Goals and Grace

Rev. Juliet Spencer

Goals and Grace is for ambitious women who are ready to break free from self-doubt, align their faith with their goals, and step boldly into their calling. Hosted by Certified High Performance Coach Rev. Juliet Spencer, this show dives deep into the challenges of Imposter Syndrome, the power of clarity, and the beauty of living with intention. Through personal stories, practical strategies, and faith-filled encouragement, Rev. Juliet helps you embrace your purpose with confidence and grace. If you’ve ever felt like you’re running hard but going nowhere, or like your ambition is outpacing yo

  1. 5d ago

    Build a Life Your Future Self Will Thank You For

    The life you want probably isn’t one enormous, courageous decision away. It’s being built right now—through the ordinary decisions you make again and again. In this final episode of the current Goals & Grace series, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer brings together the questions we’ve explored throughout the season and asks one more:  What do you want to build? High performers can become so focused on accomplishing the next goal, meeting the next responsibility, or proving they’re capable that they rarely stop to ask whether their everyday decisions are creating the life they want. Juliet invites you to look at five areas of your life: faith, relationships, work, well-being, and contribution and imagine sitting together one year from today. What would need to be different for you to say: “This year changed me”? Drawing from Matthew 7:24–25 and Jesus’ image of building on rock, Juliet explores what it means to build a life that isn’t protected from every storm, but is grounded deeply enough to withstand them. You’ll also hear what Juliet means by becoming The Spirit-Led Strategist: bringing together faith, wisdom, strategy, courage, and action—not waiting for God to hand you a detailed blueprint, but learning to listen deeply, choose faithfully, move courageously, and trust that God will be with you as you go. In this episode: Why your life is shaped more by ordinary decisions than dramatic ones The five areas worth building intentionally: faith, relationships, work, well-being, and contribution Why “Who am I becoming?” may matter more than “What am I accomplishing?” The difference between building a meaningful life and simply building an impressive one Why faith doesn’t guarantee better “weather”, but gives us somewhere to stand when the weather changes What it means to become a Spirit-Led Strategist How one decision today can begin changing the life you’re living a year from now The Architect’s Question: What decision can I make today that my future self will thank me for? Today’s Move Write a short description beginning: “The life I’m building is…” Then choose one decision this week that provides evidence that you mean it.   Goals and Grace is hosted by Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer, Certified High Performance Coach and The Spirit-Led Strategist, equipping high-performing Christian leaders to get out of their own way, reconnect with inner guidance, and perform at the level they know they’re capable of—without sacrificing themselves to do it.Did you know: While building the life you want , you will go farther, faster if you have help? Schedule your FREE coaching call TODAY!

    Build a Life Your Future Self Will Thank You For
  2. Oct 1

    S2 Ep. 5: Stop Trying to Earn the Life You Already Have

    There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from building a good life—and still feeling like you have to prove you deserve it. Keep producing. Keep achieving. Keep being useful. Keep showing everyone they were right to trust you. For high performers, achievement can quietly shift from something we do into evidence of who we are. And for Christians, the pattern can be even harder to recognize because we can give it spiritual language. We call overworking faithfulness. We call needing to be needed, serving. We call carrying too much being responsible. But what if grace was never meant to be another thing you had to earn? In this episode of Goals and Grace, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer explores what happens when achievement becomes tied to identity—and why even the life you once prayed for can begin to feel like something you have to continually prove you deserve.  You'll discover: Why high performers can turn their lives into one long performance review How achievement can subtly become evidence of worth Why Christians can spiritualize overwork and over-responsibility How the constantly moving finish line keeps us from enjoying what we've already built The difference between working for your value and working from your value Why grace doesn't require you to become less ambitious How releasing the need to prove yourself can actually make you more courageous THE STRATEGIST'S QUESTION What am I still trying to earn that grace has already given me? Approval? Belonging? Permission to rest? The right to call yourself successful? The belief that you're enough even when you aren't producing something for someone else? Don't rush past the question. The answer might explain some of the exhaustion you've been carrying. THIS WEEK'S PRACTICE Catch yourself proving. When you're about to say yes, ask: Would I still say yes if I weren't trying to prove anything? When you're tempted to keep working long after you've done enough: What am I afraid it will mean if I stop? And when something doesn't go according to plan, notice whether you're evaluating the result—or yourself. Because you can pursue extraordinary goals without requiring those goals to prove that you're worthy. You don't have to earn the right to enjoy the life you've already been given. Click here to schedule your free Coaching Call to see if you'd be a good fit for Goals and Grace Coaching!

    S2 Ep. 5: Stop Trying to Earn the Life You Already Have
  3. Sep 24

    When Faith Doesn’t Make You Fearless

    When Faith Doesn’t Make You Fearless You can lead the meeting, solve the problem, take care of everyone else—and still second-guess yourself when the decision is yours. If you're a person of faith, that uncertainty can come with an extra layer of guilt: Shouldn't I be more confident than this? If I really trusted God, wouldn't I know what to do? Does being afraid mean I'm not being faithful enough? In this episode of Goals & Grace, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer challenges the idea that strong faith should somehow make us fearless. Scripture tells a very different story. Moses questioned his qualifications. Esther faced real risk. Peter could be courageous one moment and uncertain the next. And in Gethsemane, even Jesus demonstrated that faithfulness doesn't require pretending difficult things aren't difficult. Juliet also introduces what it means to be a Spirit-Led Strategist—someone who brings prayer and planning, discernment and decision, faith and thoughtful action together, because being Spirit-led doesn't mean being passive. And having a strategy doesn't mean you aren't trusting God. In this episode: Why fear isn't evidence of failed faith The unhelpful expectations Christians sometimes place on themselves Why confidence may not actually be what you need The difference between waiting on God and waiting until you're no longer afraid Why prayer and planning belong together How to identify your next faithful step even when you don't have certainty The Spirit-Led Strategist's Question Where am I interpreting discomfort as evidence that God is telling me no—when it may simply mean I'm being asked to be courageous? This week's practice: Choose one decision you've been circling and ask: what do I already know, what am I uncertain about, what am I afraid of, what wisdom and faith are telling me. Then ask: If I didn't require myself to feel completely confident first, what would my next faithful step be? The episode closes with a prayer for anyone who needs courage without certainty. You don't have to become fearless to become courageous. You don't need certainty about the whole road. You need courage for the next faithful step. Scripture referenced: Mark 14:34–36 Esther 4 Nehemiah 1–4

