Curated proof that the world has soul, for the people who love this stuff!
💥 In This Week’s Issue
A personal note: the three-word question from Maria Shriver that changes how you show up for someone — and what happened when I tried it on my daughter in the car
Worth knowing: Sarah Bareilles's song for Anderson Cooper, Rebecca Rosen on transitions as growth, the flowers being planted to end LGBTQ+ homelessness, and why this week is one of the biggest astrological weeks of the summer
Also this week: a society for people who love clouds, Hipster Jesus, and the manifestation subway
Light-Holder Spotlight: Heather King of Root & Branch
Plus: community recs on books, music, and skincare, and what's new in the Hold the Light shop
“Do you want to be helped, heard, or hugged?”
Long ago, I read this line in one of Maria Shriver’s Sunday Papers as she was discussing the topic of who has your back. “Do you want to be helped, heard, or hugged?”
This stuck with me – what a wonderful way to communicate with someone when they come to us when they want to share about what’s on their heart.
I tried this out on my daughter when she was younger after I picked her up from school one day. It was that time of day when kids’ big feelings come out after holding it in all day. She told me she wanted to talk.
“Okay. I have something new I want to try out with you,” I said. “Do you want to be heard, helped, or hugged?” And then since we were sitting in the car, I added in one more in the moment: “Or hands? Do you want to hold hands?”
I could see her eyes light up. This was speaking her language. This was giving her the space to let me know what she needs, without my rushing in to give her what I think she needs.
It’s often my knee jerk reaction to want to solve things for my kids. To offer advice and ideas and solutions. To help. But, that’s not always what they need nor want.
This feels universal…
Sometimes we just want to be heard. Sometimes we want help. Sometimes we want to be hugged. And sometimes, we just want someone to hold our hand.
In that moment with my daughter, she wanted to be heard … and to my delight and surprise, she wanted to hold my hand, too.
What is it you need right now, at this moment? Do you want to be heard, helped, hugged? Or do you just want someone to quietly hold your hand? Find your people — your community — who want to give this type of grace to you.
WORTH KNOWING
🎧 On this podcast episode of All There Is with Anderson Cooper, Sarah Bareilles sings the song she wrote after hearing Cooper’s moving conversation with Stephen Colbert on the podcast. Listen to this full episode and the song, and how deeply moved Cooper was by it.
🕊️ Transitions are part of our soul’s journey and evolution. Rebecca Rosen explores how transitions can become opportunities for deeper clarity, alignment, and growth.
🌻 Planting flowers in sidewalk cracks to help end LGBTQ+ homelessness.
📝 The most dangerous years to make decisions from fear (and why).
🌌 In astrological news, this is one of the biggest weeks of the summer! ”On Wednesday the Sun comes home to Leo and joins Jupiter there, opening the first Leo season in twelve years with the planet of luck lighting it from within.” Spirit Daughter Jill Wintersteen on what’s happening this week and what to focus on.
Little things keeping me going.
→ My new friend Carly told me about this: a Cloud Appreciation Society, for people who love the sky! How delightful is that?!
→ Hipster Jesus. 😇 😁
→ Arriving at the manifestation subway. 🚊
Recs from the HTLC community
📘 Your Soul is the Source of Your Power by Sean Collyns — this one was blowing up our WhatsApp chat room
🎵 “All Them Horses” by Noah Kahan — my friend Egan recommended this song to me after attending my horse workshop with Leiko… and wow, is it beautiful
💋 Shop some of my fave makeup and skincare products — these I stand by
Heather King
Heather King is one of those light-holders I am thrilled to highlight. She's an ordained Interfaith Minister, a spiritually based psychotherapist, and the founder of Root & Branch, a spiritual community grounded in open-hearted curiosity and care — for ourselves, for one another, and for the world.
I met Heather when she joined my 24-week book study on The Freedom Transmissions. Over these past many months, I watched her show up with real wisdom, grounded presence, and a generosity in how she shared herself with the group. She's since moved into sharing more of her own work, and recently launched a new site and offerings. (We are also planning a workshop we will co-create in the fall. Stay tuned!)
At Root & Branch, Heather holds space for people to grow in connection to themselves and to Spirit, through community and one-on-one work. She supports people in healing what's been out of balance and building greater alignment, meaning, and purpose — offering private healing sessions, book study groups, and spiritual practice and process groups.
About Heather: She's spent 25 years devoted to spiritual growth and healing — her own and others'. If you've been craving spiritual community, or a therapist who understands the soul right alongside the psyche, Heather is a true light-holder. Go see what she's building. ⤵
What we call doubt is often simply dullness of mind and spirit, not the absence of faith at all, but faith latent with the lives we are not quite living.
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This edition was written by Laurie Gunning Grossman.
Build the Light is part of Hold the Light Collective — where this work goes deeper, in community.
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