The Collide Podcast

What do you do when life doesn't look the way you hoped, and you're struggling to see God's goodness in the middle of it?

It's easy to believe God is good when life is going according to plan, but what about when motherhood feels overwhelming, your circumstances aren't changing, or you're carrying grief that no one else seems to understand? Sometimes the ordinary moments of life are filled with extraordinary challenges, and you find yourself wondering how to hold on to hope when things aren't the way they're supposed to be.

In this episode of The Collide Podcast, Willow Weston sits down with bestselling author, poet, and Risen Motherhood co-founder Laura Wifler to talk about finding hope, embracing your identity in Christ, and recognizing God's presence in the middle of everyday life. Drawing from her personal experiences with motherhood, disability, suffering, and her newest poetry collection, This Side of the Sky, Laura shares how we can stop measuring our worth by the world's standards and begin seeing our circumstances through the lens of God's promises.

Together, they explore the pressure to be a perfect mom, the lies we believe about ourselves, the comparison trap of social media, and why honest conversations about our struggles can help us feel less alone. Whether you're navigating a difficult season, wrestling with unmet expectations, or simply longing to find God in the ordinary, this conversation will remind you that He is present in your pain, your purpose isn't determined by your circumstances, and there is hope beyond what you can see today.

Laura Wifler is a bestselling author, poet, educator, and co-founder of Risen Motherhood, a ministry that encouraged Christian moms to apply the gospel to everyday parenting. Through her writing and speaking, Laura helps women find biblical truth, encouragement, and hope in the ordinary and often difficult moments of life.

As a mother raising a daughter with intellectual disabilities, Laura brings a deeply personal perspective to conversations about motherhood, identity, suffering, and faith. Her newest book, This Side of the Sky, is a collection of poetry exploring the beauty, grief, joy, and longing of living between God's promises and their ultimate fulfillment.

• How do you find hope when life feels hard? Discover how God's promises offer a bigger perspective when you're navigating grief, suffering, or circumstances you can't change.
• Are you measuring your worth by the wrong things? Learn how Laura's experience raising a daughter with disabilities reshaped her understanding of success and identity in Christ.
• Feeling like you're failing as a mom? Find freedom from comparison, unrealistic expectations, and the pressure to get everything right in motherhood.
• How do you stop believing the lies about yourself? Explore practical ways to replace negative self-talk, insecurity, and cultural expectations with biblical truth.
• Where is God in the ordinary moments? Learn to recognize His presence in everyday life and find encouragement in the promise that this world isn't the end of your story.

If you're carrying disappointment, questioning your worth, or feeling exhausted by the pressure to measure up, you don't have to have everything figured out to experience God's goodness. He is present in the ordinary, faithful in the difficult, and still writing a story filled with hope.

• Website | Laura Wifler
• Instagram | @laurawifler
• Book | This Side of the Sky
• Risen Motherhood

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When betrayal, broken trust, or years of hurt have shattered your marriage, is restoration really possible?

What do you do when the person you trusted most becomes the source of your deepest pain? When betrayal rocks your marriage, hope feels impossible, and you're left wondering if your relationship will ever be the same, the road toward healing can feel overwhelming. In this powerful conversation, Willow welcomes back Clint and Charity Muñoz, founders of Restored 2 More, who share their deeply personal journey through pornography addiction, infidelity, betrayal trauma, and the hard work of rebuilding a marriage that once seemed beyond repair.

With incredible vulnerability, Clint and Charity share how confronting their individual wounds, seeking professional help, and inviting Jesus into their brokenness opened the door to restoration they never imagined possible. They unpack the difference between simply stopping destructive behaviors and finding true healing, why restoration requires more than prayer alone, and how to hold on to hope when progress feels painfully slow. Whether you're fighting for your marriage, healing from betrayal, or carrying wounds from a relationship that didn't survive, this conversation is a powerful reminder that your pain doesn't have to define your future and God is still in the business of restoring broken lives.

