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Have you ever felt like your relationship with God has quietly morphed into another high-stakes project on your to-do list?

In this episode of The Confident Woman Podcast, Rachel sits down with author, entrepreneur, and former lead pastor Allen Ratta to dismantle the lie that following Jesus requires endless striving, optimizing, and over-functioning. After decades in high-level ministry and business leadership, a devastating personal crisis forced Allen to strip away theological complexity and discover what it actually looks like to live in God’s rhythm rather than our own artificial hurry.

If you are exhausted from trying to hold your life together with white knuckles, this conversation is your permission slip to slow down, breathe, and return to the simple power of daily presence.

In This Episode, We Unpack:

• The Hustle of Striving: Why our modern "hurry sickness" keeps us out of sync with God's intentional design for rest and daily bread.
• Slow-Motion Spiritual Malnutrition: What happens when we consume tons of spiritual content but never sit still long enough to actually digest it.
• The "Purposeless" Weekend: What Eugene Peterson taught Allen about silencing the inner workaholic and letting our racing minds catch up with our souls.
• The Lord’s Prayer as Daily Rhythm: How a 55-word prayer reorders our hearts, breaks the illusion of control, and anchors our identity in being loved rather than being productive.

The Question Underneath the Conversation: What is one artificial expectation you are carrying right now that you are ready to set down this week?

Your Next Step: Stop carrying everyone else's backpacks today. If you need a tangible reminder to help you pause and breathe, grab The Permission Slip for free:

Get The Permission Slip Here

Continue the Conversation: Create Your Own Story is Rachel’s weekly letter exploring faith, identity, confidence, and becoming.

Subscribe to read the companion essay: https://iamrachelbrooks.substack.com

Connect with Allen Ratta:

• Explore his work, books, and daily prayer journeys at spiritualsimplicity.com.

Connect with Rachel:

• Follow on Instagram: @iamrachelbrooks