The Speakeasy

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." Sponsors 🌾 Sunrise Flower Mill Organic, heritage wheat your body actually remembers. Get a FREE 2-lb bag of Heritage Flour with your first order using code SPEAKEASY at sunriseflowermill.com. 💛 PreBorn A free ultrasound can double a woman's chance of choosing life. $28 funds one ultrasound and provides ongoing care for moms. Donate at preborn.com/speakeasy. 🩺 CrowdHealth A healthcare alternative that puts community first. Get started for $99 for your first 3 months with code SPEAKEASY at joincrowdhealth.com (not insurance). 💆‍♀️ Nutrafol The #1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement. Get $10 off your first month + free shipping at nutrafol.com with code BLAKE. Slow down. Make space. Don't miss this season.

Ending Well: A Pruning Deep Dive  This is week six of the Ending Well series, and we're talking about something a lot of us are living through in real time: pruning—the cutting away, the stripping back, and the strange mercy of God doing holy surgery on our lives at the end of a hard year. "Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." – John 15:2 ⏱ Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Intro + Why open enrollment and health insurance feel like a bad rite of passage 03:00 – CrowdHealth: what it is, how it works, and why it's different from insurance 06:00 – Week six of Ending Well: why pruning is the theme of this year 09:30 – Defining "pruning," "fruit," "wilderness," and "discipline" (without the Christianese) 15:30 – John 15 and how Blake accidentally prayed for pruning this year 20:00 – Wilderness seasons: dry, slow, hidden growth, and deep dependence on God 25:30 – Seven "flavors" of pruning Blake walked through this year 30:00 – Loss and closed doors: when God rips things out of your hands 36:00 – Being forced to slow down or stop: "You can't heal on the battlefield that broke you" 41:00 – Loneliness, isolation, and when God clears the table so you can hear His voice 46:00 – Idols exposed: productivity, performance, and the golden statue God started tearing down 52:00 – When God prunes even good things (like the gym, routines, and rhythms you love) 57:00 – "Show me the purpose, Lord": praying for clarity in the middle of the mess 1:02:00 – How pruning makes you more like Jesus and prepares you for the "next level" 1:08:00 – Toy bins, clutter, and why fewer branches can mean more joy 1:12:00 – How to walk through pruning differently next time: slow down, surrender, obey faster 1:17:00 – Being honest with God instead of stuffing frustration and disappointment 1:21:00 – Why opening your Bible became survival, not a checkbox 1:25:00 – Friendship breakups as pruning: betrayal, loneliness, and healing with a limp 1:30:00 – Counting the fruit at the end of a brutal year What This Episode Is Really About In this deep dive, Blake unpacks pruning not as a punishment but as proof that God cares too much to leave you overgrown and exhausted. You'll hear about: How this year's pruning looked like: job pivots relational shifts homeschooling struggles closed doors and changed direction Why pruning is always connected to fruit, but not the kind the world celebrates Not achievement, numbers, or hustle But love, joy, peace, wisdom, humility (Galatians 5:22–23) The difference between: Punishment vs. discipline Chaos vs. God's clarifying love (Hebrews 12:6) Seven "flavors" of pruning Blake walked through: Loss of things she thought she needed Doors slamming shut at the last second Conviction and refinement in hidden places Being forced to slow down or stop entirely Loneliness and isolation when life got too loud Idols exposed—especially productivity and performance The trimming of even good things to make room for better Blake also shares how her prayer shifted from: "God, why are You doing this?" to "Show me the purpose, Lord." And how that shift opened the door to real trust, deeper Bible hunger, and new fruit she couldn't see while God was still hacking away at the branches. Sponsors & Special Offers CrowdHealth – Take Your Power Back This Open Enrollment Health insurance can feel like you're paying a ton and still not actually covered. CrowdHealth is an alternative to traditional insurance that's built on community and transparency. With CrowdHealth, you: Pay a monthly fee Get a team that negotiates your medical bills Access lower-cost prescriptions & lab tests Use a vetted doctor list When something big happens, you pay the first $500, and then the crowd steps in and covers the rest Listener Offer: Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY. Go to joincrowdhealth.com/speakeasy to join. Note: CrowdHealth is not insurance, but it is a way to opt out of the old system and take your power back. Sunrise Flour Mill – Heritage Wheat Your Body Remembers If you have a gluten sensitivity (or just feel awful after eating modern wheat), this part is for you. The wheat most of us eat today is not the same wheat our grandparents ate. Sunrise Flour Mill is farmer-owned and brings back organic heritage wheat—pre-1950s varieties that many sensitive folks find they can tolerate again. People are discovering they can enjoy: Chocolate chip cookies Bread Pasta …without feeling wrecked afterward. They also make it easy with recipes and thoughtfully packaged products. Special Offer for listeners: Go to sunriseflourmill.com and use code SPEAKEASY to get a FREE 2lb bag of Heritage White Flour with your first order. Eat wheat your body remembers.  PreBorn – Help a Mom Choose Life So many women walk into abortion clinics scared, alone, and convinced they don't have another option. PreBorn steps in with: Free ultrasounds for women considering abortion The chance for moms to see their baby and hear the heartbeat A doubled chance that she will choose life Ongoing support: counseling, classes, and financial assistance for up to two years after birth It costs $28 to fund one ultrasound. PreBorn has seen over 38,000 babies saved this year alone. ✨ If you're passionate about the pro-life movement and want a tangible way to make a difference: 👉 Go to preborn.com/speakeasy Give $28 (or more) and literally help change a story—and possibly save a life.

