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What happens when you stop trying to manage your life… and start listening to it instead?

In this deeply personal episode, I’m sharing the story of the year I stepped away from constant doing, producing, and striving—and into what I now call my “Joyride” season.

It wasn’t a dramatic sabbatical.
I was still a mom, still a wife, still living real life.

But internally? Everything shifted.

This was the year I:
✨ stopped outsourcing my discernment
✨ learned to listen to my body, emotions, and inner voice
✨ wrestled with silence, doubt, and old patterns
✨ and discovered that joy and struggle can exist at the same time

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things but still feel disconnected from yourself—or from God—this episode is for you.

🌸 In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The space between being called… and actually responding
• Why obedience doesn’t always happen instantly
• What a “Joyride season” really feels like (and why it’s not all easy)
• The difference between childlike joy and childish behavior
• How your “inner storyteller” shapes your reality
• Why your emotions are not problems—but invitations

A Tool to Help You Process What You’re Feeling:

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now…”
I created something to help.

Download the free Harmony Bloom Emotion Map™
A simple, faith-rooted framework to help you:

• notice what you’re feeling
• understand what it means
• and respond with intention instead of overwhelm

** I’m putting the finishing touches on this and will link it soon—stay tuned! **

Your Practice for the Week:

Try this simple 4-step check-in:

1. Notice — What am I feeling in my body and emotions?
2. Name — Put words to it (without judgment)
3. Normalize — “This makes sense. I’m human.”
4. Next Step — What is one small, honest response?

Let’s Stay Connected:

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you.
Send me a message or share what’s been coming up for you lately.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss next week’s episode—we’re diving into what happens when old stories try to pull you back into hiding.

💛 Final Reminder:

You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re becoming aware.

And that changes everything.

Resources:
20 Soul Sparks To Feel Like You Again - a simple list of tiny, doable moments designed to help you reconnect with joy, curiosity, peace, and play
https://rachel-harris-online.kit.com/cd8d06c001

Hidden Stories Inventory- a guide to help you notice the stories that have been shaping you https://rachel-harris-online.kit.com/hiddeninventory

My Substack Page, The Petal and The Plot: https://restorystudiorachel.substack.com/

Are YOU A Joyful Rebel? https://rachelharrisonline.com/joyful-rebel

Send a text

Have you ever realized that you might be trusting spiritual advice more than God Himself?

In this episode of the Joyful Rebel Podcast, Rachel Harris explores the subtle but powerful way we sometimes outsource our discernment—handing authority over our spiritual decisions to mentors, leaders, or voices that sound wise.

Through the story of Hagar in Genesis and a deeply personal moment during a spiritual retreat, Rachel shares the question that stopped her in her tracks:

"When will you stop trusting man over Me?"

This episode explores what happens when God interrupts the voices we’ve relied on and calls us back into direct relationship, trust, and discernment.

You’ll also learn a simple reflective practice called The Authority Check, designed to help you pause before reacting and reconnect with God’s voice within you.

If you've ever second-guessed something you felt God telling you…
If wise counsel has ever made you doubt your own discernment…
If you're learning how to trust God more deeply…

This conversation is for you.

In This Episode

• The hidden danger of outsourcing spiritual discernment
• What Hagar’s wilderness encounter reveals about being truly seen by God
• The moment Rachel heard God ask: “When will you stop trusting man over Me?”
• Why StoryShift™ moments change everything before circumstances do
• A simple practice called The Authority Check

Try This Practice This Week

Before reacting, deciding, or responding, pause and ask yourself:

• Who am I letting have the final word right now?
• Is this voice moving me toward clarity or contraction?
• What would it look like to return authority to God?

Permission Slips From This Episode

You are allowed to:

• Trust what God told you
• Stop disappearing in the presence of authority
• Remember that you are seen

Next Episode

Next week we explore what happens when the Joyride™ stage of the ReStory Arc™ gives way to resistance—and how to stay rooted when the roar gets loud.

Resources:
20 Soul Sparks To Feel Like You Again - a simple list of tiny, doable moments designed to help you reconnect with joy, curiosity, peace, and play
https://rachel-harris-online.kit.com/cd8d06c001

Hidden Stories Inventory- a guide to help you notice the stories that have been shaping you https://rachel-harris-online.kit.com/hiddeninventory

My Substack Page, The Petal and The Plot: https://restorystudiorachel.substack.com/

Are YOU A Joyful Rebel? https://rachelharrisonline.com/joyful-rebel

Send a text

There’s a version of “faith” many of us were quietly taught.

Be smaller.
Be quieter.
Be easier to love.
Call it humility.

But what if some of what we’ve labeled obedience… is actually shrinking?

In this episode, we explore the subtle but powerful difference between true obedience and self-erasure. Because they feel similar on the surface — both can look gentle, compliant, even spiritual.

But they produce very different fruit.

Obedience — the kind rooted in alignment — produces clarity, groundedness, and peace.

Shrinking to meet external expectations produces anxiety, resentment, and a slow fading of your voice.

We’ll look at:

• Why shrinking can masquerade as maturity
• The nervous system cost of editing yourself to belong
• Esther’s story — and the difference between courage and compliance
• How joy might be more spiritual than you were taught

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re being faithful… or just afraid — this episode is for you.

Because obedience should bring you home to yourself.
Not disappear you.

Resources:
20 Soul Sparks To Feel Like You Again - a simple list of tiny, doable moments designed to help you reconnect with joy, curiosity, peace, and play
https://rachel-harris-online.kit.com/cd8d06c001

Hidden Stories Inventory- a guide to help you notice the stories that have been shaping you https://rachel-harris-online.kit.com/hiddeninventory

My Substack Page, The Petal and The Plot: https://restorystudiorachel.substack.com/

Are YOU A Joyful Rebel? https://rachelharrisonline.com/joyful-rebel