    When Faith Doesn’t Make You Fearless
  4. Sep 17

    S2E3: The Exhaustion of Being the Reliable One

    You’re the one people count on. You remember what everyone else forgets. You follow through. You notice the problem before anyone else does-at work, at home, at church, and with friends.  You’re the person people trust to handle it. And somewhere along the way, being reliable can become more than a strength. It can become an identity. In Season 2, Episode 3 of Goals & Grace, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer continues this opening series about the hidden cost of being the person who can handle almost anything. In Episode 1, we explored decision fatigue. In Episode 2, we looked at what happens when everything feels important. Now we’re going one layer deeper: What happens when everyone assumes you’ll be the one to take care of it? Juliet explores the “invisible contract” many high-capacity people live under—the unspoken belief: I will be the person who keeps everything from falling apart. In this episode, you’ll discover: why reliability can quietly shift from a strength into an identity why “I can do this” does not necessarily mean “I should do this”   why resentment may sometimes signal that you’re carrying responsibilities you never consciously agreed to carry a powerful moment in Mark 1 when Jesus is told, “Everyone is searching for you.” Even surrounded by legitimate needs, Jesus demonstrates an important truth: The existence of a need does not automatically constitute your assignment. You can care deeply without carrying everything. You can love people without solving every problem. And you can disappoint someone without having done something wrong. THE ARCHITECT’S QUESTION Each episode in this series gives you an Architect’s Question—a question designed to help you slow down, gain clarity, and make a decision your future self will thank you for. This week’s question is: Is this mine to carry?  If you’re the reliable one, you’ve already proven that you can handle a lot. The better question is whether everything you’re capable of carrying actually belongs in your hands. THIS WEEK’S PRACTICE Rather than answering the Architect’s Question in the abstract, put it to work. Choose one responsibility you routinely carry and examine it through the lens of: Is this mine to carry? Then use these three questions to help you discern the answer: Did I consciously choose this responsibility? Does it still belong to me in this season? What would happen if I stopped carrying it—or carried less of it? Then don’t immediately change anything. Just notice. Notice what comes up when you imagine putting it down: relief, guilt, fear, discomfort, or the need to justify yourself. Your reaction may tell you as much as your answers do.  SCRIPTURE Mark 1:35–39 You can be dependable without being endlessly available. And sometimes the decision your future self will thank you for is deciding what you’re finally willing to put down. ABOUT GOALS & GRACE Goals & Grace is hosted by Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer, known as the Decision Architect. Through the science of high performance and the grace of Biblical wisdom, Juliet helps high-capacity people make clearer decisions, pursue meaningful success, and build a fuller life without losing what matters most along the way. Schedule your FREE coaching call

    S2E3: The Exhaustion of Being the Reliable One
  5. Sep 10

    Season 2, Ep. 2: When Everything Matters, Nothing Gets Your Best

    When Everything Matters, Nothing Gets Your Best You care about your work and your family.  Your health matters, as do your faith, friendships, finances, and future. But what happens when everything matters at the same time? Capable, conscientious people, often find the problem isn't a lack of motivation, it's an importance problem. Everything feels important, so everything begins competing for the same limited supply of time, energy, attention, and emotional bandwidth. In this episode of Goals & Grace, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer explores what happens when being capable slowly turns into being responsible for too much—and why learning to choose what deserves your best isn't selfish; it's stewardship. You'll discover: How responsibility creep happens one reasonable “yes” at a time Why “I can do this” is not the same as “This is mine to do” The hidden cost behind every "yes" Why setting real priorities requires being willing to disappoint someone How perfectionism can cause the things that matter most to receive what's left of us What Jesus' example teaches us about needs, limits, prayer, and purpose Why “good enough” may sometimes be the wisest standard you can choose The Architect's Question: What deserves my best in this season—and what only needs to be good enough? What deserves the best of your attention, energy, and intentionality right now? Today's Move: Choose three things that deserve your best during this season. Then identify one thing you're intentionally allowing to be good enough. You aren't lowering your standards across your life. You're placing your standards where they belong. If you give your best to everything, eventually the things that matter most get whatever is left. Goals and Grace brings together the science of High Performance Habits™ with the grace and wisdom of faith to help you lead, decide, and live with greater clarity, courage, and purpose. Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer is a Certified High Performance Coach and is known as The Decision Architect because everyone deserves to make decisions their future self will thank them for. Want help determining what deserves your best? Book your free coaching call Today!

