Work and Play with Nancy Ray

Work and Play with Nancy Ray is a weekly podcast all about learning to balance the two most competing areas of our lives: work and play. She dives into topics like productivity, work life balance, leading a team, time management, contentment, play, sabbath, marriage, parenting, and rest, always pointing back to scripture, the ultimate guide for a life of faith. This is a podcast all about learning to work and play well, which ultimately leads to a healthy soul and a fulfilling life.

232 - A Year of Sabbaths with Will Ray : Part 1 04/23/2024

232 - A Year of Sabbaths with Will Ray : Part 1 Well it has been one whole year of our little Ray family embracing the Sabbath as a weekly rhythm. This episode is a conversation with myself and Will all about how it has changed us forever. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30945963

231 - Tired of Being Tired with Jess Connolly : Part 2 04/16/2024

231 - Tired of Being Tired with Jess Connolly : Part 2 We are back with the second half of my conversation with Jess Connolly talking all about rest because the month of April on the Work and Play podcast is all about the importance of rest in our lives. I’m so grateful you’re here! I can’t wait for you to listen to the rest. If you haven’t listened to part one already, go back to last week’s episode and start there. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30841293

230 - Tired of Being Tired with Jess Connolly : Part 1 04/09/2024

230 - Tired of Being Tired with Jess Connolly : Part 1 Well, I’m trying something new here on Work and Play with Nancy Ray and that is months that have themes. So the theme of April is rest and this conversation is not going to disappoint. I’m talking to Jess Connolly today all about why women are so tired. We’re all so tired and this conversation is full of practical and spiritual answers as to why we’re so tired and what we can do differently. Guys, this conversation was so good, I decided to divide it into two episodes. I can’t wait for you to hear it and I think it fits perfectly with the theme of rest for this April. Enjoy and come back next week to hear part 2! Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30741258

229 - Rest 04/02/2024

229 - Rest We live in a time where rest and play are very hard to come by. It can even be looked down on in our culture and often it feels impossible with the busy nature of our lives and schedules. Today’s episode is hopefully going to be encouraging to you to make time to rest and play a little bit more. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30635918

228 - Less Clutter More Life with Barbara Hemphill : Part 2 03/26/2024

228 - Less Clutter More Life with Barbara Hemphill : Part 2 Okay guys, get ready for part 2 of my conversation with Barbara. If you missed last week’s episode, you’re going to want to go back and listen to it. She is so full of wisdom, so gracious, she loves the Lord, and she’s teaching us all about how to maintain our homes, get rid of clutter, and set up systems in our life that will help us do the work that we’re meant to do and live the life we’re meant to live. Loved these conversations so much. Can’t wait for you to hear part 2! Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30532658

227 - Less Clutter More Life with Barbara Hemphill : Part 1 03/19/2024

227 - Less Clutter More Life with Barbara Hemphill : Part 1 Today's episode is so special! We have Barbara Hemphill chatting with us about how to manage all of the stuff and clutter in our lives. Guys, she has been doing this for over 40 years! She is THE pioneer to the decluttering industry. Before minimalism was a thing, she was out there helping people declutter their homes. She has so many systems and so much wisdom. I feel like I could talk to her for hours and never get tired of it. It's such a great conversation - so valuable and helpful. I plan to go back and re-listen to it and take notes. I'm so excited! It was so good that we're splitting it across two episodes so you'll get to hear from Barbara this week and next week. Get excited because it's a good one. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30422648

226 - 5 Tools for a Financial Reset 03/12/2024

226 - 5 Tools for a Financial Reset The longer I live, the more I realize our journey with our money and our finances is not a straight line. There are different seasons of our life, different incomes that we will have, different life experiences and family members will add to our family. Life is ever changing and so are our finances. So today's episode is all about 5 tools that I am using right now that have helped me take a financial reset. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30333863

225 - Website Talk with Paige Brunton 03/05/2024

225 - Website Talk with Paige Brunton Today I'm talking with my friend, Paige Brunton, who is a website expert (specifically in Squarespace). She teaches others to design their own Squarespace websites and she also teaches others how to become professional Squarespace web designers which is pretty cool. She has totally ditched social media, but has an amazing online business and a very engaged Youtube following. She now lives in Switzerland with her husband, which is amazing. I know you're going to love her and whether or not you have a Squarespace website, you're going to be so encouraged to know the most important thing that you need to do with your website after listening today. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30232058

224 - The Unexpected Free Time Game Plan 02/27/2024

224 - The Unexpected Free Time Game Plan Every once in a while us moms find ourselves in a very perplexing situation. We have an unexpected hour of time and we have no idea what to do with ourselves. Today, we're gonna get a game plan. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30106293

223 - I read the Bible in a Month! 02/20/2024

223 - I read the Bible in a Month! During the month of January, I read the entire Bible and this episode is all about how I did it. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/30027383

