Today's episode is one that I hope you will bookmark and come back to. Actually, I'm almost positive this is one that you will bookmark and come back to. That's because I'm going to share with you the simple steps and how to have a really hard conversation—a crucial conversation—steps that will help you think through what you will say before you say it, and tools that will change your marriage, change your family relationships, your work relationships, all for the better.   Resources from this episode: BUSINESS BUNDLE! Only available until 7/11 at midnight! Crucial Conversations, by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler Nancy Ray Book Club Family Table Topics Game Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Work and Play with Nancy Ray

070 - Book | Crucial Conversations

We are back again in Part 2 of the marriage question-and-answer with my favorite human ever, Will Ray, my husband. And so, if you missed Part 1, be sure to go back to last week's Episode 068 and re-listen to that, as this is just a continuation of Will and I talking about our marriage. Today, we cover a huge range of topics. We talk about how we fight, parenting, intimacy, communication, faith, money, date nights, everything. I'm really excited to wrap up Part 2 of our conversation together. For the full show notes, go to nancyray.com/podcast/69.   Resources from this episode: Episode 068 - 12 Years of Marriage, Part 1 Free Class with Amy from Positive Parenting Solutions! Amy McCready’s Positive Parenting Solutions Course Episode 031 - My #1 Parenting Tip Episode 047 - Book | Seasons of God with Dr. Richard Blackaby Episode 064 - Making Memories with Sally Clarkson Episode 059 - Growing Faith in Your Littles Crucial Conversations, by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler Nancy Ray Book Club Financial Peace University Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp UE Boom Speaker Work & Play Cornerstore Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

069 - 12 Years of Marriage, Part 2

Today, I have my favorite human as my guest, my husband Will Ray. We are doing a question-and-answer series all about marriage and we cover a huge range of topics. We talked about how we knew we were the right ones for each other and when we met and how we fight and parenting and intimacy and communication and faith and money, our roles and responsibilities, date nights, all the things literally. I feel like we talked about everything. And because of that, you don't just get to hear from us this week, you're also going to hear from us again next week. We've actually split it up into a part one and part two, both episodes all about our marriage. Now, I don't say it lightly when I say I have so much respect and admiration for this man. We are not perfect. I hope that comes through loud and clear in these episodes, but good gracious God was so generous and good to me when He gave me Will Ray. I am so honored to share his voice and his heart with you today as we share a little bit about our marriage and the journey we've had together over the last 12 years.   Resources from this episode: The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman The Enneagram Pure Desire Ministries Faithful and True Marriage Counseling  Weekend to Remember by FamilyLife Our Backyard String Lights Affiliate links have been used, which means I do get a small commission if you choose to purchase anything using these links!

068 - 12 Years of Marriage, Part 1

Back in Episode 041, I shared my plan to work one day a week this year, which was quite the change after I closed my business last year. This episode is simply a check-in to tell you how it's been going so far. Find the full show notes at nancyray.com/podcast/67.   Resources from this episode: Episode 041 - My Plan to Work One Day a Week Legacy Photo System course Episode 050 - Just For Today Global Leadership Summit Book: It’s A New Day Cultivate What Matters Cast Iron Skillets Work & Play Cornerstore Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

067 - Check In: Working One Day a Week

Today I’m humbled and grateful to have pastor Dorrell on the Work and Play Podcast. We’re going to talk all about the racial crisis that we’ve been in and how the church, how believers, how you and I should respond during this time, during a racial crisis, and even more than that how to bounce forward, not bounce back, when the current storm we’re in starts to quiet. I'm going to be honest with you, I get real in this episode. I cry. We both do, actually. I mess up. I'm sure I do. I ask him some vulnerable questions. We give each other a ton of grace and love as a brother and sister in Christ. And I hope that you are encouraged by this conversation. So for a moment, let's put aside our politics and let's come together as a church, as believers, and lean in and listen. Find the full show notes at nancyray.com/podcast/66.   Resources from this episode: Follow Dr. Briscoe on Instagram Read Dr. Briscoe’s Blog There’s a Storm Comin’: How the American Church Can Lead Through Times of Racial Crisis, by Dr. Dorrell Briscoe Traction, by Gino Wickman Tears We Cannot Stop, by Michael Eric Dyson Documentary: 13th Documentary: White Like Me Six:Eight Church Lyndon’s babydoll Affiliate links have been used in this post!!

066 - How the Church Should Respond to Racial Crisis with Pastor Dorrell Briscoe

Emily P. Freeman is the kind of person I have grown to admire, respect, and quite frankly, adore. I love her. I love her podcast, The Next Right Thing. I love her book, The Next Right Thing, and today I had a conversation with her that I think you are really going to love. I personally gained so much wisdom and insight from her about the specific circumstances that I find myself in today, that helped me move forward in the right direction. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Emily, and I hope you enjoyed reading her book this month if you’re part of the Nancy Ray Book Club. Read the full show notes here: nancyray.com/podcast/65   Resources from this episode: THE BUSINESS BUNDLE Nancy Ray Book Club The Next Right Thing, Emily Freeman “Do The Next Thing” poem Affiliate links have been used in this post!!

