The Next Right Thing

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 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript

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 the code "NEXTRIGHTTHING" to get $100 off your first month of Talkspace 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

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 Instagram Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download Transcript