222 - A Year of Prayer with Val Marie 02/13/2024

222 - A Year of Prayer with Val Marie My friend Val Marie is such a gift. She's the founder of Val Marie Paper, she's an author and she designed the lovely yearly prayer journal, which I have used time and time again. Val has given me so much perspective on prayer and has been such an encouragement to my walk with the Lord and today we're talking about what prayer can actually look like in our lives and how to make 2024 a year of prayer, for you, for real. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/29913238

221 - State of the Podcast 02/06/2024

221 - State of the Podcast I'm back! It's 2024 I'm so excited to be here for my beloved State of the Podcast episode. I hope you enjoy listening to Work and Play with Nancy Ray episode 221 🎉 Shownotes : nancyray.com/podcast/221 Resources from this epsisode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/29812458

220 - 5 Ways I'm Wintering this Year 01/03/2024

220 - 5 Ways I'm Wintering this Year Have you ever heard of wintering as a verb? Well, now you have because today I am going to share with you 5 ways that I'm wintering this year. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/29326678

219 - Reflect & Finish Strong 12/20/2023

219 - Reflect & Finish Strong So this year I'm doing something a little different. I decided early in November that I am not thinking about or planning for next year until next year in January. I am all in for 2023. I want to be present and finish this year strong. My eyes are on my kids, my husband, Christmas, and New Year's, and I just, for whatever reason, feel so strongly in my spirit that I need to not take time and energy in this month to plan and look at it. This is so different for me. Okay. I am a planner. I am a forward thinker. But there's just been some different life circumstances that have led me to this, so this episode is all about some end-of-year rhythms for reflecting on your year and how you can finish this year strong. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/29165868

218 - 2023 Books and What I'm Reading in 2024 12/12/2023

218 - 2023 Books and What I'm Reading in 2024 Today is my annual book club episode where I share my very favorite books that I read this last year in 2023 and also what I have planned for 2024. You can always find that current list updated at nancyray.com/bookclub or you can follow along and read with me if you choose. It is very relaxed or you can just catch up on the podcast episodes as I release them. So I’m excited. I read some really good stuff this year and I have some exciting picks for next year and I can’t wait to share them with you today. Resources from this episode: | use code “WORKANDPLAY” for 10% off Books I Read in 2023: Books I Wanted to Read in 2023: Books I Plan to Read in 2024: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/29045003

217 - Holiday Giving : Part 5 12/06/2023

217 - Holiday Giving : Part 5 Get ready for the icing on the cake for the best kept secret to a holiday season full of joy and contentment. You ready? It's giving. It's giving. It's being intentional about giving away the resources that God has blessed you with. We're wrapping up this holiday series with the best episode of them all, holiday giving. Resources from this episode: - Prayer Journal use code “WORKANDPLAY” for 10% off Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28956033

216 - Holiday Food : Part 4 11/28/2023

216 - Holiday Food : Part 4 There is something so sacred about food during the holidays. The taste of your grandma's casserole or your aunt's monkey bread, or your mom's Christmas Eve dinner. It can fill your heart and mind with so many wonderful feelings and memories. Food represents so much more than just a meal. It represents feelings of nostalgia and it represents just the most important parts of the holiday season, which is bringing people together around the table in love. I'm so excited just to have a little bit of fun on this episode and encourage you just to think about the food that you are having in your family over this holiday season. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28834183

215 - Holiday Budget and Gifts : Part 3 11/21/2023

215 - Holiday Budget and Gifts : Part 3 I'm pumped to talk about a Christmas budget and Christmas gifts today. Guys, this can get so outta hand so fast, and also it can have such a negative connotation to it. Just making a Christmas budget feels like it's stifles all the Christmas cheer. But I'm here to say it doesn't. It doesn't. Making a Christmas budget actually brings me a lot of joy because it helps me to stay organized and focused on what I really, really want to be spending my money on. And it helps me not get so carried away that in January I look back and have a lot of regret. I don't. When I make a Christmas budget, I don't. And so today we're gonna talk all about how to make a simple and effective Christmas budget for you to follow, as well as how to create a gift tracking document so that you can keep track of everything really well this Christmas. Resources from this episode: - Use the code WORKANDPLAY for 15% off Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28742628

214 - Holiday Schedule : Part 2 11/14/2023

214 - Holiday Schedule : Part 2 Okay. Deep breath everybody. It is time to tackle the holiday schedule. Dare I say, this is the main source of stress that we encounter during the holidays. There are so many different invitations, obligations, so many people and organizations who are all asking something of us. And today I am here to remind you, you get to choose your yeses and your nos. Resources from this episode: - Use the code WORKANDPLAY for 15% off Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28639318

