At the Counter with the Baking Pastor | Christian Encouragement, Grief Support, Burnout Recovery & Soul Care

Laura Sharp-Waites | Licensed Minister, Pastoral Counselor & Christian Soul Care Coach
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Are you grieving a loss, navigating an unwanted change, caring for everyone but yourself, or waking up already tired? Maybe you’re burned out, your faith feels weary, or life simply doesn’t feel the way it used to. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is a Christian podcast offering encouragement for hard seasons, grief and loss support, burnout recovery, practical soul care, and honest conversations about faith in everyday life. Hosted by Laura Sharp-Waites, licensed minister, pastoral counselor, and Christian soul care coach, each episode brings meaningful stories, gentle spiritual encouragement, and practical ways to care for your soul when life feels heavy. Here, grief is bigger than bereavement. It can come with caregiving, divorce, friendship loss, health changes, career changes, disappointment, or a life you never expected to be living. Sometimes what you’re carrying has a name, and sometimes you simply know you don’t feel like yourself anymore. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you come to the Counter. This is a place to slow down, breathe, reconnect with your faith, and notice God’s presence in the middle of ordinary life. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

  1. 2 hr ago

    40 | When Your Calling Changes: Burnout, Identity & Finding Purpose | Eric Robinson

    What happens when the work you believed God called you to do becomes the very thing you need to leave behind? After 12 years in pastoral ministry, Eric Robinson made an unexpected career change. He traded the pulpit for the FBI, where he spent nearly 25 years as a special agent. And here's the surprising part: Eric needed a career with less stress. In this episode of At the Counter with the Baking Pastor, Laura Sharp-Waites welcomes Eric for an honest conversation about pastoral burnout, unexpected life transitions, and discovering that God's calling isn't necessarily tied to a job title. Eric shares how the compassion he developed as a pastor shaped his work with victims, informants, and criminal suspects. He also reflects on the challenges of retirement, the loss of professional identity, and learning that our worth extends beyond what we do. Together, Laura and Eric explore what happens when familiar roles disappear, why even those who care for others need support, and how God's purpose can continue unfolding in unexpected places. In this conversation, you'll hear about: ☕ Why Eric left pastoral ministry for the FBI ☕ The emotional and physical toll of pastoral burnout ☕ How compassion and justice can work together ☕ Why retirement and career changes can trigger an identity crisis ☕ The importance of boundaries and trusted relationships ☕ Finding purpose when life takes an unexpected turn ☕ Why a change in assignment doesn't necessarily mean the end of your calling Whether you're navigating retirement, recovering from burnout, facing an unexpected career change, or simply wondering what God has planned for your next chapter, this conversation offers encouragement to remember that your identity is bigger than your title. A Moment at the Counter Sometimes we mistake a change in assignment for the end of our purpose. But perhaps God isn't finished with your calling. Perhaps He's simply inviting you to live it differently. You are more than the work you do, the position you hold, or the title you've carried. And wherever life takes you next, God is still walking beside you. Meet Eric Robinson Eric Robinson served as a pastor for 12 years before joining the FBI, where he spent nearly 25 years as a special agent. His experiences in ministry and law enforcement inspired his book, iReverend: From Saving Souls to Chasing Sinners in the FBI. Learn more about Eric and his book: https://preachertobreacher.com Pull Up a Chair If this conversation encouraged you, share it with someone navigating a season of change. And remember, there's always room for you at the Counter. Care for Little Ears: This episode includes discussions of criminal investigations, sexual exploitation, and child abuse. Listener discretion is advised. Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    40 | When Your Calling Changes: Burnout, Identity & Finding Purpose | Eric Robinson

  2. 21 Oct

    39 | The Grief Nobody Brings Casseroles For | When Your Loss Goes Unrecognized | Grief Support

