What’s in Your Soul Stack?

I’m sitting in a virtual summit, where the presenters have been dazzling the audience with the ways they use AI in their lives and businesses. I’m taking copious notes; I’m sure I can recreate this on my own if I just take the time and really apply myself. The Q&A lights up, and someone finally asks the question I’m dying to ask:

“What’s in your tech stack?”

Ah, yes. How do they do it? I lean forward as the presenter names tools and promises to share prompts. I’m already imagining more time returned to writing and speaking.

But I’ve collected useful tools before. Some helped. Others became one more thing I struggled to learn while the work I cared about waited. When another business program offers a way to learn the systems for myself, I feel both hope and caution. Will this support the path I’ve chosen, or pull me away toward another compelling idea?

Before I can answer, I need to hear myself beneath the excitement. I turn to the practices that help me listen, get clarity, and choose with intention. I call them my Soul Stack.

You May Already Have One

A Soul Stack is your chosen collection of practices, tools, and support that helps you stay connected to your soul and bring that connection into everyday life.

You may already be using yours without calling it that.

Perhaps you take a walk when a decision needs to be sorted out. Somewhere along the way, your thoughts settle, and you realize what matters. Maybe you sit quietly with your morning coffee before opening your messages, giving yourself a few minutes to hear what you feel before everyone else needs something from you.

You might write in a journal until the words reveal a truth you’ve been avoiding. Or call the friend who listens without taking over, the one who helps you hear your own answer. Prayer, meditation, movement, or music may help you find your way back when you feel scattered.

What makes these practices part of your Soul Stack is how you use them. Do they help you become more honest with yourself? Can you hear your inner guidance more clearly afterward? Does that clarity influence what you do next?

Consider what you reach for when you’re overwhelmed. Some habits may leave you feeling depleted or more scattered; others help you feel renewed and present enough to respond. Recognizing the difference is a useful place to begin.

When Life Calls For Your Tools

It is easy to feel connected when life is quiet. A surprising email, a painful conversation, or a costly decision can send me back to an old habit: thinking harder and faster until I drown out the wisdom I’m trying to hear.

This is where familiarity matters. A practice I use regularly is easier to remember when I’m upset. My Soul Stack gives me several ways to return, depending on what the moment needs.

Gratitude and meditation help me listen. Before the day gets busy, I say thank you, set an intention, and spend a little time in stillness. Sometimes an idea arrives; sometimes I simply notice how I’m feeling. Those few minutes help me begin the day in relationship with my soul and myself.

Coherence helps me pause when my mind gets noisy, or emotions want to take over. I bring my attention to my heart, breathe slowly and comfortably, and recall a feeling of appreciation or care. That pause gives me room to notice my reaction before I answer the email or enter the conversation.

Writing helps when I need to go deeper. I put a question on the page, get quiet, and write without editing. If I don’t know where to begin, I ask, “What do I need to know right now?” I let thoughts, feelings, and unfinished sentences emerge, then read back for patterns and possible next steps.

Getting out into nature and connecting to the Earth brings calm, perspective, and self-care when I start to feel burned out.

You might use different practices for these same purposes. The value is in knowing what helps you listen, what helps you steady yourself, and what helps you turn insight into a choice.

A Good Idea Still Needs Discernment

With the program decision, writing helped me name the need beneath my enthusiasm. I knew what I wanted to create, but trying to figure out the technology behind it was crowding my mind. I wanted to learn enough to direct my own systems, with people I could ask when I got stuck.

I wrote down what I hoped would change: less mental noise, more independence, and a way to connect my books, writing, interviews, and teaching. I considered the cost and weekly commitment. Would this create room for my work or consume the time I protect for it?

The question shifted from “Is this a good program?” to “Is this the right support for the life and work I’m choosing?”

This is one way I use my ASCEND framework in my life: Attention to what is happening, a Soul-led Intention, Curating the practices and support I need, Experimenting in real life, Noticing what changes, and Deciding what to continue or adjust. Within that process, my Soul Stack supports the choices I make and the processes I use to evaluate them.

What’s in your Soul Stack?

Think of a recent moment when you felt more connected to yourself and your soul. What were you doing? What helped? Begin there.

Name two or three practices that help you listen, that keep you grounded, and one person or tool that helps you work through a difficult question. Consciously choose one to use intentionally the next time life surprises you.

You may already have more support than you realize. Recognizing it can help you trust yourself enough to use it.

TAKE ACTION: Choose one practice that has helped you feel more connected to yourself, and make a little room for it today. Notice what becomes clearer when you give yourself time to listen. You can begin your Soul Stack with something you already know supports you. If you’d like support finding the practices that fit your life, connect with Sonia Luckey to explore what could help you meet everyday challenges with greater clarity and trust in yourself.