be a part of the healing work of the Kingdom of God, where do we even begin? As I’ve continued to work out my faith with God over the years, I’ve realized the big impact is not always mine to make. Instead, what is nearly always mine to do is to be a steady influence in my regular, everyday life. In the small, the subtle, the obscure, the quiet. Even when it doesn’t seem to matter. Because it’s true that you have to start somewhere. And it’s true that the work we’re called to tends to start small. So what might that look like? Listen in. “You don’t have to do great things, but the little things you are doing in your sphere of influence can be done with great conviction, great wisdom, great beauty, and great love.” — /episode/index/show/remindher/id/33577412

125: Remember the Center 10/09/2024

125: Remember the Center In the context of life and faith, it can be easy to lose sight of the main thing. It can be easy to live distracted, disordered, disoriented. Like you hear over and over again on this podcast—it can be easy to forget. To get turned around. To slowly shift our focus away from the center. And yet, as we navigate the twists and turns, the ups and downs, of our day-to-day lives, I'm learning that keeping the center in mind is key. So what might that look like? That's what we're exploring today. Listen in :) by Dallas Willard Ready to explore spiritual direction? Book an initial session ! Sign up for my monthly letter, /episode/index/show/remindher/id/33391222

124: Welcome What Is 09/25/2024

124: Welcome What Is Acknowledging and accepting our actual, lived-in lives and experience is often much easier said than done. It’s like our if-only’s become our what-should-be’s—how we should feel, what we should do, the type of response we should have—and when our reality doesn’t match that ideal, well, we turn to filters and facades, forcing ourselves into molds that don’t actually fit. And living that way is exhausting. Perhaps you know the feeling? Well, one of the greatest gifts I have received through the work and ministry of spiritual direction is compassionate permission to welcome what is and not what I think should be. To honor the full spectrum of my experience, whether I like it or not. Whether I hope it will change or not. I'm learning that a practice of welcome means a practice of being honest before God, trusting that God is present and at work in our actual experience, and that through such a welcome, God can and will engage the sacred work of transformation. Today, I hope you'll listen in and join me as, together, we welcome what is. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/33193957

123: Practice Courage 09/11/2024

123: Practice Courage In today's episode, we're considering what it means to practice courage. Sometimes courage can look like a big, grand gesture, a response to literal life-or-death threats and danger. That kind of courage is admirable and worth aspiring to. And I’m also learning that sometimes the practice of courage is small and subtle, but no less significant. Today, if you're experiencing fear in some way, shape, or form, this episode is for you. Listen in. Book a spiritual direction session Sign up for The Re{collection} /episode/index/show/remindher/id/32995447

122: Live Abundantly 08/28/2024

122: Live Abundantly In today's episode, we're exploring what it might mean for us to "wake up" to our lives. To be more attentive to and aware of God’s movement and promptings around and within. To expect the unexpected in regular, ordinary days. To trust and believe God is with us and at work right where we are, even when conditions and circumstances say otherwise. To embody a deep presence and attention. To live a full, abundant life. This is a life Jesus knew well. And as we see time and time again throughout the gospels, this is the life Jesus came to offer. So what it might it look like, on a practical level, to live abundantly? To be a person in whom “life has made a home?” Fully attentive and awake to God with and within you? If life feels like a blur, listen in. to book a spiritual direction session /episode/index/show/remindher/id/32764592

121: Consider Spiritual Direction 08/14/2024

121: Consider Spiritual Direction As I’ve worked toward becoming a spiritual director myself the past couple years, a question I am asked often is, what is spiritual direction? And it’s a great question! If you had told me four years ago that in four years, I would be a spiritual director, my response would have been something like, “Excellent. What is that?” Well, I’ve learned and experienced so much the past four years, and I’m thrilled to be able to explore that question with you today. In this episode, we cover the following questions: What is spiritual direction? What is the role of a spiritual director? Who is spiritual direction for? What might a session be like? To learn more and/or book an initial spiritual direction session with me, by Eugene Peterson by Susan Phillips by Tiffani Boerio by Renee Davis Meyer /episode/index/show/remindher/id/32566267

120: Trust God {For Now} 06/05/2024

120: Trust God {For Now} As a person of faith, I tend to assume I’m expected to have this unlimited capacity to believe, to trust, to hold fast to what I know is true of God. And I assume that sort of faithfulness is supposed to be true of me always. For forever. But I find that expectation can become a bit overwhelming. The pressure of forever doesn’t always feel doable. Yes, eternity is set in our hearts {Ecclesiastes 3:11}, but what if that’s true, and we doubt? What if it’s true, and we waver? What if we struggle and feel uncertain along the way? One thing I'm discovering is that "forever" is lots of little "for nows." Listen in. The podcast is taking a break for the summer! We'll be back August 14. In the meantime, sign up for my monthly letter, so you don't miss a thing! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/31608512

