Welcoming Slow Growth Podcast

Word of the Year living and contemplation for Christian creatives, writers and coaches.
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Updated Biweekly

A podcast where Christian creatives, writers and entrepreneurs learn to welcome slow growth through word of the year wisdom and God-led living. Embrace sustainable writing habits, contemplative practices, and intentional transformation that honors both your calling and your well-being with host Emily Grabatin. theheartscalling.substack.com

  1. 13 Live Slowly, Find Your Soul Sanctuary with Jodi Grubbs

    Jul 2

    13 Live Slowly, Find Your Soul Sanctuary with Jodi Grubbs

    SHOW NOTES Focus word: Solitude + Presence You want to create and write what you feel called to. But between life's hustle and the quiet presence you can't quite find, you feel like you don't quite belong. Jodi Grubbs knows that feeling. She grew up on the island of Bonaire where life moved at its own unhurried pace — then spent years trying to keep up with a culture that never stops. Then she realized God was inviting her to return to the "island time" of her childhood home, adopting the gentle rhythms and spiritual practices that quieted her soul. Through her book Live Slowly, she invites us into that same unhurried space. In this episode we cover: - The hidden roots of hustle culture — and why they run deeper than a busy schedule - How soul sanctuary became Jodi's most formative creative and spiritual practice - What it looks like to live slowly with open hands when life keeps speeding up - Why your creativity needs stillness more than it needs more time Visit Jodi's website at jodigrubbs.com. Follower her on Instagram at @Jodi.Grubbs and find Live Slowly wherever books are sold. About the Guest: Jodi H. Grubbs writes and speaks at the intersection of slow living and soul care. She is also a spiritual director who loves coffee and deep conversation. She is the author of a children’s book, The Island Adventures of Lili and Oliver, and coauthor of a Bible study called The Friendship Café. Jodi, her husband, Dean, and their daughter, Lili, live outside Raleigh, North Carolina. CONNECT WITH EMILY: 5-day Creative Slow Start: emilygrabatin.ca/creativeslowstart Welcoming Slow Growth conversations on Substack This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow creative. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    29 min

  2. Season 2 Trailer

    S2: Welcoming Slow Growth for Writers and Creatives

    SHOW NOTES Welcoming Slow Growth is back for Season 2 — and this season is for the Christian writer or creative who is ready to return to the page or her creative calling. Host Emily Grabatin, author of Dare to Decide and book coach with over twenty years of ministry experience, introduces guests whose words of the year shaped their faith, their writing, and their creative identity. From slow living to joy to transformation, these conversations are for you. Start here — then grab the free five-day journalling experience, My Creative Slow Start, and begin your writing rhythm today. CONNECT WITH EMILY: 5-day journalling experience: emilygrabatin.ca/creativeslowstart Welcoming Slow Growth conversations This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow creative. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    6 min

  3. May 7

    12 What 11 Creatives Taught Me About Spiritual Growth

    SHOW NOTES If you've been carrying an unwritten message, a story that feels scattered, or a calling that seems stalled, this episode is for you. In the Season 1 finale of Welcoming Slow Growth — a podcast for writers and creatives walking a faith-filled path — book coach Emily Grabatin reflects on what 11 creatives taught her about spiritual growth through one unexpected thread: the word came before the breakthrough. Through stories of chronic illness, homelessness, life's heaviness, and humble faithfulness, you'll discover: - Why your hidden place isn't wasted time — it's where formation happens before the first draft - Why abiding in Christ is a creative practice, not a detour from your calling - How a focus word or word of the year becomes more than a spiritual practice — it becomes the tether you didn't know you'd need - Why your slow pace doesn't disqualify you from the God-given message you carry You are not behind. You are beloved. CONNECT WITH EMILY GRABATIN: Website: emilygrabatin.ca The Heart's Calling Substack Welcoming Slow Growth community This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow creative. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    26 min

  4. Apr 23

    11 Linger with God in Your Creative Calling

    SHOW NOTES Word of the Year: Linger Christian fiction author Melissa Alyse shares how a single word linger refreshed her creative calling. Through her spiritual practice, she learned how important it is to move at God's pace instead of the world's—especially amid the expectations and shoulds of being a new author. A delightful episode for any writer or creative navigating purpose, patience, and spiritual growth. In this episode we cover: - What happens when God strips your plate down to one thing — and why that's not loss - Why spiritual growth for writers doesn't always look like a writing course - The unexpected lesson linger actually taught her (hint: it wasn't about slowing down) - What it really looks like to abide in Christ as a creative - Why your calling is not behind schedule — no matter your detours Guest Melissa Alyse writes grace-filled Christian cozy non-murder mysteries and sweet romance novels. With no formal writing training, she published her first novel in June 2025 and has since released seven books — proof that when God calls you, and you respond, He also equips you. Find her at melissaalyse.com   BOOKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED A Place to Belong by Melissa Alyse (Book 1 in her series; book 3 includes a character who adopts a word of the year) One Perfect Word by Debbie Macomber Scripture References: Romans 12:2 | Colossians 2:2–4 | Colossians 2:6–7 | John 15 CONNECT WITH EMILY: Website: emilygrabatin.ca The Heart's Calling Substack Welcoming Slow Growth community This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow creative. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    23 min

  5. Apr 9

    10 Listen to Your Life: Finding Your Writer's Voice

    SHOW NOTES Focus Words: Listen to Your Life What does it look like to write from your best self — not your most pressured, depleted, or comparison-weary one? Writer and educator Bailey Gillespie joins Emily for a conversation that is honest and subtly liberating. Since age fifteen, Bailey has lived with chronic illness and long-term pain — and rather than write around it, she writes from the contemplative space of faith and formation and what it means to walk with God when life is slow and tender (and very much unresolved). If you’ve ever felt behind in your creative calling, weary of shortcuts and screens, or disconnected from the voice that first made you want to write — this episode was made for you. In this episode: - Why your limitations might be the very thing shaping your most authentic voice - How analog journaling quietly restores what digital shortcuts slowly take - What Frederick Buechner’s “listen to your life” quote means as a daily creative and spiritual practice - How restorative rhythms empower you to show up more fully — not less - Why becoming the kind of person who can make great work matters more than the work itself Bailey shares how returning to analog writing practices — pen, notebook, nature — helped her reclaim originality and create from a place of soul care rather than striving. Mentioned in this episode: Frederick Buechner — Presbyterian minister and writer; the origin of the phrase "listen to your life" Andrew Peterson — author and musician; Bailey's entry point into Buechner's work Justin McRoberts — author, podcaster, and creative coach Emily P. Freeman — author and podcaster known for her work on reflection and discernment Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy, and Fairytale — Frederick Buechner ABOUT THE GUEST: Bailey Gillespie is a writer and educator from Northern California who loves a good road trip to the coast. She writes from the contemplative space of faith and formation and what it means to walk with God when life is slow and tender (and very much unresolved). Website: baileygillespie.comLive Your Life Substack: baileygillespie.substack.com CONNECT WITH EMILY: Website: emilygrabatin.ca The Heart's Calling Substack Welcoming Slow Growth community This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    33 min
  6. 09 Word of the Year Reflection Exercise #1

