WP173 | Embracing Lent as a Practice Owner
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Lent doesn’t have to feel rigid, heavy, or like one more thing you’re failing at as a practice owner. In this episode, I’m talking about how to actually practice Lent in a way that’s gentle, meaningful, and realistic for the season of life and leadership you’re in.
We’re moving away from rules and performance and toward relationship—creating space for God in the middle of running a practice, making decisions, caring for clients, and juggling real life. I walk through practical ways to approach fasting, letting go of distractions, and filling that space with what truly restores you, whether that’s prayer, reflection, giving, or simply slowing down.
If you’ve ever wondered how Lent can support both your faith and your work as a practice owner—without comparison, shame, or pressure—this episode is for you.
Lent Isn’t About Getting It Right
I want to start here because so many of us approach Lent the same way we approach our work as practice owners: trying to do it correctly, efficiently, and without messing it up. But Lent was never meant to be another performance. It’s an invitation into relationship. And if it feels heavy or rule-bound, we may already be missing the point.
Why Rules Can Quietly Pull Us Away from God
I’ve been in conversations where faith slowly turns into a checklist. What are you giving up? How strict are you being? Are you doing it the right way? And something in me always tightens up. Lent isn’t meant to measure our discipline. It’s meant to draw us closer to God. When rules take center stage, the relationship moves to the margins.
Lent as a Practice, Not a Project
We use the word practice all the time in our work, and I don’t think that’s accidental. We’re practicing therapy. Practicing leadership. Practicing to become better humans. Lent works the same way. It’s not about perfection. It’s about intention. It’s a season where we practice becoming more attentive to God’s presence in our lives and our work.
Choosing Relationship Over Performance
Think about any meaningful relationship you have. You make choices because you value the connection. You turn down other things. You create space. Not because you’re following a rule, but because the relationship matters. Lent invites us to do the same with God. Not to prove anything. Not to be seen. Just to show up.
Why Comparison Steals the Meaning from Lent
One of the quickest ways Lent gets distorted is through comparison. What someone else is fasting. What you did last year. What do you think you should be doing? Lent is personal. What you’re called to in this season may look very different than before, and that’s not failure. That’s discernment.
Fasting Is an Invitation, Not a Test
Fasting has taken on a lot of pressure over the years. And while food is often part of the conversation, it’s not the only way to fast. Fasting is about noticing what competes for your attention and gently removing it so there’s more room for God. It’s not meant to harm your body or trigger old wounds. Care for yourself matters here.
When Food Isn’t the Right Place to Start
For some people, fasting from food simply isn’t wise or safe. And that’s okay. There are so many other places we cling for comfort or distraction. Social media. Constant work. Email. Opinions from others. Even busyness disguised as productivity. Lent gives us permission to name those things honestly.
Letting Go of Work Without Letting Go of Responsibility
One of the most challenging fasts I’ve done had nothing to do with food. I limited my work hours strictly and created a protected space for reflection and prayer. It didn’t make me a worse practice owner. It made me more present. Lent often asks us not to do more, but to stop doing what’s unnecessary.
Why Awareness Is the Real Gift of Fasting
When something is removed, what’s underneath becomes clearer. Discomfort. Anxiety. Habits we didn’t realize had such a hold on us. This isn’t meant to shame us. It’s meant to invite connection. Awareness creates space for grace.
Fasting Without Filling the Space Changes Nothing
If we remove something but don’t intentionally replace it, Lent becomes empty deprivation. The heart of this season is what we add back in. Prayer. Scripture. Silence. Reflection. Time with God. Without that, we’re just rearranging habits, not being transformed.
Silence Might Be the Hardest Practice of All
Even a few minutes of silence can feel uncomfortable, especially for practice owners who are used to constant stimulation and problem-solving. But silence has a way of bringing us face to face with what we’ve been avoiding. It’s not easy, but it’s deeply formative.
Lent Is Also About Giving
This part often gets overlooked, but giving is central to Lent. When we give—our money, time, energy—we’re reminded that what we have isn’t truly ours. Giving loosens the grip of control and invites trust. It’s one of the most tangible ways Lent reshapes our hearts.
Giving as Practice Owners
For those of us in private practice, giving might look like offering time, services, or resources in ways that stretch us just a bit. Serving reminds us why we do this work in the first place. Transformation happens not just in reflection, but in action.