119: Stay Little 05/22/2024

119: Stay Little In Matthew 18, Jesus invites his disciples to become like children. Which feels so counter to what we’re used to, right? We’re supposed to become self-sufficient adults. We’re supposed to grow up and get ahead, do it ourselves, climb all the ladders, accomplish all the things. And Jesus is saying, “No. That’s not it. If that is all you’re after, if that is your main priority, if that is what you think will make you great, you’re missing out. Because the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones." Even though we’ve grown up, Jesus urges us to stay little. To not lose sight of or stop nurturing the child within. Because after all, at our core, we are beloved children of God. What might that look like? Listen in. Sign up for The Re{collection} ! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/31411787

118: Take a Picture 05/08/2024

118: Take a Picture It is true that taking a photo and trying to capture a moment often ends up distracting us from it. It’s a reality we need to recognize, because our screens do often keep us from truly experiencing and even deeply remembering. We say a picture will last longer, but some research shows a picture only skims the surface of all our memory can hold. In recent years, in attempt to avoid this, I pretty much gave up taking photos altogether. Because if I forget to take a photo, it must mean I’m fully present to the moment, right? Well, not always. Often I find I’m just as distracted, with or without a camera in hand. Worry, a too-full or fast-paced schedule, insecurity, discontent, or familiarity {just to name a few} can keep me from fully experiencing and appreciating my actual, right-now life. And so, in a turn of events, I've started taking pictures again. And it is making a difference. How so? Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/31181397

117: Bend Low 04/24/2024

117: Bend Low As we journey with God through the ups and downs, twists and turns, stops and goes of life, I'm learning that the posture we assume, matters. And I’d like to offer that we might do well to bend low. Not in a way that diminishes the fullness of who we are, but in a way that grounds us, that keeps us close to the heart of God. To the way of Jesus. To the promptings of the Spirit. Rooted deep down in our souls. What might it look like for us to remember the way of Jesus and boldly bend low? Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/30921658

116: Celebrating Four Years | Q+A! 04/10/2024

116: Celebrating Four Years | Q+A! Today we are celebrating FOUR years of the remind{h}er podcast! And we are doing so by engaging in a q+a conversation of sorts. I'll answer the following five questions today: How did I know I wanted to start a podcast? How did I come up with the name? Basically, what is the podcast's origin story? How do you decide what to talk about/cover in each episode? Where does your inspiration come from? Do you have a favorite episode? Is there a spiritual practice you have tried recently that you have continued? Are there any you tried that you wanted to make work but just did not work? How do you hold grief and hope at the same time? Hope seems out of reach when life is hard. Thank you to those who offered questions! Cheers to four years! I hope you'll listen in :) by Tish Harrison Warren by Jan Richardson | Blessing for the Brokenhearted /episode/index/show/remindher/id/30757803

115: John 13 03/27/2024

115: John 13 With Holy Week in mind, I’m offering a simple reading of a Holy Week passage that has been particularly meaningful in my own life and faith over the years. I’ll be reading from Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation, and after reading it through, I’ll offer just a few questions for your consideration, as you explore how God’s Spirit might be speaking to you through these holy words. Feel free to pause, to rewind, to experience this passage in whatever way you need. As always, I hope it serves you well. If you'd like to submit a question to help celebrate FOUR years of the remind{h}er podcast, you can send me your question by clicking . You can also email your question to Questions can be sent through April 3, 2024. Thanks in advance for your help! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/30552413

114: Use Your Imagination 03/13/2024

114: Use Your Imagination What might it look like to use our imaginations in the context of our faith? Well, with wise guardrails and discernment in place, I wonder if our experience and connection with God and with one another can be enriched through our imaginations. Maybe we can channel our imaginations for good. So what might it look like to reawaken our imagination through spiritual practice? Well, there are probably lots of possibilities, but for this particular episode, I’d like to offer two. One that could be helpful as we seek a deeper connection with God and one that might help as we seek to do good and love our neighbor well. Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29740323

113: Welcome Your Weakness 02/28/2024

113: Welcome Your Weakness I don’t know about you, but typically, if I’m hoping to be hired, if I want to be noticed, if I want to be picked, if I long to be liked, I’m probably going to try to put my best self forward. I’ll want you to know all I can do and what I can offer. I’ll try to paint myself in a positive light. I’ll showcase the strengths of who I am, and I’ll make sure you know how I will add value if you choose to accept me. Maybe you can relate? But would it look like if we were to welcome our weakness? If we were to show up as our whole selves—strengths and weaknesses? How might that add value as we seek relationship with one another and with God? Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29684048

112: Remember We Are Dust 02/14/2024

112: Remember We Are Dust Ash Wednesday is the day the season of Lent begins. It's a season in which we are invited to think about dying and confront the straightforward reality of our humanity—our flaws and frailty and limits and imperfections. We remember and admit our need for God. We accept our mortality. For me, it's typically a reminder I hold personally. I don’t alway recognize the reality of our shared mortality. But the truth is, we are all dust. We are all fragile and limited beings, in need of God’s grace, God’s care, Christ’s compassion. I am dust and you are dust and we are dust. And maybe Ash Wednesday can also remind us how to treat each other accordingly. Listen in. {Correction: in this episode, I mistakenly share that this article was published in 2023. It was published in Christianity Today in 2021} /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29675998