065 - Book | The Next Right Thing with Emily Freeman

Today’s conversation with Sally Clarkson felt like a big hug from your mom—that you really needed. We talk all about making memories with our children and to be honest, I had this idea in my head that it would be all about planning these grand, extravagant trips and celebrations, but it wasn’t. It was about the day-to-day life, about the little things, and really, all about your health and happiness as a mom. So, I hope you really enjoy our conversation today. Read the full show notes at nancyray.com/podcast/64.   Resources from this episode: May is for Mamas Giveaway! Sally’s Podcast: At Home With Sally Sally’s Instagram Find Sally on Facebook Sally’s Blog The Life-giving Home, by Sally Clarkson The Life-giving Table, by Sally Clarkson The Work & Play Cornerstore

064 - Making Memories with Sally Clarkson

I can not even believe it, but today is my daughter's fifth birthday. How in the world do I have a five-year-old? I don't know. Five whole years of sweet little Milly being in our lives. Five whole years of me being a mama. I can not believe it. These five years have come by really fast and really slow all at the same time. Birthdays are so special. They're so special for your kiddos, they're so special for you, mama, but if we're being real, they can be really stressful too. Birthday parties, planning, all the things.  So today I'm going to talk about birthdays in honor of sweet Milly turning five. I'm going to talk about putting some joy back into birthday celebrations and give you a few ideas and lessons that I've learned to make birthdays in your home perfect for your family.   Resources from this episode: Enter the May is for Mamas Giveaway!! The Five Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell Kids Birthday Crown The Work & Play Cornerstore

063 - Joy-filled Birthdays

Today I’m having a conversation with my friend, Shunta Grant, and oh is it good! We talk about how important it is to just take it a day at a time—just to slow down, as mamas. It’s so important to look at our day and make a plan, and we talk about some practices that you can incorporate the night before and the morning of your day, and they’re so insightful and I think you’re really going to love it. I love Shunta, she is such a bright light in this world, and I hope you enjoy our conversation. Read the full show notes here: nancyray.com/podcast/62   Resources from this episode: May is for Mamas Giveaway! The Best Today Guide Shunta’s Website Shunta’s Instagram Episode 050 - Just for Today FREE DOWNLOAD: Craft Your Own Morning Routine Episode 042 - BOOK: Switch On Your Brain Atomic Habits, by James Clear “I Choose Today” free wallpaper downloads Disco Party Light Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

062 - Taking It One Day At a Time with Shunta Grant

Mom guilt. Just saying those words might conjure up a whole lot of feelings in you. Today, I just want to say: I'm with you, I have felt it, it's real; but I also want to say, that is no way to live out our days as mamas. We have got to do something about this mom guilt epidemic and the mom guilt we feel in our hearts and in our guts, we need to identify the root of it and ultimately be freed from it so that we can be the guilt free, confident mama leaders of our family that God intends for us to be. Find the full show notes here: nancyray.com/podcast/61   Resources from this episode: Enter the May is for Mamas Giveaway!! Episode 031 - My #1 Parenting Tip Episode 004 - Seasons of Business None Like Him, by Jen Wilkin Work & Play Cornerstore Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

061 - Mama Guilt and Self Care

Today we are continuing with our series, May is for Mamas where I release two podcasts episodes a week throughout the month of May to help us in our journey of motherhood. Today I spoke with my friend Robin Long and she is the founder and CEO of The Balanced Life, which is an online Pilates community where she provides workouts and resources for busy women like you and me who really struggle to find time to exercise and really want to love our bodies again and feel comfortable in our bodies and might be looking for an exercise plan that will actually work for the long haul. And we talk about so many good things in this episode. We talk about how to do it when we feel like we literally have zero time for ourselves with kids, how to actually sit down and get our mats out and do a Pilates exercise or get out the door and go for a run and what that looks like, what self care actually looks like. That self care isn't a joke, that it's real. We also talk about anxiety and how living in this strange season and our world and being cooped up inside really can produce some anxiety but also how moving our bodies is a very practical tool and answer to that underlying anxiety that we might be feeling. I really enjoyed my time with Robin, she brings such a beautiful perspective to body image and to movement and really just the gift that it is to be able to exercise. Robin and The Balanced Life are offering a FREE 5-day Pilates Strength & Stress Relief Challenge, and this is the perfect way to dip your feet into the Pilates world if it’s new to you, or to kick-start this part of your life once more! So I hope that you enjoy this conversation with Robin as much as I did. For the full show notes, click here.   Resources from this episode: Robin’s FREE 5-day Pilates Strength & Stress Relief Challenge! May is for Mamas Giveaway! The Balanced Life Website Robin Long on Instagram The Balanced Life on YouTube The Balanced Life Podcast The Legacy Photo System Raising Worry-Free Girls, by Sissy Goff Big Life Journals LUMIONskin Save My Skin Serum Work & Play Cornerstore Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