    Season 2, Ep. 2: When Everything Matters, Nothing Gets Your Best
  6. Sep 3

    You’re Building a Life. Is It the One You Want? S2E1

    You are building a life every day. With your calendar. With your yeses and no's. With your habits. With your relationships. With what gets your best energy—and what gets whatever is left. The question is: Will this create the life you actually want? In this first episode of Season 2 of Goals & Grace, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer begins a new series called The Life You’re Building. This series moves beyond simply making better decisions and asks a bigger question: What are your decisions building? Sometimes our lives are not intentionally designed. They are accumulated when a temporary responsibility becomes permanent, or one yes becomes an expectation. A busy season becomes a way of life. A role we once loved becomes something we are simply managing. And because capable, high-achieving people are very good at adapting, we can become remarkably successful at maintaining a life that no longer fits. In this episode, Juliet explores the difference between a life that looks successful and a life that actually feels aligned. You’ll hear why gratitude and change are not opposites, why success can sometimes hide misalignment, and why the question “Can I keep doing this?” may not be the best question to ask. Sometimes you absolutely can keep doing it. The better question may be: Do I want the life this is creating? Juliet also introduces a new recurring feature for Season 2: The Architect’s Question. The Architect’s Question: If I keep living exactly this way, where will it take me? Look at the trajectory. If you keep working this way, where will it take you?  This isn’t about judging your life as good or bad. It’s about becoming intentional about what you are building. You’ll explore: How our lives become accumulated instead of intentionally designed Why success can sometimes hide misalignment The small decisions that quietly shape your future Why gratitude does not require you to stay where you are  The difference between asking “Can I?” and asking “Do I want this?” How Psalm 90:12 reframes the way we think about our time Why redesigning part of your life is not failure—it may be discernment Scripture Psalm 90:12, NRSV “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” Our days are limited, which makes the way we spend them an act of stewardship. Today’s Move: Identify one area of your life that needs redesign. Look for something more subtle: Something that is working but costing too much. Something that once fit but no longer does. Something you have been tolerating because changing it feels inconvenient. Something you have been managing rather than intentionally building. Then write this question: If I keep living this way, where will it take me? You do not have to solve the whole problem today. But transformation often begins when we become willing to tell ourselves the truth about what we already know. You are building a life. The question is whether you are building it intentionally. Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer is known as The Decision Architect because everyone deserves to make decisions their future self will thank them for. Schedule your FREE coaching call HERE Goals & Grace helps high-achieving people pursue meaningful professional success while protecting their faith, relationships, well-being, and the person they are becoming.

    You’re Building a Life. Is It the One You Want? S2E1
  7. Aug 27

    Declare, Celebrate, and Commit to September: Your Next Right Decision | Late Summer Reset Finale.

    Episode 50 Show Notes Declare, Celebrate, and Commit to September: Your Next Right Decision Clarity to Commitment: A Late Summer Reset — Finale Before you rush toward September and everything you want to accomplish next, there's something important to do first: Look back to recognize something that's easy to miss when you're always looking toward the next goal... You're not standing where you started. In the final episode of Clarity to Commitment: A Late Summer Reset, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer—Certified High Performance Coach and The Decision Architect—invites you to recognize what has already changed, celebrate the decisions you've made, and choose one clear commitment to carry into September. You aren't starting over; you're starting from experience. September can feel like a second January—a natural opportunity to reset routines, refocus priorities, and get serious again. However, this reset isn't about creating 17 new goals or trying harder. It's about deciding what September is going to be about. Finish This Sentence “September is the month I…” Finish what I started? Protect my health? Create margin? Build the business? Reclaim my mornings? Have the conversation? Become consistent? Protect the boundary? Reconnect with God? Whatever your answer is, one clear declaration can become a filter for dozens of smaller decisions. Instead of repeatedly asking, “What should I do?” you can begin asking: “Which choice supports the decision I've already made?” That's Decision Architecture. In This Episode You'll discover: Why you aren't starting over—you are starting from experience Why remembering your growth is an important spiritual practice How celebration strengthens rather than undermines progress Why you don't need a long list of September goals How one clear declaration can simplify dozens of smaller decisions The difference between wanting something and committing to it How planning and trusting God can exist together A simple three-part practice for entering September with intention: Declare. Celebrate. Commit. Before September begins, complete these three statements: I DECLARE… What is September about? I CELEBRATE… What has already changed? I COMMIT… What specific action will make your declaration visible? Write them down. Sign your name. Date it. Pray over it. And share your commitment with one trusted person. Then stop endlessly reconsidering. Begin. Scripture Joshua 4 After Israel crosses the Jordan, twelve stones become a visible reminder of what God has already done. The stones aren't the miracle—they are the reminder. Proverbs 16:9 (NRSV) “The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps.” We plan. God directs. Faith doesn't eliminate planning, and planning doesn't eliminate dependence on God. We make wise decisions with what we know, remain attentive to God's leading, and hold our plans with open hands. The Decision Architect A meaningful life isn't built with one enormous decision. One choice becomes a habit. Habits create patterns. Patterns shape days. Days become years. And eventually, we look around and realize: We've built a life. That's why our decisions matter. But our value is never determined by the quality of the life we've built. You aren't more loved by God because you're productive, successful, organized, or accomplishing your goals. Your identity is rooted in the love of God. You make decisions from that love—not to earn it. That's the grace in Goals & Grace. As This Series Ends: Don't enter September merely carrying a longer list, enter with greater clarity, a calendar that reflects what matters, and energy protected for what deserves it. Keep people beside you who have the courage to support you. And make one decision you're ready to keep. You don't need perfect certainty or perfect conditions. You need enough clarity to make the next good decision. Then another. Then another. That's how we build. Goals & Grace with Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer Protect what matters. Finish what you start. Make the decision your future self will thank you for. And always leave room for grace.

