Listen to Your Life (Bailey Gillespie)
Explore every episode of Listen to Your Life
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2023 | Welcome to Listen to Your Life | 00:00:43 | |
Join Bailey Gillespie on Listen to Your Life, a lifestyle podcast exploring all things career, health, relationships, creativity, and spiritual growth. from the perspective of a 30-something who’s had some significant life detours. Enjoy relatable stories, insightful conversations, and tips to form personal rhythms that support every part of your life. We’ll also end each episode with a reflective exercise so you can put these ideas into practice. As a 30-something who’s had some significant life detours and delays, Bailey is passionate about helping others live wholeheartedly — no matter how long the journey takes.
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| 29 Oct 2024 | S1, E7 | What Does It Mean to Listen to Your Life? | 00:21:43 | |
In Episode 7, Bailey Gillespie defines her terms and explores what it means to listen to our lives, a resonant phrase from the works of Frederick Buchner. She also shares some autumn favorites and leads listeners in a reflective exercise. Enjoy the conversation! You can learn more at baileygillespie.com or follow Bailey on Instagram @baileylgillespie Subscribe to Bailey’s Substack newsletter Other resources mentioned: “Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” —Frederick Buechner, Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation The Farmer's Wife: My Life in Days by Helen Rebanks | |||
| 08 Sep 2024 | S1, E5 | Apple Cobbler & Staying the Course | 00:21:46 | |
In Episode 5, Bailey shares her September highlights so far, including an apple blackberry cobbler, evening walks, and a surprising story about her first business venture (and replacement podcast mic). She encourages listeners to stay the course and remain faithful to their creative vision — even when obstacles hit.
Enjoy the conversation! You can learn more at baileygillespie.com Subscribe to Bailey’s Substack newsletter Follow Bailey on Instagram @baileylgillespie Other resources mentioned: “Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” —Frederick Buechner, Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation Paleo Blackberry Cobbler (apples added) | |||
| 22 Nov 2024 | S1, E10 | Tell Good Stories with Lexi Dacy | 00:31:42 | |
In Episode 10, Bailey talks with Lexi Dacy, a good friend and fellow writer whose joyful, hope-filled presence is so needed in the world (and in future bookshops!). Lexi shares about her BookTube channel, the wonder of first-time motherhood, found family, and what writing a cozy fantasy book is teaching her about life. 💛 Enjoy the conversation! Learn more at baileygillespie.com or follow on Instagram @baileylgillespie Further Resources: Lexi on Instagram (@LexiDacyBooks) Lexi on YouTube (@LexiBetweenTheLines) Lexi’s Favorite Books Roundup: Cozy Fantasy: “‘Cozy fantasy’ is a subgenre of fantasy. It's all the magic, world-building, and adventure of traditional fantasy but without the life-or-death stakes. As the word ‘cozy’ suggests, this subgenre is the lighter side of fantasy.” —USA Today | |||
| 14 Jan 2025 | S2, E3 | The Magic of Living with Taylor Parra | 00:46:23 | |
Taylor Parra has strong feelings about plants, honey, memes, and rest. As a beekeeper and owner of The Local Wild, she crafts medicinal honey—“electuaries”—for a tasty, ancient way to get your daily herbs. We talk about how bees are akin to humans, and she makes a case for winter, sharing why surrendering ourselves to the natural seasons (especially those we may not enjoy) is necessary for our souls. We also talk about her evolving faith journey and how she and her husband became reenchanted with God after being disillusioned by the American church. Taylor is such a kindred spirit. She’s hilarious, and we could have talked for hours. Belonging to a generation where so many are wounded, weary, and disenchanted, her voice is a needed one that reawakens us to the wonder and magic of living. 🐝🌿🕯️✨🍯 Further Resources A Liturgy for the Keeping of Bees, Every Moment Holy by Douglas McKelvey New electuary blends: Belly Balance, Eros, Awake & Ready Sacred Seasons: A Family Guide to Center Your Year Around Jesus | |||
| 02 Dec 2024 | S1, E11 | A Soft Place to Land with Meg | 00:31:43 | |
Today’s guest is Meg from Meg’s Reading Room. In this episode, we talk about making space for peace and gentleness in the midst of hard things and how a reading life can support that. Meg hails from New York, is the wife of a librarian, and spent the year cultivating a reflective #bookstagram space online. This summer, she also started a podcast where she goes deeper into this topic with friends. With two little boys who share a rare genetic disease (VLCAD), life is not easy and time is precious. But the gift of community and a meaningful personal project has made all the difference. Meg is wise and funny, inspiring us to slow down and pay attention to what matters most. I think this is the perfect way to begin the Advent season. Enjoy the conversation! Further Resources: Instagram: @MegsReadingRoom Meg’s Reading Room Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams Reclaiming Quiet and Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson The Farmer’s Wife by Helen Rebanks | |||
| 11 Nov 2024 | S1, E9 | Get Unstuck with Justin McRoberts | 00:37:32 | |