In this episode we look back at how it started (a guest room closet + $20 mic + TV tray) and how God has grown us, our marriage, and this show over seven years—from fear and hustle to rest and trust. We talk about money, messy action, viral moments, criticism, love languages, parenting, and what "success" actually looks like for our family now. "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." – 2 Timothy 1:7 ⏱ Episode Timestamps (Approximate – for your listening convenience) 00:00 – Welcome + 7 years of podcasting & 37th birthday 03:10 – Starting in a tiny closet with a $20 mic + messy action over perfect action 08:45 – "Can we afford this?" Money fears, stewardship, and still saying yes 14:30 – Social media spouse vs. no-social-media spouse (and Facebook Marketplace 😅) 20:20 – When episodes go viral, national media, and how the internet has changed since 2018 27:40 – The evolution of the show: politics seasons, homeschool seasons, and letting God set the themes 35:15 – Rest, surrender, and learning not to control everything 43:30 – How fear drove our hustle, and how God shifted our hearts and rhythms 50:45 – Love languages, marriage work, and realizing "I was serving my language, not yours" 1:00:10 – Parenting together: discipline, respect, and presenting a united front 1:08:30 – Work, motherhood, and the pull to find worth in what gives you a "report card" 1:17:00 – Redefining success for our family (time, presence, and faith over just numbers) 1:24:00 – Hopes, prayers, and open-handed trust for the next season of the podcast 💡 What We Talk About in This Episode How a tiny closet and a $20 mic turned into a 7-year podcast Why "messy action beats perfect action" (and why you really don't need a fancy setup) Starting a creative ministry when you're not being great stewards with money yet Being married to someone who isn't on social media (and why that's actually a gift) Viral episodes, national media features, and why going viral isn't always fun How the internet has gotten harsher since 2018—and what that does to your heart Letting God quietly shape "seasons" of the show without over-planning content The connection between control and fear—and how that showed up in work, marriage, and motherhood Moving from hustle fueled by fear to work fueled by trust and rest Love languages: why ours clashed, how we humbled ourselves, and what changed Parenting as a team: not correcting each other in front of the kids, and choosing your "hills to die on" The tension between mission, work, and home… and how God re-ordered priorities Redefining success: not just financial, but spiritual, relational, and emotional health Living with open hands: having no big "launch" on the horizon and trusting God with the next step "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." – Matthew 11:28 Sponsor: PreBorn All across the country, a woman is walking into a clinic scared and often alone, planning to have an abortion. PreBorn steps in with free ultrasounds—moments where she can see her baby, hear the heartbeat, and everything can change. Ultrasound doubles the chance a mother will choose life. This year alone, over 38,000 babies have been rescued through PreBorn's work. They don't stop at birth—they support moms with counseling, classes, and financial help for up to two years after the baby is born. You can sponsor an ultrasound for $28 and be the hero behind one of these stories. Give now at: preborn.com/speakeasy That's preborn.com/speakeasy to give a gift and help save a life. Sponsor: Sunrise Flower Mill If you love baking—or want to start baking with better, richer, fresher ingredients—you will love Sunrise Flower Mill. Their flour is freshly milled from heritage grains, giving your baked goods incredible flavor and texture. Special Offer for Speak Easy listeners: Use code SPEAKEASY to get a FREE 2lb bag of their Heritage Flour with your first order. It's the perfect time to try something new in the kitchen or upgrade everything you already bake. 📖 A Thread Through the Episode So much of this conversation comes back to: Moving from fear → trust From control → surrender From hustle → rest From self-worth in performance → identity in Christ We've watched God gently re-order our priorities: Our marriage Our parenting Our work This podcast And honestly? We wouldn't have believed this is where He'd take us when we were just two exhausted parents in a tiny closet with a TV tray and a cheap mic. 💬 Let's Chat As you listen, consider: Where are you operating out of fear instead of trust? Where might control actually be the "polished face" of fear in your life? What would it look like for you to work from rest rather than striving? How would you define "success" if you let Jesus hold the pen? Drop a comment: What's one area where you want to invite God to re-write the story this year?

