Work and Play with Nancy Ray
245 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 615 ratingsWork 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 dives 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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Episodes
136 - The Contentment Challenge (Ep. 3 Replay)
December 14, 2021 13:06 - 33 minutes - 24.4 MBWhat is the Contentment Challenge? In a nutshell, it is a commitment to giving up shopping for clothes, accessories, household decor, stuff, really anything excessive, for 3 months straight in order to focus your heart and your mind on the root of true contentment. It's also a commitment to replace shopping with activities experiences and relationships— the things that really matter in your life. We live in a world where money seems to kind of fly out of our bank accounts with the simp...
135 - An Update on My Social Media Break
December 07, 2021 09:00 - 21 minutes - 16 MBTaking a long-ish break from social media has been on my heart for quite some time, and having Benji, our fourth child, just seemed like the perfect time to do it. So when he was born at the end of July, I decided to go off social media completely for six months. I'm currently four months in—and yes, Benji is already four months old, which I cannot wrap my mind around—but this episode is all about what I've learned in the last four months from my social media sabbatical so far, I can't wai...
134 - 5 Ways to Work Through Overwhelm (Ep. 10 Replay)
November 30, 2021 14:56 - 15 minutes - 11.2 MBI have an invitation for you today: choose the courageous thing and slow down. It's time to live a simpler, slower life than the one that you're living. Does that feel impossible? Does it feel like it just cannot happen for you? Do you feel scattered and a bit out of control? I know sometimes I do. Maybe you feel like your life can't actually change right now because of work, kids, or a schedule that you really can't change. Well, friend, I have good news. Even though your life can't chang...
133 - Seasons of Business (Ep. 4 Replay)
November 30, 2021 14:51 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBI recently shared the news that after this year, my twelfth year of business, the doors of Nancy Ray Photography will close. This was one of the hardest, most difficult decisions of my life. I love this work, I am going to miss this work, but the bottom line is this: God gently made it clear to me that this season has come to an end. This was a massive decision for me personally and for my family, and it all started one year ago. Today, it feels like I've turned the page into the next chap...
132 - Balancing Life as a Working Mom with Emily Ley (Replay Ep. 30)
November 16, 2021 14:24 - 1 hour - 49.7 MBI am so excited to bring this special episode with Emily Ley back to the Work and Play podcast today. She is one of the most authentic people I have ever met, I kid you not. She’s been a friend of mine for several years now. I've watched her grow as a mom, as a business owner, but she never loses that on authenticity. Every time I hang out with her, she makes me cry, and it's not in a bad way. It's because her heart for life, her heart for her people, it moves me. She really wants the right ...
131 - Calling vs. Assignment (Ep. 5 Replay)
November 09, 2021 09:00 - 21 minutes - 16.2 MBGet ready for another one of your past favorites! Today's episode was originally Episode 005: Calling vs. Assignment. I hope you enjoy. I think it's pretty safe to say that when it comes to our work, we want to be part of something that we are called to do— something that is full of meaning and has purpose, something that is in line perfectly with our passions and giftings. But today I want to challenge our way of thinking, and really the language that we use describing our work and our ca...
130 - Book | Fighting Forward with Hannah Brencher
November 02, 2021 14:15 - 59 minutes - 42.1 MBWelcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where every month I share a book I'm reading, and three big takeaways that I have from that book. And you can always find more information about the books I'm reading at nancyray.com/bookclub, where you can join in reading them with me. Now, I've got a quick update on the book club for the rest of 2021. I did not realize in the beginning of this year that I would be needing a six month sabbatical and that I'd be taking off six months from work and this p...
129 - My Morning Routine (Ep. 13 Replay)
October 26, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 14.5 MBGet ready, because I love a good morning routine. Fair warning: I am such a nerd about this. I know this sounds kind of extreme, but having a morning routine in place really enhances the quality of my life. I'm not kidding. It gives me something to look forward to at night. It starts my day off connected with the Lord and with a healthy mindset. It allows me to start my day in a place of abundance, which really determines so much of the rest of my day. So whether you have a solid morning rou...
