It is January! Happy 2025! This is my annual State of the Podcast episode. It’s going to be short and sweet, but I’m also really excited to share all the ideas and things I’m thinking about for Work and Play with Nancy Ray in 2025.

Well, we just had our 5th baby and we decided to keep the news of our pregnancy all to ourselves until baby was born. Today, with the help of my friend Emily, I’ll be sharing all about why we chose this path.

Okay, friend! I have been keeping the biggest secret from you all year and I'm so excited to finally share it with you today. I don't think you're ready for this... Are you ready?

Today is a very brief episode. It’s a tradition of sorts on this podcast for me to read this to you. I change it a little every year so that it pertains specifically to this year. It’s simply called, “Finish Strong.”

If you do absolutely nothing else with this episode, then listen to the intro. I want you to listen to my encouragement to take time to reflect at the end of your year.

Today, I am going to be sharing my three favorite rhythms (or traditions or appointments) I put in my calendar at the end of every single year to finish the year well. These are things that really make me pause and reflect on the things that I have learned, the mistakes I have made, and how I want to change. That can make all the difference.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now it’s time to get into the Christmas spirit. Today, I’m going to be sharing my five favorite Christmas traditions, my five favorite gifts to give at Christmas time, and my five favorite Christmas albums to listen to.

Happy Thanksgiving week! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe we are here! Today’s episode is all about our very favorite Thanksgiving tradition. It’s so simple. It costs nothing. I hope you and your family enjoy it!

I specifically reached out to my podcast guest today and said, “Please come on my podcast. I have been watching you and have been so inspired by you. I would love to hear more about your story and get a chance to catch up.”

We have been kind of online friends for over five years. Seeing what she is doing in her life is so inspiring. So today I am going to talk with Laura Jean Bell about health, faith, speaking life, about her story, and about her new book. Honestly, I feel like I was just sitting on a back porch talking with a really good friend for a long time. She is very honest; very real, and I think you’re going to love what she has to say.

Happy November! I am setting the bar high this year for no one but myself. I feel like this is going to be a podcast experiment. I’ll let you know how it goes, but today I am sharing with you my extreme Christmas goals for this year.

Today, I have the absolute privilege of talking to my new friend, Cleere Cherry. You might know her as Cleerely Stated on Instagram. She has been such a massive blessing to me. I love the way she writes and the way that she speaks life. Her faith is resilient and contagious. I just feel so honored to have this conversation today with Cleere. I know you’re going to love it.

If you’re anything like me, you’re already starting to think about the holidays and Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. Today’s episode is simply going to be some questions for you to ask yourself (and for me to ask myself) before the holiday craziness begins.

Today, I have the absolute privilege of talking with Megan Fate Marshman about her new book called, “Relaxed.” Let me just tell you, this conversation was so special. It is one that I am going to listen to over and over again. I hope it means as much to you as it has meant to me.

Today’s episode is going to be sweet, short, and hopefully powerful as I declare the truths of Colossians 1 over your work.

Today’s episode is fun, lighthearted, and it’s all about fall. I am going to share with you ten things that I have tried and loved this time of year and ten things that I plan to try this autumn.

Today I have the privilege of talking with my friend, Hannah Brencher, the author of The Unplugged Hours: Cultivating a Life of Presence in a Digitally Connected World. Hannah is such a gift! I am so excited to share her with you today and the message of her new book that is already changing my life.

This episode of Work & Play with Nancy Ray is simply called, “Get Quiet, Then Go.”

Welcome back to part two of my conversation with Graham Cochrane about his new book, Rebel, which is so great. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, definitely go back and listen to that one first. This is a continuation of my conversation with Graham. I told him when I was talking with him, “I feel like this is a sermon for me. How is it that we’re talking about your book called ‘Rebel’ right now?” It’s so good. I hope you enjoy our conversation. It was such a challenge and such a blessing to me all at once. I know you’re going to love it. Here’s part two of my conversation with Graham Cochrane.

Get excited for today’s episode (and next week’s episode) because I get to talk with Graham Cochrane, who is a dear friend of mine. He and his wife Shay are good friends of mine and WIll. He is also my business coach. He has coached me in different seasons of my business and he just wrote a book. He loves the Lord. He is a brilliant entrepreneur, thought leader, author. It is a joy to get to talk to him and ask him questions one on one. You guys are in for a treat. The episode was packed full of so much goodness, I decided to break it up into two episodes. So don’t miss next week’s episode as well, as Graham and I talk all about his new book,

We stare at the walls in our home every single day. Honestly, we just get used to them and we don’t think about what’s on them very much. Slowly, they become outdated or need a refresh. Old photos and artwork fill the walls of our home and we don’t love them like we used to. Today’s episode is meant to be a little boost for you and to remind you that the walls in your home are supposed to bring you joy. I am inviting you to refresh your walls with me.

Today’s episode is full of scripture and encouragement for us to live in the authority that God has given us instead of walking in guilt.