Sundays Are Mini Easters
Lent isn’t meant to crush joy. Sundays interrupt the fast with hope and celebration. They remind us that resurrection is always part of the story. Grace is woven into the rhythm. Lent holds both repentance and joy at the same time.
Why Gentleness Matters in This Season
Lent isn’t about proving how disciplined or spiritual we are. It’s about honesty, intention, and grace. You’re not behind. You’re not late. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re practicing.
How a Devotional Can Anchor Your Lent
Consistency is hard, especially when life and work feel full. Having something tangible to return to each day can help ground you. A devotional isn’t about doing more. It’s about creating a steady place to meet God in the middle of your real life.
Becoming Happens Slowly
This season invites us to look inward, notice what needs to soften, and release what no longer serves us or our calling. Becoming doesn’t happen all at once. It happens quietly, faithfully, and over time.
Lent as an Invitation, Not an Obligation
However you choose to practice Lent, my hope is that it’s honest and rooted in relationship. This season isn’t asking you to strive harder. It’s inviting you to draw nearer.
Links and Resources
Get my book, The Practice of Becoming
Join the Wise Practice Membership Community
Learn More about Wise Practice Consulting
Connect with Wise Practice on Instagram
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[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: Before we jump in to today's episode, I want to make sure that you know about my latest book, the Practice of Becoming. This is a Lent devotional for faith-based practice owners, now available on Amazon, Kendall and paperback edition. This book is written especially for you. You're spending your life caring for others, but you need a time to reflect.
[00:00:24] During this litten season, this devotion is gonna invite you to slowing down, seeing what's unfolding in front of you, and staying grounded in your faith during a busy season of running a private practice, I'd love for you to check it out, search for the practice of becoming on Amazon, or find the link in the show notes and grab your copy today.
[00:00:47] Hi, I'm Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith-based practice consultant, and I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. Wanna grow your practice, wanna grow your faith, wanna enjoy your life outside of work, you've come to the right place. Each week on the Wise Practice Podcast, I will give you the action steps to have a successful faith-based practice while also having a good time.
[00:01:09] Now let's get started. Where she grows your practice and she don't play. She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast. Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast. Welcome to the Wise Practice Podcast. I'm so glad you're here hanging out with me today. We have been doing some episodes about the season of Lent, so you can go back to last week's episode, learn a lot more about the history of Lent, why it's important for practice owners, and today we're really gonna tackle a little bit more of the practicality of Lent.
[00:01:53] Like, how do I practice this as a practice owner and make it something that impacts me, that I understand that's applicable. So if you are someone who doesn't know anything about it. Head to last week's episode, and if you know some and you're trying to figure out how to make this work within the way that you run your practice, this episode is for you.
[00:02:14] So before we jump into that though, I do have a companion to go along with the lint season season, which is the practice of becoming lint devotional. You can grab that on Amazon. Would love for you to check it out, and I think it's so cool to consider. Each of us as practice owners walking through this season together, also reading the same devotionals together.
[00:02:33] It's the same reflections and these devotionals are really specific to you. Like how do you run a practice and how do you understand your faith within that? And applicable stories of my own experiences as a practice owner. So I'm excited to be sharing all that with you. So as lint is approaching, it can be so easy to get involved in.
[00:02:55] Rules and how tos, right? Even this recently, I was with some girlfriends and we were chatting about. Faith and religion, and it was a conversation that started getting into rules and I just found myself feeling icky on the inside and I was like, look, yeah, there are things that we can do to help our faith, but truly it's about the nature of the law or the nature of the work we do.
[00:03:20] Not necessarily about the right and wrong behind it. And I think Lent can also be that same way. So I don't wanna come into this conversation of. Hey, during Lent, you have to fast this way, or you have to follow this way. You have to do this thing. It is not that. It is about experiencing God and whatever that looks like for you, and I want you to find ways that you can embrace Lent for yourself and changes that you wanna make for yourself, and not because someone listed a bunch of rules that you had to follow or you put rules on yourself.
[00:03:50] The shoulds right. So as it's approaching, I want us to really be thinking about relationship. This is about a season and time for you to engage more in your relationship with God. Just like when you wanna spend time with a friend or maybe your spouse, you devote time aside for that. You might choose not to do something.
[00:04:10] I might choose not to go hang out with a friend if my husband wants to take me on a date, right? So we're choosing. One thing over another because we value and care about relationship. It's not about a performance, and there are certainly many biblical passages about not performing, right? I mean, I even think about the Pharisee who was in prayer beside the person who was humble, and the Pharisee wanted everyone to see him praying, or people who wanted to put money into the temple so that everybody could see the money that they were giving, right?
