the wildflowers

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my lovely wife, joylily, is an enneagram #2 ("the helper") through & through. wherever she goes (which, geographically speaking, has been all over). her loving support of the people in her life was one of the biggest factors in not-so-slowly falling in love with who she is, nearly a decade ago. 

along with her constant desire to pursue adventure & ability to bring light to dark places, it's easy to admire so many things about her. for me, she is the chaos to my order (that's positive, believe me). the beauty of our home. the mother to our sweet children (3 present and 1 on the other side of this life). we have been through so much together...ya know, only making this one of the most loaded and also most daunting episodes. how do you take a step back & even try to convey the essence of someone so dear to you, that you literally wake up next to every morning, in a measly 2 hours of a podcast? well, this is my attempt at just that. :)

for being someone so nomadic, with an uncanny ability to pick up, leave & go where being lead almost effortlessly, it has been so beautiful seeing firsthand the fruit of joy's putting roots down. these days, she embodies "grow where you are planted." i want that to be an encouragement to you, the listener, to really dig in where you are right now...hard as it may be, you are here for a reason 💛

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peace. -will

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it's funny looking back now, having grown up in so many of the same circles (youth group, friend groups, etc.), & only after officially meeting a couple years back realizing just how much collin & i have in common. & yet, beyond similar childhood experiences, overlapping tastes in music, and shared beliefs/interests, there is something absolutely unique at the core of my friend...and that's exactly what we get to dig into this episode.

just like co-working on a music project, the joy of this conversation hides in the discovery. collin is honestly one of the most curious people i've had the privilege of calling a friend. he asks such deeply considerate and thoughtful questions whenever we hang out, so it was seriously enjoyable to be the one asking all the questions this time around.

a note: how do you stay connected to the authentic? i believe we all have a "core self:" the part of us that grounds us, is true & truthful, that holds us together when maybe everything else is falling apart...if you aren't already, consider that part of yourself and try your best to stay tethered to it. 💛

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any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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my very FIRST "bouquet episode!" 💐 
(the idea being inspired by kevin, my brother in law, who makes up 1/2 of this episodes' guests!)

trust me when i say that it has always been a dream to have these two on this podcast...at the time i started this project, my sister and brother in law, melanie & kevin, were still living in germany waiting oh so patiently for kevin's green card to go through...a process that from the time they were married, would be a total of 26 months. it. felt. like. FOREVER. in this episode, naturally, we forage (wink) the goodness on the trail of their relationship: from a conversation i had with melanie in a parking lot about a german guy she met online who wanted to visit (a protective older brother's worst nightmare lol 👀), how a worldwide pandemic couldn't keep them a part (i mean, c'mon! perfect romcom material, right?), to them leaving their home just miles away from the black forest to settling in & finding new rhythms here in the states since arriving in early 2024…all that to say, dream fulfilled!

a note: i have spoken with sooooo many friends recently who are waiting on something...a breakthrough, a change (in job, a relationship, etc.), a dream. if that's you, take hope. 💛

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any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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with my friend scott, who is a lawyer, you have to put all the usual lawyer jokes aside…cause if there’s one thing that makes him stand out from the usual bunch (or more so the lawyer stereotype), it’s the amount of heart he brings to the table. i’ve always walked away from conversation with scott feeling enlightened & this one is no exception! we deep dive aspects of scott’s life that play into his uncanny ability to pick up on people/vibes, his “better call saul” origin story, if you will (😉) & what it means to truly walk in the spirit. 

i think we in the faith realm have a tendency to overcomplicate, well, everything…but, what if walking in the spirit simply looked like interacting with the world presented in front of us by being present to it? period. 💛

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any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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life is a process. & yet, somehow, so is death. everyday we live, we exist in the tension between the two…for every breath, we die a little more. poets, theologians, songwriters, philosophers of every sort alike have tried to put words to this experience that we all know deep in our very bones. 

& still, there is so much unknown & so many questions to be asked. i think of child loss…for me, having had lost our firstborn oliver at just 2 days old, it came as a shock (to put it lightly) when not even a year and a half after our loss we got the call that our good friend taylor had lost her sweet little boy elijah—who was only 5 at the time—in a car accident. 💔

heads up, because this is not an easy one…in this episode, nearly 5 years after her loss, taylor & i discuss her story. taylor so graciously & bravely retreads her life, from growing up, working through faith & doubts alongside jesus, having a little boy enter her life & dramatically change it, his traumatic exit from this earth & the journey to get to where she is now. there is such a beauty here in taylor’s story…one of roots put down to hold firm. one of life, death & even of rebirth. 

a word: loss. it’s a touchy subject for many. whether you have or not (yet), it is something we will ALL have to become familiar with. if you’ve lost, i see you & i am so sorry for your loss…& if you haven’t, let this episode give you insight to those around you who have…lead with love. listen. & be. 💛

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any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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ya know, sometimes for the sake of reminiscing, it’s easy to get lost in nostalgia or looking back on days passed as “the glory days..." however, rarely has that been the case when i look back at the last half of my life in light of one of my closest & best friends, because though the past (with so many good times!) has given context, our present tense friendship has always been in focus. 👀

ian & i are like brothers. we’ve been friends since we were around 15 (like, just babies lol) & we have changed & grown. A LOT! but, over time one thing is consistent about ian: he has a genuine heart for the people around him & is such an encouraging dude. encouragement bleeds out of him everywhere he goes, from his home to his work place to his church to every relationship he has...& i’m so thankful to be one of those people in his life!

if you’ve seen a void, in your own life or the people/environments around you (not enough kindness, honesty, etc.), then FILL IT. it's showing up to YOU for a reason. i hope this one can be an encouragement on your journey. 💛

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any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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well, i'm back & it feels sooooooo good! 🌻

it's been...a year. yes, since last season, but also, this year, man...it has held A LOT! so, like a couple friends catching up over a cup of *insert preferred beverage,* this episode is a quick life update, for both myself & a handful of season 1 guests, sharing the goal & mission statement of our brand new house + studio space (yay!) & "sonder"--a word on the heart-space this season is built around.

last season i (somehow) kept up with weekly releases of episodes. so. much. work! this time around, they will come out whenever i get the chance...hopefully often but i'm not forcing it either. 

expect the first episode of season 2 to drop shortly...i can't wait for you to hear this one. anyways, i'm just really happy you're here 🖤

photo: end of season 2023. a beautiful blooming spot on our local river trail. my go-to reconnect with my soul (aka happy) place :)

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any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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the wildflowers podcast has been so so good to me (& hopefully to you as well)! 🌻

i’ve been wanting to do some kind of “wrap-up” episode, reflecting on the goodness of this project, a dig into each episode released thus far & where i’m going from here now that season one has officially ended...so, here it is!

season 1 = 10 episodes. 6 guests. & about 10 hours worth of content/conversations. with more to come in season 2…💛

photo by: kayla (episode one guest!)

this episode was sponsored by young final finish! 
a local family business near & dear to my heart 😉

Support the show

any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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intro music by yours truly at the young band

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if you’re willing to pay attention, there’s often something beautiful waiting in the mundane right in front of you…like a barista at the local coffee shop who becomes a friend?!

my friend zion is a bright spot to anyone who knows him, & not just because he is instantly friendly to anyone  & everyone  that walks into the coffeeshop or because he has such an upbeat outlook on life…it’s something deeper.  in fact, underneath an exterior of skateboarding & coffee talk, he has been walking through a lot of inner & outer turmoil this summer/fall while still maintaining his light & it’s almost completely due to a fresh discovery of truth via a relationship with jesus.

to be truthful with ourselves sometimes means facing down the ugly things we’ve done or lies we’ve told (to others or ourselves) & if you have been experiencing an unraveling of self, then i hope this one speaks to you in the process of rebecoming. 🖤

this episode was sponsored by young final finish! 
a local family business near & dear to my heart 😉

Support the show

any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

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intro music by yours truly at the young band

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my wife joylily & i have grown very close to our friend ik (pronounced “ee-kuh”) the last several months—& not just because she lives in our upstairs lol 👀. we are like family & it's so so good to be here for each other, esp. because ik has been in an extremely challenging season of life for almost 3 years now—one that's hard to wrap the head around let alone the heart…she is here in the states & her husband, lemuel, is in colombia (where ik is originally from). they are constantly caught between the hopes that come with trying to gain a visa, carrying out a long distance marriage & trusting the lord all through the process.

a closed door sometimes stands in the way of us & the thing that's laid on our hearts most heavily...if you find yourself in that hard place to exist, then this one is for you. 🖤

this episode was sponsored by young final finish! 
a local family business near & dear to my heart 😉

Support the show

any & all support is so so appreciated! 
peace. -will

follow the wildflowers podcast over on instagram

intro music by yours truly at the young band