The Next Right Thing

For the second-guessers, the chronically hesitant, or anyone who suffers from decision fatigue, best-selling author and host Emily P. Freeman helps create a little space for your soul to breathe so you can discern your next right thing in love. Because out of the thousands of decisions you make everyday, chances are a few of them threaten to keep you up at night. If you're in a season of transition, waiting, general fogginess or if you've ever searched "how to make a decision" on the internet, listen in.

387: Learning to Let Go 03/31/2026

387: Learning to Let Go 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 /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40630995

386: Counter Your Weights 03/24/2026

386: Counter Your Weights 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 /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40411865

385: Our Friend Jesus 03/17/2026

385: Our Friend Jesus 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 of all these changes, many things have remained the same, one thing in particular and today I wanted to share more about what it has meant to walk with our friend Jesus through this winding path of life. I hope you’ll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: and use code JOURNALCLUB40 for 40% off and free standard US shipping FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40340490

384: When to Protect Your Peace 03/10/2026

384: When to Protect Your Peace 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 /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40241805

383: How to Know if a Process is Worth Trusting 03/03/2026

383: How to Know if a Process is Worth Trusting 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 /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40229600

382: A Reset List for Your Soul 02/24/2026

382: A Reset List for Your Soul 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 /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40166270

381: What's Saving My Winter Life 02/17/2026

381: What's Saving My Winter Life I’m glad to be back on the mic and to join you on Tuesdays to help create a little space for your soul to breathe as you discern your next right thing in love. The season of Lent begins this week so I welcome you to navigate to The Quiet Collection app as we have our Lent Collection once again available. I’ll say more about that in a bit but first, here are 8 things saving my life this winter. I hope you'll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: by Allen Levi by Belle Burden by Taylor Jenkins Reid by Shannan Martin FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/40087775

380: Wait for the Light 12/02/2025

380: Wait for the Light It's the last episode of the year and I'm glad to welcome the season of Advent together with you. I hope you’ll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: If you get LIGHT (the new 2025 Collection) by December 7 you'll receive an invite to join me for a free Live Guided Advent Reflection. I hope to see you there! FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/39152740

379: Participate in Hope 10/28/2025

379: Participate in Hope What does it look like for us to participate in hope? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38780160

378: A Rebellion of Care with David Gate 10/21/2025

378: A Rebellion of Care with David Gate Today I’m glad to welcome poet, writer and visual artist David Gate. His work centers around care for the individual and the nurture of community including culture, the earth and the environment, the dignity of others, and spiritual communities. He says the most important thing for us is to care for the world, ourselves, and each other and all of his work points in that direction. In his debut collection of poems and essays, A Rebellion of Care, he inspires us to rally for what makes life worth living. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room The transcript for this episode is available on Apple Podcasts. /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38630935

377: What's Saving My Autumn Life 10/14/2025

377: What's Saving My Autumn Life 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 autumn 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 fall, everything counts. So what's saving your life right now? Here's what's saving mine. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38499960

376: Calm All the Way Down 10/07/2025

376: Calm All the Way Down If you sense some parts of your life are feeling a bit over bedazzled and if you’re looking for ways to quiet the outer chaos or the inner chatter, 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 /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38439685

375: Cry in Your Kitchen 09/30/2025

375: Cry in Your Kitchen An often-unspoken spiritual practice – one that doesn’t make it into sermons or how-to guides - is the unconventional practice of crying in your kitchen. More specifically, navigating surprising or unwelcome emotion with kindness rather than control. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38356840

374: Tell the Whole Truth with Jen Hatmaker 09/23/2025

374: Tell the Whole Truth with Jen Hatmaker Today I’m glad to welcome author, podcaster, speaker, advocate, educator, mother, Jen Hatmaker. From the power of her written word across 14 books including four New York Times best sellers, to speaking on stages, leading her own courses and book club communities, and interviewing countless visionaries on her award-winning For The Love podcast, Jen has an undeniable gift for reaching the hearts and minds of her community. It’s an honor to host her today to have a conversation about her deeply personal memoir, Awake. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room The transcript for this episode is available on Apple Podcasts. /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38244865

373: Find Someone to Root for 09/16/2025

373: Find Someone to Root for In a world of comparison, competition, and constant performance, it’s easy to turn inward, guard our energy, or measure our worth by what we haven’t yet done. But what if, instead of striving, we chose to cheer? What if your next right thing wasn’t about you at all, but about seeing someone else clearly and naming their goodness out loud? Even if it’s not their special day of the year, finding someone to root for can be one counter-intuitive way to combat loneliness and discouragement. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38223195

372: Clear Your Space 09/09/2025

372: Clear Your Space Today I’m exploring one of the things I crave that has nothing to do with food: a desire for space - body, mind, and soul. Here are some ways clearing space is helping me in my decision-making life. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38133660

371: Learn from the Children 09/02/2025

371: Learn from the Children If you're feeling far from wonder, or disconnected from your own faith, today’s episode is an invitation to listen, notice, and remember. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/38001865

