The Next Right Thing

A 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

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

What 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

She 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 emilypfreema

If 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.

It’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.

We 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

May 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

I'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

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

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 D

We’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

If 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.

In 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.

How can you know when responsibility and being a caring grown up turns into overfunctioning? Is this exhaustion and overwhelm just a season or has it become a pattern? Today I'm sharing honestly what this looks like for me. As always, our next right thing starts with naming what is really going on. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get your first month free on select KiwiCo Crates Episode 88: Come Away For Awhile Episode 89: Come Back With Peace Onsite on Instagram Episode 179: Stop Overworking with Megan Hyatt Miller In the Name of Jesus 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 emilypfreeman.com

For all the talk about decision fatigue, chronic hesitation, and the important practice of doing the next right thing, it could be easy to overlook some areas in life where overthinking isn’t something to avoid, but something to indulge. It's time to make one fun decision. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with premium membership at SKillshare The Best Clogs (and Other Shoes I Love) 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/182

Author Joshua Becker says that “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” We could say the same thing about soul minimalism, except instead of focusing on our external life, a soul minimalist does this for her internal life. What do I value most for my inner life this summer and what can I remove that will distract me from it? I've got 5 steps to consider for a simplified summer. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 10% off your first 3 months with Ritual The More of Less by Joshua Becker Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Episode 90: Start With This Simple Rhythm A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer Get One Last Thing each Saturday morning The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Find a transcript of this episode and every other one at emilypfreeman.com.

If you’ve been doing the sacred work of watching, listening, and paying good attention, we're grateful for your hard work. You don't have to be in the spotlight to make a difference, I know that full well. But what if now is the time to tell us what you see, hear, and notice? What if now is the time to use your voice and let us hear how it sounds? Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get $100 off your first month with Talkspace (Code: NextRightThing) A Million Little Ways  The doors to Hope*Writers are open this week. Learn more here. Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Visit emilypfreeman.com/podcast for a transcript of this episode.  

Years ago, Megan Hyatt Miller found herself at a crossroads where she felt like she had to choose between being present with her family and present at her work. It felt like an impossible choice until she created a third way. And that’s where we’ll start off. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Enjoy 30% off KiwiCo with code NextRightThing Learn more about Megan Hyatt Miller Win at Work, Succeed at Life by Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller Explore the Full Focus Planner here Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

Are you curious about meeting a spiritual director but don't know how to find one? A spiritual director is a person who holds prayerful space for someone else to help them discern what God is up to in and around them. If you want to know more about what spiritual direction is, check out Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners. Then listen to this one, where I'll share questions to ask, where to look, and what to look for in a spiritual director. Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore premium membership at Skillshare with a free trial Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Spiritual Directors, International Grafted Life Ministries Soul Formation Psalm 46 (The Message) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT