The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

How do you find joy when the diagnosis feels devastating? How can you become the joyful person God calls you to be—even in the midst of your deepest pain?
Author Margaret Feinberg was nearing the completion of a book on joy when she received a life-altering diagnosis: aggressive cancer. What followed was a profound season of wrestling—an honest, raw search to understand what joy truly means when suffering feels overwhelming. Through that journey, Margaret discovered a deeper, more authentic belief about joy: that it can be a defiant act of worship in the darkest valleys. And when we choose to give joy away—even when we don't feel it—our own joy can begin to grow.
In the midst of her pain, Margaret encountered the transformative power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Her latest book, **The God You Need to Know: Experience the Holy Spirit’s Power and Presence Today**, invites readers to experience that same presence no matter what they’re walking through.
In this uplifting conversation, Davey and Margaret discuss how to truly show up for others in ways that heal rather than hurt, where joy can be found in suffering, and how to navigate the lingering fear that often follows hardship.
If you're in a season where joy feels distant, this episode will encourage you to see that even small acts of sharing joy with others can help awaken it in your own heart as you walk through suffering.

Website: https://margaretfeinberg.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mafeinberg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaretfeinberg/
Book: The God You Need to Know: Experience the Holy Spirit's Power and Presence Today https://amzn.to/4mgi2vl
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

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How can we learn to trust God when our prayers for healing go unanswered? What does it truly mean for the Church to become a place of belonging and welcome for individuals with disabilities?
Dr. Laurie Thompson has deeply engaged with these questions—both personally and academically. At just 14 years old, a devastating car accident left her permanently disabled, marking the beginning of a lifelong journey of wrestling with faith, suffering, and inclusion. Now, as a college professor and academic advisor, Dr. Thompson empowers the next generation to understand that people with disabilities represent the largest minority in the United States—and that our Churches must become more inclusive, welcoming spaces for those navigating life with disabilities.
In her latest book, **Disability-Inclusivity: Creating Awareness to Change the Current Trajectory**, Dr. Thompson explores how the Church can become a transformative community for those with disabilities—simply by making intentional adjustments that foster inclusion, dignity, and belonging.
In this conversation, Davey sits down with Dr. Thompson to discuss the need for a robust theology of suffering, how to confront the lies that often accompany seasons of pain, and how the Church can reach and embrace people with disabilities through meaningful shifts in mindset and practice.
If you’re passionate about creating spaces of true belonging, this episode offers practical insights to help your community become a place of gospel-centered inclusion for those who are often overlooked.

Instagram: instagram.com/laurieleet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurie.thompson.98096721
Books: Laurie's Story: Discovering Joy In Adversity
https://amzn.to/41b6TE4
Disability-Inclusivity: Creating Awareness to Change the Current Trajectory
https://amzn.to/4fb62Jk
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

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What do we do when pain and trauma affect our children? How can we guide them through the complex journey of grief and loss?
Erin Nelson has walked through depths of sorrow that few can imagine. She lost her first husband in a sudden plane crash, her mother to suicide, and her young adult son in a tragic car accident. Having experienced grief in its rawest forms, Erin found healing—and through it, a calling. She channeled her pain into purpose by founding Jessica's House, a grief support center for children, teens, and their families.
As Jessica's House has grown, Erin has partnered with others who share her heart, including Colleen Montague, a licensed therapist and the center’s program director. Together, they co-authored **When Grief Comes Home: A Gentle Guide for Living Through Loss While Supporting Your Child**, a compassionate resource designed to help families facing the unimaginable.
In this deeply meaningful conversation, Davey sits down with Erin and Colleen to explore how our most painful experiences can become the foundation for our life’s purpose, how to recognize what grief looks like in children, and how to have honest conversations with kids about loss.
If you or someone you love is trying to help a child navigate grief, this episode offers practical tools and guidance for supporting young hearts through profound hurt.

Website: www.jessicashouse.org
Instagram: instagram.com/jessicas_house
Facebook: facebook.com/jessicashouse1225
Book: When Grief Comes Home: A Gentle Guide for Living Through Loss While Supporting Your Child https://amzn.to/4lhKxZv
National Alliance for Children's Grief: https://nacg.org/
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

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How do you even begin to talk to God when life is unfolding in ways you never wanted? What can prayer do when the pain feels unbearably raw and deep?
For Rachel Wojo, these questions became deeply personal. She never could have imagined the depth of suffering she would walk through—navigating her daughter’s terminal diagnosis and eventual passing, enduring betrayal in a first marriage that ended in divorce, and losing her mother in her twenties and her father while writing her book, Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments. Pain came from every direction. And yet, in her desperation, Rachel discovered strength through raw, honest conversations with God.
In this episode, Davey and Rachel talk about the wrestlings that come with a difficult diagnosis, the vital role of prayer in our darkest seasons, and how remembering God's past faithfulness can help us move forward through grief and heartbreak.
If you’ve ever struggled to find the words to say to God in your most desperate moments, this conversation will remind you that you don’t need perfect prayers—just an honest heart willing to keep reaching for Him, even in the pain.

Website: rachelwojo.com
Instagram: instagram.com/rachelwojo
Facebook:facebook.com/rachelwojoauthor
Book: Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments
https://amzn.to/4eLBw8K
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

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How do we support those in pain when we ourselves don’t have all the answers? How can we be present when we’re uncomfortable with the silence, the sorrow, and the questions that come with loss and tragedy?
Pastor Jerry McFarland felt a twinge uncertainty the day he received a phone call asking him to visit a stranger at a local children’s hospital. Unsure of what he could say or offer, he still chose to show up—to step into someone else’s pain as an act of obedience to “mourn with those who mourn.” That’s when he met Amy Sylvestre, a mother clinging to hope as her infant son, Hudson, fought for his life.
Healing didn’t come in the way Amy had hoped. But through Jerry’s quiet presence—a man she had never met before that hospital stay—Amy encountered the grace of God in the darkest chapter of her story. It was his willingness to sit with her in grief, to make space for her questions, her anger, and her heartbreak, that allowed her to begin to find comfort and hope again.
In this tender episode, guest host Amy Sylvestre sits down with Jerry to reflect on that experience and explore what it means to walk with others through pain, how to entrust God with what is most precious, and why it's not only okay—but necessary—to let people be honest in their sorrow.
Whether you're a leader or simply someone who knows a person in pain, this conversation will remind you: you don’t need to have the right words or the perfect response. Your presence, your listening ear, and your willingness to show up may be exactly what someone needs in the hardest part of their story.

Episode 175: Amy's Story: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-175?rq=amy
Need help navigating your own loss? Let Amy help: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/coaches/amy-sylvestre
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose

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How can leaders heal from their own wounds? Why does emotional and spiritual health matter so deeply for those who are called to lead?
Historian and Seminary Professor Dr. Nicholas Rowe and his wife, Sheila
Wise Rowe, author and counselor, have seen the ways unprocessed pain and trauma can impact leaders. While countless resources aim to help leaders grow in skill and strategy, few address the inner pain and unhealed wounds that many carry silently. In their new book, **Healing Leadership Trauma: Finding Emotional Health and Helping Others Flourish**, Nicholas and Sheila confront this gap head-on, offering a holistic and deeply spiritual roadmap for leaders to find healing, restoration, and renewed purpose.
In this powerful and timely episode , Davey talks with Nicholas and Sheila about how our early formation can impact our connection with God and others, the ways unresolved trauma can unconsciously influence our decisions and leadership style, and why we need to consider the weight of leadership before we even step into it.
Whether you're a pastor, teacher, nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, or parent, this conversation is an invitation to pause, reflect, and allow God to tend to your soul—so you can lead from a place of emotional health while helping others flourish.

Website: www.sheilawiserowe.com
www.nicholasrowephd.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/griotrowe
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sheilawiserowe
Book: Healing Leadership Trauma: Finding Emotional Health and Helping Others Flourish
https://amzn.to/3RVLYzW
Episode 128 with Sheila Rowe: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-128?rq=128
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com

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What happens when our lived experience doesn’t align with what we believe about God? How do we hold on to faith when trauma, suffering, or loss shatters our spiritual foundation?

Author and counselor Michael Cusick understands this tension intimately. As a survivor of childhood abuse, Michael found himself caught in self-destructive cycles that threatened his soul and relationships. Yet through his own healing journey, he discovered the profound impact our personal stories have on our attachment to God — and how restoring that attachment can transform our lives.

Now, through his intensive counseling work at Restoring the Soul and in his new book, **Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love**, Michael helps others reconnect with a God who is both safe and loving — even in the wake of deep wounds.
In this thoughtful conversation, Davey and Michael talk about what to do when your relationship with God feels fractured, why attachment is so important spiritually speaking, and why it seems like so many leaders are falling in our generation.

If you've struggled in your relationship with God because of the pain you have experienced, this episode is an invitation to begin healing, to rebuild trust, and to rediscover a sacred attachment with the One who will never let us go.

Website: michaeljohncusick.com
www.restoringthesoul.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaeljcusick
Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaeljohncusick
Book: Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love
https://amzn.to/3GMXH1l
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com

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How do we help kids build resilience, especially after facing trauma? How do we teach kids the skills they need to persevere after pain?
Dr. Nicole Wilke had a front-row seat to the impact trauma can have on a child's development. Her parents had a heart for kids with the hardest stories and welcomed seventy children through foster care and adoption. This experience had a profound impact on Dr. Wilke as she watched her siblings grow and struggle after experiencing pain. It was out of her own experience that she was drawn to the work she does now through the Christian Alliance for Orphans Research Center, where she is on the front lines of discovering how we can best help kids who have experienced difficult things find a way forward.
Her latest book, which she co-authored—**Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience**—offers practical wisdom backed by science to help kids take whatever challenges they are facing and use them as fuel to build resilience that will carry them throughout their lives.
In this episode, Davey talks with Dr. Wilke about how God is in the business of redeeming our kids' stories of difficulty, why our vision matters when it comes to the trauma kids experience, and how to build a child's resilience so that they can move forward through whatever may come.
If you are a parent or love a child who has experienced challenges and difficulties due to trauma or pain, this conversation will encourage you that God can take the most painful moments and use them in our kids' lives so that they can become resilient overcomers.

Website: cafo.org/research-center/resilience-books
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.nicolewilke
www.instagram.com/cafoalliance
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CAFOalliance
Book: Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience
https://amzn.to/4jGH4mw
Caleb Koala’s Comeback Ride: A Journey to Overcoming
https://amzn.to/3F1yZtw
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when you are faced with an unbearable decision? How do you walk firmly in faith when you know the outcome will most likely be devastation?
For former local news anchor and author, Brooke Martin, and her husband, the choice to carry their daughter, Emma Noelle, to term even though she was diagnosed with a condition that meant she would not survive outside the womb, was one of trust. Although they knew pain was on the other side of their second pregnancy, they also knew that God could be glorified as they walked out their faith. While she only got a few short minutes with her daughter alive after her birth, Brooke has seen the ways in which God has used the pain and suffering to bring glory to Himself. With the vision of how life's fires can completely destroy or bring about unimaginable fruit, Brooke wrote the book **Controlled Burn: Rising from the Ashes to Forge an Unshakable Faith** and shared how her own story of pain brought about so much spiritual growth.
In this moving conversation, Davey and Brooke discuss how we can step out in faith in decisions that feel impossible either way, why praying for God to be glorified is such a powerful request, and what grief looks like as time moves forward.
If you've ever felt like an unexpected fire has rolled into your life, this episode will give you the courage to let it burn away what needs to be and watch as new life springs forth from the ashes when you lean on your faith in whatever suffering you are facing.

Website: www.MOREwithBrookeMartin.com
Instagram: instagram.com/brookemartin.tv
Facebook: facebook.com/BrookeMartinMORE
Book: Controlled Burn: Rising from the Ashes to Forge an Unshakable Faith
https://amzn.to/438OsQG
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com

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Where can you find hope when a diagnosis is difficult to accept? How can you trust God when life's challenges feel insurmountable?
For Alan Hester, finding out that he had ALS-a degenerative neurological disease-was devastating at first and yet, he now describes it as one of the best things that happened to him. Not because the suffering or the pain has been easy, but because of the depth and richness he has experienced in his relationship with Christ through it. Learning what it truly means to depend on God in the midst of his suffering, Alan has gained spiritual strength as his body has experienced more and more weakness.
In this heartfelt conversation, guest host Amy Sylvestre and Alan talk about how suffering can connect us more and more to Jesus, why scripture is so important in our pain, and the importance of allowing community to walk alongside us when we can't stand on our own.
If you or someone you love is facing a difficult diagnosis, this episode will encourage a steadfast strength to trust in the Lord in whatever you are facing.

NO SOCIAL MEDIA OR WEBSITE AVAILABLE for Alan; Instagram: @amysylvestrecoaching
Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere
Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching
Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.mypaintopurposeplan.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices