This Week’s Listener Question:

I’ve been invited to a silent retreat. I’d like to attend but honestly every time I try to meditate or sit in silent prayer, my mind races and I feel restless and distracted. What’s the point of sitting still?

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. How would you describe your comfort level with solitude and silence?

2. What comes up for you when you practice silence, meditation, or prayer?

3. What helps you drop into a quieter, slower mode? What benefits do you receive when you do?

4. Have you ever observed a “Sabbath”? What went well? What was hard? What did you learn about yourself or your faith?

5. Bonus – What’s the difference between solitude and loneliness?

Resources:

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE

This week we interview Claire Allen, a survivor of the 2021 Marshall Fires in Colorado in hopes of supporting friends now enduring massive fires in Los Angeles. This podcast is for anyone who is walking through trauma, loss, and grief or lovingly supporting someone who is.

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. When have you experienced a “fire storm” in your life?

2. In the early days of trauma or tragedy, how would you have described your body sensations, thinking, feelings, or responses? Did you speed up or slow down?

3. What have been your anchors during hard times? How have they helped or grounded you to stay standing in faith, health, or relationships during big storms?

4. Claire shared her unique reactions to trauma, loss, and grief after losing her home in the Marshall Fires. What are some helpful take aways or tools to support others or yourself in the most challenging seasons of life?

Resources:

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE

This Week’s Listener Question:

I keep hearing that the new year is a perfect time to let go of the old in order to take hold of the new, but what does that really mean and how can I do it?

Would you like to be with Laura and Christine as they record their 100th Soul Enchilada episode? If so, email Laura at laura@3oclockwakeup.com to reserve your seat. The recording will be done the week of January 20, 2025. We hope you’ll be a part of this fun event!

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. What do you need to let go of because it is no longer serving you or holding you back?

2. When you think about letting go, what emotions arise in you?

3. What rituals or actions could help you release what you need to let go of? How might this create more space for new things?

4. How can you organize your day / time to step into new things?

5. What are your 2025 intentions or highest priorities? How will you live these out?

Resources:

Laura is teaching a virtual women’s retreat on Saturday, January 11th 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. (MT). To learn more visit – 1/11/25 Women's Retreat

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE

This Week’s Listener Question:

Even though I tried to make the holidays peaceful and wonderful for my family, everything seemed to blow up in my face. How is it that you can do everything “right” as a parent and your kids are still going through major mental health issues?

Would you like to be with Laura and Christine as they record their 100th Soul Enchilada episode? If so, email Laura at laura@3oclockwakeup.com to reserve your seat. The recording will be done the week of January 20, 2025. We hope you’ll be a part of this fun event!

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. What mental health issues are talked about in your family? Which ones are kept secret?

2. Why do you think some emotions or experiences are easier to talk about then others, even though they’re universal?

3. How has a painful experience led you towards a career path, opened a door, or invited you into a new opportunity? Share your story.

4. How can you show up, be present, listen without judgment, and lean in with love to someone who is struggling with a mental health issue?

Resources:

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

This Week’s Listener Question:

My college-aged kid came home from school super stressed out! How can I talk her off the ledge when she’s about to have an anxiety attack?

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. How do your family members show their anxiety?

2. When you witness someone super anxious, what does it activate in you?

3. What helps you manage your personal anxiety? What’s in your “tool kit”?

4. In what ways can we model calmness in the presence of anxiety?

5. Brainstorm all the ways you can anchor yourself in calmness prior to a stressful situation, such as the holidays.

Resources:

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE

This Week’s Listener Question:

What’s wrong with me? Every time I go home for the holidays, I revert back to my teenage self. I’ve matured so much since the but I act like a rebellious adolescent around my parents and siblings.

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. During the holiday, how do you regress or revert back to an older version of yourself?

2. How can you prepare yourself ahead of time for all the stress in this season? What do you need or want that might be different this year?

3. Who could be an ally for you this year, someone who holds you accountable for who you want to be? How can you purposefully plan with them?

4. What 3 values do you want to prioritize this holiday season? How will you live them out?

5. How can you anchor yourself in the person you’re trying to become or create? What the first step?

Resources:

Laura is hosting 3 free classes during the holidays to help prepare you for all the big emotions that come up this time of year. To register – Free Sign Up

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE

This Week’s Listener Question:

Thanksgiving is in two weeks. I really don’t want to host my extended family because we’re divided on several key topics. How do I navigate family division and still enjoy the holidays?

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. When you think about Thanksgiving this year, what feelings and thoughts come up for you?

2. Think of a time when you had “gridlock” with a partner or family member. How have you learned to love in the midst of conflict or disagreements?

3. In what ways could you practice self-care and self-compassion in this post-election and pre-holiday season?

4. Why do you think it’s important to H.A.L.T. (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) a conversation until you can take care of yourself?

5. Where are your safe spaces that you can express your genuine feelings and be present for others to express theirs?

Resources:

Laura is hosting 3 free classes during the holidays to help prepare you for all the big emotions that come up this time of year. To register – Free Sign Up

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

To ask Laura to speak at your event – laurabusse.com

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE

This Week’s Listener Question:

I’m in a really uncomfortable space. I used to be in breadwinner for our family. Now my husband and I switched places. He’s going to work and I’m staying home with the kids. I feel lost, without direction, in this new role. How do I motivate myself in this weird space?

SOUL Group Questions:

To build connection with a friend or in your Soul Group, ask each other these questions.

1. What uncomfortable transition or liminal space do you find yourself in?

2. What different emotions are you noticing in your current space?

3. How can you create “sacred space” in this season of your life? What needs to shift in order to do so?

4. Laura and Christine talked about slowing down, honoring your emotions, reflecting, and trusting the process. Which it the hardest for you to do? Why do you think so?

5. What’s your one take away from this podcast you want to remember and apply in your life?

Resources: In Midlife by Murray Stein – Book

To sign up for one-on-one grief and/or faith support with Laura, visit griefandhope.org

Have a question for us? Send it to questions@soulenchilada.com

Learn more about Laura’s ministry The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call – HERE

Learn more about Christine Ruth, counseling practice, and future retreats – HERE