Your Most Beautiful Life

Ep. 024: The Freedom of Constraint

Everywhere you look, the world tells us that more is always better. More opportunities, more goals, more commitments, more plates spinning in the air. But the truth is, chasing everything at once doesn’t bring peace — it leaves us scattered, busy, and unfinished.
In this episode of Your Most Beautiful Life, we explore the surprising gift of constraint — choosing less on purpose. Rather than being a punishment, constraint creates margin, breathing room, and clarity. It allows you to go deep instead of wide, finish what matters most, and live with more ease.
🎯 You’ll hear about:
Why multi-passionate women struggle to choose just one focus
How constraint brings peace, not limitation
The practice of living in 12-week seasons
Why every no is really a deeper yes
The importance of celebrating completion
Wisdom from books like Essentialism, Deep Work, and The Best Yes
A reminder from scripture about living a quiet, peaceful life
📎 Mentioned in this episode:
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Deep Work by Cal Newport
The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst
🧠 Quotable Insights:
“Constraint is not about limitations, it’s about focus.”
“Every no is really a deeper yes.”
“Peace doesn’t come from adding more. It comes from focusing on less.”
✨ Stay in TouchWant a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email for reflections, ideas, and next steps every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: lorijsmith.com📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: lorijsmith.com📸 Instagram: @lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 Keywords + Topics Coveredconstraint, essentialism, deep work, the best yes, 12-week goals, simplicity, margin, peace, clarity, Christian coaching, personal growth, productivity with purpose

Ep. 023: Learning to Receive: The Gift We Resist

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to give — and how hard it can be to truly receive?
In this episode of Your Most Beautiful Life, we explore the sacred (and often overlooked) practice of receiving. In a world that celebrates hustle, productivity, and pouring yourself out for others, learning to open your hands and heart is both countercultural and deeply feminine.
I share the small, ordinary ways I began practicing receptivity — like saying yes when someone offered to carry my suitcase — and how those moments opened my eyes to the love, support, and abundance that had been in my life all along. You’ll discover how shifting into a posture of receiving changes the way you relate to your identity, your daily life, your calling, and even your hardest challenges.
🎯 You’ll hear about:
• Why receiving doesn’t come naturally — and why that matters• The roadblocks that keep us from receiving (resistance, grasping, unworthiness, busyness)• Practical coaching shifts to move from proving and productivity into openness and trust• Four areas where you can begin practicing receptivity today• Why receiving is not passive but an active, sacred choice• How learning to receive frees us to live from abundance and gratitude instead of scarcity and striving
📎 Mentioned in this episode:
• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → [https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori]• Listen to Ep. 016: Sacred Identity Over Self-Improvement
🧠 Quotable Insights
“Receiving is not sitting back on the sidelines. It is the active choice to open your hands to what God has already placed in your life.”
“When we practice receiving, we begin to see that the love, the help, and the support we’ve longed for were there all along.”
“We don’t work to receive. We work from receiving.”
✨ Stay in Touch
Want a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: lorijsmith.com📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: lorijsmith.com📸 Instagram: @lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 Keywords + Topics Covered
faith-based coaching, feminine receptivity, practicing gratitude, resistance and grasping, unworthiness and busyness, identity in Christ, learning to rest, abundance mindset, Christian coaching, personal growth and clarity