    Some grief arrives with casseroles, sympathy cards, and people asking how they can help. Other grief arrives quietly, with no funeral, no flowers, and sometimes no acknowledgment at all. In this solo episode of At the Counter with the Baking Pastor, we explore the grief nobody brings casseroles for: the losses that may go unseen or unrecognized by the people around us. Perhaps you're grieving a relationship that ended, a future you imagined, a change in your health, an estrangement, or a version of your life that no longer exists. These losses may not look like traditional bereavement, but the grief they bring is real. Together, we'll reflect on: What disenfranchised grief means and why some losses go unrecognizedThe different forms grief can take beyond the death of a loved oneWhy you don't need anyone else's permission to acknowledge your lossHow faith can make room for sorrow without demanding quick answersA gentle Soul Pause to help you name what you've been carryingScripture Reflection: Romans 12:15 reminds us to mourn with those who mourn. That invitation to compassion isn't limited to losses other people can easily see. Your Soul Pause: What loss have I been carrying that I haven't allowed myself to call grief? If this conversation speaks to your season of life, I hope you'll remember that your grief doesn't have to meet someone else's definition to deserve care. You are welcome at the Counter, just as you are. ☕ Continue the conversation: Find more encouragement, soul care resources, and our free At the Counter Community at https://bakingpastor.com/counter/ 🎧 Listen and share: If someone you know is carrying an unrecognized loss, consider sharing this episode with them. The Counter is open, and there's always a chair for you here. 💜 Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    39 | The Grief Nobody Brings Casseroles For | When Your Loss Goes Unrecognized | Grief Support

  3. 14 Oct

    38 | When You Feel Like You're Never Enough, From thriving to Self-Worth | Burnout Recovery with Joanna Zhang

    What if your worth had nothing to do with how much you accomplished today? Joanna Zhang, founder of Operations Genius, joins Laura at the Counter for an honest conversation about the exhaustion of chasing approval, the fear behind perfectionism, and the journey toward recognizing our value beyond external success. Joanna shares how she once appeared confident while privately doubting herself, how a spiritual awakening challenged her patterns of control, and why learning to receive care became as important as caring for others. Together, Laura and Joanna explore the questions many of us carry quietly: Why do compliments feel so difficult to accept? Why do we keep pouring into others when we're already empty? And what might change if we stopped measuring ourselves by our accomplishments? In this conversation: Moving from fear and control toward trustRecognizing the difference between achievement and self-worthLearning to accept compliments without dismissing themCaring for yourself before giving everything to othersRedefining success beyond titles, recognition, and expectationsFinding meaning through life's unexpected turnsConnect with Joanna: https://linktr.ee/joannazhang Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    38 | When You Feel Like You're Never Enough, From thriving to Self-Worth | Burnout Recovery with Joanna Zhang

  4. 7 Oct

    37 | When Faith Doesn't Feel Safe Anymore | Spiritual Direction, Church Hurt & Rest with Paul Burgmayer

    What happens when faith still matters to you, but church no longer feels safe? Church hurt, spiritual exhaustion, misuse of authority, shame, and disappointment can leave people wondering where God is and whether faith can ever feel safe again. Healing doesn't always begin with having the right answers. Sometimes it begins with finding a safe place to tell the truth, ask difficult questions, and simply be heard. In this episode of At the Counter with the Baking Pastor, Laura welcomes spiritual director, researcher, and author Paul Burgmayer for a gentle conversation about spiritual direction, church hurt, prayer, trust, and finding God in ordinary life. Paul explains what spiritual direction actually is and why “direction” doesn't mean someone telling you what to do. Instead, a spiritual director can offer presence, careful listening, and space to notice where God may already be at work. Together, Laura and Paul explore: • What spiritual direction is and what a spiritual director actually does • Why people seek spiritual direction during seasons of church hurt or spiritual exhaustion • How healthy spiritual direction avoids control and misuse of authority • Why rebuilding spiritual trust can take time • How prayer can change throughout different seasons of life • Simple forms of prayer when you don't have many words • Finding God in ordinary, everyday moments • What to do when worship or church begins to feel like autopilot • Why slowing down can feel difficult in a culture that wants quick answers • The relationship between psychology and spirituality • Why rest may be the first step when faith feels exhausted Paul also shares a powerful lesson from his own spiritual director, who waited nine years for Paul to feel safe enough to say something he had been carrying. It's a reminder that trust cannot be rushed, especially after we've been hurt. If you're spiritually tired, questioning, recovering from church hurt, or simply longing for a quieter and safer way to listen for God, pull up a chair. You don't have to solve everything today. Sometimes the first step is simply to rest. Connect with Paul Burgmayer Learn more about Paul, his research, spiritual direction, and his book The Making of Modern Spiritual Direction at historyofsd.com. Pull Up a Chair Explore more Christian encouragement, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, books, resources, and the At the Counter community at BakingPastor.com. If this conversation helped you, consider sharing it with someone who may need a safe place to breathe today. Until we pull up a chair next time.  Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    37 | When Faith Doesn't Feel Safe Anymore | Spiritual Direction, Church Hurt & Rest with Paul Burgmayer

  5. 30 Sept

    36 | When You’ve Become Who Everyone Else Needs You to Be | Burnout Recovery with Kimia Penton

    There are seasons when everything looks right from the outside. You’ve worked hard, cared for people, carried responsibilities, and done what was expected of you. But somewhere beneath all that competence, a quieter question may begin to surface: Where did I go? In this episode of At the Counter with the Baking Pastor, Laura is joined by organizational psychologist, leadership practitioner, recording artist, and author Kimia Penton for a conversation about authenticity, people-pleasing, boundaries, burnout, purpose, and belonging. Kimia shares her own experience of realizing she had become skilled at performing the roles expected of her while drifting away from herself. Together, Laura and Kimia explore why saying no can feel so uncomfortable, how healthy boundaries can actually preserve relationships, why kindness sometimes requires more honesty than niceness, and what happens when we stop measuring our lives entirely through other people's approval. Kimia also shares a tender childhood story about a small gray My Little Pony that has remained with her for nearly four decades and why it still reminds her of what love and value really look like. In this conversation: When achievement becomes armorPeople-pleasing, overfunctioning, and burnoutLearning to say no without abandoning the people you loveHealthy boundaries in family, faith, and workThe difference between niceness and kindnessRecognizing our own internal red flagsMoving from “Will they choose me?” to “Do I choose them?”Why legacy is built through the way we live, love, and lead todayYou are more than the roles you perform, the peace you maintain, the approval you earn, or the work you complete. Connect with Kimia Want to go deeper into the themes of authenticity, purpose, and living in alignment with who you were created to be? Visit Kimia Penton’s website to learn more about her work, explore her book, Power, on Purpose, and connect with her: https://www.kimiapenton.com/book Pull up a chair. There’s a place for you here. ☕  Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    36 | When You’ve Become Who Everyone Else Needs You to Be | Burnout Recovery with Kimia Penton

  6. 23 Sept

    35 | When You’re Grieving Someone Who’s Still Here | Grief Support with Julie Barth

