Aligned Living with Dr. Autumn

What if the questions you've been afraid to ask are the very ones that could lead you toward greater freedom, deeper faith, and a more fulfilling life?

We're often conditioned to believe that growth means finding answers, faith means having certainty, and strength means having everything figured out. But what if there's another way?

In this episode of Aligned Living with Dr. Autumn, I'm joined by artist, musician, and author Royce Lovett, whose book The Way of Asking: A Journey Without Clear Answers invites us to reconsider the role of curiosity, uncertainty, and honest questioning in our lives.

Together, we explore the intersection of faith, creativity, relationships, and whole-person well-being. From challenging long-held assumptions about God to examining how we care for ourselves and connect with others, this conversation invites us to consider how the questions we ask shape the lives we live.

We also explore Royce's journey as a creative, husband, and father, and the experiences that have influenced his music, his message, and his understanding of what it means to live authentically.

Because perhaps living a whole and aligned life isn't about having all the answers. It's about having the courage to ask the questions that matter.

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

Please visit: www.autumnswain.com

Contact: [email protected]

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Guest Info: Royce Lovett

Substack: https://substack.com/@itsroycelove

Instagram: @roycelovett

Website: www.roycelovett.com

Royce Lovett Music and Common Hymnal Music can be found on all listening platforms!

You want to be a person of your word. So why do you keep saying "I'm going to…" and then not doing it?

In this episode of Aligned Living, Dr. Autumn uses a viral basketball moment to reveal what really happens between intention and action, and why "try harder" isn't the answer. She breaks down the biological, emotional, relational, and spiritual reasons we don't follow through, and introduces the Alignment Gap: the distance between what you say matters and what your life actually reflects.

This isn't about perfection. It's about understanding the miss.

Shoot. Assess. Adjust. Shoot again.

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

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We all have good intentions—to eat healthier, exercise consistently, strengthen our relationships, spend more time with God, be more present, or finally pursue the things that matter most. So why is it often so difficult to follow through?

In this episode of Aligned Living, Dr. Autumn explores the idea that we don’t rise to our intentions; we fall to our systems. And those systems go far beyond routines and calendars. Your sleep, nutrition, stress, nervous system, brain, environment, relationships, physical space, schedule, and daily rhythms all influence your capacity to live according to what you value.

Instead of simply asking, “Why can’t I be more disciplined?” this episode invites you to ask a better question: Have I built a life that supports what I say matters? You’ll learn how to identify the friction between your intentions and your everyday life, understand why willpower alone isn’t enough, and begin creating systems that make aligned choices easier and more sustainable.

Because good intentions can point you in the right direction—but alignment is what helps you actually live them.

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

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What if the relationships in your life are shaping your health more than you realize?

Dr. Autumn sits down with therapist, social worker, and doctoral researcher Heydie Orr to unpack relational resilience — our capacity to grow through healthy, mutually supportive relationships.

They talk about why independence isn't the same as wholeness, why being surrounded by people doesn't mean you're truly connected, and how reciprocity, consistency, vulnerability, boundaries, and healthy conflict turn a relationship from draining into strengthening.

If you've ever felt lonely, struggled to trust after being hurt, or wondered what a healthy relationship should actually look like, this one's for you. Relational health is mental health, and none of us were built to do life alone.

Guest info: Heydie Orr

https://heydie-orr.clientsecure.me/

https://www.atscorp.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heydie-orr-lmsw-ssw-ctrp-c-868066138/

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

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What if the interruptions we work so hard to avoid are actually invitations to become more present, resilient, and fully human? In this episode, Dr. Autumn sits down with Chrissy Weeks, Executive Director of DC127, to explore what it means to live an interruptible life. In a culture that ties our value to productivity and constant accessibility, Chrissy challenges us to consider what our response to interruption reveals about what we value, and what might change if we made more margin for God, ourselves, and the people around us. Chrissy shares stories from her work with families impacted by the foster care system, illustrating a truth as humbling as it is universal: even the strongest among us still need people, and community can build the resilience necessary for lasting change. This episode is an invitation to ask how you respond when you're interrupted, where you might need more margin, and whether you have the kind of community around you that helps you flourish. Because sometimes becoming more whole isn't about adding something else to your life. It may be about creating space to be interrupted.

Guest Info: Chrissy Weeks

www.dc127.org

Article Link: https://mailchi.mp/dc127/living-an-interruptible-life

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

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Prayer and Scripture get most of the credit for spiritual growth, but Dr. Autumn unpacks a piece we usually skip: the body. This episode makes the case that sleep, emotional health, relationships, and daily rhythms aren't distractions from discipleship, they're part of how the Holy Spirit actually forms us. The payoff is practical too: the self-control and discernment we need to live out what we already know God is calling us to do.

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

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Most of us know what we should do—so why don't we do it?

Because beneath our choices are stories. Exhaustion is normal. My value comes from achievement. Busy means important.These narratives quietly shape our health, relationships, leadership, and well-being in ways we rarely examine.

In this episode, Dr. Autumn helps you identify the hidden stories running your life—and what it looks like to replace them with something rooted in wholeness, wisdom, and shalom.

The question this episode will help you ask: What story is shaping my choices?

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

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You're sleeping. Eating well. Taking the supplements. And still — you're exhausted.

In this episode, Dr. Autumn breaks down why energy isn't just physical, and why no amount of sleep will fix a nervous system that's overloaded, a mind full of clutter, or emotions you haven't had the chance to process. She unpacks the hidden forces quietly draining you, including disrupted sleep rhythms, dehydration, spiritual misalignment, and the invisible weight of modern life.

This isn't another wellness checklist. It's a real conversation about what's actually happening in your body and mind, plus what it looks like to restore energy from the inside out.

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

Please visit: www.autumnswain.com

Contact: [email protected]

IG: @drautumnswain

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In this episode of Aligned Living, Dr. Autumn speaks with Joshua Symonette—pastor of Hopeville in Baltimore, nonprofit leader, husband of 23 years, and father of four—to explore the hidden cost of unprocessed emotions in leadership and everyday life. Joshua shares a vulnerable turning point when an unexpected emotional breakdown revealed he had been living in constant problem-solving mode—running on “survival skills” instead of “thriving skills.”

Together, they unpack why emotional health isn’t optional for leaders, why ignoring emotions quietly shapes our relationships and environments, and how practices like silence, slowing down, naming emotions, and prayer help cultivate true wholeness. If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding everything together on the outside while something inside feels off, this conversation offers a powerful invitation to pause, pay attention, and ask one honest question: Why do I feel this way?

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

Please visit: www.autumnswain.com

Contact: [email protected]

IG: @drautumnswain

FB: Autumn Alena Swain

Guest Info: Joshua Symonette

IG: jmsymonette

iamhopeville.com

Ever whispered, “God… what is happening?”

In this episode, Dr. Autumn speaks to the seasons that rattle your certainty — heartbreak, disappointment, unanswered prayers, emotional exhaustion — and shows you how to walk through them without losing your faith, your nervous system, or your integrity.

Blending biblical lament, nervous system regulation, and the principles of Aligned Living, she reframes hard seasons not as punishment, but as preparation. Learn how to steady your body, guard your thoughts, protect your character, and stay anchored — even when life feels disorienting.

Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY

Please visit: www.autumnswain.com

Contact: [email protected]

IG: @drautumnswain

FB: Autumn Alena Swain

Mentioned Resources:

The Playground Leader by Dr Autumn Swain

Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah