Contributors

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Host

Laura Sharp-Waites

Laura Sharp-Waites is a licensed minister, soul care guide, and the voice behind At the Counter with the Baking Pastor.


Known for her warm, invitational approach, Laura creates space to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with God in everyday life. Her work centers on gentle faith, emotional healing, and helping others find clarity and purpose when they feel stuck or overwhelmed.


Blending spiritual reflection with everyday rhythms, she draws from the imagery of the kitchen counter—a place of conversation, honesty, and quiet transformation. Through her podcast, writing, and soul care work, Laura reminds us that faith is found not just in big moments, but in small, sacred spaces.


She is the author of At the Counter and the Soul Pause Journal, and founder at Dare to Live Again.

https://daretoliveagain.com

Guests

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Ashton Stevens

Ashton Stevens is an Atlanta-based alternative hip-hop artist, originally from the Florida Panhandle. His music is deeply introspective, rooted in faith and real-life experience, and shaped by themes of emotional regulation, purpose, and personal growth.

He uses music as a way to process what’s real… not just what sounds good.

His single Edge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb-IrWD_RYo

https://www.ashtonstevens.com/

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Chip Scholz

 Chip Scholz, an executive coach, author, and leadership strategist who believes the small decisions we make every day shape the lives we eventually live. After nearly 30 years coaching leaders and organizations, he’s learned that meaningful change rarely happens all at once. He’s the author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts, Every Dog Has Its Day, and Handoffs .

http://www.scholzandassociates.com/
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Doug Earl Johnston

Doug Earl Johnston is a former corporate executive, testifying expert, and world champion sailor. Over a multi-decade career spanning banking, private equity, and litigation consulting, he developed a sustained interest in language, motivation, and emotional definition. “Choosing Emotions” represents nine years of research across disciplines and traditions.  

You can find Doug's book, Choosing Emotions Thinking with Your Head and Acting with Your Heart, on Amazon: https://amzn.to/430dPEM 

https://choosingemotions.com/

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Heidi Blackie

Heidi Blackie, MOT/L, is a speaker, coach, and creator of UnshakableMe®: science-meets-soul programs helping women silence their inner critic, quiet the overwhelm, and trust themselves again. After chronic illness and loss brought her to a complete standstill, she rebuilt herself from the inside out - and discovered that the stories we tell ourselves are often what keep us most stuck. With 28 years as an Occupational Therapist and hard-won lived experience, she now guides women to stop running on autopilot, reclaim their voice, and create lives that actually feel like theirs. 


Heidi has created a space where you can continue exploring that gently and at your own pace. Here website is https://www.unshakableme.com or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnshakableMe

https://www.unshakableme.com/

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Jay Setchell

Jay Setchell knows what it means to keep going when life doesn't go as planned. A Marine veteran, Jay has survived multiple near-death experiences, 73 surgeries, paralysis, and countless setbacks, yet his faith has never wavered.

Through every challenge, he's discovered that inner strength isn't something we're born with or without. It's something we uncover through faith, perseverance, community, and the choices we make each day.

Jay believes that while others can encourage and support us, each of us must choose to take the next step forward. His guiding philosophy is simple: "If it is to be, it is up to me."

Today, Jay encourages others to embrace resilience, lean on God, and remember his favorite reminder:

It's always too soon to quit.

https://neverquittrying.com/

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Jody Hudson

Jody Hudson is an author, speaker, philanthropist, and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation. Her memoir, My Promise to Alex, chronicles her daughter’s battle with Lyme disease and the unwavering love and advocacy that shaped their journey.

Today, Jody continues honoring Alex’s legacy through education, awareness, and support for others navigating Lyme disease and chronic illness.

Connect with Jody

Foundation: https://www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org/
Book: My Promise to Alex on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4u8BqyS 

https://www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org/

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John Salzwedel

John Salzwedel is a coach, speaker, and author of STOP Leaving Life on the Table. His work focuses on helping people think clearly when something important is on the line. After nearly thirty years in the insurance industry, John began asking deeper questions about purpose, responsibility, and what it means to build a life that truly fits. Over time, he realized that many people aren’t stuck because they lack ability—but because they’re trying to carry too much in their own head. Today, he works with people who are trying to sort something out—often an important decision they don’t want to get wrong—helping them slow things down, cut through the noise, and move forward with clarity and confidence. His conversations center on how people lose clarity in the middle of busy, demanding lives—and how a few honest questions can turn confusion into a clear, grounded next step. 

https://www.thecoach.vip/podcast

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Karen Davidson

Karen Davidson is a deaconess and co-creator of Suds n Buds, a ministry that offers laundry support and care for those experiencing homelessness in her community. Her work is rooted in simple, meaningful acts of compassion—meeting people in everyday needs while offering presence, dignity, and care.