Clint and Charity are marriage coaches, podcast hosts and the founders of Restored 2 More, a ministry dedicated to helping individuals and couples find healing from pornography addiction, sexual brokenness, and betrayal trauma. Drawing from their own journey through infidelity, addiction, and the restoration of their marriage, they offer hope and practical guidance to those navigating some of life's most painful relationship struggles. Their story is a powerful testimony to the transformative work God can do when we surrender our brokenness and invite Him into the healing process.

• Restoration begins with addressing what's beneath the surface. Discover why overcoming destructive behaviors requires understanding the deeper wounds, fears, and unmet needs driving them.
• Healing takes more than good intentions. Understand why counseling, community, accountability, and individual recovery work are essential tools for rebuilding trust after betrayal.
• Progress matters more than perfection. Learn how to recognize growth, navigate painful setbacks, and hold on to hope when restoration feels slow or uncertain.
• Your brokenness doesn't have to define your story. Be reminded that even when a relationship cannot be restored, God can bring healing, purpose, and transformation to your life.

Website: restored2more.com

Instagram: @restored2more

Podcast: restored2more.com/r2m-podcast

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What if God isn’t distant… but deeply present and longing for you?

In this honest and thought-provoking conversation, Willow sits down with author and spiritual director Mike Neelley to unpack what it really means to experience God—not just believe in Him.

If you’ve ever found yourself praying, “Where are you, God?”... you’re not alone. Mike shares how many of us were taught a version of faith that stops at “think and agree,” but misses the invitation to taste and see that God is good.

Together, they explore the tension between theology and experience, the role of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives, and the hidden obstacles that may be keeping us from receiving the love God is already pouring out.

This episode will gently challenge what you believe about God, and open your heart to something deeper.

• Why faith is meant to be both believed and experienced
• How the Holy Spirit is actively speaking and moving in your life
• What might be blocking you from experiencing God’s love
• How unforgiveness, fear, and false beliefs can create distance
• Why your longing for God is actually evidence that He’s pursuing you
• Simple, practical ways to begin encountering God in everyday moments

You don’t long for God on your own... that longing was placed in you by Him. And the same God you’re searching for is already pursuing you, speaking to you, and inviting you into deeper connection.

Connect with Mike

Book: A Longing for More: Deeper, Wider, Further with the Holy Spirit

Podcast: A Church Without Walls

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What happens when the life you thought you were building suddenly disappears?

In this deeply honest conversation, Willow sits down with Leslie Harter-Berg, author of You’re So Strong: On Grief and Letting Go of My Favorite Compliment, to talk about the devastating loss of her husband, Ryan, who died suddenly from an aneurysm and stroke at just 34 years old.

Leslie opens up about becoming a widow and single mom overnight, raising two young boys through their own grief, and navigating the complicated identity shifts that followed. She shares how being told “you’re so strong” actually became a weight she felt responsible to carry—and how she eventually learned that she didn’t have to turn her pain into an inspiring story before she was ready.

Together, Willow and Leslie talk about the importance of lament, making room for grief, and resisting the urge to rush toward the “good” ending. Leslie shares how her relationship with God changed as she learned to stop asking what the future should look like and simply sit with Him in the pain of the present.

They also explore parenting through grief, remarriage after loss, making space for a former spouse in a new family, and the beautiful reminder that God is not distant from our suffering. He is a God who understands it.

• Why being told “you’re so strong” became an unexpected weight to carry
• How to let your kids see your grief without making them responsible for your emotions
• Why we don't have to rush through grief to get to hope or a “better” ending
• What it looks like to sit with God in the pain instead of trying to fix or explain it
• What Leslie now knows to be true about God: He is a God acquainted with our suffering

Leslie Harter-Berg is the author of You’re So Strong: On Grief and Letting Go of My Favorite Compliment. After losing her husband, Ryan, suddenly in 2019, Leslie began writing as a way to process her grief. Her story has become an honest invitation for others to make room for grief, weakness, faith, and hope without rushing the process.

You can find Leslie on Instagram and learn more about her book, You’re So Strong, wherever books are sold.

At Collide, we believe Jesus meets us in the messy places of our lives. If you're walking through hurt, grief, questions, or a season where you feel stuck, you don't have to walk through it alone.

Find more resources for healing and faith at wecollide.net.

Collide Book

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Do you ever go to bed wondering if you did enough as a mom today?

