Podcast
Unhurried Living | Helping Christians Rest Deeper & Lead Better
Hosted by Alan and Gem Fadling · EN
Many of us feel hurried, and hurry is costing us more than we realize. The Unhurried Living Podcast with Alan and Gem Fadling provides resources and training to help Christian leaders learn to live and lead from fullness rather than on empty. Great influence begins on the inside, in your soul. Learning healthy patterns of rest and work can transform your life—your daily influence. Built on more than twenty-five years of experience at the intersection of spiritual formation and leadership development, Unhurried Living seeks to inspire people around the world to rest deeper so they can live fuller and lead better.
If this podcast helps you be an unhurried leader, be sure to check out our website https://www.unhurriedliving.com/, where we have books, resources, and featured membership communities so you can learn with fellow leaders how to lead from abundance instead of lack.
39episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Trust God When You’re Afraid to Lose What You Love Most
4d ago00:08:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem reflects on the powerful story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 and what it reveals about trust, surrender, and spiritual growth. What happens when the thing you long for most feels at risk? How do you trust God when disappointment threatens your peace? Through Scripture and a deeply personal story of infertility and waiting, Gem explores how faith matures when we release our deepest desires into God’s care. If you are navigating unanswered prayer, wrestling with surrender, or seeking a deeper trust in God, this episode will meet you there. ______________________________________ 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.
Transcribe →How to Recognize God's Voice: Growing in Discernment Through the Holy Spirit (Unhurried Favorite with Tyler Staton)
2w ago00:32:40Tap to summarizeWhat if the Holy Spirit is not distant or confusing—but closer than you think? In this replay episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with pastor and author Tyler Staton to explore what it means to grow in discernment and recognize God’s voice through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Tyler’s book The Familiar Stranger, this conversation invites us beyond ideas about God into a lived, relational experience with him. Many leaders sense a gap between what Scripture describes about the Spirit’s power and what they experience in daily life. Together, Alan and Tyler gently explore how that gap can begin to close—not through striving, but through growing familiarity with God’s voice, learning to discern what is truly from him, and opening ourselves to a more vibrant, Spirit-led life. Whether you feel curious, uncertain, or quietly hungry for more, this conversation offers a hopeful path 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.
Transcribe →Finding Your Voice Without Feeling Selfish (Dr. Alison Cook)
3w ago00:42:23Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →The Formation of a Leader Who Lasts
4w ago00:16:45Tap to summarizeIt’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.
Transcribe →Aging Well: An Intentional Vision for the Next Decade
Jun 2200:10:16Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →When God Seems Distant (Kyle Strobel)
Jun 1500:43:42Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →When Your Faith Feels Dry (And How God Meets You There) w/ Tish Harrison Warren
Jun 800:49:48Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →Tending the Life Beneath Your Leadership
Jun 100:12:15Tap to summarizeMuch 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.
Transcribe →Sustainable Spiritual Influence: Reservoir Leadership
May 2500:09:05Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →Your Desires Are Trying to Tell You Something (with Jay Stringer)
May 1800:44:10Tap to summarizeMany 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.
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