There are seasons when it feels like everyone else is moving forward while you're standing still. You look around and wonder if you've missed your chance, taken a wrong turn, or simply should be further along by now.

This week at the counter, Laura welcomes executive coach, author, and wood turner Chip Scholz for a thoughtful conversation about the slow work of becoming. Drawing from decades of coaching leaders, personal loss, woodworking, and everyday life, Chip shares why growth rarely happens all at once and why the small decisions we make each day quietly shape the people we're becoming.

Together they explore what it means to grant ourselves grace, stay curious instead of judgmental, and trust that God is still at work, even when life doesn't look the way we expected. If you've ever felt unfinished, behind, or unsure of your next step, this conversation offers a gentle reminder that you don't have to have everything figured out to keep moving forward.

In this episode...

• Why so many of us feel like we should be further along in life
•  Learning to extend grace to ourselves as freely as we give it to others
• Why curiosity often leads to healing better than self-judgment
• What a pocketknife, a wood lathe, and a piece of maple can teach us about becoming
• Trusting God through unexpected detours, loss, and changing plans
• Why the next small step matters more than having the whole journey mapped out
• Embracing the truth that your story is still unfolding

About Chip Scholz

Chip Scholz is an executive coach, leadership consultant, author, and wood turner who believes life's greatest lessons are often found in the ordinary moments we tend to overlook. Through decades of coaching leaders, telling stories, and crafting with wood, he has discovered that growth happens one small decision at a time. His book, Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe, reflects on the people, experiences, and quiet moments that shape who we become.

Connect with Chip

🌐 https://scholzandassociates.com/

📖 Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe
https://amzn.to/4faf23a

Connect with Laura

If this conversation encouraged you, I'd love to invite you to pull up a chair each week.

🌐 bakingpastor.com

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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. ☕