The Collide Podcast

Iryna Los is the Chief of Staff of the Ukraine Partnership Foundation, and together with her team, has been instrumental in the creation of 17 We Care Centers throughout Ukraine, providing humanitarian aid and relief in the middle of a war in her home country. She is a leader who has risen above her circumstances and with compassion and discernment, has stewarded what she’s been entrusted with, her community. In this episode, we discussed the Ukraine war and how she and other local Christians are stepping up to serve their country in need.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire and challenge you. Enjoy!

Let’s be friends! Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources, and follow us 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!

And make sure to subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts so you can listen in each week!

Shop for Good

Did you know that you can support Collide by shopping at our store? Collide has a beautifully curated store where you can shop pretty things and support the work of Collide while you’re at it. It’s a win-win! From Collide Bible studies and sweatshirts to candles, journals, jewelry home decor, and more, it's the perfect place to grab a gift for someone you love or pick up something special for yourself.

So hop over to our website to start shopping. As a special thank you to our podcast listeners, use discount code “PODCAST20” at checkout for 20% off your order!

Whitney Akin is a writer and speaker, who is passionate about sharing the good news of the God Who Sees and helping people feel seen and valued. Her book, Overlooked: Finding Your Worth When You Feel All Alone, tackles the issue of feeling unseen and forgotten. In this episode, she discusses the importance of feeling seen and how loneliness can affect self-worth, providing advice on how to combat it. Whitney enjoys deep conversations, exploring God's word, and indulging in dark chocolate.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire and challenge you.  Enjoy!

Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram

Let’s be friends! Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources, and follow us 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!

And make sure to subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts so you can listen in each week!

Partner with Us to Impact Lives!

If you love this podcast and the work Collide is doing to impact lives, would you consider partnering with us? We rely entirely on the generous support of donors to fuel the life-changing work we do to create spaces for women to collide with Jesus in the midst of their brokenness. And you can be a part of that work! Your generous donations help us send women to counseling who couldn’t otherwise afford it, help us to create content to bring hope to the hurting, and to create spaces for women to connect in community.

Will you join our efforts to bring hope and healing to hurting women by giving a financial gift? Visit our website for more information about giving.

Rachael Adams is a writer, podcast host, wife and mom who aims to help women recognize their significance and purpose. She believes that every woman has something valuable to offer. Rachael is the author of A Little Goes a Long Way and hosts The Love Offering podcast. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two children and has been featured on Good Morning America, Crosswalk, Proverbs 31, Today Parenting, and YouVersion. In this episode, we discuss how women can feel small and insignificant, but Rachael encourages women to realize that their small contributions matter and can go a long way.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire and challenge you.  Enjoy!

Connect with Rachael on her website or on Instagram.

Let’s be friends! Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources, and follow us 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!

And make sure to subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts so you can listen in each week!

Collide Resources

• Our Go Ahead Bible study empowers women to experience the extraordinary and Divine in their everyday lives.
• The Women of Impact Online Course provides teaching and inspiration from women making a huge impact in the world as they tap into God’s purpose for their lives in the sectors and spaces they’ve been called to. Get inspired and equipped to make an impact with YOUR life.
• We know you have good intentions of spending time with God each day but sometimes you don’t even have the energy to know where to start. Take away the guilt, the pressure, and the obligation and enjoy a bit of encouragement in your day with our FREE Downloadable 5 Minute Devotions for Moms on the Go. Perfect for your busy mom life.

How can we better support teen girls facing depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts?

In this episode, Licensed Mental Health Counselor Kristi Knipp shares her wisdom and experience from years of working with teen girls struggling with mental health. Kristi’s compassionate approach blends clinical insight with practical tools and a deep value for identity, community, and hope. This honest and encouraging conversation explores how we can come alongside young women in their hardest moments with presence, empathy, and truth.

Meet Kristi Knipp

Kristi is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in working with teenagers navigating anxiety, depression, and trauma. Her work is rooted in a belief that healing happens in safe, empowering spaces. Outside of her counseling work, Kristi enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her family.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• What signs to watch for when a teen is struggling
• How to respond to suicidal ideation with care and clarity
• Why identity and belonging are critical for emotional health
• The power of validation and presence over fixing
• Practical ways to support teens through anxiety and depression

How This Episode Will Encourage You

Whether you're a parent, teacher, youth leader, or friend, this conversation will equip you to show up for the teen girls in your life with more understanding and confidence. You'll walk away with insights that bring light to dark places, help you stay grounded in hard conversations, and remind you that healing is possible—even in the most overwhelming seasons.

Check Out These Resources Inspired by This Episode

• Collide Counseling Bundle - This online course tackles the 12 most common issues women face in counseling, offering practical tools, expert advice, and encouragement from licensed mental health professionals. The course also includes a beautifully designed printed workbook (mailed to your door) filled with exercises, reflection space, and helpful resources to guide your healing journey.
• 5 Week Guide to Manage Your Anxiety – Get expert advice from counselors, plus guided exercises, reflections, and tools to help you find peace and trust in the midst of anxiety.

