Every year of my life, my dad Earl has read the classic book the Cajun Night Before Christmas. I'm thrilled this year to bring it to the podcast so that it can not only live forever for myself and my family, but so that the culture we love can live on as well. Gather up your kids for a quick reading of my favorite Christmas book!

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As the year comes to a close and Christmas draws near, this episode is an invitation to slow down and rethink what actually makes a year meaningful. If you're ending the year feeling like you didn't do enough, didn't accomplish enough, or didn't have any big, flashy "banner moments," this conversation is for you. What if the ordinary years—the quiet, unseen, seemingly mundane ones—are actually where God does His deepest and most transformative work?

In this episode, Blake reflects on a lifetime of big dreams, ambition, and achievement, and how this year gently (and sometimes painfully) reshaped her understanding of purpose. From dreams of being a lawyer and living a "big" life, to seasons of stay-at-home motherhood, to years in podcasting and political commentary, God has repeatedly drawn her close enough to the spotlight to ask the question: Do you still want this?

This year, the answer surprised her. God invited her into a slower, simpler, more ordinary rhythm—one that prioritized home, children, marriage, nervous-system healing, and time in Scripture. What felt at first like a downgrade or a pulling back revealed itself as protection, formation, and deep peace. Scripture itself is filled with ordinary faithfulness: farming, shepherding, raising children, waiting, wandering, and quiet obedience. The big miracles were never the whole story.

Blake shares how stepping away from constant digital noise, limiting headlines, embracing small rituals, practicing audacious gratitude, and finding beauty in everyday moments has reshaped her identity. Faithfulness, not flashiness, is what God values. Bigger burdens don't always mean bigger blessings—and sometimes the most impactful work is the work no one sees.

If your life feels small, overlooked, or slower than you hoped, be encouraged: nothing surrendered to God is wasted. The ordinary is holy ground, and God meets us there.

"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." – 1 Samuel 16:7

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Sponsor: PreBorn
A free ultrasound can double a woman's chance of choosing life. PreBorn provides ultrasounds and ongoing support for moms in crisis.
💛 $28 sponsors one ultrasound.
Give at preborn.com/speakeasy and help save a life.

As we hit the halfway point of December, this episode is a deep breath and a reset. In a season that pushes hustle, consumption, and constant motion, this conversation invites us to slow down and reclaim awe, wonder, and expectancy—especially as we approach Christmas.

Hannah Brencher joins the Speak Easy Podcast to talk about Advent, rhythms, mental health, and what it looks like to resist hurry in a world that rewards burnout. Together, we explore why slowing down can feel so uncomfortable, how noise steals our awareness of God's presence, and how intentional practices—stillness, margin, and presence—help us actually experience the season instead of racing through it.

This episode is for anyone feeling overwhelmed, behind, or spiritually distracted. Whether you're new to Advent or returning to it again, this conversation reframes December as a cool-down, not a ramp-up—and reminds us that peace has a pace.

"Expectancy grows when we make space to notice God."

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Slow down. Make space. Don't miss this season.