128 - You Were Made For Hard Things (Ep. 7 Replay)
October 19, 2021 13:04 - 21 minutes - 16.3 MBLife is hard, and sometimes it just seems we can't move forward in our lives until someone speaks some words of life to us. So that's what I'm here for today. If you're facing something really hard, I am here to tell you, you were made for hard things. For the full show notes, visit nancyray.com/podcast/128.
127 - Work & Play (Ep. 1 Replay)
October 12, 2021 13:08 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBAs you may know, I'm currently taking a six month break from work and social media to be fully present with my family, which means that every Tuesday on the podcast, you're going to be getting a mix of new episodes, old episodes and interviews. This episode of the podcast is one of my earlier most popular, most downloaded episodes, which means it's worth repeating. This is the first episode ever of Work & Play with Nancy Ray, I hope you enjoy it. For the full show notes, head to nancyray...
126 - My Home Birth Story
October 05, 2021 08:00 - 39 minutes - 39.8 MBHello! I am back after a two month break from this podcast! I'm happy to be back and today I'm so excited to share with you a huge life event that took place over the last two months for us, which is the birth of our fourth baby, a son, Benjamin Valor Ray. And today I'm going to be sharing his birth story with you. I'm going to go into the details of why we chose a home birth and just the story of how God used his birth to really heal me and rid me of so much fear and just show me how beau...
126 - My Home Birth Story
October 05, 2021 08:00 - 39 minutes - 39.8 MBHello! I am back after a two month break from this podcast! I'm happy to be back and today I'm so excited to share with you a huge life event that took place over the last two months for us, which is the birth of our fourth baby, a son, Benjamin Valor Ray. And today I'm going to be sharing his birth story with you. I'm going to go into the details of why we chose a home birth and just the story of how God used his birth to really heal me and rid me of so much fear and just show me how beau...
125 - Speak Life
July 27, 2021 14:44 - 9 minutes - 7.53 MBWell friend, this is my last episode of Work & Play before I take a two month break from the podcast and a six month break from work and social media. I just want to use this time and space to encourage you. And I want to speak life over you. And I want to encourage you to speak life over the people around you. I'll also tell you a little bit about what to expect from me for the rest of the year. It's going to be a short and sweet episode, and I kind of hope it feels like a little podcast ...
125 - Speak Life
July 27, 2021 14:44 - 9 minutes - 7.53 MBWell friend, this is my last episode of Work & Play before I take a two month break from the podcast and a six month break from work and social media. I just want to use this time and space to encourage you. And I want to speak life over you. And I want to encourage you to speak life over the people around you. I'll also tell you a little bit about what to expect from me for the rest of the year. It's going to be a short and sweet episode, and I kind of hope it feels like a little podcast ...
124 - We're Debt Free AGAIN!
July 20, 2021 08:00 - 40 minutes - 29.3 MBI am so excited about today's episode! Today, Will and I are going to be sharing about how we are debt-free again, as we just paid off our house! If you followed us for a while, you know, we are passionate about financial stewardship and financial freedom, and you also might know that we paid off our first mortgage when we were just 25 and 26 years old. And today we will be telling you a little bit about our journey and how we went back into debt for the house we live in now and how we wer...
123 - Why I'm Taking 6 Months Off of Social Media
July 13, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutes - 17.9 MBBefore we jump in, this is your quick reminder that today is the last day you can purchase An Integrated Life, which is an 18 lesson audio course—basically 18 podcast episodes with a workbook that you can keep coming back to, and it outlines a framework for you to grow deeper in your faith. Take authority in your home and gain clarity in your work. All for the kingdom of God had to nancyray.com/integratedlife to grab yours today. And if you're listening to this and the deadline has passed,...
