What kind of endings are you facing and what practices can you engage to help you as you navigate them? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Download The Quiet Collection app Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide" Download the transcript

Today's episode is a little bit different. We're going to engage in a grounding practice for an anxious time. You may likely recognize this as the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Even if it's familiar, I invite you to keep pace with me and follow along. You can do this while driving, walking, in a crowded space, alone in your office or room, or even while you're laying down to sleep at night. All you need is to stay present with me and with yourself. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: ...

As we approach Election Day in the United States, I wanted to provide a simple liturgy as a resource for us as we make important decisions about our elected officials at the local, state and national levels. This is a liturgy you can use as you prepare to walk into the voting booth, either physically or if you're voting by mail metaphorically. Hopefully it will be a grounding exercise for you between now and next week, perhaps one you can listen to on your way to the voting booth or anytime...

Fall schedules are in full swing, but beneath the surface of all your activity, perhaps you're concerned about how the choices you're making now will impact your life in the future. And not only your life, but also the lives of those whom you care about. When we meet at the crossroads of core values or belief systems, do we engage or retreat? When we have lost something or someone and we become acutely aware of the risk of trying again, how can we move forward? When we have that moment of...

When it comes to naming what we love this fall, everything counts. So what's saving your life? Here's what's saving mine. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Practicing the Presence of People by Mike Mason The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide" Download the transcript

I'm so glad to have your friend and mine, the laziest genius there is, New York Times bestselling author, Kendra Adachi. She's been teaching us to be a genius about the things that matter to us and lazy about the things that don't, for nearly a decade, she taught us the 13 Lazy Genius principles in her first book, The Lazy Genius Way, and How to Be a Lazy Genius in the Kitchen, in her second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen. Now she's back with her third book, The Plan: Manage Your Time Like a...

How can we become better listeners for the sake of our own formation and for the good of those around us? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Episode 249: A Former Sign Language Interpreter's Guide to Listening Episode 270: How to Listen When a Friend Asks for Advice Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide" Download...

How can we practically integrate quiet into our everyday lives and why would we want to? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Download my favorite quiet resources Order a How to Walk into a Room When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson Holy Listening by Margaret Guenther The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide" Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack...

My guest today is internationally known as an Emmy-winning songwriter, recording artist, educator, activist, and poet whose work centers around finding beauty in a world that often feels broken. As a practicing Quaker, Carrie Newcomer's albums include Betty's Diner, The Gathering of Spirits and A Permeable Life, which has an accompanying book of poetry and essays.   I'm so glad to speak with Carrie today on what we can learn from Quaker practice about silence, about discernment, and our...

When it comes to thinking about how to quiet your inner chatter, we all probably have a lot of different ideas about what could be helpful, and I hope today's idea is something that you would consider. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Order a How to Walk into a Room Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by...

There are a lot of gifts that silence can bring and it's good to name what they are. But before we can enter into a practice of meaningful silence, it may be important to name some reasons why we may be avoiding it in the first place. Silence always tells a story. Listen in   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Join the Arrows Challenge Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button...

Today, I'm going to share with you a list I made at the beginning of my summer that changed the way I thought about productivity. So now I'm making another one for fall and I'm calling it a For My Future Self list. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Lazy Genius Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the...

Maybe you've been able to take some time off over the summer, either from work or social media or other activities. Or perhaps you haven't had that luxury and you're left wondering here toward the end of August if this nagging feeling you have inside is because you're on the edge of some kind of shift. Perhaps you've been standing at that threshold for quite some time. The question we'll hold together today: Is it time to quit or do I just need a break? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS...

This first week back we're celebrating seven years of The Next Right Thing with our annual state-of-the- podcast conversation. The gifts for a seven-year anniversary are traditionally copper and wool that signify love, durability and comfort. We'll use those three as our framework for today's conversation. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: 10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Four Tendencies by Gretchin Rubin A Million Little Ways by Emily P....

This week we'll finish up our walk through past episodes with one of my all-time favorites about Mr. Rogers. I had been wanting to do an episode related to Fred Rogers for quite some time, but it took me a while to finally pull some threads together and connect my thoughts just a little bit. This episode was originally published as episode 103 in November of 2019, and it explores how important it is to realize the impact other people have on the choices that we make for good or for ill. It's...

This week, we're continuing our walk through past episodes doing something we've never done before. I'm looking back at some of my personal favorites. This episode was originally published as episode 136 in July of 2020, and it explores the question, "Is there room for slow processing in this fast moving world? How can we make thoughtful decisions when everything moves so fast?" It's a great one to revisit. I hope you'll listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: 10 Things To Tell...

For the next several weeks, we're doing something we've never done before. It's a bit of a look back at some of my personal favorite episodes. Today's replay was originally episode 71, Let Time be Your Friend. It came about after months of ruminating over this idea of the passing of time and how it's always part of our lives, but we don't often sit and think about it. If you've ever felt like you could make better decisions if only you had more time, if you've ever wished for time to stop...

Today I'll be sharing a beloved spiritual practice and a bit of a personal update as well as what to expect here on The Next Right Thing in the coming months. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide" Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack Download the transcript

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 spring 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 spring, everything counts. So what's saving your life right now? Here's what's saving mine. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS...

I'm so glad to welcome New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Myquillyn Smith. You may know her best as The Nester and I know her best as my big sister. The good news for all of us, is that Myquillyn has a brand-new book available on this very day. It's called House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style and Budget. She's never met a house she didn't love, and today, she's here to help us learn how to do the same. If you struggle knowing where to start or feel...

Today I’ll share words from someone else for all of us to listen to and carry with us and reflect on together. Here is “The Path” by Lynn Ungar. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: "The Path" by Lynn Ungar Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for How to Walk into a Room by visiting this page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide" Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack Download the transcript

They say May is the new December, and we all know it's true. Though we have a month until we get there, chances are this season's activities are in full swing now and not likely to stop until June. It's times like this when I often find myself busy doing the things that don't matter as much, and avoiding doing the things that do. Sound familiar? How can we start to wake up in a world that seems intent on keeping us asleep? Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Order a How to...

Five years ago on this very day, Tuesday, April 2nd, The Next Right Thing book released into the world. It was based roughly on the first 30 episodes of this podcast. And now that book has sold over 100,000 copies, and it's still going. As a way to mark the moment, I thought I would share five decision-making principles from The Next Right Thing book that I still use every single week. Maybe you'll remember one you've forgotten, or maybe you'll hear one of these tips with fresh ears. I hope...

Today's guest is one you're familiar with by now. It's my friend, partner, and husband, John Freeman. Aside from being my biggest cheerleader, John is also a pastor. He served for 12 years in two different churches as a youth pastor, until 11 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 few years, he's been running his own nonprofit called Grace...