The Collide Podcast

Hop on this episode where Willow interviews Cynthia Cavanaugh, an award winning author, speaker and podcast host for the Soul Anchor podcast. Cynthia holds an MA in leadership and has won awards for her various books. She challenges us to lean intentionality into our influence and legacy. You will love how her family talks about the 4 quarters of life and the importance of building now what will last forever. She lays out her wisdom around decision making for lasting legacy, the myths around why our influence is held captive and what we should keep at the bottom of our boat in case of a storm. Don't miss out on this listen!

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Connect with Cynthia Cavanaugh on her website: https://www.cynthiacavanaugh.com/

Follow Cynthia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthiacavanaugh/

Book: Godly Kings of Judah by Cynthia Cavanaugh

Free Resource: Overcoming the Lies You Believe About Yourself: An Exercise to Replace Lies with Truth

Collide School: Women of Impact Online Course

Collide Bible Study: Yes, You

Collide Bible Study: Go Ahead

Connect with Ileen and listen to her new music on her website: https://ileenlauramusic.com/

Dive into resources to encourage you to chase your dreams:

• Go Ahead: A Collide Bible Study
• Yes, You: A Collide Bible Study
• Women of Impact Online Course

Hop onto the pod and hear Scott Erickson the Painter share the grief that birthed his latest show and book, "Say Yes: A Liturgy of Not Giving Up On Yourself”. Be encouraged to not give up on your dreams. Scott is an artist, author, performance speaker, and creative curate who mixes autobiography, mythology, and aesthetics to create art and moments that speak to our deepest experiences. In this conversation Scott encourages us that our darkest moments are actually doorways to a deeper conversation about who we are and why we’re here. Enjoy friend!

Bill Gilfillan is a husband, dad, and grandfather and known as a friend to all he meets. In fact, you may feel like his friend just after listening to this episode! Bill has served as a pastor for 43 years and has so much to impart about what he learned on the journey. Even though you might call him retired, he is far from such, looking at every season as an opportunity to be used by God to touch lives and impact the world. We know you will be impacted as you listen in to a man with a treasure trove of wisdom, authenticity, and warmth.

Ladies, you don't want to miss this podcast! Kendra Schlenbaker hops on the podcast to share with us how a mission trip to Haiti changed the directory of her life and that of her family. We are going to talk about unexpected callings, impossibilities, obstacles and God promptings. You will love hearing Kendra’s insane God story about His rescue plan for her kids and now His call to greatness in their lives. This conversation will have you walking away convinced that God can make a way where there is no way. We are also momming so hard in this episode, so mamas don't miss a beat! 

For more of the story listen to this interview on King 5 News.

What if God is speaking—and you just need to learn how to listen?

In this powerful episode of the Collide Podcast, we sit down with Pastor Mike Neeley to explore how we can hear God’s voice, even amid life’s noise and distractions. Mike shares profound insights from decades of walking alongside people on the margins—those impacted by incarceration, immigration, and addiction. He also introduces themes from his book, The Heartbeat of God, and invites listeners into a deeper awareness of God's presence and purpose. Whether you're seeking clarity, healing, or connection, this episode will encourage you to lean in and listen.

Mike leads Church Without Walls, where he serves as pastor and spiritual director. Known for creating spaces where people can encounter the love of the Father, the presence of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, Mike uses the podcast, retreats, spiritual direction, and teaching to help individuals hear God’s voice and live in transformative relationship with Him

• How to hear and respond to God’s voice
• Common barriers that keep us from tuning in to what God is saying
• What ministry among the marginalized teaches us about the character of Christ

If you’ve ever longed to hear from God but struggled to know how, this episode offers both practical insight and spiritual encouragement. You’ll be reminded that God is speaking—and that His voice is full of love, wisdom, and invitation.

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Check Out These Resources Inspired by This Episode

Personal and Powerful - This study reminds us that God intersects with our lives in ways that are both deeply personal and undeniably powerful.