    Mar 26

    09 Word of the Year Reflection Exercise #1

    SHOW NOTES Word of the Year: Grace You chose a word for the year. Maybe you made a vision board, wrote it in your journal, felt that quiet sense of this is it. And then life got full — and your word got a little lost. This solo episode is your sweet invitation back. In this word of the year reflection exercise, Emily Grabatin offers a journalling prompt for anyone who chose an intention or focus word and wants to go deeper than January allowed. Using her own story of choosing grace — and the reluctant prayer that followed — she explores the question that unlocks everything else. In this episode: - Why the first feeling your word stirs up might be the most important one to pay attention to - What your fear around your word is quietly trying to tell you about where your real growth lies - How a bathroom renovation became an unexpected answer to a reluctant prayer about grace Your word story is still being written. Come create the next chapter in your spiritual growth. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: emilygrabatin.ca/wordsurvey CONNECT WITH EMILY: Website: emilygrabatin.ca The Heart's Calling Substack Welcoming Slow Growth community This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    18 min

  7. Mar 12

    08 How a Spiritual Wilderness Leads to Creative Abiding

    SHOW NOTES Focus word: Abide Have you ever felt trapped in a spiritual wilderness, wondering if your creative calling still matters? Artist, writer, and podcaster Hayley Rawnsley knows that exhausting tension between faith and creativity — and the crushing pressure to perform. Graduating during the pandemic, she found herself unraveling from years of striving, until painting and contemplative prayer opened an unexpected door into abiding in Jesus. In this episode, Hailey shares how her wilderness season became the very place she discovered a slower, deeper way to create — rooted in presence rather than performance. We cover: - Why your spiritual wilderness season is not wasted - How contemplative prayer transforms your creative process - Breaking free from performance and striving as a Christian creative - What abiding in Jesus actually looks like in daily creative life - Why the story you're carrying deserves a rooted foundation, not a rushed platform This conversation is for the Christian writer or artist who is tired of performing and longs for a way to experience peace and purpose in their creative calling. About the Guest: Hayley Rawnsley is an artist, writer, and podcaster whose creative work is inspired by faith and spiritual wilderness. Her passion is helping creatives break free from performance and learn to create from abiding in Jesus. Website + Abiding Creative Workbook: desertsblooming.com Substack: https://substack.com/@desertsblooming Podcast: Abiding Creatives CONNECT WITH EMILY: Website: emilygrabatin.ca The Heart's Calling Substack Welcoming Slow Growth community This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    30 min

  8. Feb 26

    07 Creating in the Crevices: Finding Sweet Simplicity in Mom Life

    SHOW NOTES Word of the Year: Sweet Simplicity Drowning in motherhood or work but still craving time to write and create? You're not alone. This honest conversation explores the tension of finding sweet simplicity when life feels overwhelmingly full and perfectionism takes over. Join host Emily Grabatin and guest Kate Crocco as they discuss setting boundaries, disappointing others, and changing priorities to make space for creativity and what's most important to us. Kate, a psychotherapist, homeschool mom of four, and former girl boss, shares her spiritual growth journey from entrepreneur perfectionism to motherhood overwhelm. In this episode, we cover: - Why perfectionism and comparison follow you into different season of your life - How to recognize when good opportunities are burning you out - The hard thing you might have to do to show up for what matters most - Keeping the desire to write alive despite overwhelming responsibilities - Finding sweet simplicity through boundaries and changing priorities Her warm, authentic approach creates a safe space for exploring the messy realities of creative motherhood. About the Guest: Kate Crocco is a psychotherapist, author, podcaster, and homeschool mama of four dreaming in the breadcrumbs of her day. She is author of Thinking Like a Boss and Drawing the Line. katecrocco.com CONNECT WITH EMILY: Website: emilygrabatin.ca The Heart's Calling Substack Welcoming Slow Growth community This is a space for the sacred, the soulful, and the slow. Welcome to the journey. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theheartscalling.substack.com

    33 min
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About

A podcast where Christian creatives, writers and entrepreneurs learn to welcome slow growth through word of the year wisdom and God-led living. Embrace sustainable writing habits, contemplative practices, and intentional transformation that honors both your calling and your well-being with host Emily Grabatin. theheartscalling.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Word of the Year living and contemplation for Christian creatives, writers and coaches.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Emily Grabatin
  • Show Website
    Welcoming Slow Growth Podcast