Episode 111: The Freedom You Actually Need This Summer

Episode 111: The Freedom You Actually Need This Summer

This weekend the whole country celebrates freedom, and a lot of us will spend it proving, pleasing, and performing through a backyard full of people, then wonder why a holiday about freedom leaves us feeling everything except free. If a day off has ever failed to feel like one, this episode is for you. You will understand why an open calendar and a long weekend do not deliver the freedom you are hoping for.  You will see the named pattern underneath the urge to prove and please, and why it is more common than you might think.  And you will leave with one obligation you can set down before the cookout even starts. Scripture: Galatians 5:1 (NIV) Research note: On socially prescribed perfectionism, the perception that the people around us expect us to be perfect (Hewitt and Flett, 1991), a pressure researchers have tracked rising over recent decades (Curran and Hill, 2019). Ready for your next step? FREE 5-Minute Daily Reset (instant download): YourNextBestStep.com  [https://YourNextBestStep.com] Weekly encouragement + practical tips: YouTube @CoachJanetJ [https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJanetJ] Instagram: @janetjjaecks [https://www.instagram.com/janetjjaecks/ ] If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.   One small step. One day at a time.

BONUS: Your Phone Is Not the Villain (Do This Instead) (YNBS 110)

Your phone is not the enemy of your summer — it is just very good at reaching you first. One small way to give the moment in front of you a fair shot.  Join me for the latest episode of Your Next, Best Step: “A Little More Wonder, a Little Less Wi-Fi” where we walk through one small daily practice that helps you notice more and scroll less, without adding one more thing to your to-do list. Ready for your next step? FREE 5-Minute Daily Reset (instant download): YourNextBestStep.com  [https://YourNextBestStep.com] Weekly encouragement + practical tips: YouTube @CoachJanetJ [https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJanetJ] Instagram: @janetjjaecks [https://www.instagram.com/janetjjaecks/ ] If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.   One small step. One day at a time.

Episode 110: A Little More Wonder, a Little Less Wi-Fi

You will pass a hundred small wonders today, give or take. Most of them get intercepted somewhere between your eyes and your attention, usually by a screen about the size of your hand. This summer can be different. In this episode of Your Next, Best Step, you will discover why the ordinary moments of summer hold more than you think, how a fifteen-minute practice studied in people your age changed their everyday mood and worry, and a gentle way to meet God in the parts of your day you have been walking right past. Scripture: Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV) Research note: References the “awe walk” research from Virginia Sturm, Dacher Keltner, and colleagues, published in the journal Emotion (2020). Ready for your next step? FREE 5-Minute Daily Reset (instant download): YourNextBestStep.com  [https://YourNextBestStep.com] Weekly encouragement + practical tips: YouTube @CoachJanetJ [https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJanetJ] Instagram: @janetjjaecks [https://www.instagram.com/janetjjaecks/ ] If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.   One small step. One day at a time.

BONUS: Pray Continually Without Losing Your Mind (YNBS 109)

For years, I read 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that says, “pray continually” and felt slightly defeated by it. Continually? How? I cannot even continually remember where I put my keys. Here is what I have come to think it means. Join me for the newest episode on Your Next, Best Step (Ep 109): “Popcorn Prayers: When You Are Too Tired for a Quiet Time” where we walk through a simple 3-step popcorn prayer that fits inside the busiest moments of your day. Ready for your next step? FREE 5-Minute Daily Reset (instant download): YourNextBestStep.com  [https://YourNextBestStep.com] Weekly encouragement + practical tips: YouTube @CoachJanetJ [https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJanetJ] Instagram: @janetjjaecks [https://www.instagram.com/janetjjaecks/ ] If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.   One small step. One day at a time.

Episode 109: Popcorn Prayers - When You Are Too Tired for a Quiet Time

Have you ever been so tired that even your quiet time felt loud? You love God. You want to pray. And then real life walks in wearing muddy shoes — and your “quiet time” becomes “Lord, help me not lose my mind” whispered in front of the fridge. Today, Coach Janet J names something almost too simple: that ten-second prayer counts. In this episode you will learn: * Why short, scattered prayers may be the most honest ones you pray * What Nehemiah 2:4 reveals about praying under real-time pressure * How brief intentional pauses interact with both your spirit and your nervous system Scripture: Nehemiah 2:4 (NIV) Research note: Micro-break research (Zacher et al., 2014; Albulescu et al., 2022) suggests brief intentional pauses can reduce fatigue and restore a sense of energy. Ready for your next step? FREE 5-Minute Daily Reset (instant download): YourNextBestStep.com  [https://YourNextBestStep.com] Weekly encouragement + practical tips: YouTube @CoachJanetJ [https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJanetJ] Instagram: @janetjjaecks [https://www.instagram.com/janetjjaecks/ ] If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.   One small step. One day at a time.