    Sometimes grief begins long before someone dies. You can still hear their voice, sit beside them, and love them fiercely while quietly missing the life you used to have together. In this episode of At the Counter, Laura sits down with writer, mother of six, trauma survivor, and founder of the Colin James Barth Outreach, Julie Barth, for an honest conversation about caregiving, anticipatory grief, loss, guilt, and what happens when an entire family learns to live around illness. Julie shares the story of caring for her daughter Taytem through complex medical needs and later walking alongside her husband Colin through pancreatic cancer. She talks candidly about the exhaustion of navigating doctors, treatments, insurance, parenting, and marriage while trying to convince everyone, including herself, that things were “fine.”  Together, Laura and Julie explore the grief that begins before death, the complicated relief a caregiver may experience when suffering finally ends, and the guilt that can follow. Julie also reflects on realizing years later that she had done the best she could in circumstances where nothing ever felt like enough.  They also talk about the emotional “backpack” caregivers carry, the difficulty of admitting when you can no longer do everything yourself, and why caring for yourself is not a betrayal of the person you love.  In this conversation:  Anticipatory grief and grieving someone who is still here  Caregiver exhaustion, guilt, and resentment  Parenting while navigating serious illness  The pressure to tell everyone you’re “fine”  Why grief doesn’t follow a timeline  Giving yourself grace for what you could and couldn’t do  The transition from caregiver to widow  Learning to receive care when you’re accustomed to caring for everyone else  How Julie’s experiences eventually inspired the Colin James Barth Outreach Julie reminds us that it’s okay not to be fine and that we are not defined by how successfully we appear to be holding everything together.  Soul Pause: What are you carrying that you haven’t allowed yourself to name? Not fix. Not solve. Just name. ☕💛  Connect with Julie: JulieBarthAuthor.com Learn more about Julie’s books,  Taytem’s art, and the Colin James Barth Outreach. Care for Little Ears: This episode includes conversations about serious illness, cancer, caregiving, death, grief, and end-of-life experiences. ☕ Pull up a chair. The Counter is open. Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    35 | When You’re Grieving Someone Who’s Still Here | Grief Support with Julie Barth

  7. 16 Sept

    34 | When the Life You Built No Longer Fits | Burnout Recovery with Jobert Abueva

    What happens when the life you worked so hard to build no longer fits who you are? Sometimes burnout recovery begins before we make the next plan, set another goal, or try to reinvent ourselves. It begins by slowing down long enough to look honestly at where we've been, what we've been carrying, and what our lives may be trying to teach us. In this episode of At the Counter, Laura welcomes Jobert E. Abueva, author, global marketing and philanthropy executive, and creator of The Janus Plan. Jobert shares the story of reaching profound burnout while leading a successful international career. From the outside, he appeared to be thriving. Behind the success were exhaustion, relentless travel, little sleep, and beliefs such as I must outperform, rest is for the weak, and others expect perfection. That breaking point eventually invited Jobert to reconsider not only how he worked, but how he approached transitions, endings, goals, and new beginnings. Together, Laura and Jobert explore how to recognize burnout, why reflection can be an important part of burnout recovery, and how looking backward can help us move forward after grief, change, or an ending we didn't choose. How can you tell when exhaustion has become burnout? Burnout can be difficult to recognize when overworking has become normal. Jobert reflects on the beliefs and expectations that kept him pushing long after his body and life were asking him to slow down. Laura and Jobert discuss the difference between ordinary tiredness and a deeper depletion that may signal something needs to change. Why look backward when you're trying to move forward? Jobert shares his “good, bad, and ugly” approach to reflection and why beginning again doesn't require erasing everything that came before. Looking back isn't about getting stuck in the past. It can help us recognize what shaped us, what we've learned, what still matters, and what we may no longer need to carry into the next season. What about endings and transitions we didn't choose? Not every new beginning comes from a goal we enthusiastically set. Laura and Jobert also talk about grief and unwanted change, including Jobert's experience of losing his father during the COVID shutdowns. Their conversation explores how reflection can help us honor what has been part of our lives while discerning what we want to carry forward. In this conversation, you'll hear about: • How to recognize the difference between being tired and experiencing burnout • Hidden beliefs that can keep us overworking and overperforming • Why reflection can matter in burnout recovery • Jobert's “good, bad, and ugly” approach to looking back • Why endings deserve reflection before beginnings become another rush forward • Grief, unwanted change, and transitions we never planned • Deciding what to carry forward and what we're ready to release • Why handwriting and physical reflection can help us slow down • Beginning again without needing to have the next five years figured out Soul Pause What are you doing right now because it genuinely matters to you, and what are you doing because you're convinced that you have to? You don't need to fix anything today. Just notice. And perhaps consider one more question: What is this moment trying to teach me? Maybe beginning again doesn't require an empty loom. The threads of joy, disappointment, love, loss, wisdom, and experience are already part of your tapestry. Sometimes one small, intentional thread is enough to begin. Connect with Jobert Learn more about Jobert E. Abueva and The Janus Plan:  https://joberteabueva.com/ Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    34 | When the Life You Built No Longer Fits | Burnout Recovery with Jobert Abueva