123 - Why I'm Taking 6 Months Off of Social Media
July 13, 2021 08:00Before we jump in, this is your quick reminder that today is the last day you can purchase An Integrated Life, which is an 18 lesson audio course—basically 18 podcast episodes with a workbook that you can keep coming back to, and it outlines a framework for you to grow deeper in your faith, take authority in your home and gain clarity in your work, all for the kingdom of God. Head to nancyray.com/integratedlife to grab yours today. And if you're listening to this and the deadline has passe...
122 - Book | Parenting
July 06, 2021 11:26 - 20 minutes - 15.5 MBBefore we dive in today, I just wanted to remind you that my new audio course, An Integrated Life, is still available. An Integrated Life is an 18 lesson audio course, think: this podcast you listen to meets an online course meets an audio book. It's something you can come back to over and over again. Anyway, it's a course that outlines a framework for you to grow deeper in your faith, take authority in your home, and gain clarity in your work, all for the Kingdom of God. And it's availabl...
122 - Parenting | Book
July 06, 2021 11:26 - 20 minutes - 15.5 MBBefore we dive in today, I just wanted to remind you that my new audio course, An Integrated Life, is still available. An Integrated Life is an 18 lesson audio course, think: this podcast you listen to meets an online course meets an audio book. It's something you can come back to over and over again. Anyway, it's a course that outlines a framework for you to grow deeper in your faith, take authority in your home, and gain clarity in your work, all for the Kingdom of God. And it's availabl...
121 - Foundations in Work
June 29, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutes - 15.2 MBToday's episode is the last of a three part series, giving you a glimpse into the new course I'm releasing TODAY at noon eastern time. So today is all about work, and my foundational approach to it. To learn more about An Integrated Life and to go ahead and get access today when the doors open, head to nancyray.com/integratedlife.
120 - Foundations in Home
June 22, 2021 10:12 - 15 minutes - 12.1 MBToday's episode is part two of a three part episode series, giving you a glimpse of this new audio course. Today you'll hear about my outlook on the home and how important home life is. I hope you enjoy it. And the course is almost out! So be sure that you head to nancyray.com/integratedlife to hear more about it and grab it before the doors close on July 13th. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/120. Resources from this episode: Sign up for the email list! T...
119 - Foundations in Faith
June 15, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 26.3 MBOver the last several months, I have been working on a project I haven’t told anyone about, but you, my dear work and play podcast listener, are going to be the very first to know about it. Today’s episode is part 1 of a three part episode series giving you a glimpse inside this new audio course (I honestly hesitate to call it a course because it’s more of a comprehensive way that I look at my life broken down into three categories: faith, home and work). You’re going to hear Lesson 1 from...
118 - Babymoon: Work and Play
June 08, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutes - 17.7 MBI'm so grateful that for every baby we've had, we've had the opportunity to get away, just me and my husband for a few days before our new baby arrives. Today's episode is going to cover all of the work and play of going on a babymoon. I'm going to summarize each of the babymoons we've taken; how they've all been different and how we've budgeted for each one. Now, there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen, but the play makes it all worth it. For the full...
117 - Book | The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
June 01, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 12.2 MBWelcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where every month I share a book worth reading and invite you to read it along with me. Today's book is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. Highly recommending this one, friend. Listen, by now, you know I'm fascinated with the fast pace of our culture and the use of technology in our world and biblical principles for living. But this book was particularly helpful because it felt like it bridged the gap between modern living and the way...
116 - An Interview with my Mama
May 25, 2021 08:00 - 42 minutes - 30.6 MBMy mom is the kindest wisest, warmest, funniest woman I know. It is really an honor to have her as a mom. Every time I've needed advice or have felt misunderstood or have been confused, she is the first person I call. She's so trustworthy. She's the best listener in the world, and every time I ask for advice, it seems like she always has the exact words I need to hear. The world needs more people like my mom, and today I get to share her with you. I hope you enjoy the last May is for Mama...
115 - Lean Into Your Season
May 18, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 11.1 MBWelcome to another episode of May is for Mamas! Today, I’m going to be brief and hopefully encouraging. And I don't say this lightly—I believe the secret to getting the most out of motherhood, and life in general, is to simply lean in to your season. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/115. Resources from this episode: Episode 047 - Book | Seasons of God with Dr. Richard Blackaby Seasons of God, by Dr. Richard Blackaby Affiliate links have been used in th...