“It’s not about your work, and it’s not about you making great work. It’s about you becoming the kind of person who makes great work.” This is the first thing I remember hearing Justin McRoberts say, and it stuck. Justin has done it all — he’s a coach, spiritual director, author, retreat speaker, songwriter, and podcast host. In this episode, we talk about Justin's role in helping people get unstuck, hearing God’s voice, and why we should seek the wellbeing of our enemies. Enjoy the conversation! Listen on Spotify, Audible, or Amazon Music — and feel free to leave a review or a comment. 💛 Further Resources: Anam Cara Ministries (Spiritual Direction) 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again | |||
| 18 Sep 2024 | S1, E6 | The Books That Form Us with Patty Gillespie | 00:25:32 | |
In Episode 6, Bailey Gillespie hosts a special conversation with her mom, Patty. The two swap stories about the books that formed them as children, and Patty tells a moving story about two book-inspired dreams that came true much later in life—involving a cardinal sighting and high tea in Scotland. Listeners are encouraged to read widely and be on the lookout for how God is speaking to them in the midst of their reading lives. Enjoy the conversation! Subscribe to Bailey’s Substack newsletter Follow Bailey on Instagram @baileylgillespie | |||
| 23 Jan 2025 | S2, E4 | Embodying Faith with Caroline Williams | 00:35:40 | |
Caroline Williams is a leading voice in the faith-based approach to yoga. Several years ago, she founded the Yoga Abbey, an at-home yoga sanctuary of peace, presence, and belonging for the lover of God searching for embodied faith. Her popular videos and programs have brought peace to thousands of people. Now, she has passed on leadership of the Yoga Abbey to someone new so she can focus on motherhood and writing. In this episode, we explore the benefits of movement, why Christians can find value in practicing yoga, the ways God mothers us, and how our understanding of health and well-being shifts in different seasons of life. Caroline also leads us through a guided prayer to center us in God’s love and bring calm to the day. I hope you love it! 💛
Caroline’s YouTube Channel: Should Christians Do Yoga?: Part 1 Caroline’s Substack: Mother, God God’s Loving Gaze (Ignatian Practice) | |||
| 08 Jul 2024 | S1, E3 | Looking Beyond the Disappointment with Whitney Lindsay | 00:46:57 | |
In Episode 3, Bailey Gillespie shares a conversation with her friend, Whitney Lindsay.
Happy listening! Learn more and download Bailey’s new ebook, Cultivating 6 Restorative Rhythms at baileygillespie.com Follow Bailey on Instagram @bailey_bluebird Other resources mentioned: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero Fight Hustle, End Hurry Podcast by John Mark Comer & Jefferson Bethke | |||
| 01 Jan 2025 | S2, E1 | A Prayer for the New Year | 00:04:35 | |
Welcome to Season 2 and 2025, my friends! I'm so happy you're here, and I can't wait to continue having soulful conversations about faith, health, and well-being. Cheers to living fully, even in the face of our deepest longings. Music: "Onward" by Wonderland, licensed from Artlist. Further Resources: Prayer of Teilhard de Chardin: Patient Trust Instagram: @listentoyourlifepod @baileylgillespie | |||
| 18 Aug 2024 | S1, E4 | What's Your Favorite Hour? | 00:12:57 | |
What’s your favorite hour of the day? In Episode 4, Bailey invites listeners to consider when they feel most energized, hopeful, or at peace. She shares how we might intentionally use this time to cultivate a favorite practice that fills our cup. That might be an hour (or let’s face it, 15 minutes) to write in the morning, meal prep, go for a walk, water the garden, or spend time in God’s Word. Happy listening! You can learn more at baileygillespie.com Follow Bailey on Instagram @bailey_bluebird Other resources mentioned: “Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” —Frederick Buechner, Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation Simon Wester’s music on YouTube | |||
| 28 Jan 2025 | S2, E5 | Bringing & Receiving the Light with Dr. Erin Ambrose | 00:38:50 | |
Dr. Erin Ambrose is a licensed therapist and the director of Jessup University’s traditional undergraduate psychology program. In this episode, she shares her story of unexpectedly being called to psychology and teaching, surviving cancer, and finding a meaningful, Christ-centered career helping others flourish in mind, body, and spirit. She also never misses a day of exercise! One of my favorite parts of our conversation is when Erin shares three paths people can take to expand their social circles, find support, or get professional help if they feel lonely or stuck. She reminds us that we ALL need community. Sometimes, we have the gift of bringing the light to others, and other times, we’ll get to receive it instead. 💛 Further Resources Biopsychosocial Spiritual Model Jessup University’s School of Psychology | |||
| 22 Jun 2024 | S1, E2 | Making Friends As Adults | 00:23:42 | |
Do you long for closer friendships? In Episode 2, Bailey unravels the belief that it’s impossible to make good friends as an adult. You just have to be persistent and creative! Each season of life holds its own hidden treasure for us, and that includes the gift of friendship. With humor and encouragement, Bailey shares her personal experience trying to cultivate friendships as a 30-something, along with tips for making and keeping friends more easily (spoiler: always keep a picnic blanket in your car trunk!). Ultimately, she reminds listeners that the soul’s desire for intimate communion reflects how we were made for a close, fulfilling friendship with God himself. When we hit up against the “radical incompleteness” we often feel, this is just a compass pointing us toward the One who thought up friendship in the first place.