[00:04:46] It's not about. Fasting in a sense that we want everyone to see what kinda Lent practices we're having. It's not a performance and it's never meant to be that way. It is a deep personal experience of us and God. And so today I wanna talk about the practice of lt, right? Which actually is why I call the book The Practice of Becoming.
[00:05:09] We are practicing. In our work, which is a practice we're practicing, becoming more like Christ. And we do that through the practice of Lent that this is not a rigid, perfect conversation. It's intentionality behind what we do during the season of Lent. So I, I do think that Lent can quickly become about comparison even within a family, one person doing something that someone else isn't doing.
[00:05:36] We want Lent to be about helping one another, find God. In the midst of it. So we do encourage our kids one another. Hey, what is it that you wanna lay aside for Lent? But it's not a comparison. It's a, it's a helping one another. It's holding one another accountable out of love. There is certainly a fine line there that you have to be very careful about.
[00:05:56] And so I want you to enter into this season knowing that you're not comparing yourselves. To one another. You're not comparing yourself to what you maybe previously have done during Lent. You're only doing what you feel called to in this moment, in this season of Lent. So starting to kinda ask yourself, what is it that I want to give up so that I can gain more of God in my life?
[00:06:21] But going back to this idea of comparison, when I was in college, I worked at a campus ministry, the Wesley Foundation at the University of Georgia, and we. Did a lot of fasting and I did a lot of different kinds of fasting and we're gonna talk in a minute about fasting, but I did a lot of different types of things and one year we had a fast and I decided to fast from regular foods, but I was going to have smoothies.
[00:06:47] And during that season of, I don't know, it was like three or five days, I had smoothies and that was what worked for me and what I was doing in my relationship with God. But one of the people at the, at the ministry with me. Really got on to me for drinking a smoothie. Said that it wasn't real fasting.
[00:07:08] What? Right, sure. There is a very. Rigid, clear line of what fasting actually is. But fasting can be lots of things. It doesn't necessarily have to just be food. It can be anything that we're separating ourselves from God. I know that some people would, would probably say that fasting has to do with food, and if that's what you feel called to, then that's what you should do, but you don't have to limit it to that, and you always wanna make sure.
[00:07:41] You're caring for yourself in that season. You know, if you have a history of eating disorders or other issues that might make food difficult or medical concerns like you should not be fasting food, period, you should be doing something else because then you're gonna be spending all your time not feeling well, focusing on that.
[00:07:59] You might have a medical problem, you might drop back into an eating disorder. Like there's too many concerns. So I don't want you to be doing that at all. Don't see this as a rigid policy. See it as an invitation to something. So at the core of Lent, it's not about that comparison. It's not about someone telling you you had a smoothie and you shouldn't have.
[00:08:18] It's really about that intentionality, choosing to slow down. In making room for God. So noticing where he is, what he's doing in the world. It's not about deprivation for the sake of suffering, you know, self-sacrifice. It's about a gentle removing of something that's filling space that you wanna create for God.
[00:08:39] So fasting is a spiritual practice, just like meditation and prayer and Bible reading, community, all the things. When we fast and engage in this spiritual practice, it reveals something within our hearts and it makes room for God. We become aware of our distractions, our unhealthy habits. We become aware of the things that we find comfort in instead of comfort in God.
[00:09:08] This awareness is gonna create that invitation, not that it's here to create shame, but connection. So back to the back to let's do some like practicality here with fasting. Fasting is not always about food. It's about caring for yourself. Especially like I said, for health conditions, trauma, history, season of life.
[00:09:32] Food might not be something that you can do. But if it is something you want to consider, there's lots of different ways that you can fast during Lent. I know that the Catholics have a very specific way that they do it and they don't eat meat except on certain days. So that's something you could consider.
[00:09:52] I've done a Daniel Fast in the past where I did just fruits and vegetables and, and I'll tell you, in my mind, I thought, oh, I got this. Like, this will be good. Boy. It was a lot harder than I ever thought it was going to be. Is that something that you could consider? Maybe there's a specific food or drink that you rely too much on and you want to let go of that because you want to rely more on God or more focused on God.