    Declare, Celebrate, and Commit to September: Your Next Right Decision | Late Summer Reset Finale.
  8. Aug 20

    Ep 49: Choose the Right Accountability Partner | Late Summer Reset, Part 4

    Episode 49 Show Notes Build Accountability and Courageous Support: Choose the Right People for Your Next Season Clarity to Commitment: A Late Summer Reset — Part 4 You don't need everyone cheering for your next decision. You need the right people around it. As you grow, change, pursue a goal, or step into a new season, the people closest to you can strengthen your commitment—or quietly make it harder to keep. And not everyone deserves equal access to what you're building. In Part 4 of Clarity to Commitment: A Late Summer Reset, Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer—Certified High Performance Coach and The Decision Architect—explores the difference between encouragement and true accountability, and why courageous support sometimes sounds less like “You've got this!” and more like: “Is that really consistent with what you told me you wanted?” Healthy accountability isn't surveillance, control, or shame. It's inviting trusted people to help you remember the decisions you've already made when those decisions become inconvenient. In This Episode You'll explore: Why accountability isn't the same as being monitored or controlled How the right people help you stay aligned with decisions you've already made Why encouragement and agreement aren't always the same thing How to recognize people who can challenge you without shaming you Why some people shouldn't have access to every dream or decision The difference between people who encourage, challenge, and pray for you How accountability creates a powerful pause between impulse and action A Question Worth Asking: Who has access to the person you're becoming? Look for people who can: Celebrate you without competing with you. Challenge you without diminishing you. Question you without controlling you. Tell you the truth with love. And remind you who you are when you temporarily forget. Give the right people permission to tell you the truth. Your Move This Week Choose one decision you're taking into September. Then choose one trustworthy person and tell them what you've decided. Ask them: “This matters to me. Would you check in with me once a week and ask me how it's going?” You don't need an elaborate accountability system. You need honesty, specificity, and someone willing to ask the question. Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (NRSV) “Two are better than one… For if they fall, one will lift up the other.”  Everyone deserves the opportunity to make a good decision—and sometimes the right person beside you helps you keep it. Goals & Grace with Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer Protect what matters. Make the decision your future self will thank you for. And give yourself grace for the rest.

    Ep 49: Choose the Right Accountability Partner | Late Summer Reset, Part 4

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About

Goals and Grace is for ambitious women who are ready to break free from self-doubt, align their faith with their goals, and step boldly into their calling. Hosted by Certified High Performance Coach Rev. Juliet Spencer, this show dives deep into the challenges of Imposter Syndrome, the power of clarity, and the beauty of living with intention. Through personal stories, practical strategies, and faith-filled encouragement, Rev. Juliet helps you embrace your purpose with confidence and grace. If you’ve ever felt like you’re running hard but going nowhere, or like your ambition is outpacing yo