EP 16 | Where Should I Start? w/ Nick Ovalle

What happens when you finally get the thing you thought you wanted—and discover it isn’t what you thought it would be? Nick Ovalle joins me for a conversation about slowing down, wilderness seasons, creativity, leadership, calling, and the work of becoming mature enough to carry what we keep asking for. Nick shares how reaching executive-level leadership eventually exposed something deeper: constant work, the need to prove himself, and rhythms that were slowly burning him out. What looked like success from the outside became an invitation to step away, slow down, and reconsider what kind of life he actually wanted to build. We talk about the wilderness as a necessary season rather than a detour, why maturity often requires letting go of identities we worked hard to build, and why the next mountain may require a different version of us than the one who climbed the first. Nick also shares the practices that now help him stay grounded: journaling, Sabbath, analog tools, note cards, intentional focus, time protection, and a daily rhythm built around heart, soul, mind, and strength. Underneath it all is something simpler: Slow down enough to hear what is actually happening inside you. We also get into leadership and ministry—how strengths can become destructive when they’re fueled by stress, why recovery matters as much as rest, and how easily leaders can confuse being useful with being needed. And maybe most importantly, we talk about the difference between doing work for God and learning to live from a place of being loved by God. In this conversation The fear of being “too much” and the question: “Am I enough?” Moving from compulsion and striving toward calling and presence What burnout revealed about Nick’s work and identity Why slowing down can clarify what more effort never could Sabbath, genuine rest, and why it can lead us into wilderness The “first mountain,” the “second mountain,” and the valley between Community and spiritual direction in difficult seasons What happens when you finally get what you thought you wanted Maturity, discipline, and learning how to steward people well Why feelings should come before strategy Journaling, analog tools, and Nick’s note-card system Curiosity versus judgment Releasing control without becoming passive Stress, rest, recovery, and why leaders can become addicted to crisis The danger of using our strengths to avoid deeper heart work Ministry as journeying with people instead of doing their journey for them Returning to the Father’s heart Maintaining healthy “heart soil” instead of trying to control outcomes A few lines worth sitting with “Am I enough? That’s the core question.” “Sometimes being still is how we belong.” “There is work for me to do. This is not the work for me to do.” “The wilderness is a destiny for everybody.” “Curiosity is so much more valuable than judgment.” Connect with Nick Instagram: @Nick_Ovalle Story Better:https://storybetter.co Sonnal:  / simplysonal.com   Where should you start? If you’re in a season where the old way of doing life isn’t working anymore—but you’re not yet sure what comes next—you may not need another strategy. You may need somewhere to slow down long enough to tell the truth about where you are. That’s a lot of what spiritual direction is: not someone handing you a map, but someone willing to walk with you long enough to notice what God may already be doing in the wilderness. Your first conversation with me is free. Start here:https://mysoul.rehab/getstarted Follow @mysoul.rehab for more conversations about faith, identity, healing, enoughness, and finding your way home.