If you’re feeling pulled in all directions, looking for grounding words but unable to form them, here’s a short prayer of welcoming some things we need, some things we want, and others we would rather do without. Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• 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

What do we do when we realize our next right thing is to apologize? And how do we do it in a way that the person we're apologizing to will know that we're sincere? I'm so glad to welcome bestselling author, TEDx speaker, leadership consultant and psychologist, Dr. Jennifer Thomas. Jennifer is the co-author of The Five Apology Languages with Dr. Gary Chapman, and together they've also written a book in partnership with Paul White called Making Things Right at Work. With a PhD in clinical psychology and community psychology from the University of Maryland, Jennifer helps readers and leaders know the right things to say to keep growing. If you're curious about why the last apology you gave fell flat, or if you wonder why you just don't believe people when they're apologizing to you, today's conversation will hopefully provide valuable insight for your next right apologetic thing. Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack where I'll be answering more questions in this week's essay
• The Quiet Collection app
• The 5 Apology Languages by Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas
• Making Things Right at Work by Gary Chapman, Jennifer Thomas, and Paul White
• Learn more about Dr. Jennifer Thomas
• 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

In honor of the 300th episode of The Next Right Thing, I'm giving you the microphone to ask me your questions. I love hearing your voices whenever I can and I think this will be a lot of fun. I'll do my best to offer some solid responses, if not answers. Listen in.  

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack where I'll be answering more questions in this week's essay
• The Quiet Collection app
• Episode 32: Stop Collecting Gurus
• 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

How can we know the difference between a yes, an absolutely yes, a maybe, a probably not, and a no? And what do we do with the simple one line advice that doesn't always seem to apply? Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack
• The Quiet Collection app
• Ask Emily anything
• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers
• Episode 219: 20 Questions to Ask Before You Say Yes to a Great Opportunity
• 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 is a continuation of a conversation we started over 100 episodes ago, all about spiritual direction. I mentioned at the beginning of every episode that I serve as a spiritual director, and maybe you've heard that and wondered what it means or what that looks like. Well, I'll answer some of those questions about that today. Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack
• Spiritual Direction resources
• Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners
• Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
• 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

When it comes to spiritual practice and life with God, it might be your default to think you're doing it wrong. Even though I've walked with my friend Jesus for many decades, have written many faith-based books, hold a master's degree in Christian spiritual formation and even teach in a master's level program on the same topic, I still carry around that childlike question sometimes without even realizing it. Am I doing this wrong? Am I on the right track? Am I going to be okay? Let's talk about it. Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• 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

What's saving your life right now, specifically when it comes to autumn? 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 fall, everything counts. Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• Subscribe to The Soul Minimalist on Substack
• Our Unforming by Cindy S. Lee
• Get the monthly letter
• My Autumn playlist
• My sister's Autumnal playlist
• Kendra's Breezy Instrumental playlist
• More of what's saving my autumn 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

In this episode, I'm sharing about one of my next right things. For the last two-ish years, I've been working on my next book and it's finally time to tell you about it. If you're standing at a threshold, this book offers a framework for knowing when it's good to stay and when it might be time to move on. Listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Preorder How to Walk Into a Room
• 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 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