Ep. 022: What I Learned When the Old Patterns Stopped Working

Have you ever reached a season where what used to “work” just… doesn’t anymore?
In this episode of Your Most Beautiful Life, I share my own story — the journey through childhood, raising a family, stepping into the empty nest years, and discovering that some old survival patterns I had leaned on could no longer carry me forward.
For years, I looked outside myself for validation trying to measure up, seeking approval, and hoping someone else could confirm I was “doing it right.” That worked for a while, but eventually, those patterns left me stuck. What I found instead was the power of deep self-development, the wisdom of both scripture and neuropsychology, and how coaching became the bridge that helped me live from my truest self.
🎯 You’ll hear about:• How my childhood shaped the way I looked for external validation• The tension I felt raising a family while longing to create and build• Why transitions like the empty nest years can surface old wounds and survival patterns• What I began to see as I studied both scripture and science• How coaching became the missing piece that tied my faith and self-growth together• The gift of learning to live from my truest self — the one God designed me to be
📎 Mentioned in this episode:• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → [https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori]• Listen to Ep. 016: Sacred Identity Over Self-Improvement• Listen to Ep. 020: The Sacred Side of Labor
🧠 Quotable Insights“Survival patterns can work for a long time, but eventually, they stop working in the best ways.”“Coaching didn’t replace my faith — it showed me how to apply it.”“Living in your truest self doesn’t mean others always agree with you. It means standing firm in what’s true without collapsing under the weight of outside opinions.”
✨ Stay in TouchWant a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: lorijsmith.com/home📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: lorijsmith.com📸 Instagram: @lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 Keywords + Topics Coveredfaith-based coaching, external validation, survival patterns, self-discovery, neuropsychology and scripture, Christian coaching, empty nest transition, identity in Christ, purpose and clarity, personal growth

Ep. 021: What Coaching Really Is (And Why It Might Be Exactly What You’ve Been Missing)

Have you ever wondered why you keep reacting the same way, even when you want to change? Or thought, “If only my husband, or my kids, or my job would change, then I’d finally feel at peace”?
In this episode of Your Most Beautiful Life, I share the truth I’ve discovered: peace doesn’t come when everyone else changes. Peace comes when we learn to guide our own thoughts. And that’s exactly what coaching helps us do.
We’ll look at how scripture and science agree on the power of renewing our minds, what I call the “creation cycle” that shapes every result in your life, and how the Hero’s Journey framework shows us the roles we play—victim, villain, hero, and guide.
Faith-based coaching isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping you live from your truest identity in Christ. Coaching creates a safe, loving space to see your thoughts clearly, rewrite the script of your life, and step into the story God has already written for you.
🎯 You’ll learn:
• Why ninety-five percent of your daily life is run by thoughts you don’t even notice• How to break old thought loops and start living new ones• The creation cycle: how thoughts → feelings → actions → results shape your life• The four roles we all play in our story—and how coaching helps you step into the hero role• Why coaching is different from advice, counseling, or friendship• How faith-based coaching weaves together scripture, neuroscience, and compassion
📎 Mentioned in this episode:
• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori• Listen to Ep. 016: Sacred Identity Over Self-Improvement• Listen to Ep. 020: The Sacred Side of Labor
🧠 QUOTABLE INSIGHTS
“Peace doesn’t come when everyone else changes. Peace comes when we begin to notice and guide our own thoughts.”
“Coaching isn’t about fixing you—you’re not broken. It’s about helping you live from your true identity in Christ.”
“Your brain will always choose familiar thoughts, even when they don’t serve you. Coaching helps you choose new ones.”
“Life is not meant to be a flat, uninspiring story. God designed you for a meaningful, compelling journey.”
“You can’t always change your circumstances. But with God’s help, you can change your thoughts—and that changes everything.”
✨ STAY IN TOUCH
Want a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step, delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: https://lorijsmith.com/home📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: https://lorijsmith.com📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 KEYWORDS + TOPICS COVEREDfaith-based coaching, renewing your mind, thought life, hero’s journey, scripture and neuroscience, Christian coaching, victim to hero, personal transformation, mindset and faith, creating a life of peace and purpose

Ep. 020: The Sacred Side of Work: Where Calling and Purpose Meet

🕊 What if your everyday labor was more sacred than you realized?
This episode is being released on Labor Day—a day when our culture pauses to celebrate work. But I want to invite you to take a fresh look at labor—not just the jobs that get a paycheck, but the unseen work that holds a family, a community, and a life together.
The meals you cook. The spreadsheets you fill out. The children you tuck in. The clients you serve. The laundry you fold. The notes you send. All of it is labor. And it matters more than you may realize.
In this milestone 20th episode of Your Most Beautiful Life, I share how my What Matters Most assessment helps me reflect on mission, purpose, career, and calling every season. Together, we’ll uncover why calling is simpler than we think, how purpose flows from within, and how to see even ordinary work as part of God’s sacred plan for your life.
Whether your labor feels hidden and overlooked or you’re wrestling with questions about calling and career, this conversation will give you clarity, hope, and a new way to see the sacred side of work.
🎯 You’ll learn:• Why purpose is already woven into your life and not something “out there” to find• How calling is simply God’s love flowing through your unique gifts to serve others• Why feelings are signals of alignment and how to use them as a guide• The 10 key areas of life I reflect on each season with my What Matters Most assessment• A simple practice this Labor Day to see your work as sacred and life-giving
📎 Mentioned in this episode:• Take the What Matters Most Assessment → https://lorijsmith.com/free-what-matters-most-assessment/• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori• Listen to Ep. 016: Sacred Identity Over Self-Improvement
🧠 QUOTABLE INSIGHTS“Your work doesn’t give you purpose. You bring purpose to your work.”
“Calling isn’t a mystery to be solved. It’s the way God’s love flows through your gifts to meet the needs of others.”
“Your everyday labor—the seen and the unseen—is holy ground.”
“Feelings are signals of alignment. They show us where we’re living congruent with who God made us to be.”
“Your labor is not in vain, because God has already filled it with meaning.”
✨ STAY IN TOUCHWant a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step, delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: https://lorijsmith.com/home📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: https://lorijsmith.com
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 KEYWORDS + TOPICS COVEREDfaith-based work, sacred calling, mission and career clarity, identity in Christ, purpose and meaning, emotional alignment, What Matters Most assessment, women of faith, everyday labor, creating a life of beauty and peace

Ep. 019-: Your Body Is Not a Problem to Solve- Embodying a Nourished Life

🕊 What if your body was never a problem to solve?
For many of us, years of messaging have taught us to see our bodies as projects, something to shrink, fix, or hustle into shape. But what if she is not a problem? What if she is your most faithful companion, created by God to carry you through life, and she has been trying to communicate, care for, and protect you all along?
In this episode of Your Most Beautiful Life, we explore how to stop managing your body like a project and start nourishing her as a partner in the life you are called to live. I share three mindset shifts and three simple, nourishing practices to help you align your thoughts and actions so your health flows from peace, not pressure.
Whether you are learning to love your body after years of struggle or simply want rhythms that make you feel strong, light, and well-rested, this conversation will help you see your body as an ally in creating a life of beauty, peace, and intention.
🎯 You’ll learn:• Why your thoughts about your body matter more than your diet• How to restore trust with your body through curiosity and kindness• A fresh perspective on food as life-giving instead of guilt-inducing• The identity shift that makes healthy living sustainable• Three everyday rhythms, hydration, rest, and mindful eating, that support lasting well-being
📎 Mentioned in this episode:• Listen to Ep. 016: Sacred Identity Over Self-Improvement • Take the What Matters Most Assessment → https://lorijsmith.com/free-what-matters-most-assessment/• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori
🧠 QUOTABLE INSIGHTS“Your body is not a problem to solve. She is a partner to listen to.”“You do not have to micromanage your body. You need to nourish her.”“Food is meant to bring life, not guilt, drama, or shame.”“Your identity creates your outcomes. Believe you are already a woman who cares for her body.”“Nourishing your body begins the night before, with rest that truly restores you.”
✨ STAY IN TOUCHWant a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step, delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: https://lorijsmith.com/home📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: https://lorijsmith.com/home📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 KEYWORDS + TOPICS COVEREDfaith-based wellness, body image, nourishing rhythms, mindful eating, hydration habits, rest and recovery, sustainable health, women of faith, identity in Christ, whole-person living, peaceful health habits, emotional connection with your body