[00:10:16] So maybe it's coffee or alcohol, or maybe desserts have certainly fasted desserts before war. So there's lots of different ways that you can fast from food. That is not complete fasting. Or if you want to completely fast, you certainly could do that. I would encourage you to do a little research about what that looks like as you, as you fast, like how to enter into that.
[00:10:42] 'cause you don't want to, A lot of people want to gorge themselves right before fast. Lemme tell you that doesn't work. Well, I'll also tell you that stopping your fast on Taco Bell, just because the commercials looked so good 'cause you were hungry, is also. Not a good idea. So there's a lot of different ways that you can fast.
[00:10:58] So I encourage you to look into those and consider those. I also wanna talk about what if you feel like food is just not the thing that you can do? I want you to also look at what are things that are distracting me or keeping me from quiet time with God, or being thoughtful or in prayer. I've seen people say that's social media.
[00:11:22] They're spending too much time scrolling. So they get off social media for six weeks. Maybe you find that you are going to other people too much for your comfort. So when you have a decision that comes up or a concern, you go to somebody else instead of going to God. So maybe you fast from getting other people's opinions.
[00:11:41] One time I fasted from work and I know that sounds crazy, but I work a lot. I'm just gonna be honest. I get up early in work and sometimes I work when I get home. Just depends on what's going on. But I did a fast where I did not respond to any emails or work, except for between nine in the morning and six at night.
[00:12:02] That was really challenging for me, but that allowed me to have space from six at night to nine in the morning for prayer and reflection. And that was really good. Maybe you want to fast from checking your email that you compulsively check your email. Maybe you're just gonna check it two times a day and you're gonna put a time limit on it.
[00:12:21] Maybe you want to fast from other activities. Maybe you've overcommitted yourself and so you want to back down from things that you're doing that aren't necessary. I've known someone who fasted from shopping on Amazon, so they didn't shop on Amazon for six weeks, which was. Is interesting to see how often you actually go and look at Amazon.
[00:12:42] Sometimes we don't even know what we're spending our time and energy on until we take it away and we notice it, right? So it's anything that's distracting you from God or from your life, from the calling that you have. So I think some questions for you to consider, especially if you're able to pull out a journal and write, is, what should I give up?
[00:13:04] What is in the way between me and God? What is distracting me from doing his work? What pulls my attention away and start kinda writing and thinking about that. But remember, fasting is not the goal necessarily, right? It's a part of it, but the goal is to encounter God. Right, filling that empty space with what matters.
[00:13:32] 'cause if you are to fast and then you just do work during that time that you would've eaten, why does that matter? Right? So it's taking that and filling it with something. So maybe you wanna fast just lunch each day and you wanna take 20 to 30 minutes every day. To pray for your practice, or maybe you take 20 to 30 minutes to do a meditation or Lectio Davina in your office as you take away that meal.
[00:14:00] So it's about letting go of the things we depend on. So instead of scrolling social media, you're spending time in prayer. It's about how you're filling that space. If we fast without filling space. It's just absence and there's no transformation that occurs. So some other ideas is reading scripture or just being in silence, which is very difficult.
[00:14:28] So maybe instead of scrolling social media for 15 minutes before bed, you spend 15 minutes in silence, that would be very difficult. Reflection, inviting God's presence or maybe. You do something surrounding giving. Lent is a season of giving. It is one of the most overlooked parts. It's actually a part that I think the Catholic Church does very well at because they do financial giving that goes along with the season of Lent.
[00:15:00] So as we are letting go, we're inviting ourselves, or God is inviting us really to give. So maybe there's a cause that you've been wanting to give to that you haven't. So that could be that you're giving of your money, but maybe you're giving your food, right? It would make sense that you don't eat a meal and you take the money from that meal or the actual food from that meal and you donate it to somebody in need to an organization.
[00:15:26] Or maybe you go and find homeless people in your area that you can give a meal to. Maybe it's time. So maybe you take out time that you were doing something else and you give that time to your community. So you go and actually work in a soup kitchen one day a week during Lent, you go volunteer somewhere, or maybe you do some kind of volunteer related to mental health.
[00:15:50] Maybe you give an hour to an organization that provides counseling in your area, or maybe you go speak somewhere for free because it's a way that you're giving back. So it could be your energy, your time, your thought, reflect on what that could look like. Maybe there's an opportunity that you've been given and you have said to yourself, I don't have time to serve in that way.