Welcome back to the Ending Well series. This is week five of looking back over the year, letting God redeem the hard parts, and choosing who we want to become as we step into a new season. Today's episode is all about marriage — but even more specifically, the kind of wife you want to be. Not the Instagram version. Not the performance version. The real, healed, whole version. This year, God radically reshaped how I see myself as a wife. I didn't set out to "become a better wife," but as He broke my addiction to productivity and constant performance, it transformed our marriage into an even safer place, a deeper gift, and a stronger home base. Episode Snapshot In this conversation, I share honestly about: The "strong, high-capacity, always-on" identity I lived in for years How that mindset spilled into our marriage and made me controlling, critical, and exhausted The follower's question that changed everything: "What did you do to change that brought this out in him?" Why sometimes you have to go first in doing the inner work The difference between survival-mode marriage and a marriage built on connection How God used pruning, slowing down, and healing my nervous system to completely shift my role as a wife We also name an important reality: There are marriages where abuse, betrayal, or deep harm is present, and "trying harder" as a wife is not the answer. I am not speaking into those situations; I am sharing from a context where I am married to a good man, and our biggest battles were often with our own mindsets, wounds, and habits. Key Shifts God Made In Me This Year Letting him lead Moving out of constant control mode Asking for his thoughts and actually listening Giving him room to step forward in decisions and in parenting Becoming less reactive, less critical Recognizing how perfectionism makes you hard on yourself and everyone around you Learning the difference between reacting and responding Owning moments where I project my own embarrassment or anxiety onto him Allowing myself to be supported Letting him help with dishes, laundry, the mental load, and home life Receiving service as an expression of love instead of proof that I am failing Integrating my calling and my home No longer seeing ministry or work as competition with being a wife and mom Letting God reorder my priorities: Jesus, marriage, children, then everything else Moving from "two separate versions of me" to one whole, integrated person Underneath it all, God shifted me from: "More of me, doing more, performing more" to "Less of me, more of Him — loving from abundance instead of exhaustion." A Scripture to Sit With "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Psalm 127:1 This is true of literal houses and of marriages. Reflection Questions Take these to prayer, to your journal, or into a gentle conversation with your spouse: What kind of wife do I actually want to be — if no one were watching but God? Where am I over-functioning, trying to hold everything together in my own strength? Do I criticize my husband more than I pray for him? Where might God be inviting me to soften, slow down, or make space for him to lead? Am I willing to let Jesus make me whole, instead of just more productive? Sponsor: PreBorn So many women walk into an abortion clinic afraid and alone, about to make a life-altering decision. PreBorn meets them there by offering free ultrasounds, which doubles the likelihood that they will choose life. This year alone, thousands of babies have been rescued through PreBorn's work. They also provide counseling, classes, and practical support for moms up to two years after the baby is born. You can sponsor an ultrasound for 28 dollars and literally help save a life. Visit: preborn.com/speakeasy Sponsor: CrowdHealth Health insurance can feel like a rigged game. CrowdHealth offers a totally different way: a community of people funding each other's medical bills directly, without networks or middlemen. With CrowdHealth you get: Bill negotiators fighting for lower costs More affordable labs and prescriptions A vetted list of doctors And if something big happens, you pay the first 500 dollars and the community helps cover the rest During open enrollment, you can opt out of the old system and take your power back. Get started for 99 dollars for your first three months at: joincrowdhealth.com with code: speakeasy

December is here, Advent is upon us, and while the world is speeding up, this conversation is an invitation to slow down, breathe deep, and remember that anxiety does not magically clock out for the holidays. In this episode, we talk with Ruth about what it looks like to set the tone for the month of Advent with intention, slowness, and a heart that is more focused on Jesus than on performance, expectations, or a perfectly curated Christmas. Episode Overview So often, December becomes a pressure cooker: Packed calendars Parties and performances Family expectations Untended relationships Mom guilt and spiritual guilt If we are honest, it is easy to end the month exhausted, anxious, and wondering if we missed what Advent was really about. This episode is a gentle reset. Together we talk about: Why your anxiety around the holidays is understandable How to set expectations and boundaries without guilt How to stop treating December like a spiritual performance review How to carry Advent rhythms into January, February, and beyond Practically preparing Him room in your actual life, not just your ideal one And underneath all of it: the reminder that God really does see you, loves you, and is not grading