In this episode of Encountering You, Laura Williams explains why nervous system regulation isn’t about being calm, positive, or emotionally controlled. Regulation is about your ability to stay present with stress, emotion, and discomfort without shutting down or becoming reactive.

You’ll learn how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn show up in everyday life, why dysregulation isn’t a failure, and how regulation grows through compassion, repetition, and safe connection.

In this episode, Laura explores why purpose is so essential to our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being—and why so many of us feel disconnected from it. Instead of treating purpose like a goal to achieve, Laura reframes it as something that naturally emerges as we heal, become more grounded, and reconnect with who we truly are.

Drawing from personal story, the Healing Our Core Issues (HOCI) model, and current research, she explains how purpose is shaped by our core developmental needs (attachment, self-esteem, boundaries, reality, dependency, and moderation) and how unmet needs can make purpose feel confusing or out of reach.

You’ll learn:

Laura closes with a grounding blessing, reminding you that you don’t have to earn your purpose.
You are here on purpose—and that is enough.

Encountering You will be taking a short break over Christmas and New Years. In this short message, Laura shares what she hopes for you this season, and a preview of what to expect from Encountering You in 2026!

The holidays can stir up more than joy—they can activate old wounds, grief, and loneliness we don’t always talk about. In this episode, Laura gently explores why this season can feel heavy, how family systems and sensory memories pull us back into old roles, and why grief shows up in so many forms. With grounding tools and compassionate guidance, she invites you to move through the holidays with more honesty, choice, and kindness toward yourself. This episode is a soft place to land if the season feels tender.

In this episode of Encountering You, Laura Williams explores how a well-known relationship tool — Love Languages— can unintentionally create disconnection when used as a rule instead of a reflection of real love.

Through the lens of Healing Our Core Issues, Laura unpacks how our love languages often reveal unmet childhood needs and how genuine connection grows through attunement, not performance.

You’ll learn:

Politics and faith weren’t meant to be weapons, but windows into the heart. When conversations turn political, it’s easy to choose sides and lose sight of each other. In this week’s episode, Laura will talk about what happens when belonging gets tangled with belief—and how to hold conviction without losing compassion. Maybe the real question isn’t whose side are you on, but how can we stay connected in the middle? What if Jesus didn’t come to take sides—but to take us home to love?  

In this episode, Laura continues her conversation on forgiveness — exploring what it looks like when healing unfolds slowly, safely, and in relationship. Using the story of Peter’s denial of Jesus, she shows that forgiveness isn’t about rushing past pain but creating space for honesty, safety, and repair.

You’ll hear why forgiveness before safety feels like self-betrayal, how healthy shame can open the door to empathy, and why boundaries are a vital part of restoration.

Highlights:

Sometimes forgiveness comes too soon — not because we’re unfaithful, but because we’re afraid. Many of you have been told that good Christians forgive quickly, but what if forgiveness that comes too soon isn’t holy…it’s harm?

Your body knows when it’s not ready. Betrayal doesn’t just break trust — it breaks regulation. In this episode, Laura will explore what betrayal does to the nervous system and why true forgiveness starts with safety, honesty, and time — not speed.

Did you know that establishing a secure attachment system is not just our responsibility to ourselves? It is actually how we become more like Jesus and it is also our responsibility to the world. In todays episode, we will talk about parenting and discipleship, reparenting our younger selves, moving from fear to love and building lasting rhythms so that we can maintain a secure foundation. You can subscribe today on AccessMore or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode.