The Next Right Thing

Today’s episode brings us to another level of our relationship because I’m going to share with you shows I watch and in doing so, you will learn something about me for better or for worse.   I tried to be super honest and share with you things I watch and love that came to mind immediately (and not just things that might impress you - these will not, I assure you) so some will be basic and mainstream TV and others aren’t TV at all because we have all kinds of ways we watch things these days. Maybe your next right thing is to kick it on back and find a new-to-you show!   This episode is part of a mini-series where I'm sharing my favorite things I read, watched, listened to, and made this year.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Enjoy 50% off your first month at Kiwico with code NEXTRIGHTTHING Today (December 15th) is the last day to get The Quiet Collection for Christmas Episode 38: Zoom Out Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In our brand new The Next Right Thing Guided Journal, we'll have one page per month dedicated to A Happy List: a place to record the things we read, watched, listened to, and made. In the spirit of celebrating my next right favorite things from this year, today I'm sharing 5 books I read and loved this year. Listen in!  Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with a free trial of Skillshare (Premium membership is less than $10/ month!) Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You're Gonna Be Okay by Sean Dietrich The Dutch House by Ann Patchett The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level by Laura Tremaine Learn more about The Quiet Collection for Christmas Pre0rder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal: A Decision-Making Companion Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing 

This year has led us to places we would rather not go. But here we are anyway, waiting for relief, praying for healing, and holding on to hope the best we can. To help usher us into the Advent season and companion us to the finish line of 2020, I've created a brand new version of The Quiet Collection for Christmas and it's available now. In today's episode, I'll share the story behind it and I hope you'll listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Learn more about The Quiet Collection Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Today I want to talk about Jesus. I can’t talk about the importance of remembering who you are without talk about who I am. And to talk about who I am, I have to talk about Jesus.   It’s funny when you do the kind of work I do,  some people think you don’t talk about Jesus enough and others think you do it too much. I’m not trying to strike any kind of balance here y’all, I’m just trying to be a person.   I mention our friend Jesus every now and then. You may be used to that by now. I want you to know you’re welcome in this space no matter what you believe about Jesus and I hope you’ll stick around for the conversation. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Enjoy 50% off any crate line and free shipping at KiwiCo with code NextRightThing Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In today’s episode I’m sharing about one decision I’ve already made for the holidays and I have a special guest to share the news with. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider Experience stamps.com with a four-week free trial with code “Next Right Thing” Learn about Literary London Check out my That Sounds Fun Network neighbor, The Matthew West Podcast  Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Most of us long for clarity -- in our decisions, our relationships, and our vocation. As Brene Brown has taught us, "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." Sometimes the simplest way to offer clarity is one we often overlook: saying words with our out loud voice. Listen in.  Links + Resources From This Episode: Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Explore your creativity with a free trial of Skillshare Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

No matter what happens in our elections, our churches, our families, and relationships we still have work to do, people to care for, places to go, dinner to make, homes to clean, proposals to write, losses to grieve, appointments to schedule, small wins to celebrate, emails to write and decisions to make. We still have life to live and if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you truly want to live your one life well.   I want that too and I’ve found this next right thing posture to be most helpful when this life begins to feel like a Rubik’s cube in the hands of a toddler. Having a rhythm to count on is key, but how to get there?   Let's return to 3 simple steps to help you restart your life-giving rhythms. Listen in.   P.S. We're celebrating 10 Million downloads and we would love to hear from you! Details here.   Links + Resources From This Episode: To celebrate 10 million downloads, I'd love to hear how The Next Right Thing has impacted your life A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly Use

One common mistake we make when we have the desire to make good decisions is that we try to peer into the future to discover what it might hold, what the outcomes we want to achieve are, and what roadblocks we wish to avoid.   The only problem is the future hasn’t happened yet, so how can it possibly teach us? Instead of looking ahead and guessing about outcomes, there’s something to be said for looking back and gathering information. Today I'll share about my weekly practice of reflection and a brand new resource I created to help! Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 30% off your first art or science project with KiwiCo Preorder The Next Right Thing Guided Journal: A Decision-Making Companion Sign up to receive my monthly letter Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

With an important Presidential election coming up in the United States in just a few short weeks, we are preparing to make decisions that don't only impact our own households but also the people who live all over this beautiful country and all over the world. No matter how you choose to vote, chances are you've experienced a fair amount of anxiety, frustration, and relational conflict during this season. What are some ways to stay grounded and clear-headed as we do our next right thing? Listen in.  Links + Resources From This Episode: Experience stamps.com with a four-week free trial with code "Next Right Thing" On Being with Krista Tippett: Arlie Hochschild Episode 103: Look for the Children: Mister Rogers and Decision Making Be The Bridge Podcast with Latasha Morrison Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