114 - BFFs, Infertility, and Miracles with Samantha Ray
May 11, 2021 10:51Welcome to May is for Mamas where every episode this month is dedicated to all the mamas out there. Today is a special one because I'm having my best friends since ninth grade, who also happens to be my sister-in-law—yes, it's crazy—we ended up marrying brothers on my podcast as my guest. Her name is Samantha Ray, and she is a writer, creator, mother, and my dearest friend, living in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with her husband, John, daughter, Griffin, and their three kitties. She is a w...
114 - BFFs, Infertility, and Miracles with Samantha Ray
May 11, 2021 10:51Welcome to May is for Mamas where every episode this month is dedicated to all the mamas out there. Today is a special one because I'm having my best friends since ninth grade, who also happens to be my sister-in-law—yes, it's crazy—we ended up marrying brothers on my podcast as my guest. Her name is Samantha Ray, and she is a writer, creator, mother, and my dearest friend, living in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with her husband, John, daughter, Griffin, and their three kitties. She is a w...
113 - My Journey to Motherhood
May 04, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutes - 16.8 MBWelcome to the first episode in May is for Mamas! Every episode this month will be dedicated to all the mamas listening and will hopefully be encouraging and helpful to you. Before I jump into the episode, I wanted you to know that starting tomorrow May 5th lasting through May 10th, my Legacy Photo System is going to be on sale. This is the system I created to organize all of my photos. My printed photos, my digital photos, how to back them up, how to get them under control on my phone, ho...
112 - Book | Atomic Habits
April 27, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutes - 17.2 MBIt's a Nancy Ray Book Club episode! Once a month I share a book I'm reading and loving, and my three biggest takeaways from that book. You can join in on this book club at any point by heading over to nancyray.com/bookclub. Now this month's book is Atomic Habits, by James Clear. It has been highly recommended to me for such a long time, and I've got to say, it's lived up to its hype. I really, really enjoyed it. It was hard to narrow down my takeaways, whether we like to admit it or not, w...
111 - How to Keep Photos Organized with 4 Kids
April 20, 2021 10:57 - 19 minutes - 14.5 MBEvery mother is stuck in this paradox of wanting so badly to photograph and keep and preserve heir children's lives and childhoods with organized baby books and photos, but the very thing that keeps us from doing that are our children. They consume so much of our time and mental energy, it feels impossible to stay on top of our photos. Being that I used to be a professional photographer, I have set out to simplify this process and do something about it. Today, I'm going to tell you how I ...
110 - What I Learned This Contentment Challenge
April 13, 2021 08:00 - 16 minutes - 12.7 MBThree days ago, I finished, I think my sixth, maybe my seventh Contentment Challenge, where I give up shopping completely for three months at a time. Of course I buy food, I get gas, I get the necessities, but I quit my addiction to Target. I quit Amazon Prime. I quit impulse buys and I focus my heart on living, on doing things, on gratitude. So many of you joined me this year and I'm so grateful that you did. Now if this is your first time hearing about the Contentment Challenge, go back...
109 - Happy Two Year Anniversary!
April 06, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutes - 17 MBToday we are celebrating two whole years of this podcast, Work and Play with Nancy Ray! I have a really fun, unique episode planed—it’s like a birthday party that I want to celebrate and encourage you with. But two quick things I wanted to mention before we dive in: First, if you have never left a review for this podcast in Apple podcasts, would you consider doing that today? It takes less than two minutes. It is a great way for others to discover this podcast. Just pretend like your revie...
108 - Book | Sleep Smarter
March 30, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutes - 15.8 MBWelcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where once a month I share a summary of a book worth reading, and my top three takeaways from that book. Many of you have joined my 2021 book club and are reading along with me. But if you haven't, we would still love to have you! You can learn more and join by visiting nancyray.com/bookclub. Also, I wanted to give you a heads up! Next month, the whole month of May, I'll be dedicating it to our mamas. Any listener who’s a mama—it’s for you. We did this ...
107 - How I'm Simplifying My Work This Year
March 23, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 11.3 MBIn a lot of ways my work has really been simplified for me—I'm going on eight months of no childcare other than the two days that my kids are at preschool and kindergarten. I have been forced to be really strategic and simplified with my time and my plans. Today, I'm going to share ways that I took things off of my plate, got organized and really simplified my work and my goals this year, and moving forward. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/107. Resources fro...
106 - Email Ninja
March 16, 2021 08:00 - 16 minutes - 12.4 MBEmails can be such a point of stress in our lives because they just keep piling up and they're a complete time suck. I cannot tell you how many days I've wanted to check my email real quick. Do I get any other work done? No. Is my inbox actually cleared up? No. I just spent all day in my inbox and I have nothing to show for it, and there are about seven other super legitimate, important things I would rather be doing. While I was running my photography business and running my tea...
105 - Baby #4 Q&A
March 09, 2021 09:00 - 37 minutes - 27.4 MBThis episode is going to be a personal look into my life, my motherhood, and more specifically, this fourth pregnancy that I am currently experiencing. Listen, my core purpose with this podcast is to provide you practical tools for an integrated life, and integrated means showing up and sharing all areas of my life and how my faith in Jesus is really the center of everything, in my work and my play and all other areas, and hopefully provide some practical tools along the way. Today is ...
104 - Know Yourself, Know Your Money with Rachel Cruze
March 02, 2021 09:00 - 30 minutes - 22 MBI'm so excited to welcome Rachel Cruze back to the Work & Play Podcast! She is a personal finance expert with Ramsey Solutions and author of Know Yourself, Know Your Money. She's also a mama of three littles, two girls and a boy, so I have a special place in my heart for that. And honestly, she's just such an uplifting voice in my life today. We're talking about the why behind your money—why we think or behave the way that we do when it comes to our spending, saving and relating to money...
103 - Book | Up From Slavery
February 23, 2021 09:00 - 28 minutes - 32.7 MBBooker T. Washington's life story has impacted me so deeply. I can honestly say, this is one of those books that has changed me. I have the utmost respect for this man, what he did to lift himself and thousands of others out of the awful repercussions of slavery, and to bring unity to white and black communities just years after slavery was abolished, was nothing short of heroic. He was born a slave. He didn't know who his father was. He didn't even know his birthday. His deep hunger for...
102 - Eliminating Decision Fatigue
February 16, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 17.2 MBIt is estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each and every day. That's crazy. 35,000 decisions a day. And of course, every decision we make, big or small, carries certain consequences with it. When we feel overloaded by too many decisions, our ability to make good, clear decisions decreases, which is called “decision fatigue”: basically we just get so tired of making so many decisions. It doesn't matter how strong or smart you are. Your brain just...
101 - Book | The 28 Day Prayer Journey
February 09, 2021 09:00 - 15 minutes - 12.1 MBWelcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where once a month I share a summary of a book worth reading and my top 3 takeaways from that book. Many of you have joined my 2021 book club and are reading along with me this year, but if you haven't that's okay. It's very low pressure. We would still love to have you for all 12 books or maybe just one or two. You can learn more about it here. I decided to start off 2021 with my friend Chrystal Evans’ new book called The 28 Day Prayer Journey after ex...
100 - 100th Episode, 100 Questions!
February 02, 2021 09:00 - 59 minutes - 42.2 MBI'm so excited to celebrate with you today! Listen, I'm doing something different today. I actually went to many of you and said, “What should I do for my hundredth episode?” And many of you said, just do a Q&A and answer 100 questions. So many of you actually submitted these questions on Instagram. I'm so excited! I was not able to do all of the questions—believe it or not, I got well over a hundred questions! But I'm really excited just to have fun, and to have a conversation for you guy...