213 - Holiday Traditions : Part 1 11/07/2023

213 - Holiday Traditions : Part 1 Today I'm kicking off a new series on the podcast, and I am giddy about it because it's all about the holidays. We're all thinking about it already. It's the last week of October. We're looking at November and December, and I think we can feel equal parts overwhelmed and excited. So today I am starting a five-part podcast series. It's gonna be very short podcast episodes just to get you thinking about how you can create holidays that are full of joy and contentment. And I'll get into all the details of it. But here's what you can expect. The first episode, which is today, is gonna be about traditions. Next week it's gonna be about creating your holiday schedule. Then the next week, your holiday budget, and then your gifts, and then food. And I'm gonna be sharing all of the things that our family does while also just inviting you to think through and really, I don't know, analyze and consider what you want your holidays to look like. And I'm excited. I'm so excited about this. So I'm glad that you're here. Let's jump in. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28543805

No Podcast This Week 11/02/2023

No Podcast This Week Hey there! You're in the right place for Work and Play with Nancy Ray. A quick note—the podcast will be taking a break this week (November 2), but I'll be back next week with an exciting new episode. See you then! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28501865

212 - Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Wingfeather Saga 10/25/2023

212 - Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Wingfeather Saga There will never be adequate words to describe what these book series have meant to me over the last year. They have been some of the best parts of my life. I kid you not, over the last 12 months, I sobbed at the end of each one. Not an exaggeration. And if I'm honest, today's podcast episode almost didn't happen because I already know it's gonna fall short of what I want to say about each of these series, but I decided to move forward with it because if it encourages you to read them with a kingdom mindset, I believe it will have been worth it. Let's dive into the three best children’s series of all time. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28422533

211 - Wisdom in Work 10/17/2023

211 - Wisdom in Work One thing I have realized recently is that all of us in one way or another are seeking wisdom from God in our work. Whether that is working in our home and serving our kids and raising them, or whether it is running a business, managing a team, developing a new product, just maintaining something that we've had for years. As we get older, we need more wisdom. Life continues to get more complicated and more challenging, and especially in our work. And today's episode is gonna be simple. It's gonna be about three promises that we can find in scripture regarding wisdom in our work. Resources from this Podcast: /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28334342

210 - 10 Things Saving my Life: Fall Edition 10/10/2023

210 - 10 Things Saving my Life: Fall Edition Okay. I felt like it was just time for a more lighthearted podcast episode and that is why I am bringing you 10 things that are saving my life, fall edition. Are they actually saving my life? No, but they’re really helping it and I think they’re making my fall a little bit better, and I’m just gonna share those things with you today. So I hope you enjoy listening. Resources from this episode: Artificial Pumpkins from Walmart Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28269899

209 - How we do chores 10/03/2023

209 - How we do chores I had a friend recently ask me, “How in the world do you do chores in your family with all four of your kids?” And I thought that would be a great podcast episode. So today I am gonna share with you how we do chores in the Ray household. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28204817

208 - 5 Time Management Tools 09/26/2023

208 - 5 Time Management Tools Okay, confession. I am a major time management junkie and I love it. I love planning. I love buying my new calendar for the year and getting my favorite pens and highlighters and making a plan and writing an appointments and making lists. I love managing stuff. I love managing my time. And today I'm gonna share with you five of my favorite time management tools that have really helped me through the years because we all have 24 hours in a day, but it all comes down to how we manage our time. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28137596

207 - A Strategy for Life 09/19/2023

207 - A Strategy for Life Today, I am gonna be telling you all about how I create a strategy for my life. And I know that sounds very broad and possibly overwhelming, but hang with me because I feel like I have been given some amazing tools to help me in four main areas of my life: my faith, my home, my work, and my legacy or my life overall. So that's what we're gonna talk about today, how to create a strategy for your life. If you're feeling like you need some clarity, then this episode is for you. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28072707

206 - Multitasking 09/12/2023

206 - Multitasking While so many women wear multitasking as a badge of honor, I will readily admit that I am the worst at multitasking. I—it's terrible. I get so distracted and cannot do it. And I'll be frank, this has not served me well in motherhood because the interruptions are great and we'll talk a little bit about that. But today I just wanna share my thoughts on multitasking and how it doesn't help anyone and how it's so much better if we can focus on one thing at a time. Resources from this episode: Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/28014573

205 - Be where your feet are 09/05/2023

205 - Be where your feet are Be where your feet are. This simple phrase has brought me back time and time again from feeling scattered and overwhelmed to simply being present. It's taught me a lot about my own limits and how God is limitless, and I found a lot of encouragement in that. So today's episode is all about that phrase, be where your feet are. And I hope you find it encouraging. Resources from this episode: (code WORKANDPLAY for 20% off) Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/27920238

204 - Ideal Week 08/29/2023

204 - Ideal Week Today, I am so excited to share with you one of my very favorite things to do. I know this is really nerdy of me, but I love writing out my ideal week. This is something that I do at least twice a year, sometimes three times a year, because there are different times in my year that just look different. An ideal week looks different, and today I'm gonna walk you through my process of how to create an ideal week so that you can be living the life that you want in and week out with a lot of joy. Resources from this episode: (code WORKANDPLAY for 20% off) Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them! /episode/index/show/workandplay/id/27873510

Work and Play with Nancy Ray

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