Work and Play with Nancy Ray

Taking a long-ish break from social media has been on my heart for quite some time, and having Benji, our fourth child, just seemed like the perfect time to do it. So when he was born at the end of July, I decided to go off social media completely for six months. I'm currently four months in—and yes, Benji is already four months old, which I cannot wrap my mind around—but this episode is all about what I've learned in the last four months from my social media sabbatical so far, I can't wait for you to hear it. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/135. Resources from this episode: Minted Holiday Cards The Tech-Wise Family, by Andy Crouch Work & Play Cornerstore Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through them, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to!

I have an invitation for you today: choose the courageous thing and slow down. It's time to live a simpler, slower life than the one that you're living. Does that feel impossible? Does it feel like it just cannot happen for you? Do you feel scattered and a bit out of control? I know sometimes I do. Maybe you feel like your life can't actually change right now because of work, kids, or a schedule that you really can't change. Well, friend, I have good news. Even though your life can't change, you can. You can change. The feeling of living out of control and always in the chaos can absolutely change because you can always change. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/134. Resources from this episode: FREE DOWNLOAD: 5 Steps to Creating Calm Amidst the Chaos Shauna Niequist The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker Psalm 86:11 What's Best Next, by Matt Perman Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

I recently shared the news that after this year, my twelfth year of business, the doors of Nancy Ray Photography will close. This was one of the hardest, most difficult decisions of my life. I love this work, I am going to miss this work, but the bottom line is this: God gently made it clear to me that this season has come to an end. This was a massive decision for me personally and for my family, and it all started one year ago. Today, it feels like I've turned the page into the next chapter of my life. Now, I'll be honest, I could've kept going. Part of me really, really wanted to just keep going. I was good at it. I was confident in it, but this quote from Richard Blackaby explains why I'm letting it go: "Our problem as leaders is we do everything we know to do. That's not enough. We need to do everything God wants us to do." That says it all. I just know that in order for me to everything that God wants me to do, I need to let this go. I simply know that God wants me to do something different. I'm going to walk you through how I got to this point and how I finally made the decision and how I listen to God's voice every step of the way. I'm going to share some questions, some hard questions, that I had to ask myself and I'm going to ask these questions to you, too. So I'm going to start this episode by asking these questions and hopefully as I share my story, you're going to understand a little bit more about what those questions mean. And as I finish the episode and come back and ask these questions again, maybe you'll have a fuller understanding about where you are today. My hope is that as I share how I navigated this huge decision, you'll hopefully walk away with some helpful tools for he next time that you step into a new season, too. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/133. Resources from this episode: The Seasons of God, by Richard Blackaby Lioness Arising, by Lisa Bevere Ecclesiastes 3 Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

I am so excited to bring this special episode with Emily Ley back to the Work and Play podcast today. She is one of the most authentic people I have ever met, I kid you not. She's been a friend of mine for several years now. I've watched her grow as a mom, as a business owner, but she never loses that on authenticity. Every time I hang out with her, she makes me cry, and it's not in a bad way. It's because her heart for life, her heart for her people, it moves me. She really wants the right things in life. She's doing something really wonderful with her work and her play. For the show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/132. Resources from this episode: Emily Ley's website Emily Ley on Instagram Simplified on Instagram When Less Becomes More, by Emily Ley Listen to the first chapter of Emily's new book for FREE! Naptime Kitchen Deep Work, by Cal Newport

Get ready for another one of your past favorites! Today's episode was originally Episode 005: Calling vs. Assignment. I hope you enjoy. I think it's pretty safe to say that when it comes to our work, we want to be part of something that we are called to do— something that is full of meaning and has purpose, something that is in line perfectly with our passions and giftings. But today I want to challenge our way of thinking, and really the language that we use describing our work and our calling. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/131.

Welcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where every month I share a book I'm reading, and three big takeaways that I have from that book. And you can always find more information about the books I'm reading at nancyray.com/bookclub, where you can join in reading them with me. Now, I've got a quick update on the book club for the rest of 2021. I did not realize in the beginning of this year that I would be needing a six month sabbatical and that I'd be taking off six months from work and this podcast and social media, which simply means I'm going to be putting the Book Club on hold until 2022. Fighting Forward, this interview, is going to be my last 2021 Book Club episode, and all the other books I did not get to are simply going to be pushed back to 2022. I just want to thank you for your grace in this. Listen, you know, my approach with this book club is very relaxed anyway—read what you'd like to read, participate as you can. If a book doesn't sound interesting, you don't have to read it with us. I personally hope to do a lot of reading while I'm away, but realistically I have a newborn baby and three other children. So I just appreciate your grace towards me, as well, while I kind of redirect and do things a little differently to serve my work and my play and my life and my family and you guys, as best as I can during the season of my life. Today, I have a conversation with a friend and author Hannah Brencher. Hannah is such a breath of fresh air. She is a writer, a TED speaker, an online educator with a heart for building leaders. She has written three books. First, If You Find This Letter. Second, Come Matter Here. And third, which we're talking about today, Fighting Forward. It has been exactly what I have needed to read. It's incredible. Her heart for change and for fighting for the life that God has for you is something that you do not want to miss. I think you're going to love our conversation today about how you can fight forward in your own life. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/130.

Get ready, because I love a good morning routine. Fair warning: I am such a nerd about this. I know this sounds kind of extreme, but having a morning routine in place really enhances the quality of my life. I'm not kidding. It gives me something to look forward to at night. It starts my day off connected with the Lord and with a healthy mindset. It allows me to start my day in a place of abundance, which really determines so much of the rest of my day. So whether you have a solid morning routine or if you don't have one at all, this episode is for you. PSA: This was recorded when I was not knee deep in newborn life! For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/129. Resources from this episode: Michael Hyatt & the Lead to Win Podcast Allie Casazza & The Purpose Show What the Most Successful People do Before Breakfast, by Laura Vanderkam Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Life is hard, and sometimes it just seems we can't move forward in our lives until someone speaks some words of life to us. So that's what I'm here for today. If you're facing something really hard, I am here to tell you, you were made for hard things. For the full show notes, visit nancyray.com/podcast/128.

As you may know, I'm currently taking a six month break from work and social media to be fully present with my family, which means that every Tuesday on the podcast, you're going to be getting a mix of new episodes, old episodes and interviews. This episode of the podcast is one of my earlier most popular, most downloaded episodes, which means it's worth repeating. This is the first episode ever of Work & Play with Nancy Ray, I hope you enjoy it. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/127. Resources from this episode: Psalm 127:2 Magnolia Manifesto Magnolia Journal Present over Perfect, Shauna Niequist Episode 002 - Rule of Life

Hello! I am back after a two month break from this podcast! I'm happy to be back and today I'm so excited to share with you a huge life event that took place over the last two months for us, which is the birth of our fourth baby, a son, Benjamin Valor Ray. And today I'm going to be sharing his birth story with you. I'm going to go into the details of why we chose a home birth and just the story of how God used his birth to really heal me and rid me of so much fear and just show me how beautiful birth can really be. It was such an amazing experience, and I'm so excited to share it with you today.