060 - Caring For Yourself When You Have Small Kids with Robin Long

When we think about motherhood, one of the greatest honors and privileges that we have as mothers is to speak life and hope and eternity into the hearts of our children, to grow their faith and point them straight to Jesus. Now the weight of this is really real. I feel it because our influence in their lives is profound, but it's also exciting. And it's fun to watch their little spiritual eyes be opened and to have a part in opening them. I often think I can take this responsibility super seriously. But when you think about it from a kid's perspective, they love fun. And as a young mom of three kids four and under, I'm learning that the more simple it is to impart faith, and the more fun it is, and the more seamlessly I just weave faith into our everyday conversations, the more impact is has on their little minds and their little hearts. So I'm just going to walk you through 7 simple ways to grow faith in your little ones from my own perspective and my own experience.   Resources from this episode: Enter the May is for Mamas Giveaway!! Slugs & Bugs Go Fish Seeds Family Worship Aquaphor Jess Ray Music Write the Word Journal for Kids The 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family, by Paul David Tripp Work & Play Cornerstore   Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

059 - Growing Faith in Your Littles

Today is a conversation with my big sister, Mary Lindsey Blanton and I can't wait for you to listen to it. It was so good, so genuine, so heartfelt. Listen, if there is any person on this planet that should speak into the life and hearts of mamas, it is my sister. Click here for the full show notes.   Resources from this episode: May is for Mamas Giveaway! Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), by Chris Tomlin Sally Clarkson Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport HCL Heartburn Pills When Less Becomes More, by Emily Ley Work & Play Cornerstore Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

058 - Raising 6 Kids (Including Triplets!) with Mary Lindsey Blanton

Today, I am going to share some practical mama hacks, particularly for mamas who have kids under five. I was originally just going to do 5 or 10, and then I put it to Instagram, and man, y'all came through. You taught me so much more than I ever could have taught you on my own. So, five or 10 mama hacks for kids under five turned into 40 hacks that I'm going to share today, and I didn't even include all of them. So get ready, because even if you just take two or three of these and apply them to your home, or they're new to you for the first time, you want to just incorporate them into your life and your routine, I really think your life and your momming is just going to get a little bit easier. To read the full show notes, click here.   Resources from this episode: Enter the Giveaway! Work & Play Cornerstore Milk Dispenser Disposable Chux Pads Episode 056 - Meal Planning Made Fun with Kate from Naptime Kitchen Emily Thomas’ blog post on quiet time Programmable “Wake-up” Clock Positive Parenting Solutions Course A Simplified Life, by Emily Ley Episode about taking a Sabbath Waterproof Mattress Pad Washable finger paint Glow sticks Episode about my Morning Routine My coffee maker   Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

057 - 40+ Mama Hacks for Kids Under 5

**UPDATE**When this was recorded, Kate wasn’t planning to release her new Meal Planning Guide until this fall, but given the current situation, she has released it early! You can purchase this AMAZING resource here ($12 people, honestly a no-brainer!!) This is the first of an entire month of episodes to celebrate motherhood! We’re calling it ‘May is for Mamas’ here on the Work & Play Podcast. You can expect two episodes per week, and this week we’re kicking off the series with a special guest: Kate, from Naptime Kitchen! Let me just say, Kate is my cooking mentor and she doesn’t even know it. I always go to her blog and watch her IG stories (she’s SO real and SO funny!), but when I’m in need of some good recipes and some motivation and inspiration, and I don’t know where to go—I go to Kate. She’s practical, she’s funny, and she’s all around just helpful and enjoyable. If you don’t follow her, go now. You will not regret it! We’re talking all about meal planning today, and I think that’s something we could all use some help (and GRACE) with right now!  Click here for this episode's show notes.   Resources from this episode: Follow Kate on Instagram! Kate’s Blog Kate’s Honey Butter Chicken Recipe Naptime Kitchen’s Meal Planning Guide Kate’s Greekish Chicken Kate’s One Pan Meal Kate’s Black Bean Soup Naptime Kitchen’s Freezer Guide Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic Beautycounter Cleansing Balm Free Download: Craft Your Own Morning Routine! Episode 028 - The 3 Priorities Exercise The Work & Play Cornerstore

056 - Meal Planning Made Fun with Kate from Naptime Kitchen

Work and play with Nancy Ray is a weekly podcast all about learning to balance the two most competing areas of our lives: work and play. She’ll dive into topics like productivity, work life balance, leading a team, time management, contentment, play, sabbath, marriage, parenting, and rest, always pointing back to scripture, the ultimate guide for a life of faith. This is a podcast all about learning to work and play well, which ultimately leads to a healthy soul and a fulfilling life.

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Work and Play with Nancy Ray

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