Connect with Willow - Website | Instagram | Facebook

Follow and Support Collide

🌐 Visit our website for upcoming conferences, helpful resources, and encouragement for women pursuing healing, purpose, and deeper faith.

📲 Follow along on Facebook and Instagram

🛍️ Shop for good at the Collide Store

🎁 Partner with us to impact lives with your financial gift

📬 Subscribe to our Newsletter and be the first to hear about new episodes, blog posts, events, and resources and more!

How do we keep going when life breaks our hearts—and what does it look like to persevere with Jesus?

In this powerful episode of the Collide Podcast, we sit down with Catherine Theriault for a conversation about perseverance, healing, and faith in the face of deep loss. Catherine shares how childhood trauma and the deaths of her husband and parents shaped her journey, and how she continues to walk forward with Jesus. We also dive into her latest book, They Call Me Mary of Magdala, and the powerful message of hope it carries. If you’re in a season of grief, struggle, or waiting, this conversation is for you.

Catherine Theriault is a Christian Life Coach, author, doula, and ministry leader with over 20 years of experience as a pastor’s wife and Ministry Director. She has traveled the globe, training women in childbirth in places like Africa and Haiti, while also mentoring others in their faith. Her story is marked by resilience, a deep love for Jesus, and a passion for seeing women find healing and hope.

• What it means to persevere through personal grief and trauma
• The power of choosing to participate in your own healing journey
• How Jesus brings comfort, presence, and peace in seasons of loss
• How faith can anchor you through life’s most painful chapters

If you’ve ever walked through grief or felt like giving up, this episode will remind you that healing is possible—and that you don’t have to fight alone. Jesus is with you in the storm, and your story still has purpose and hope.

All the Best – Connect with Jesus and find peace through guided reflections on Mary and Martha’s story, helping you overcome distraction, worry, and comparison.

Connect with Catherine | website

Connect with Willow - Website | Instagram | Facebook

Follow and Support Collide 

🌐 Visit our website for upcoming conferences, helpful resources, and encouragement for women pursuing healing, purpose, and deeper faith.

📲 Follow along on Facebook and Instagram

🛍️ Shop for good at the Collide Store

🎁 Partner with us to impact lives with your financial gift

📬 Subscribe to our Newsletter and be the first to hear about new episodes, blog posts, events, and resources and more!

In this episode, we sit down with Karrie Garcia to discuss how your past doesn't have to define you in the eyes of God. Karrie – a pastor, author, and CEO – is on a mission to motivate others and inspire change through sharing her journey of personal growth. Despite facing her own struggles, she has emerged triumphant and founded the Freedom Movement, a nonprofit that addresses issues of pain and brokenness frequently overlooked in traditional church settings. Karrie's new book, Free and Fully Alive, offers readers a practical guide to embracing their past and building a stronger connection with themselves, God, and others. In addition to her work as an author, Karrie is also a certified health and wellness coach who applies her psychology background to help clients align their minds and bodies.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire, and challenge you.  Enjoy!

Connect with Karrie on her website or on Instagram.

Let’s be friends! Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources, and follow us 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!

And make sure to subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts so you can listen in each week!

Collide Resources

• The Counseling Bundle is a tremendous online course covering the 12 most common issues women face in counseling featuring tips, tools, and advice from mental health professionals. This course is a great fit for anyone considering whether counseling is for them, or as an option to begin the healing process while waiting to see a counselor.
• Collide and Converse: A Group Video Bible Study for Women This 6 week series centers around New Testament stories of people having life-changing collisions with Jesus.

• As women we often get stuck believing lies, settling for less than we deserve, and shrinking back rather than owning who we can become. We get stuck assuming things about God and about others. Our FREE downloadable, Getting Unstuck, A Reflection to Help Unleash you into the Life you Desire is chocked full of tools and insights to help you recognize why you might be stuck and to help walk you toward freedom.

Brittany Cavanaugh shares her personal story of dealing with grief during the holiday season after losing loved ones, including her father, over the past two years. She is a stay-at-home mom who loves authentic conversations and serves at a local church. Brittany aims to encourage women to overcome fear and anxiety and to see the goodness of God in grief.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire and challenge you.  Enjoy!

Let’s be friends! Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources, and follow us 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!

And make sure to subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts so you can listen in each week!

Check out our upcoming Collide Conferences for Women on our website.

• Our Personal and Powerful Bible study reminds us that God is able to intersect with our lives in both personal and powerful ways.

• The Counseling Bundle is a tremendous online course covering the 12 most common issues women face in counseling featuring tips, tools, and advice from mental health professionals. This course is a great fit for anyone considering whether counseling is for them, or as an option to begin the healing process while waiting to see a counselor.