As a deaconess, Karen walks alongside congregations and communities, helping them find practical ways to care for others in real, tangible ways. She lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband and enjoys time outdoors, especially biking and walking with her dog—preferably when it’s a little warmer than freezing.


Connect with ShowerUp:

https://showerup.org/huntsville/

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Kristan Swan

Kristan Swan, M.Ed., is a business coach turned life and spiritual guide devoted to helping people come home to themselves. After years of helping entrepreneurs and leaders build successful businesses, she now helps people build lives that feel aligned with who they truly are.

Through journals, workshops, and guided classes, Kristan encourages people to explore their stories, question inherited beliefs, reconnect with their inner wisdom, and make decisions that reflect their deepest values. Her work is rooted in curiosity, compassion, and the belief that our pasts do not define us—they inform us.

Kristan's mission is to help people embrace the beautifully imperfect journey of becoming and discover the courage, clarity, and creativity to write the next chapter of their story on purpose.


 

https://kristanswan.com

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Kurt Bush

Kurt Bush is a certified Internal Family Systems Practitioner, trauma-informed coach, and co-founder of Brimstone Coaching Group. With a background spanning corporate leadership, pastoral ministry, and coaching, Kurt helps leaders break free from self-doubt, embrace authenticity, and lead with confidence. Having overcome his own struggles with imposter syndrome, Kurt is passionate about guiding others through transformational growth and into authentic leadership. Through Brimstone’s unique E + R = T approach (Encounter + Reflection = Transformation), Kurt equips individuals and teams to move from exhaustion and frustration to clarity and wholeness. He is also the co-host of The Brimstone Coaching Podcast, where he and his coaching partner explore leadership, personal growth, and breaking through barriers. 

https://www.brimstonecoachinggroup.com/1-1coaching

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Larry Brant

 Dr. Larry Brant is a Navy Chaplain with 16 years' experience and 25 years' experience as a local minister before the military. He is a board-certified chaplain with a proven track record dealing with PTSD and moral injury. 

https://restoring-the-broken.com

People with PTSD and moral injury can be helped if they are listened to and restored to a life they feel is worth living.

https://restoring-the-broken.com

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Melissa Prusinski

Melissa Prusinski is the founder of Our Healing Farm, a faith-based equine-assisted ministry, and the author of Say Howdy to Healing and Hope. Her journey has been shaped by childhood, medical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual trauma, as well as a life-changing battle with late-stage Lyme disease.

Rather than writing from a place of having all the answers, Melissa shares honestly from the ongoing process of healing. Through her ministry, book, and Christ-centered support herds, she encourages others to move beyond survival mode, listen for the Holy Spirit, and discover that healing often happens quietly, one faithful step at a time.

Today, Melissa walks alongside others, creating spaces where hope, restoration, and deeper faith can grow, even when healing feels slow or unfinished.

https://www.ourhealingfarm.com/

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Rev. Rebecca Foster

Rev. Rebecca Foster, an ordained minister with a background in chaplaincy and death care. Rebecca has walked closely with people through some of life's most tender moments, where questions don't always have answers and what people need most isn't someone to fix the situation, but someone willing to stay present.

You can learn more about and connect with Rebecca on Threads at @rev.rctfoster

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Tammy Noble

Tammy Nobble is a marriage mentor, ministry leader, and business strategist passionate about helping couples move from survival mode into true, covenant-centered partnership. With a bold yet honest approach, she speaks into the real struggles marriages face—calling people out of performance, pressure, and disconnection, and back into intimacy with God and one another.


Her message is shaped by her own journey through striving, fear of man, and misplaced identity—experiences that deeply impacted both purpose and relationships. Through surrender and spiritual alignment, Tammy encountered the kind of restoration that comes from putting God first, and now carries that perspective into every space she leads.


Blending biblical truth with practical tools, she equips couples to rebuild trust, strengthen communication, and rediscover who they are—individually and together.

https://www.noblesolutionist.com