If you've ever second-guessed your parenting, compared yourself to other moms, or felt crushed by the pressure to get motherhood right, this conversation is for you.

In this encouraging episode, Willow sits down with counselor and author Heather Harrison to unpack why so many mothers struggle with shame and self-doubt, and how we can begin to trust ourselves and trust God in the motherhood journey. Heather shares four essential types of trust every mom needs, practical ways to quiet the noise of comparison, and wisdom gathered from hundreds of mothers reflecting on what they wish they had done differently. This episode is a gentle reminder that your children don't need a perfect mom, they need you, present, imperfect, and deeply loved by God.

• Why so many moms struggle with shame and feelings of inadequacy
• The impact of comparison and social media on motherhood
• Heather's four types of trust and how they apply to parenting
• How to distinguish thoughts from facts when self-doubt creeps in
• Why self-care isn't selfish
• Practical ways to be present with your children, even in busy seasons
• Wisdom from older mothers on what they would do differently
• How to parent with your long-term relationship with your children in mind

Whether you're rocking a newborn, navigating the teen years, or simply longing for reassurance that you're not alone, this conversation will remind you that you were uniquely designed to be your child's mother, and that being present matters far more than being perfect.

How have your wounds been quietly shaping your life?

In this honest and hope-filled episode of The Collide Podcast, Willow sits down with pastor, Army veteran, executive coach, and author Tony Miltenberger to explore how unresolved pain often drives our reactions, relationships, and leadership more than we realize.

Tony vulnerably shares his story of growing up feeling unseen, navigating childhood trauma, wrestling with anger, and nearly losing his marriage because of wounds he hadn't fully addressed. Through counseling, faith, and years of intentional healing work, he discovered that our greatest wounds often point to our greatest gifts.

Together, Willow and Tony discuss why so many of us spend our lives managing symptoms instead of healing the root issue, how emotional triggers reveal deeper pain, and why Jesus wants to meet us in the places we'd rather avoid.

If you've ever struggled with feeling unseen, unworthy, overlooked, rejected, or stuck in unhealthy patterns, this conversation will encourage you to stop running from your pain and begin discovering the wisdom hidden within it.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why emotional reactions often point to deeper unresolved pain
• The difference between treating symptoms and healing the wound beneath them
• How unhealed wounds can impact marriage and family relationships
• Practical ways to identify emotional triggers and begin healing
• Why your deepest wounds may reveal your greatest God-given gifts
• The importance of counseling, community, and spiritual disciplines in healing
• How to stop letting your past define your identity

Connect with Tony Miltenberger

Website | twmilt.com

Instagram | @twmilt

Book | Wisdom in the Wound: Leverage Your Struggles to Lead with Authenticity and Strength

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What do you do when you know God is good—but fear keeps telling you the worst is about to happen?

We’re reaching back into the Collide Podcast archives to share this powerful conversation with Bible teacher and author Heidi Lee Anderson because her message about trusting God in the unknown is one we all need again and again. Heidi was just 23 when a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis turned the future she imagined upside down. Years later, even after entering remission, the possibility of secondary cancers brought fear rushing back and forced her to wrestle with what it actually means to live in God’s peace when the “giants” haven’t disappeared. Heidi and Willow talk honestly about the difference between feeling afraid and becoming consumed by fear, why the battles we face don’t get to become our identity, how remembering God’s past faithfulness helps us trust Him in the present, and why we shouldn’t put a period in the middle of a story God is still writing. Whether you’re facing a health crisis, an uncertain future, disappointment, grief, or simply a season where you can’t see what God is doing, this conversation will remind you that He is still present, still working, and still worthy of your trust.

Heidi Lee is an author, Bible teacher, speaker, and founder of Heidi Lee Anderson Ministries who is passionate about helping people know and trust the truth of God’s Word. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 23, Heidi began sharing her journey through writing and discovered a calling to help others encounter the hope of Scripture in the middle of real-life struggles. Now more than a decade in remission, Heidi continues to share how God met her in fear and uncertainty and taught her to cling to His promises even when she couldn’t see what was ahead.

