Unhurried Living | Helping Christians Rest Deeper & Lead Better

Life rarely unfolds the way we imagined. In those moments, many of us tighten our grip, while pushing, trying or angsting ourselves into stress or unhealth.

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Gem welcomes author and speaker Vivian Mabuni for a thoughtful conversation about surrender, trust, and learning to live with open hands before God.

Drawing from her book Open Hands, Willing Heart, Vivian shares honestly about the challenge of saying yes to God in difficult seasons and how deeper peace often emerges not through striving, but through yielding ourselves more fully to his care and leadership.

Together they explore:
Why control and striving quietly shape our spiritual lives
How surrender becomes a pathway to peace and purpose
Trusting God when life does not go according to plan
The difference between mechanical faith and relational intimacy with God
Finding courage and joy in uncertain seasons

This conversation offers gentle wisdom for anyone navigating disappointment, transition, anxiety, or the longing to follow Jesus in a more grounded and wholehearted way.

If you’ve been carrying pressure, trying to hold everything together, or wondering how to trust God more deeply, this episode will encourage you to loosen your grip and rediscover the freedom of open-handed living.
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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.

What if the Old Testament law was more spacious than we imagine?

In this episode, Alan Fadling explores a surprising question: How much time did God set aside in Israel’s calendar for worship, rest, celebration, and remembrance?

Weekly Sabbaths. Annual festivals. New Moon observances. A sabbatical year for the land. Jubilee. Taken together, these rhythms reveal a God who was not forming a people around relentless productivity, but around worship, trust, gratitude, and enoughness.

Alan reflects on Israel’s struggle to receive this gift, our own modern “burnout economy,” and the striking connection between Sabbath and freedom from slavery. Perhaps rest is not merely recovery from working too much. Perhaps it is part of the spacious life God intended for us.

In this episode:
The surprising amount of rest built into Israel’s calendar
Why Israel struggled to practice the sabbatical year and Jubilee
What Sabbath has to do with freedom from slavery
Why our burnout economy makes these ancient rhythms newly relevant
How rest becomes an apprenticeship in trusting God
What these rhythms might mean for the way we live and lead today

“Slaves don’t get Sabbaths. Free people do.”

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.

Most of us have experienced teaching that gives us a lot to think about, but doesn’t necessarily change much how we live. In this conversation about spiritual formation and Christian leadership, Alan and Gem explore why transformation rarely comes through information alone.

Through their years leading retreats, workshops, and the PACE leadership cohort at Unhurried Living, they have discovered that growth often happens in quieter ways. It unfolds as people learn to listen to God, reflect on their lives, and share honestly with others.

In this episode, they talk about the rhythms that help learning move from the mind into the soul. These include practices like solitude and silence, offering teaching in smaller portions, creating meaningful interaction, allowing a spacious schedule, and paying attention to the dynamics within a group.

If you lead retreats, facilitate small groups, serve in ministry, or simply desire a deeper life with God, this conversation offers insight into how thoughtful learning environments can support lasting spiritual growth.

You may discover that the way we gather and learn together matters more than we often realize.
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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.

What does it mean to become an apprentice of Jesus—not just as an individual, but as part of a community shaped by the kingdom of God?

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling is joined by friend and colleague Matt Fogle for a thoughtful conversation with Keas Keasler about his new IVP Academic book, Kingdom Apprenticeship: Dallas Willard’s Formational Theology and Missional Vision.

Together they explore Dallas Willard’s understanding of spiritual formation, grace as both pardon and power, the church as a community of discipleship, and what it means for ordinary Christians and ministry leaders to become people who increasingly reflect the life of Christ. Whether you’re a pastor, church leader, or simply longing for deeper transformation, this conversation offers a hopeful vision for becoming apprentices of Jesus in every area of life.

In this episode you’ll discover:
Why spiritual formation is about more than gaining knowledge
Dallas Willard’s vision for grace, discipleship, and transformation
How the church becomes a “school of life” where people learn to live in God’s kingdom
Why formation is both deeply personal and profoundly communal
Practical encouragement for pastors and ministry leaders seeking lasting spiritual growth

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.

Why can two people experience the same conversation, meeting, or problem so differently?

In this episode, Gem talks with Enneagram teacher, management consultant, and executive coach Joey Stabile Schewee, author of When Working Together Doesn’t Work, about what’s happening beneath our behavior and why understanding how we process the world can transform our relationships.

Joey explores the Enneagram’s three Processing Centers: Doing, Feeling, and Thinking, including what she calls the “processing divide.” She also unpacks the three stances, Independent, Responsive, and Solitary, and how they influence our relationship with time, our reference point, and the ways we engage with others.

Then Joey walks through all nine Enneagram types, offering a brief, accessible description of each and helpful clues for recognizing your own type.

Whether you’re new to the Enneagram or have been using it for years, this conversation offers practical insight for greater self-awareness, healthier communication, and more gracious relationships at work and beyond.
Connect with Joey on IG @enneagramparents
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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.