your Christmas performance. Key Themes From the Conversation Advent as a beginning, not a box Instead of cramming all spiritual depth into four weeks, we talk about Advent as the starting line for rhythms that can continue all year. The goal is not a perfect December, but a reoriented heart that remembers Emmanuel, God with us, in every season. Letting go of holiday perfectionism Naming how much of our striving is actually about approval, worth, and wanting to be seen as a good mom, good host, or good Christian. Asking honest questions: What do I think I will gain from doing all of this? Is this truly about honoring Jesus or about proving something? Heart clutter and preparing Him room Ruth shares how her work on Advent came out of her own struggle to feel like everything had to happen in December. The phrase "prepare Him room" assumes there is clutter in our hearts that needs to be cleared, not just in our schedules. Permission to say no You do not have to say yes to every party, event, or opportunity, even if they are all good things. Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is guard a blank square on the calendar as "occupied by rest, family, and presence." Repairing relationships without putting all the pressure on one month We often try to fix a year's worth of tension or distance in a single holiday season. Advent is a beautiful time to begin the work of reconciliation, but not a demand to tie everything up with a bow by December 25. Parenting, anxiety, and what our kids actually see Our kids are learning what Christmas is by watching us. When they see us frantic, angry, and stressed, they learn that "this is what Christmas feels like." When they see us repent, reset, and re-center on Jesus, they witness the Gospel in real time. Scripture Threads in This Episode 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. Luke 12:27 Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. We talk about how Jesus pointed anxious hearts to birds and flowers as living reminders that the Father is not forgetful, and that our worth is not held together by our hustle. Practical Ways To Set the Tone for This Month Here are some simple, realistic practices that came up in the conversation: Decide your non negotiables A daily or weekly family moment to pray, read a verse, or use an Advent resource. A small rhythm that fits your actual life: after dinner, Saturday mornings, or before bed. Mark the "nothing" days on your calendar Literally block off blank days as taken. Protect margin so there is room for real conversations, unhurried play, and quiet with God. Saturate your environment with reminders of Jesus Scripture on the walls, art that points your eyes up, worship and Advent music playing in the background, an open Bible on the table. Let what you see, hear, and read pull your attention back to Him throughout the day. Practice quick repentance, not long self condemnation When you catch yourself spiraling, snapping, or worshiping your to do list, pause. Talk with Jesus first: Lord, I put this party, this list, or this image of myself on the throne. I am sorry. Please reorder my heart. Then talk with your people: Hey, I am sorry for how I just acted. That is not what I want this season to feel like for us. Can we reset and try again? Pay attention to embodied people, not just online life Online community is a gift, but the people under your roof and the ones who know your everyday life matter first. Ask God to help you see them, listen to them, and be fully present with them. Reflective Questions For You You might want to jot these down in a journal or talk them through with a friend or spouse: What is my real emotional temperature going into this month: anxious, hopeful, numb, overwhelmed? Where am I secretly hoping that a "perfect" Christmas will heal or fix something that actually needs long term tending with God? What are three things I can say no to this month so I can say a deeper yes to Jesus, my family, and rest? How can I build in daily "touch points" with God's Word that fit my real life, not my ideal life? Where do I need to humble myself, apologize, or reset the tone in my home? Sponsor: CrowdHealth It is open enrollment season, which is exactly when traditional health insurance hopes you will just click "renew" on high premiums and confusing fine print. CrowdHealth is a refreshingly different alternative. With your monthly membership you get: A team that helps negotiate medical bills Lower lab tests and many prescriptions Access to a network of vetted doctors And when something major happens, you pay the first 500 dollars and then the rest of the community steps in to help This is not insurance, but it is a way to opt out of a broken system and take some power back over your health care. To get started: Visit joincrowdhealth.com Use the code speak easy Pay just 99 dollars for your first three months Again: joincrowdhealth.com, code speak easy. Sponsor: PreBorn PreBorn is doing incredible, life saving work by providing free ultrasounds to women considering abortion. Women are about twice as likely to choose life after seeing an ultrasound or hearing a heartbeat. This year alone, PreBorn has helped rescue tens of thousands of babies. Their care does not stop at birth: they offer counseling, classes, and even practical help up to two years after the baby is born. You can literally be part of saving a baby's life today: 28 dollars funds one free ultrasound Go to preborn.com slash speak easy That is preborn.com slash speak easy Thank you for standing in the gap for moms and babies.