Hearing the Heartbeat of God by Mike Neelley

Connect with Mike - Website | Church Without Walls Podcast

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Matt Hangen is the CEO of Water 4, a mission that works to eradicate the world's water crisis through local missional businesses. Matt is married to Grace and they live in Oklahoma with their 2 daughters. In this episode, we talk about the global water crisis, how Matt got called into this work, what living a life of  coming up with solutions to big problems looks like, and why giving your life away for a cause is worth it. Listen in for some motivation to go after your mission and passion!

What if the created world is speaking reminders of God’s presence, healing, and hope every single day—we just need to slow down enough to notice?

What can foggy skies, dormant trees, nesting birds, and changing seasons teach us about God?

Award-winning author, naturalist, and photographer Cheryl Bostrom joins Willow for a beautiful conversation about how creation speaks daily, revealing reminders of God’s character, presence, healing, and faithfulness—even in the seasons when He feels far away.

Cheryl has spent a lifetime paying attention to the natural world. Growing up amid the forests of the Pacific Northwest, she experienced sorrow and heartbreak within her own family and learned early to find solace outside. Those experiences eventually found their way into her award-winning novel Sugar Birds, a story that explores guilt, shame, suffering, belonging, and the questions we ask about God when life hurts.

One of Cheryl’s most powerful reminders comes from an ordinary Pacific Northwest winter day. Fog may make it impossible to see the trees clearly, and thick clouds may completely hide the sun—but the trees are still there and the light hasn’t disappeared. Beneath the ground, roots are growing. Sap is beginning to move. What appears dormant is already preparing for another season of life.

For Cheryl, creation becomes a tangible reminder that even when we can’t see what God is doing, He is still present and at work.

Cheryl Bostrom is a Pacific Northwest naturalist, photographer, and award-winning author. Her writing has appeared in Upper Room Disciplines and God & Nature magazine, and she previously wrote for Women of Faith. She is the author of the award-winning novel Sugar Birds, The View from Goose Ridge: Watching Nature, What the River Keeps, and Leaning on Air.

Cheryl began pursuing fiction at age 60, and Sugar Birds went on to receive recognition from the American Fiction Awards, Readers' Favorite Awards, Best Book Awards, and Christianity Today.

• When God feels hidden: Remember that unseen doesn't mean absent. Just as the sun remains behind thick clouds, God remains present even when we can't see Him clearly.
• When life feels like winter: Pay attention to what may be happening beneath the surface. Roots grow underground before spring appears.
• When you need to hear from God: Go outside and pay attention. Cheryl suggests photographing something ordinary or beautiful and asking, If this picture could talk, what would it tell me about the One who made it?
• When a dream hasn't happened yet: Don't assume not yet means never. Cheryl began writing fiction at 60 and encourages women to develop their gifts while trusting God's timing.
• When someone else's gift catches your attention: Encourage her. A few simple words of affirmation can help someone find the courage to pursue what God has placed within her.

Maybe you’re walking through your own winter right now.

Something feels dead. A prayer seems unanswered. A dream hasn’t happened. God feels hidden behind a mile of clouds, and you’re struggling to see evidence that anything is changing.

Cheryl invites us to go outside and pay attention.

Look at the bare branch. Notice the changing seasons. Take a picture of something ordinary and ask, “If this picture could talk, what would it tell me about the One who made it?”

Creation reminds us that unseen doesn’t mean absent. Dormant doesn’t mean dead. And winter doesn’t mean spring isn’t coming.

Whether you’re navigating suffering, waiting for a dream, or simply longing to experience God’s presence again, this conversation will encourage you to slow down, look around, and notice the ways creation may be speaking words of hope right where you are.

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Looking for a podcast to fuel and inspire you? This is it! Emily Jamieson hops on the pod to share her big heart to see people walk in greater freedom and confidence. Emily is the Owner of Jamieson Coaching. Emily is one of our fan favorite speaker’s at Collide conferences. This trajectory shifter will spend some time having a conversation with Willow Weston, Collide’s Founder and Director that is sure to shift your thoughts, hearts and even path today. We are certain you will walk into something greater as a result! So press play and enjoy!