Ep. 018: Mastering Relationships, Part Two: How the True Self Heals Connection

🕊 What if you stopped waiting for someone else to change and started showing up in love, peace, and truth right where you are?
In Part Two of our Mastering Relationships series, we’re exploring five powerful ways your true self can begin to heal and transform your relationships starting today.
When you live from the identity God gave you, grounded, whole, and anchored in love, you are no longer at the mercy of someone else’s mood, choices, or false self. You lead from clarity instead of fear, and you become a steady, safe place for connection to grow.
This isn’t theory for me. It is the real work I’m doing in my own life, and I’m inviting you to do it with me.
🎯 You’ll learn:• Why unconditional love is a choice you make, not a feeling you wait for• How acceptance frees you from denial and opens the door to healing• What forgiveness really means and why it’s for you, not them• The freedom of emotional independence and how to practice it• How your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have
📎 Mentioned in this episode:• Listen to Ep. 017: How the False Self Blocks Connection → [link to episode]• Take the What Matters Most Assessment → https://lorijsmith.com/free-what-matters-most-assessment/• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori
🧠 QUOTABLE INSIGHTS“Love isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you create.”“Acceptance doesn’t mean agreement. It means this is what’s true right now.”“Forgiveness isn’t about fairness. It’s about freedom.”“You are 100% responsible for your emotional life.”“Your relationship with yourself is the foundation of every other relationship you have.”“God is love, and because you are made in His image, love is always available to you.”
✨ STAY IN TOUCHWant a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: https://lorijsmith.com/home📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: https://lorijsmith.com/home📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 KEYWORDS + TOPICS COVEREDfaith-based relationships, true self healing, God-given identity, unconditional love, forgiveness, emotional independence, acceptance, spiritual growth, women of faith, healthy connection, mastering relationships, relationship with yourself

Ep. 017: Mastering Relationships, Part One: How the False Self Blocks Connection

🕊 What if the very ways you try to protect yourself are the same things keeping you from the connection you long for?
In Part One of our Mastering Relationships series, we’re uncovering the hidden patterns of the false self—the fear-driven, approval-seeking, self-protective version of you that often shows up without you even realizing it.
From people-pleasing to control, blame to manipulation, these patterns may feel like survival… but they quietly sabotage intimacy, trust, and real connection.
And here’s the hope: you were never meant to live from that place. In God, you’ve been given a new identity—your true self—whole, grounded, and anchored in love.
In this episode, I’ll help you see where the false self is shaping your relationships and how to gently return to the truth of who you are, so you can love and be loved from a place of freedom.
🎯 You’ll learn:• How the false self develops—and why it’s so convincing• Four false self patterns that quietly damage connection• Why identity in God is the foundation for healthy relationships• How to see others through their true self without ignoring reality• Practical ways to shift from fear-based reactions to love-based responses
📎 Mentioned in this episode:• Listen to Ep. 016: Sacred Identity Over Self-Improvement → [link to episode]• Take the What Matters Most Assessment → https://lorijsmith.com/free-what-matters-most-assessment/• Book a free 1:1 coaching session → https://calendly.com/lorijsmith/explore-coaching-free-personalized-session-with-lori
🧠 QUOTABLE INSIGHTS“Your relationships aren’t made up of what others do or say—they’re made up of your thoughts about them.”“You cannot have a beautiful relationship if you keep showing up from your false self.”“People-pleasing feels like kindness, but it’s often fear wearing a mask.”“Living from your true self begins when you anchor into who God says you are.”“Connection grows when you choose to see yourself—and others—through the lens of God’s image.”
✨ STAY IN TOUCHWant a weekly dose of beauty, clarity, and rhythm? Join my Weekly Bookmark email and get a thoughtful reflection, a life-giving idea, and a practical next step—delivered every Monday.
🌐 Website/Blog: https://lorijsmith.com/home📩 Join Weekly Bookmark: https://lorijsmith.com/home
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lorijsmithco🎧 Listen to more episodes: Your Most Beautiful Life Podcast
🧠 KEYWORDS + TOPICS COVEREDfaith-based relationships, true self vs false self, God-given identity, emotional connection, people-pleasing, healthy boundaries, spiritual growth, relational wholeness, women of faith, love over fear, mastering relationships, overcoming control, building trust