• When fear keeps returning: Remember there is a difference between feeling afraid and becoming afraid. Heidi shares that fear and anxiety are real emotions, but we don't have to let them consume our thoughts, dictate our choices, or become our identity.
• When the next giant feels overwhelming: Change the way you see the battle. Heidi discovered through the Israelites’ journey into the Promised Land that each battle became an opportunity to advance into the territory God had already promised them.
• When it feels like nothing is changing: Remember what God has already done. Looking back on His faithfulness gives us courage to trust Him when we're stuck in the middle of a story and can't yet see how it will end.
• When your story looks anything but good: Don't put a period where God hasn't. The middle of Daniel, David, or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's stories looked hopeless too. Heidi reminds us that God was still moving—and He is still moving in ours.
• When your mind is stuck on worst-case scenarios: Trade the lie for truth. Rather than allowing fearful thoughts to repeat unchecked, Heidi encourages us to intentionally turn toward what God says is true, lovely, and praiseworthy.

Jesus wants to collide with you right in the middle of the fear, uncertainty, and circumstances you cannot control. You don't have to wait until the battle is over to experience His presence—He wants to meet you there and remind you that your story is still in His hands.

Collide Book

Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward Healing

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💑Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Book | Collide: Running Into Healing When Life Hands You Hurt

National Bestseller ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What if the parts of your story you’d rather hide are the very places where Jesus wants to meet you, heal you, and bring hope to someone else?

The tables are turned on this special episode of The Collide Podcast! Former and current Collide staff members Kenna Warren, Kristen Behrends, and Michelle Holladay take over the microphones to interview Willow Weston about the deeply personal story behind her book, Collide: Running Into Healing When Life Hands You Hurt. Willow shares how hiding in a closet from her mom became a pivotal moment that exposed wounds she still needed to heal, how God gave her the words “wounded collision,” and why she believes He asked her to live this message for years before finally writing it. Together, they talk about the courage required to tell the truth about our stories, why healing requires naming our pain, taking small steps of obedience toward a God-given dream, and what Willow has learned after years of watching Jesus meet women in the messiest parts of their lives. Ultimately, Willow wants every woman to know this: you are worthy of healing, Jesus can meet you in your pain, and He can even purpose your story to bring healing and hope to others.

Willow Weston is the founder and executive director of Collide, host of The Collide Podcast, and author of Collide. For years, Willow has invited women to get honest about their pain, collide with Jesus in the midst of it, and experience the healing and transformation only He can bring.

Her own story is at the heart of that message. What began as a deeply personal journey toward healing eventually grew into a ministry where Willow has watched women bring everything from broken relationships and self-harm to grief and feelings of worthlessness into the light and encounter Jesus there. Her book brings together Willow’s childhood experiences, stories of Jesus, and years of witnessing God bring transformation to women’s real lives.

• When you’re tempted to minimize your pain: Give yourself permission to be honest about it. Pain doesn’t have to be catastrophic to need healing; even small hurts can accumulate when they’re continually ignored.
• When telling your story feels scary: Remember that honesty can open the door for someone else to be honest too. Willow wrestled for years with how to tell the truth about her childhood without dishonoring the people she loved, but ultimately chose to share because she believes God can use her story to help others find healing.
• When you want to avoid the hardest parts of your story: Healing requires naming the pain. Writing and repeatedly editing painful memories was exhausting for Willow, but revisiting those places also brought new healing.
• When God’s timing feels incredibly slow: He may be asking you to live the story before you tell it. Willow originally thought she would write this book years ago, but now recognizes that the years of ministry gave her stories and experiences she never could have written about otherwise.
• When you feel too messy for God: Invite Him into the mess. Willow says the Jesus she has come to know doesn’t wait for us to get everything together—He meets us in our pain, wounds, and the chapters we never wanted in our stories.
• When your pain tells you something is wrong with you: Let Jesus tell you what is true. Pain may whisper that you aren’t loved, chosen, or worthy, but Jesus wants to set the record straight.
• When you wonder if your healing matters to anyone but you: It does. Willow believes that as we allow Jesus to heal our wounds, He can purpose those very stories to help bring hope and healing to others.