370: On Envy and Contentment with Kate Strickler 08/29/2025

370: On Envy and Contentment with Kate Strickler I’m so glad to welcome Kate Strickler, the creator behind the extremely popular blog and Instagram account Naptime Kitchen. She’s known for her down-to-earth practicality and home and parenting hacks, and when she isn't working or wrangling the kids, you can find her in her happy place: experimenting in the kitchen. Kate lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband, Nate and their four children and I’m so glad to have her join us today. She's written her very first book called I Just Wish I Had A Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy. In it she shares small habits and mindset shifts to find contentment and joy in life. We’ll talk about that and more. I hope you’ll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room This episode is transcribed on . /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/37982965

369: Make Like Taylor Swift and Opt Out 08/27/2025

369: Make Like Taylor Swift and Opt Out The things we read, watch, listen to and generally consume will almost always contribute in some way to a conversation we’re already having in our heads. It may not be obvious at first, it may take some time to connect the dots. But eventually, the work and words and lives of others – if we’re paying attention – will have some kind of impact. If we’re lucky, they will help us to articulate something we’ve worked to do on our own for quite some time. If we’re smart, we’ll keep a record of it. That’s what I’m attempting to do today here, sharing the words from three different women and how those words are combining in my mind to bring some clarity to something I’ve thought a lot about. I’ll bring you in on it now as a witness to my wonderings. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/37977990

369: Make Like Taylor Swift and Opt Out 08/26/2025

369: Make Like Taylor Swift and Opt Out The things we read, watch, listen to and generally consume will almost always contribute in some way to a conversation we’re already having in our heads. It may not be obvious at first, it may take some time to connect the dots. But eventually, the work and words and lives of others - if we’re paying attention - will have some kind of impact. If we’re lucky, they will help us to articulate something we’ve worked to do on our own for quite some time. If we’re smart, we’ll keep a record of it. That’s what I’m attempting to do today here, sharing the words from three different women and how those words are combining in my mind to bring some clarity to something I’ve thought a lot about. I’ll bring you in on it now as a witness to my wonderings. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/37877855

368: A New Season with John P. Freeman 08/19/2025

368: A New Season with John P. Freeman It's our first episode back after our summer hiatus and I'm so glad to welcome my friend, partner, and husband, John P. Freeman. (Yes, his middle initial really is P!) Aside from being my biggest cheerleader, John is also a pastor who served for 12 years in two different churches as a youth pastor until 12 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 decade, he's been running his own nonprofit called Grace Discipleship, where he offers soul care and spiritual direction for couples, pastors, and Gen Z high school and college students. On this first episode of this next season of the podcast, we'll cover some questions you submitted about spiritual direction, family life, and life with God. Plus John will share which episodes of this podcast are his personal favorite. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: by Adam McHugh FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room This episode is transcribed on and . /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/37875645

A Conversation with Suzanne Stabile (Best of) 08/05/2025

A Conversation with Suzanne Stabile (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on November 15, 2022. 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: Find and by Suzanne Stabile Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616955

Why Your Pro/Con List Isn’t Working (Best of) 07/29/2025

Why Your Pro/Con List Isn’t Working (Best of) This 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: (Netflix) by Parker J. Palmer Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616920

How to Collect Your Favorite Quotes (Best of) 07/22/2025

How to Collect Your Favorite Quotes (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on March 8, 2022. 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. by Scott Erickson by Brian Zahnd by Francis Frangipane Episode 167: by Greg McKeown Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616900

How to Journal Using One Word (Best of) 07/15/2025

How to Journal Using One Word (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on April 6, 2021. 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. Episode 49: Episode 172: by Peter Drucker Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616850

How to Find Relief from Information Overload (Best of) 07/08/2025

How to Find Relief from Information Overload (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on August 22, 2023. If we're going to be on the internet, because we are, how can we stay sane and remain soul minimalists in the midst of the constant stream of information? That's today's question. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616825

Is it Time to Quit My Job? (Best of) 07/01/2025

Is it Time to Quit My Job? (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on April 13, 2021. 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: Explore a free trial of by Greg McKeown Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616765

The Next Right Thing For People Pleasers (Best of) 06/24/2025

The Next Right Thing For People Pleasers (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on May 4, 2021. 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: Get 10% off your first three months of by Edwin Friedman Episode 175: Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616705

A Conversation with Shauna Niequist (Best of) 06/17/2025

A Conversation with Shauna Niequist (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on October 26, 2021. 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: Learn more about Shauna and by Shauna Niequist by Shauna Niequist Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616660

20 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Say Yes to a Great Opportunity (Best of) 06/10/2025

20 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Say Yes to a Great Opportunity (Best of) This summer, I'm re-airing some of my favorite decision making episodes. This one originally aired on MArch 29, 2022. 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: Episode 19: by Rachel Lindsay Record your favorite "yes!" and Order Grab a copy of my book Find me on Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room /episode/index/show/thenextrightthingpodcast/id/36616580

The Next Right Thing

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