[00:16:10] Maybe Lent is the season for you getting rid of something that was taking your time and then serving in that way. This makes Lent a very personal experience because we truly are transformed by our work, right? And so when we literally get out there and work for something and care for something, God is transforming us in the process.
[00:16:31] When we give our money to something, we're saying that this is not mine. This is yours, and I'm not gonna let money control me. It's drawing us inward by moving outward and caring for others. I wanna also remind you that Sunday Sundays are our mini Easters, right? I mean, you could do this however you want, but it's something to be considered.
[00:16:54] And it was always really helpful for me in my seasons of lunch that Easter Mini Easters are those Sundays. So it's a time that we celebrate. So we fast throughout the week, and then Sunday we break our fast. It's interesting how, depending on what it is that you're fasting, as you get into it, you start to find that you actually are happier and more fulfilled.
[00:17:13] So it might be the social media thing. Maybe you're, you're fasting that, and then you get to Sunday and you're like, I just don't really care about getting on. Right. It's show, it's, it's the change that's happening within you. Of course, for me, when I fasted sweets, I was ready to have chocolate cake on a sundae or a chocolate cookie, but.
[00:17:30] Many Easters are what happens on Sundays during Lent. These are reminders of the resurrection and hope that you have in the midst of your fasting. So you're embracing repentance and joy and grace on those Sundays because we get to live as if it's Easter every day. Right? Long-term. It's a time for celebration.
[00:17:51] So ea many Easters on Sundays, they're not meant to weigh us down. It's to return us to what matters and what we're really excited about. And it's the same concept that we go to church on Sundays because we celebrate together in that time. So. However you choose to practice Lent, my hope is that you practice it honestly and with gentleness and intention, and if you're looking for some direction on this, that is, this is what the Lent devotional is for.
[00:18:18] Maybe you're having a hard time being consistent with quiet times. I know that is something that I've had a hard time with before, and so having a devotional book each morning, and I consistently have some kind of book that I use in the mornings. When you have that and you can focus on it. It helps to be able to engage.
[00:18:37] And you know, the season of Lent is about self-reflection and kind of the sinful nature of who we are and letting those things go. And so the Lent devotional book, the Practice of Becoming, each Day You sit down, it tells you what day it is in the Lent journey, and you read a Bible verse in a devotional.
[00:18:56] And it also has some stories of being a practice owner. And then you kinda look at how am I running my practice? What are the, the sinful parts of me or the personal parts of me that are causing a negative impact on my practice or on me, or how am I missing God's calling? And so we have reflection questions on each one that are gonna be personal to you on your journey.
[00:19:17] And then you could write in the book if you wanted to. There's white space or you could have a journal, but there are some journal props on. Prompts on some of the devotionals to be able to kind of take it to that deeper level. So if you're looking to engage in the Linton season. I highly encourage that you grab that book because it can be a companion for you throughout the process.
[00:19:37] There are no devotions on Easter, becau, I mean, not Easter, the mini Easters on Sundays, because those are Sundays, but the rest of the week, including Saturday, has a devotional. But I do have one on Easter Sunday because that is a time for celebration. So if you're looking for something to be grounded, flexible, realistic, and helpful for you, I encourage you to grab the book.
[00:19:57] The Practice of Becoming It is available on Amazon, and this will help you through this Linton season, and I'm excited to be able to offer that to you guys. It is such a joy and honor. To work with you, to have this podcast and that we are a group of practice owners to keep coming together with faith in mind and that we could do a podcast about the L season, but also about our business.
[00:20:19] I, I just think it's the most beautiful thing, so I appreciate that you hang out with me every single week. I'm looking forward to what's to come in 2026. I'm looking forward to hearing about your lint experience as you're going through this. I really encourage you to email me, reach out to me. I love hearing about your stories, what it means to you, and how God's working in your life.
[00:20:38] Thank you again for listening to the podcast. You're the best.
[00:20:44] So click on follow and leave a review and keep on loving this work we do with Whitney Owens and Wise Practice Podcast, Whitney Owens and Wise Practice Podcast. Special thanks to Marty Altman for the music in this podcast. Wise Practice Podcast is part of the Site Craft Podcast Network. A collaboration of independent podcasters focused on helping people live more meaningful and productive lives.
[00:21:16] To learn more about the other amazing podcasts in the network, head on over to site craft network.com. The Wise Practice Podcast represents the opinions of Whitney Owens and are guests. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and the content should not be taken as legal advice. If you have legal questions, please consult an attorney.