Jesus wants to collide with the real places of pain in your story and bring the healing, hope, and wholeness you may have thought were impossible. Your healing matters - and as Jesus restores your story, He can use it to bring hope and healing to the people around you too.

Mentioned in this episode:

Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward Healing

What if your pain is the very place where Jesus wants to meet you?

Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward Healing

Book | Collide: Running Into Healing When Life Hands You Hurt

National Bestseller ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this beautiful conversation, Willow sits down with bestselling novelist Melanie Dobson to talk about the profound power of story, the courage it takes to uncover forgotten parts of our past, and the God who faithfully writes redemption into even the most painful chapters.

Melanie has written more than thirty novels inspired by overlooked histories, ordinary heroes, and untold family stories. She shares how growing up in rural Ohio, discovering books through a traveling bookmobile, and escaping into stories during an unstable childhood shaped her calling as a writer.

Together, Willow and Melanie explore why Jesus taught through parables, how stories help us make meaning from our experiences, and why buried family narratives often continue impacting generations long after they are forgotten. Melanie vulnerably shares her own journey of discovering hidden pieces of her family's story and how God used those discoveries to bring understanding, healing, and hope.

Whether you're afraid to revisit painful memories, wondering if God can redeem your story, or simply longing to believe that your hard chapter isn't the end, this conversation reminds us that our lives are ultimately held by a God who specializes in resurrection endings.

• Why stories have the power to help us process pain and find healing

• The difference between healthy escape and unhealthy avoidance

• Why Jesus often taught through stories and parables

• How hidden family stories can impact future generations

• How God can redeem even the chapters we wish had never been written

Website: melaniedobson.com

Instagram: @melbdobson

Facebook: Melanie Dobson Fiction

Explore Melanie's collection of historical fiction and redemptive stories, including The Lost Story of Via Belle, Memories of Glass, and The Wings of Poppy Pendleton.

Collide Book

Collide Bible Study | A Six Week Journey Toward Healing

Follow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook

💑Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources.

📲Follow Collide on Facebook and Instagram for encouragement, inspo and a fun peek into our ministry.

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Throughout the summer, we're revisiting some of our most meaningful conversations - stories of hope, healing, and life-changing collisions with Jesus that continue to encourage women year after year.

This episode originally aired in March 2026 and we're grateful to share it again with you.

Whether you're listening for the first time or returning to it again, we pray it meets you right where you are and reminds you of God's faithfulness, grace, and redeeming love.

What does it really look like to live out the love of Jesus in everyday life?

In this inspiring and often hilarious conversation, Willow sits down with bestselling author, attorney, and founder of Love Does, Bob Goff. Known for his joyful spirit and unconventional approach to faith, Bob shares stories and wisdom about living a life that moves from the sidelines to the field—where love becomes something we do, not just something we talk about.

Bob reflects on the power of availability, why influence matters, and how taking a genuine interest in people can transform relationships. Through stories about answering phone calls from strangers, building friendships across the world, and helping others pursue their dreams, he challenges us to live courageously and intentionally.

He also shares a powerful spiritual practice of looking into both the “eye of forgiveness” and the “eye of responsibility” in Jesus—reminding us that faith invites both grace and growth.

This episode will leave you encouraged to live boldly, love deeply, and take your faith off the bleachers and onto the field.

• Why Bob spends nights at Disneyland giving strangers a shortcut to the front of the line
• Moving from watching life to actively participating in it
• The difference between controlling outcomes and influencing people
• Why being available might be one of the most powerful ways to love others
• The importance of taking a genuine interest in people’s stories

Bob Goff is a New York Times bestselling author, attorney, and founder of the nonprofit Love Does. Known for his contagious joy and practical approach to faith, Bob has inspired millions through books like Love Does and his global work advocating for justice, education, and opportunity. His life message is simple but powerful: love isn’t just something we say—it’s something we do.

Collide Book

Follow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook

💑Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources.

📲Follow Collide on Facebook and Instagram for encouragement, inspo and a fun peek into our ministry.

📰Plus, subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things Collide!

Mentioned in this episode:

Book | Collide: Running Into Healing When Life Hands You Hurt

National Bestseller ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