Follow Bailey on Instagram @bailey_bluebird
The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth by Gerald G. May, M.D. “This love and desire represents something far deeper than emotions. They reflect humanity’s most profound motivation. This radical incompleteness that we feel determines the basic direction of our lives.” —Gerald G. May, M.D. Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo | |||
| 09 Jan 2025 | S2, E2 | Finding Your Trail Legs with Noah Throssel | 00:38:16 | |
In the first full episode of Season 2, I’m thrilled to have my husband Noah join me as a co-host 🙌 Together, we share the “why” behind our health journeys and what we’ve loved most about them so far. We also talk about what it means to pursue a well-lived life—even alongside chronic suffering—drawing hope and inspiration from God and his good creation. You’ll also hear some fun stories that involve the great outdoors — like Noah’s 16-day, solo backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail outside Yosemite Valley (and the many letters I gave him as a keepsake) ⛰️🌲California’s natural beauty never ceases to inspire us. As you set intentions for this new year, we hope you find encouragement and a healthy nudge to do one small thing today to invest in your health so you’ll (Lord willing!) be around for years to come, enjoying life to the fullest with those you love most 💛 Further Resources: Episode 9: Get Unstuck with Justin McRoberts Here For a Good Time by George Strait Jimmy Miller Foundation - veteran surf therapy John Muir Trail | Yosemite Valley, CA Pacific Crest Trail | Pacific Coast The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien - Houses of Healing | |||
| 06 Nov 2024 | S1, E8 | A Guided Nature Walk | 00:30:00 | |
Welcome to this guided nature walk! This will be a 30-minute experiential time of movement and reflection to help you connect with God, yourself, and the natural world. Find a place that brings you peace, and set out prepared to wander while you enjoy encountering the world in a fresh way. If you can, choose a natural setting where there are trees, water, or other foliage to look at. Or try a library, bookshop, or gallery — anywhere you can take time to simply be. At the end, there will be some journaling questions in case you'd like to reflect on your walk. Feel free to enjoy this guided walk any time you need to slow down, find calm, and connect with God. * Songs are composed by Simon Wester - music licensed from Artlist. * Journaling questions inspired and adapted from the Pray As You Go app's guided prayer walk, "Walking with God." | |||
| 06 Mar 2024 | S1, E1 | Embrace the Given Life | 00:20:02 | |
How do you stay hopeful when your hopes unravel? Where is God when prayers feel dormant or a cherished dream lays in embers at your feet? In the pilot episode of Listen to Your Life, Bailey Gillespie guides us through the idea that the given life unfolding before us (rather than the imagined life in our head) is inevitably a life marked by longings. Yet these longings are a taste of wholeness — they point us to eternity and are the very places where we encounter God's healing presence. Bailey is a writer from Northern California who helps others live well and enjoy a meaningful life with God. You can learn more by visiting her website at baileygillespie.com or following her on Instagram @baileylgillespie. Other resources mentioned: Carolyn Arends from the Renovare Institute for Spiritual Formation The Rabbit Room's annual arts conference, Hutchmoot "My story is important not because it is mine, God knows, but because if I tell it anything like right, the chances are you will recognize that in many ways it is also yours." —Frederick Buecher Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God's Lovingkindness by Michael Card | |||
| 24 Dec 2024 | S1, E13 | Seen in the Unseen with Bekah Buchterkirchen | 00:31:40 | |
Welcome to Episode 13, the final episode of Season 1 and 2024! In this episode, I talk with Bekah Buchterkirchen, a small business owner from the Pacific Northwest who just released her debut devotional book, Seen in the Unseen. (She also includes an audiobook version!) Bekah is wise and grounded, sharing her unexpected grief as a new mom, the gift of mentorship in college, and how she makes space to write and spend time with God in the margins of motherhood. She closes by reading her favorite prayer from Lectio 365. Enjoy the conversation! Further Resources: Bekah's Substack, The Middle Moments | |||
| 11 Dec 2024 | S1, E12 | Keep Going with Tanner Olson (Written to Speak) | 00:35:43 | |
Today's guest is Tanner Olson, an author, poet, and speaker who writes under the name Written to Speak. In this episode, Tanner opens up about how his personal journey intertwines with Advent—a season of waiting and longing. He delves into topics like writing, adoption, and hope. He also treats us to two beautiful poems. Enjoy the conversation! Further Resources: Instagram: @WrittenToSpeak Substack: Tanner Olson Pre-order Tanner's new children's book, All the Things I Say to God I’ve Never Seen a Moose in the Wild (Poem) For You Are Not Forgotten (Poem) Tanner & Bailey’s favorite restaurants in Nashville: | |||