Join us as we talk with Pastor Mike Libolt, who shares his wisdom on how involving children in community service can help them become confident, empathetic, and faith-driven individuals. Mike, a devoted husband and father of four, is the Campus Operations and Children's Ministry Pastor at Cornwall Church in Bellingham, WA. Drawing on years of experience working with kids, he offers practical advice on how families can come together to make a difference in the world through generosity and service. Mike emphasizes the importance of involving children in this journey, and how it can lead to a more fulfilling life.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire and challenge you. Enjoy!

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!

Check out our upcoming Collide Conferences for Women on our website.

Collide Resources

• Our Go Ahead Bible study empowers women to experience the extraordinary and Divine in their everyday lives.
• A 20 Day Walk Toward Gratitude is a beautiful guide with 20 daily invitations to enrich gratitude. Each day includes words of truth about gratitude, and reflective exercises including practical charts, helpful lists, and journaling space.
• We all have big dreams and big goals, but we often get held back by our own self-doubt. But God wants to use you just as you are. Dig into our amazing resource, 5 Exercises to Help you do Amazing Things to help you confront the fear that holds you back, and to say “yes” to God doing amazing things in your life.

Be inspired this Christmas season to dig back into the Christmas story and see it with a new light. We’re joined this week by pastor Doug Bunnell to discuss the myths of the nativity and how to fall in love with the Christmas story all over again. Doug is a pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Bellingham, WA.

We love connecting you with resources, so we pulled some of our faves based on this podcast episode. We hope they encourage, inspire and challenge you.  Enjoy!

Let’s be friends! Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources, and follow us 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!

And make sure to subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts so you can listen in each week!

Shop for Good

Did you know that you can support Collide by shopping at our store? Collide has a beautifully curated store where you can shop pretty things and support the work of Collide while you’re at it. It’s really a win-win! From Collide Bible studies and sweatshirts to candles, journals, jewelry and home decor, and more, it's the perfect place to grab a gift for someone you love or pick up something special for yourself.

So hop over to our website to start shopping. And as a special thank you to our podcast listeners, use discount code “PODCAST20” at checkout for 20% off your order!

Partner with Us to Impact Lives!

If you love this podcast and the work Collide is doing to impact lives, would you consider partnering with us? We rely entirely on the generous support of donors to fuel the life-changing work we do to create spaces for women to collide with Jesus in the midst of their brokenness. And you can be a part of that work! Your generous donations help us send women to counseling who couldn’t otherwise afford it, help us to create content to bring hope to the hurting, and to create spaces for women to connect in community.

Will you join our efforts to bring hope and healing to hurting women by giving a financial gift? Simply text “GIVE” to 1-888-364-GIVE (4483) or visit our website for more information about giving.

What if one of the greatest gifts you could give someone isn't your advice but your attention?

Most of us think we're good listeners. But if we're honest, we're often preparing our response, jumping to solutions, making assumptions, or filling every moment of silence before someone has truly felt heard.

In this powerful conversation, leadership expert and bestselling author Heather Younger shares why being fully present may be one of the most Christlike ways we can love the people around us—and how learning to listen well can transform our marriages, parenting, friendships, workplaces, and communities.

When was the last time you felt truly heard?

Not interrupted. Not fixed. Not rushed. Just deeply seen, understood, and valued.

In this encouraging episode of The Collide Podcast, Willow sits down with bestselling author, keynote speaker, and leadership expert Heather Younger to explore why active listening is one of the most powerful ways we can love another person.

Drawing from her own story of growing up feeling unseen and unheard, Heather shares how God transformed her pain into purpose. Today, she equips leaders, families, and organizations around the world to create healthier relationships through the simple—but often overlooked—practice of listening well.

Together, Willow and Heather unpack why we rush to solve problems, how curiosity builds trust, why silence is often necessary for meaningful conversations, and how slowing down creates space for healing.

If you've ever wanted stronger relationships, healthier communication, or to love people more like Jesus, this episode will give you practical tools you can begin using today.

• Why feeling heard is one of our deepest human needs
• How asking better questions builds trust and deeper relationships
• The importance of slowing down instead of rushing to solutions
• Why curiosity is one of the greatest expressions of love
• What it looks like to love others the way Jesus did—through presence

Connect with Heather - Website | Instagram.

Connect with Willow - Website | Instagram | Facebook

Order Willow’s New Book! National Bestseller | Collide: Running into Healing When Life Hands You Hurt

Follow and Support Collide

🌐 Visit our website for upcoming conferences, helpful resources, and encouragement for women pursuing healing, purpose, and deeper faith.

📲 Follow along on Facebook and Instagram

🛍️ Shop for good at the Collide Store

💛 Give today online or Venmo to impact lives

📬 Subscribe to our Newsletter and be the first to hear about new podcast episodes, blog posts, events, freebies, resources and more!

Additional Collide Resources

Our Go Ahead Bible study empowers women to experience the extraordinary and Divine in their everyday lives.

The Insight Journal is a free tool to help you pause and take stock of all that you’ve been through, all that you’ve learned, all that you want to leave behind and reflect on lessons learned in hard times to take with you on the journey ahead.