The Next Right Thing

Today I'm talking with not one, but two guests. From their rural homestead in Charlottesville, Virginia, it's husband and wife duo Daniel and Lauren Goans, known as Lowland Hum. With the release of their brand new album From Self, With Love, this seemed like the perfect time to have them on the podcast to talk about some of the key decisions they've made along their way. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack Find Lowland Hum on Instagram Visit Lowland Hum's website Find Lowland Hum on Patreon The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

Our emotions and feelings can take up a lot of space at the table. There may have been times we've gotten in trouble for them, either because we've shared too much and regretted it later, or we've been scolded or blamed for being too sensitive or too much or too something. That's when we've tended to label our feelings as not okay. But this is not the only story there is. How do our feelings impact our ability to make wise decisions and what good role can they play? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack The Journey Toward Wholeness by Suzanne Stabile Try Softer and Strong Like Water by Aundi Kolber Episode 170: Try Softer with Aundi Kolber Episode 213: How to Make Embodied Decisions with Dr. Hillary L. McBride The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

Today's questions, what do decisive people know that indecisive people don't know? Is there a common skill or mindset present in people who consider themselves to be decisive that those of us who are more indecisive might lack? Can we learn it? Can we cultivate it? We'll talk about it. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript  

Today's question: when is good enough great? We'll talk about when perfectionism keeps us stuck. I hope you'll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack Episode 325 of the Lazy Genius Podcast: Dealing with Differences on How Something is Done Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison by Richella Parham Marketing Made Easy: Why You Aren't Taking Action The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

The kitchen is the room of our house where we make many of our daily decisions which means it also has the potential to be the root cause of a lot of decision fatigue. Today I’m glad to welcome one of my in-real-life friends, Bri McKoy. Bri is an accidental home cook, a lover of gathering people around her everyday table, and the author of two books: the first is Come and Eat and the second is her brand new release: The Cook’s Book, the only cookbook I’ve ever read cover to cover. I’m thrilled to have her join us today to talk about our next right thing in the kitchen. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Cook's Book by Bri McKoy - Brand new this week! Visit Bri's website Find Bri on Instagram for inspiration for the everyday home cook Join The Soul Minimalist to continue this conversation Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing for simple, soulful decision-making practices Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

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: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack "Our Brains Are No Match for Technology" by Tristan Harris Episode 32: Stop Collecting Gurus Atomic Habits by James Clear Depression, Creativity, and the Dangers of Being Constantly Plugged In by Ally Fallon The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

Today’s questions: why do I feel so exhausted? How can I remain a soul minimalist while having a maxed-out schedule? Does our soul have rules? And if so, what the heck are they, and how can knowing them help us in our next right thing? This isn’t a conversation about pitting your schedule against your soul, but it is to elevate our awareness that trying to tackle soul things with a scheduler’s mindset will almost always lead to frustration, disappointment, and exhaustion. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

This week I'm thrilled to celebrate another milestone: six years of The Next Right Thing podcast. Can we even believe it? Reflection is a key part of my own rhythm of life, so when I approach anniversaries of any kind, but maybe particularly annual ones, I like to pause and look back before moving ahead. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack Episode 238: State of the Podcast 2022 Episode 198: Be Present Not Perfect with Shauna Niequist Episode 254: Honest Advent with Scott Erickson Episode 213: How to Make Embodied Decisions with Dr. Hillary L. McBride Episode 212: How to Walk Out of A Room Episode 206: What Worked in 2021 Episode 208: Hold the Tension Longer The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