When the big picture is impossible to grasp but the next thing feels inconsequential, it can help to remember the medium picture instead. If you're questioning if your daily decisions are adding up to something good, holding on to the medium picture can be a relief. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with 2 free months of Skillshare premium membership. Searching for Certainty by Shelly Miller Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

It’s been four months since we all put black squares in our Instagram feeds. While the messaging and origin of those blackout Tuesday posts may have become confusing and some of the initial intentions of that initiative was lost in the frenzy of the fast-paced nature of social media, I remain grateful for that day in early summer of 2020. For some of us, it marked a beginning, or a maybe a new beginning — a moment we can point back to and say: “That was the day I made a decision to be more than not racist. That was the day I decided to be anti-racist.” Here's a personal update of what has happened since and what it could look like to be anti-racist in our everyday lives. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Use code NEXTRIGHTTHING to get $100 off your first month on Talkspace On Racism: Learning to Speak and to Listen The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser One: Unity in a Divided World by Deidra Riggs Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison What Lies Between Us by Dr. Lucretia Berry How to Save Things on

In this final episode in our senses series, today we'll discover the role our senses might play in our life with God. One of the most life-giving discoveries I've made over the past decade or so has been to understand that our expression of faith doesn’t have to look just one way. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Discover new things with 30% off Kiwico The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle The Listening Life by Adam S. McHugh Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Fear can be our friend because it helps us to survive by telling us to avoid dangerous things. But when fear works too hard, it's easy to lose our context. We can become hyper-focused on certain cues while ignoring other ones. When fear starts to work overtime, it can help to engage in this simple practice to bring us back to center again. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Rachel Pearl VanEtten's website Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Questions of timing, next steps, and which path to take can consume our thoughts, causing us to be distracted, lose sleep, or make a decision in haste just to have it behind us. That’s because unmade decisions hold power. If you find yourself stuck in the decision-making process, it could help to re-engage in the world around you in ways that have nothing to do with the decision. Maybe it’s time to get out of your head and into your body.  Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with 2 free months of Skillshare premium membership. Why We Have Our Best Ideas in the Shower: The Science of Creativity by Leo Widrich for Buffer Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist Hope*writers is open for enrollment! Learn more or take our 30-second quiz Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In an attempt to disrupt the cycle of overthinking and get out of my own head, I'm working to pay attention to my body, namely my five senses. This is not my most natural way. If you can relate, I hope that intentionally seeing, touching, smelling, tasting, and hearing might prove to be a grounding practice as we consider our next right thing in several areas of our lives. Today I'm glad to have my sister, Myquillyn Smith (The Nester), join me for a conversation about how to start with our senses at home. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Episode 141: Redo Your Morning Routine  Welcome Home by Myquillyn Smith Myquillyn's Autumn playlist Emily's Autumn playlist Myquillyn's website, The Nester Atomic Habits by James Clear Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

If you have decisions to make but feel like you’re just circling around the same thoughts, fears, ideas, and possibilities in your head but can’t find an out to take action, I want to invite you to journey with me over the course of the next several episodes toward discovering better decision-making habits by engaging our bodies, particularly our five senses. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 30% off your first KiwiCo crate Episode 141: Redo Your Morning Routine My conversation with Susan Stabile on The Enneagram Journey Embracing The Body by Tara Owens Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

Sometimes we create routines and other times, we have to break them down. Today's episode is an encouragement for anyone who feels stuck because the routines you had before aren't working anymore. Solidarity, sister. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Episode 76: Create a Simple Morning Routine Episode 90: Start with This Simple Rhythm Episode 140: Do the Opposite Shannan Martin's Instagram account Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

In the fifth season of Seinfeld, Jerry's friend George Costanza decided to do the opposite of his instincts and as a result, he had the best day of his life. Ignoring your instincts may not be good advice, but there's still something to learn from doing the opposite. Listen in.  Links + Resources From This Episode: Listeners of The Next Right Thing can get 2 free months of Skillshare premium membership here. Get The Between Places journal for 15% off with code NEXTRIGHTTHING here Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

I have invited one of my best friends in the world, author Kendra Adachi, to sit down and talk with us about simplifying our choices by deciding once (when we can) and remembering that we are the boss of our decisions and not the other way around. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get 30% off your first month and free shipping at Kiwico here. The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Find Kendra on Instagram or online Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download transcript

When it comes to the decisions we have to make, the choices we carry and the many potential roads we could walk down, its important to remember that we don’t face these decisions neutrally or at zero every time. Like a good novelist begins her story with the story already happening, that’s how we arrive at every decision we make. And that means we're carrying some things we may need to leave behind. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 137: Remember What You Know Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (Details about preorder bonuses here). Email me here with questions you may have for Kendra The Sacrament of Letting Go by Macrina Wiederkehr Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript