Unhurried Living | Helping Christians Rest Deeper & Lead Better

Latest Episodes:

The Transforming Power of Reading (Jeff Crosby) Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

What if reading could become a spiritual practice—not just for gaining knowledge, but for nourishing your soul?

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling talks with Jeff Crosby, author of World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading, about the formative power of books. Together they explore how stories, poetry, memoir, and even Scripture can shape our hearts, spark wonder, and help us encounter God’s presence in the pages of a book.

In this conversation, you’ll discover:

How books can become trusted companions in your spiritual journey
Why stories, poetry, and memoir awaken wonder and reshape our hearts
Practical ways to cultivate a reading life that nourishes your soul
How reading Scripture slowly and reflectively forms us over time

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.

Exposing the Lies We Live By: Finding Identity Beyond Advertising Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

Every day, we are bombarded with thousands of messages promising happiness, comfort, or even identity if only we buy the right product. But beneath the noise of advertising lies a deeper reality: we are already loved, already chosen, already whole in Christ. In this episode, Gem Fadling shines a light on how consumer slogans shape our sense of self and offers a way back to the truth of God’s word.

This conversation explores the difference between the “false self” and the “true self,” and invites us to embrace the pace of grace rather than the rush of consumption.

Listen in to learn:

How advertising shapes our view of identity and worth
The difference between the “imposter self” and the “true self”
How scripture re-anchors us in God’s love and presence

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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.

Fresh Springs for a Busy Life Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Where do you turn when your soul feels thirsty? In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling reflects on Psalm 87:7, “All my fresh springs are in You.” We explore how God alone is our true source of renewal, even when we’re tempted to drink from counterfeit springs like busyness, control, or distraction.

Drawing on the imagery of living water and daily bread, Alan shares how this one line of scripture can become a simple, grounding prayer to carry through your day. Discover how God’s presence can be a hidden well of strength in your work, relationships, and everyday life.

If you’ve ever felt spiritually dry, restless, or weary, this conversation will help you return to the fresh, unending stream of God’s life in you.

What you’ll learn:

Why Psalm 87:7 offers such a powerful picture of spiritual renewal
• How to recognize “counterfeit springs” that leave us empty
• Practical ways to carry scripture into the ordinary moments of your day
• How prayer, silence, and Sabbath help us drink deeply from God’s presence

Listen in and discover how God can be your fresh spring of life, energy, and joy.

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.

How to Practice Hospitality without Performance Pressure (Laura Murray) Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Hospitality is more than setting a table or opening your home. It’s a posture of the heart—a way of seeing and responding to the people God places in your path. True hospitality flows from God’s generous welcome to us and creates spaces of belonging wherever we go.

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem Fadling talks with Laura Murray, author of Becoming a Person of Welcome, about moving from performance-based hosting to a transformed life of welcome. Drawing from her Armenian heritage, years in church leadership, and a rich theology of God’s hospitality, Laura offers practical steps for cultivating authentic connection, listening deeply, setting healthy boundaries, and leading others into a lifestyle of welcome.

Whether you’re a ministry leader, a community builder, or simply someone longing for relationships rooted in grace, this conversation will inspire you to carry God’s presence into everyday moments.

Listen in to learn:

Why hospitality is a posture, not a program
How to reflect God’s welcome in daily life
Ways to create authentic belonging without performance pressure
Spiritual practices that shape a hospitable heart

Connect with Laura Murray:

Website: www.digitalsilentretreats.com
Book: Becoming a Person of Welcome

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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.

Rest is More Than a Day Off (Travis West) Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

What if rest isn’t a luxury—but essential to your calling? In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling talks with Travis West, author of The Sabbath Way, about how Sabbath can renew leaders from the inside out. Far from being just a “day off,” Sabbath is a way of living that restores joy, deepens trust in God, and sustains our calling in a productivity-driven culture.

We’ll explore why Sabbath is a quiet but powerful form of leadership, how it reshapes our relationship with time, and why it’s key to resisting burnout. Whether you’re a pastor, ministry leader, or simply longing for a more unhurried pace with God, this conversation will inspire you to let grace set the pace.

In this episode:

Why Sabbath is more than a day of rest
How Sabbath restores joy, gratitude, and delight
The dangers of “false rest” and how to avoid them
Moving from urgency to abundance in leadership
Practical steps to start a Sabbath rhythm this week

For more help in practicing the Sabbath, visit Travis West’s website for a free resource at https://www.travis-west.com/practices.

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.

Abide and Flourish: Breaking Free from the Productivity Trap (Bette Dickinson) Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

For many of us, faith has been shaped by pressure to perform and produce. But in John 15, Jesus gives us another way: abiding in the True Vine. In this episode, Gem Fadling sits down with artist and author Bette Dickinson to explore how God as the loving Vinedresser leads us not toward exhaustion, but toward flourishing.

If you’ve felt weighed down by striving or longed for a slower, more organic spirituality, this conversation will help you rediscover a rooted, fruitful faith.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

Why God’s primary concern isn’t productivity but flourishing
The difference between an industrial approach to faith and an organic one
How natural seasons reflect Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection
The meaning of abiding as our place of belonging and identity in Christ
How to trust fruit will emerge over time without forced busyness

Resources & References Mentioned:

The Art of Vinemaking: Flourishing in a Productivity-Driven Culture
Making Room in Advent by Bette Dickinson
John 15: The Vine and the Branches

About Today’s Guest – Bette Dickinson
Bette Dickinson is a prophetic artist, author, and contemplative guide. Through her writing, artwork, and teaching, she invites others to encounter God’s presence in embodied and imaginative ways. She is the author of The Art of Vinemaking and Making Room in Advent: 25 Devotions for a Season of Wonder.

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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.

The False Vine of Workaholism Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, we explore the difference between work that flows from grace and love, and work that drains us because it’s fueled by fear, insecurity, or people-pleasing. Together we’ll talk about holy rhythms of work and rest, and what it looks like to return to the “easy yoke” of Jesus.

If you’ve been feeling weary, overextended, or caught in workaholism, this conversation offers hope: you can lead from rest rather than rush.

What You’ll Take Away from This Episode:

How to discern between grace-energized work and soul-draining drivenness.
Why busyness, according to Eugene Peterson, is not productivity but a form of laziness.
The danger of “false vines” that drain life rather than nourish it.
Small, sustainable practices for weaving sabbath and reflection into daily rhythms.
How contemplative practices root us in God’s presence so our work becomes overflow, not overextension.

Resources & References Mentioned in This Episode:

Subversive Spirituality by Eugene Peterson
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (various translations available)
The Spiritual Life by Evelyn Underhill
Jesus’ teaching on the easy yoke (Matthew 11:28–30) and the vine and branches (John 15)

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.

The Art of Mindful Travel: Lessons from an Italian Tour Guide Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

What’s the difference between rushing through a city and truly receiving it? In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem Fadling talks with Lauren Mouat—a writer, instructor, and licensed tour guide based in Tuscany, about how to travel with intention, depth, and presence.

Lauren, originally from California, moved to Rome more than a decade ago and now leads tours through her company, Unlock Italy. With humor, eloquence, and a gift for storytelling, she doesn’t just share history facts she invites people into the stories, beauty, and humanity of the places they visit.

In this conversation, Gem and Lauren explore:

Why stories make travel experiences more meaningful
The difference between “checking boxes” and traveling at a soulful pace
Practices like journaling, walking, and stillness that deepen connection
How to resist hurry and savor beauty, curiosity, and wonder
Ways to stay present and be moved by the places we encounter

Whether you’re planning your next trip or simply longing to live more mindfully where you are, this episode will inspire you to slow down, notice, and receive life as a gift.

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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.

Hearing the Psalms Like Never Before (Terry Wildman) Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

What if you could hear the Psalms and Proverbs as if for the very first time? In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling talks with Terry Wildman, Ojibwe and Yaqui follower of Jesus, storyteller, musician, and lead translator of the First Nations Version (FNV).

Terry has spent decades sharing Creator’s story in ways that resonate with Indigenous hearts. After the widely embraced release of the FNV New Testament in 2021, he and a translation council of over 20 tribes have now brought the beauty, rhythm, and imagery of Native American storytelling to Psalms and Proverbs.

In this conversation, Alan and Terry explore:

How oral tradition opens fresh ways of hearing Scripture
The relational names for God, like Great Spirit and Grandfather
Why Psalms and Proverbs were chosen as the next FNV project
How this translation speaks to Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers alike
Practical ways to let Scripture slow you down and deepen your walk with God

If you long to encounter the Psalms and Proverbs in a way that stirs your soul and draws you into deeper communion with God, this episode will inspire you.

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.

From Pressure to Presence: Rethinking the Way We Work Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

What if your leadership wasn’t driven by hurry, but rooted in soul-deep transformation? In this episode, Alan and Gem Fadling explore how spiritual formation and leadership are meant to stay connected—and why separating them leads to exhaustion and burnout.

We’ll talk about:

Why leadership development often gets siloed from spiritual formation
How unprocessed inner life shows up in hurried, anxious leadership
Practices that help leaders shift from pressure and performance to peace and purpose
Why leading from depth, rest, and soul-rooted presence makes your influence more life-giving

If you’ve ever felt stretched thin by the relentless demands of leadership, or wondered if there’s a slower, more grounded way to lead, this conversation will give you hope and practical steps forward.

This episode also introduces PACE, a 21-month training experience for leaders who want to bring more soul into their work and more grace into their influence.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations on unhurried leadership, spiritual formation, and living at the pace of Jesus.

#Leadership #Hurry #SpiritualFormation #UnhurriedLeadership #PACE #ChristianLeadership

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.