111: How to Greet Your Soul 01/31/2024

111: How to Greet Your Soul How do we greet our souls? Our souls are more shy than we often realize, even for the most outgoing and extroverted among us. More often than not, they are stifled by the burden of daily demands and over-functioning schedules. There is so much noise and distraction, so much vying for our attention. We are pushed and pulled in multiple directions. We are stretched too thin. And in all of that swirling noise and chaos, our souls cower, scurry off, crumple up, and hide away in a dark, undisclosed corner, overlooked and ignored. Just like that, an integral part of who we are is completely out of sight, out of mind, forgotten. And as much as we might feel this is normal, I wonder if maybe there is a better way. What might it look like to catch a glimpse of our wild souls? To let them emerge, unfold, be welcomed softly into the light? How might we discover and live with a deeper awareness of God at work within so we might continue to serve faithfully beyond? Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29675553

110: Be 01/17/2024

110: Be "So, what do you do?" It's a familiar question that's often asked, and sometimes it's one we might struggle to answer. And I wonder if, at its core, we so readily ask it because we have been somewhat conditioned to believe that who we are is synonymous with what we do. One of the things I’m learning is that those two things—who we are and what we do—are certainly connected, but they are not the same. It’s a distinction we often overlook, but it’s a distinction that matters. Listen in. /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29500673

BONUS: A New Year Benediction 01/03/2024

BONUS: A New Year Benediction Typically, a benediction is given at the end of a worship service—after we’ve prayed and sung and confessed and listened to the word of God proclaimed. It’s a way to seemingly seal it all up, close it all out. But what’s interesting to consider is that, really, a benediction is a beginning. A blessing. A sending. A gift. It’s a way to say, “As we move into what’s next, this is what we hope will be true. This is who we hope we will be. And this is who we hope we will become.” So, as we step into this new year, I’m offering a brief benediction for the brand new year. I hope you'll listen in. Sign up for my monthly letter, The Re{collection} by clicking . /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29306478

109: Choose Your Words 12/27/2023

109: Choose Your Words Our words matter and, if chosen and used with wisdom and intention, I believe they can make a good difference. I'm learning that the practice of choosing words—both for the end of a year and for the beginning of another—can serve us well. If you could choose a word to sum up your 2023, what would it be? If you could choose a word to help guide your steps into 2024, what would it be? Listen in. Don't forget to tune in next Wednesday, January 3, for a brief bonus New Year episode! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/29215538

108: Keep Awake 12/06/2023

108: Keep Awake During the Advent season, we know that the darkness is thick and hope can wear thin while we wait for the arrival we long for. We tend to quickly shift from standing at the door watching on tip-toe to turning our backs and impatiently tapping our toes. So what are we to do? What might it look like to faithfully participate in this Advent waiting? I wonder if it might begin by remembering both God-with-us and God-within-us. What does that look like? Listen in. by Fleming Rutledge We'll be back December 27! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/28957468

107: A Life Made From Scratch 11/22/2023

107: A Life Made From Scratch I don’t know about you, but for me, it can be difficult to reconcile how both good and heartbreaking experiences are ingredients included in the recipes that make up our lives. Surely there must be a way to eliminate what is less than ideal, to substitute certain ingredients with better, more palatable alternatives. Certainly there is an easier, turn-a-blind-eye, break-n-bake option, yes? That would be nice. But I’m learning that a life made from scratch isn’t always ideal. Instead, it is real and raw and rich and nuanced and messy and beautiful. So what might it look like to live a life from scratch? Listen in. by Diana Butler Bass Sign up to receive , heading your way at the end of the month! /episode/index/show/remindher/id/28741878

106: Tune In 11/08/2023

106: Tune In Each day, it seems we are bombarded by a variety of "voices," numerous options of what or who to give our attention to. The loudest most blatant ones draw us in and, if you’re like me, they can distract us from what is true, leading us further away from our deepest identity—the Voice who calls us beloved. This isn’t an invitation to escape reality, nor to discount, dismiss, or belittle the experience of suffering. But it is an invitation to intentionally be reminded of hope, reminded of joy, reminded of compassion and justice and humility. It’s an invitation to notice the beauty and to experience what it’s like to be called by name and led by Love. That’s the Voice we’re meant to know. And that’s the Voice we’re meant to follow. I hope you'll tune in :) Learn more about author and spiritual director, Jan Johnson . Learn more about artist, writer, and minister Jan Richardson . {It wasn't the plan, but apparently I reference two wonderful Jans!} /episode/index/show/remindher/id/28550984

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