099 - Book | Parenting with Love and Logic
January 26, 2021 09:00 - 14 minutes - 11.4 MBWelcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where once a month I share a summary of a book worth reading and my top three takeaways from that book. Many of you have joined by 2021 Book Club and are already reading along with me this year. But if you haven't or if you just want to see my list of books I'm reading—I read 12 books a year, one a month—or if you want to join, you can always visit nancyray.com/bookclub, and I would love to have you. It's no pressure. It's come as you are read what you wan...
098 - Fighting for Fun
January 19, 2021 09:00 - 17 minutes - 13.7 MBI was talking with a friend the other day and she asked me the question, what are you fighting for this year? And it took me a minute to answer her, but after a pause, I finally said, “You know, I think I'm fighting for fun.” I know that might sound trite or silly, but I'm realizing it's—it's not that silly, it's actually necessary. Especially in this pandemic with the political stress and all the responsibilities of daily life, I'm realizing this year, I'm going to fight for fun. And she ...
097 - Being a Trustworthy Person
January 12, 2021 09:00 - 11 minutes - 20.9 MBI've decided to take the first month of this year and focus on relationships. Just focus on my relationships: my relationship with the Lord, my relationship with my husband, my kids, my friends. Relationships are gold in life. They're so valuable. And one of the best resources that I found on relationships last year was a talk given by Brené Brown. It lasts I think 24 minutes-ish. And I'm just going to go ahead and tell you now that her talk is far superior to this podcast episode. And I h...
096 - A Wise Approach to 2021
January 05, 2021 09:00 - 19 minutes - 14.9 MBIt's hard to know exactly how to approach 2021. 2020 is going to be a year we remember and refer to for the rest of our lives. I mean, even our grandkids and history books, they're going to analyze and discuss how we handled 2020, and this pandemic, and the racial tension and the election, and everything crazy that has happened. And I'm going to be honest, I have been tempted to, on January 1st, 2021 say, "Check, done. 2020 is behind me. It's over, it's time to move on to a newer and bri...
095 - 3 Prayers to Take With You
December 29, 2020 10:00 - 9 minutes - 8.08 MBSometimes when I'm going about my life, I want to pray, and I just don't have the words to say. Does that ever happen to you? Like, you know it's a really important day, or you know that you want to pray for your children, but you kind of run out of what to say. Or you just can't put words to how you're feeling. Or you want to connect with God personally, but life is busy and you don't know what to say. You don't know what to say or how to pray. Today, I'm going to share three extremely si...
094 - A Year of Contentment with Reagan Reynolds, Part 2
December 22, 2020 10:00 - 25 minutes - 18.8 MBWelcome back to my conversation with my dear friend, Reagan. Since we are so busy in the season of Christmas, I decided to split our chat into two different episodes so it'd be a little bit easier to digest in the midst of the holiday season. If you're tuning in now and you missed last week's episode, head back to Episode 093 so you can get the full context of what Reagan and I are talking about. Because she and her husband took the Contentment Challenge, which is something I created many ...
093 - A Year of Contentment with Reagan Reynolds, Part 1
December 15, 2020 10:00 - 34 minutes - 24.8 MBMy friend Reagan has a heart of gold—you'll see in our conversation, just how amazing she is. She lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina, not far from me, with her husband of 10 years and two young boys. And the whole reason I interviewed her is because she took the Contentment Challenge to another level. She and her husband, Jeremy gave up shopping—get this—for the entire year of 2020 to pursue a greater life of contentment and eliminate debt. I think their story and how it all turned out is ...
092 - Finish Strong
December 08, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutes - 5.01 MBToday, I'm going to set a record for my shortest podcast of all time and I'm totally okay with that. I hope this encouragement is just what you need today. Before I jump in, I wanted to remind you about two things. Number one, the Nancy Ray Book Club 2021 is live! You can click here t0 see all of the books that I am going to be reading this year, and I am inviting you to come along and read them with me. I do a podcast episode about each book that I read every month, and I'm really exc...