The Life Council: Discussion Guide + Resources

You'd love to have a "ride or die" posse like you see on social media, but instead you have a host of really good . . . acquaintances. After all, trying to find a soul friend in the midst of dirty dishes, deadlines, and, oh, a crazy busy life can be overwhelming.

But what if developing great friendships was actually easier than we thought? And what if finding a "soul friend" wasn't necessarily our highest goal?

In The Life Council, Laura Tremaine—the writer and podcaster behind 10 Things to Tell You—tells us what we've been hoping was true all along: making, keeping, and even releasing friends doesn't need to be as hard as we make it. This fun and practical guide will inspire and equip you to be a better friend, make new friends, and appreciate how different types of friendships can bring a richness to your life like never before.

You can read more and get your copy here.

About the Author

Laura grew up in a small town in southern Oklahoma and moved to Los Angeles site unseen when she was 22. Years of film and television production followed, and in 2007 she married the director she met on her first movie set. 

For six years, Laura wrote regularly at Hollywood Housewife, a blog that opened doors of friendship and opportunity all over the world. Through blogging, Laura traveled to Sri Lanka, Haiti, Israel, and all over the United States writing and speaking. 

Eventually she closed the Hollywood Housewife blog and moved toward podcasting. She was a regular co-host on the girlfriend chat show Sorta Awesome and is the creator and host of the topic-driven Smartest Person in the Room. 

In 2019, Laura launched the 10 Things To Tell You podcast, a show born out from her realization that sharing herself online and in person pulled her out of a long season of loneliness. Each episode of 10 Things To Tell You provides a prompt for you to take to your journal or text to a best friend or use to start a deeper, more meaningful conversation. Because sharing yourself is the key to connection.

From the 10 Things To Tell You podcast came her first book Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level (2021).

Laura lives in LA with her husband, Jeff, and their two children. She is passionate about 20 minute reading timers, bold lipstick, Stephen King, and chicken wings.

Discussion Questions

1.    What did you learn about friendships when you were young? Have those ideas served you in adulthood or do they warrant a reexamination?

2.    Does the idea of a Life Council resonate with you? Why or why not?

3.    Which of the Life Council members are you able to easily identify in your life? Where are the gaps?

4.    Are there any categories you would add to the Life Council?

5.    Did you learn anything in this book that can help you foster healthy friendships going forward?

Other Resources

Fellow podcaster Jamie Golden holds two (!) seats on Laura’s Life Council. Listen to their interview here.

Here’s an interview with Laura on the That Sounds Fun podcast.

Finally, you know I believe this! (Hint: It’s why I create the monthly discussion guides – I want to make it easy for you!)