It's the last week of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading Psalm 63 from the New Revised Standard Version, then from the Contemporary English version, then from the Message. At the end of this series, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. A playlist of the Psalms we’ve done so far The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's week three of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading Psalm 40 from the New Revised Standard Version, then from the Contemporary English version, then from the Message. At the end of this series, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: A playlist of the Psalms we’ve done so far The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's week two of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading Psalm 1 from the New Revised Standard Version, then from the Contemporary English version, then from Psalms for Praying by Nan C. Merrill. At the end of this series, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: A playlist of the Psalms we’ve done so far The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's the first week of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading three versions of your most requested chapter, Psalm 16. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: A playlist of the Psalms we’ve done so far The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's time for Psalm Summer and today I'll share a few words about why I hold a tension with the Psalms. I'm hearing it among my friends, at retreats I've led, from graduate students I teach, and in the spiritual direction chair -- we have a complicated relationship with God, with the Bible, with people who make up the church. Complicated doesn't have to mean bad and it doesn't have to be negative. It just means there are a lot of layers and we've lived a lot of life together. We have love stories to tell, heartbreaks to grieve, faithfulness to celebrate. The Psalms don't tell us how to live, they reveal the many ways we might respond to life. They are songs and poems written by those who are angry, heartbroken, bereft, and elated. The words in the Psalms are not a rule book but a refuge, a record, a reality of human life in all its complexity. Today I'll share a few words about why I'm glad to bring Psalm Summer back. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: A playlist of the Psalms we’ve done so fa

Today’s question is a fun one. What’s saving your life right now, specifically when it comes to summer? 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 summer, everything counts. And when it comes to decision making, it’s fun to name these things. It’s great to know what helps me come alive, what makes me smile, what’s something I’m loving right now. All of these questions, though they may feel small, inform our next right thing more often than we might realize. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Supergoop Glowscreen Westmore Beauty 60-Second Eye Effects For the Love podcast with Jen Hatmaker A playlist of the Psalms we've done so far More of what's saving my summer life The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

For the third year in a row, I’m hosting a conversation with John, who I have shared life with in marriage for 22 years. We have two college-age kiddos who have just finished their freshman year and one rising high school junior. Professionally, John runs a local community funded nonprofit called Grace Discipleship, where he serves as a spiritual director providing soul care and discipleship for the next generation. John has been a steady listening presence for several decades here in our hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, and he regularly meets with teenagers, college students, couples and ministry workers to hold prayerful space for them to discern what God might be up to in and around them. Today I’m glad to sit down with John again to answer some of the questions you tossed our way about the first years of marriage, the role spiritual direction plays in our life and work, and how we’re faring as nearly-there empty-nesters. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Episode 184: The Next Right T

In today's episode, I'll be sharing some of my favorite summer-time decisions and then we get to hear from YOU! If you're already feeling in a summer rut, I hope these ideas will help if you find you need a little extra inspiration heading into summertime. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Episode 181: A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Summer Episode 229: A Blessing for the Graduates The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

If you find yourself at a crossroads in your life and you're asking the super common and also slightly terrifying question, "What now?", listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: We want to hear about your favorite summer decision! Do you have a tip, a hack, a mindset, a question, or an activity you've said yes to and you're so glad you did? Or maybe it's something you decide to stop doing every summer? Whatever it is, we want to be inspired by your next right summer. Leave us a voice memo and be sure to share your name, where you live, and your favorite summer decision in 90 seconds or less. We can't wait to hear from you. Share your favorite summertime decision here. What Now? by Ann Patchett The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

This episode is called One Question to Ask Yourself Every Quarter, but of course you can ask it more often than that. It's a question I always have in mind, and it’s become such a part of my rhythm of life that I don’t really even think that much about it in one particular time. I just think about it as I go along my way and record my answers as they come. Listen in.    LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride Episode 276: Why Self-Care Isn't Selfish with Taylor Elyse Morrison Get my monthly letter The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

I'm glad to welcome author Taylor Elyse Morrison, who's turned being bad at self-care into a career. She's the founder of the media company Inner Workout and the author of a book by the same name. She's a founder, facilitator, coach, and serial entrepreneur making wellbeing and personal development more accessible. She's all about supporting people's journey to know, care for, and become their full selves. I hope you'll listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Find Taylor Elyse Morrison on Instagram Find Inner Workout on Instagram Inner Workout by Taylor Elyse Morrison Find Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith on Instagram The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript

Today I'm thinking in threes: three categories of reading, three books I recommend and three questions to help you reflect on the last several months before heading in to the new season that's upon us. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Jami Nato  Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman Start with Hello by Shannan Martin The Lake House by Kate Morton The House at Riverton by Kate Morton The Quiet Collection app Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download the transcript