Unhurried Living | Helping Christians Rest Deeper & Lead Better

What does it really mean to become the best version of yourself in God? In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem Fadling sits down with therapist and bestselling author Dr. Alison Cook to talk about Christian boundaries, finding your voice, healing trauma, and facing emotional pain with faith. Dr. Alison shares a deeply personal story that shaped her book The Best of You, and we explore why so many Christian women struggle to recognize their needs, speak up in relationships, and set healthy boundaries without guilt. We also look at how Jesus modeled a strong sense of self, and why facing your pain is essential to spiritual growth and emotional healing. If you’ve ever wondered: Is it selfish to focus on my needs? How do I set boundaries as a Christian? Why is it so hard to use my voice? How do I heal from past wounds with God? This conversation will encourage you to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better. _________________________________________ Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It’s one thing to understand the kind of leadership that helps people flourish. It’s another thing to sustain it—especially over time. In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling continues his reflections on Wendell Berry’s wisdom, turning from the life we cultivate in leadership to the life we must become to sustain it. Drawing from Berry’s insights on character, familiarity, and discipline, Alan explores the deeper work of leadership formation—the kind of inner life that holds steady under pressure and grows through experience. You’ll discover: Why good intentions and knowledge are not enough for lasting leadership How character is formed through everyday choices and responses What your reactions reveal about your inner life How reflection helps you grow in wisdom over time This episode is for pastors, team leaders, and anyone who wants to become the kind of leader who can stay with the work long enough to see it bear fruit. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What does it mean to enter the final third of life with intention? In this reflective episode, Gem shares about a personal season of reset as she approaches sixty. Through the lens of Christian spiritual formation, she explores four guiding words for her next decade: freedom, meaningful work, rest, and fruitfulness. Together we consider how to navigate midlife transitions, how to embrace aging with hope rather than fear, and how to cooperate with the inward renewal described in 2 Corinthians 4. This episode offers practical action steps for those seeking spiritual growth, clarity, and a more unhurried life in their next season. _________________________________________ Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What do we do when God no longer feels as close as He used to feel? Many sincere believers experience seasons when prayer feels empty, Scripture feels quiet, and God seems strangely absent. For leaders especially, those seasons can feel confusing, discouraging, and even shameful. In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with theologian and spiritual formation professor Kyle Strobel to discuss the new book When God Seems Distant, coauthored with John Coe. Together, they explore: Why spiritual dryness is a normal part of mature faith The danger of equating spiritual feelings with God’s presence How suffering and helplessness can become places of formation The subtle ways we avoid God—even through our spirituality Why love, rather than striving, is what truly transforms us This conversation offers a compassionate and deeply hopeful vision for anyone walking through uncertainty, weariness, disappointment, or spiritual distance. Whether you are a pastor, leader, spiritual director, or simply someone longing to remain near to God in difficult seasons, this episode offers wisdom and encouragement for the journey. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What do you do when your faith feels dry and your prayers feel empty? In this episode, Gem Fadling sits down with author and Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren to explore the reality of spiritual dryness, burnout, and what the Christian tradition calls “aridity.” Drawing from her book, What Grows in Weary Lands, Tish offers a deeply grounded vision of faith that endures, even in seasons of doubt, fatigue, and emotional exhaustion. Together, they reflect on ancient Christian practices, the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, and how modern experiences of burnout and languishing intersect with the deeper spiritual journey. If you’ve ever wondered where God is in your weariness, or how to keep going when your inner life feels thin, this conversation offers a steady, hopeful way forward. Topics include: Spiritual dryness and why it happens Christian practices for burnout and fatigue How to pray when prayer feels empty Faith in seasons of doubt and distance from God Ancient wisdom for modern exhaustion This episode is for anyone longing to stay rooted in God, even when life feels overwhelming. _________________________________________ Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Much of what we long to see in leadership—trust, depth, resilience, and lasting fruit—simply does not grow well in a hurry. In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling reflects on insights from Wendell Berry to explore a different way of leading. Instead of pushing for results, what if leadership is more like tending a garden? What if the work is less about driving outcomes and more about cultivating the kind of life where good things can grow? Drawing from Berry’s reflections on the slow work of restoring fertility, Alan invites leaders to consider the deeper kind of growth that happens over time—often unseen, but essential for lasting impact. You’ll discover: Why meaningful growth in leadership cannot be rushed What it looks like to cultivate a life-giving environment Three simple practices that help leaders foster lasting fruit How tending your inner life shapes everything you lead This episode is for pastors, team leaders, and anyone who wants to lead in a way that helps people truly flourish. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What if sustainable leadership begins not with strategy but with fullness? In this episode, Gem Fadling reflects on Bernard of Clairvaux’s image of the reservoir and contrasts it with the canal model of leadership. Looking at the example of Jesus, who often withdrew to pray despite growing demands, this conversation invites leaders to rediscover depth, overflow, and spiritual sustainability. If you desire influence without burnout, this episode offers both inspiration and practical next steps. _________________________________________ Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many of us have learned to live at odds with our own desires. Some of us follow them wherever they lead. Others try to suppress or manage them. Either way, desire can begin to feel like something we don’t quite trust. In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with therapist and author Jay Stringer to explore a more honest and hopeful way of understanding desire. Drawing from his book Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow, Jay helps us see how even our most confusing or unwanted desires can become pathways toward healing. Together, they discuss: Why desire can feel like a “civil war” within us How our stories shape the desires we carry The role of shame—and the invitation to curiosity How to discern the deeper longing beneath misdirected desire A simple next step toward healing and greater awareness This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt conflicted inside—and wondered if there might be a more grace-filled way forward. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode, Gem sits down with Heather Rice-Minus, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship, to explore what it means to follow Jesus in places that are complex, urgent, and often overlooked. Heather shares how her calling into justice and prison ministry unfolded, from advocacy work that helped shape the First Step Act to her current leadership of one of the most influential prison ministries in the world. But this conversation goes beyond her role and into her life with God. Together, they reflect on what she has learned from those who are incarcerated, how proximity to suffering reshapes our understanding of people and of God, and what Jesus may have meant when he said, “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” They also explore the tension between urgency and presence, and how an unhurried life is not only possible, but necessary, even in work that carries real weight. If you care deeply about making a difference but feel tired, stretched, or unsure how to keep going, this conversation offers a grounded and hopeful way forward. You’ll also hear: The unexpected discovery of joy among the incarcerated. Transformational leadership in the prison system. How slowing down can actually strengthen your leadership. This is a conversation about justice, leadership, and the kind of life that can sustain both. _________________________________________ Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many Christian leaders begin their journey asking an important question: What can I accomplish for God? But over time, a deeper question begins to emerge: What is God actually asking me to do? In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling reflects on what he calls the inner conversion of a leader—the gradual shift from striving to do great things for God to learning how to work with God in the leadership we’ve been given. Drawing from the insights of Thomas Green, the story of David and Nathan in Scripture, and the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Alan explores how prayer reshapes our motives, how discernment guards us from misguided good intentions, and how leaders can learn to make room for the kingdom of God to work in and through them. This episode invites leaders to consider a quieter, deeper way of leading—one rooted not in frantic effort, but in attentiveness to God’s presence and guidance. If you find this conversation helpful, please subscribe to the Unhurried Living Podcast and share it with a friend or colleague who longs to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Living programs on their website. Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.