  8. 9 Sept

    33 | When Other People Decide What You're Capable Of | Christian Encouragement with Dorsey Ross

    What happens when other people decide what you’re capable of before you ever get the chance to find out for yourself? Dorsey Ross has spent much of his life hearing predictions about what he wouldn’t be able to do. Born with Apert syndrome, Dorsey was not expected to survive into adulthood. Doctors encouraged his parents to institutionalize him, teachers questioned whether he could succeed in college, and later, doors into traditional ministry repeatedly closed. But Dorsey’s parents raised him differently. They encouraged him to try, explore, and discover what he could do rather than allowing other people’s expectations to define his future. At the counter, Dorsey and Laura talk about the voices we allow to shape our identity, trusting God when His plans look different from ours, finding genuine friendship, navigating grief, caring for someone you love, and learning to keep moving forward when life knocks you down. Dorsey also shares how a calling he once struggled to imagine eventually led him to travel and share his story for years. Because a closed door doesn’t necessarily mean your purpose has disappeared. And someone else’s prediction about your life doesn’t get to write the ending. ☕ Soul Pause: Whose voice have you allowed to tell you what you’re capable of, and what might God be saying instead? Connect with Dorsey: Visit DorseyRossShow.com to learn more about Dorsey, his podcast, faith story, ministry, and speaking. Continue the conversation: Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Continue the conversation inside the At the Counter community. Find encouragement, connection, and a place to remember you don’t have to carry everything alone. 📱 Search At the Counter in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and pull up a chair. Support the show ☕ Enjoying At the Counter? Share the podcast with a friend: If an episode made you think of someone, send it their way.Leave a review: Your review helps more people discover At the Counter with the Baking Pastor and find encouragement for the season they’re walking through.Come join us at the Counter: Download the At the Counter app in your phone’s app store and connect with a welcoming community where the conversation continues between episodes. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is for anyone looking for Christian encouragement for hard seasons, grief support, burnout recovery, soul care, and faith in everyday life. We talk about grief and loss support, caregiving, life transitions, unwanted change, emotional healing, spiritual weariness, rest and renewal, and practical soul care for the days when life feels heavy, faith feels tired, or you simply don’t feel like yourself anymore. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

    33 | When Other People Decide What You're Capable Of | Christian Encouragement with Dorsey Ross
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About

Are you grieving a loss, navigating an unwanted change, caring for everyone but yourself, or waking up already tired? Maybe you’re burned out, your faith feels weary, or life simply doesn’t feel the way it used to. At the Counter with the Baking Pastor is a Christian podcast offering encouragement for hard seasons, grief and loss support, burnout recovery, practical soul care, and honest conversations about faith in everyday life. Hosted by Laura Sharp-Waites, licensed minister, pastoral counselor, and Christian soul care coach, each episode brings meaningful stories, gentle spiritual encouragement, and practical ways to care for your soul when life feels heavy. Here, grief is bigger than bereavement. It can come with caregiving, divorce, friendship loss, health changes, career changes, disappointment, or a life you never expected to be living. Sometimes what you’re carrying has a name, and sometimes you simply know you don’t feel like yourself anymore. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you come to the Counter. This is a place to slow down, breathe, reconnect with your faith, and notice God’s presence in the middle of ordinary life. Pull up a chair. The counter is open. ☕

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