The Collide Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Jesus, the Prince of Peace: Finding Shalom in a Broken World with Pastor Kurt Ingram Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of The Collide Podcast, we sit down with Pastor Kurt Ingram to unpack what it means to experience true peace, even in the midst of brokenness. Drawing on the profound truth that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, Pastor Kurt guides us through a conversation about shalom—the deep, holistic peace that God offers—and how we can embrace it in our lives.

This episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and embrace the peace that only God can provide. Whether you’re struggling with inner conflict, relational tension, or simply longing for restoration, Pastor Kurt’s insights will leave you encouraged and inspired.

Episode Highlights:

How Jesus, as the Prince of Peace, embodies true restoration.
The biblical concept of shalom and how it speaks to wholeness in every aspect of life.
Navigating personal brokenness and finding paths to healing.
Steps to take when we’re at war within ourselves or with others.
Practical ways to pursue peace in strained family relationships.

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Your generous donations help us provide counseling, create content, and build spaces for women to connect. 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.

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🎁Partner with Collide to Impact Lives! Visit our website for more information about giving.

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Living Christmas Everyday with Pastor Taylor Simpson Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Pastor Taylor Simpson, Lead Pastor of New Song Church in Bellingham, WA. Taylor shares his passion for building a praying church and leading with authenticity. Together, we explore how to experience Immanuel—God with us—not just during the Christmas season but 365 days a year. Taylor challenges the idea of keeping Christmas as a nostalgic, one-time celebration and instead invites us to step into a deeper, more vibrant relationship with Christ throughout every season of life.

As a husband, father, and Jesus follower, Taylor offers practical insights on how to invite Christ into your daily life with honesty and intention. Whether you're navigating family life, pursuing your faith, or longing for a more prayerful connection with God, this conversation will leave you inspired to live out the message of Immanuel every day.

What We Discuss:

Taylor’s journey as a pastor, husband, and dad, and how his life shapes his ministry.
How nostalgia around Christmas can limit our faith journey.
Practical ways to engage with the presence of Christ year-round.
Building a life of prayer and authenticity in a busy, modern world.
Taylor’s insights on vulnerability and why it’s vital in cultivating a deep relationship with God.

Connect with Pastor Taylor @ nscbellingham.com

Follow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook

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?

🛍️ Shop for Good at the Collide Store

🎁Partner with Collide to Impact Lives! Visit our website for more information about giving.

💑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!

Making Room for Jesus with Ruth Chou Simons Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Are you truly making room for Jesus in the midst of life’s busyness?

In this inspiring episode of the Collide Podcast, we sit down with Ruth Chou Simons to talk about how God unfolds His plans in ways we often don’t expect. Ruth shares her journey of building a thriving ministry not through relentless striving, but through daily faithfulness, trusting the Author of her story. Whether you’re navigating the holiday hustle, juggling family and work, or seeking purpose in everyday life, this episode will remind you that grace—rather than success—is the heart of God’s calling.

Meet Ruth

Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, artist, entrepreneur, and founder of GraceLaced, a ministry that inspires women to live with faithfulness and creativity. She is passionate about helping others embrace God’s grace in every season of life. Ruth’s story is a powerful example of what happens when we choose faithfulness over striving and anchor our hearts in God’s promises.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

Why daily obedience and surrender matter more than worldly achievement
How Ruth and her husband Troy prioritize grace in marriage and family life with six boys
How to find beauty and purpose amidst the chaos of everyday life
Practical encouragement to pause and embrace God’s grace during the holiday season

How This Episode Will Encourage You

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to perform or achieve, this episode will help you slow down, refocus, and trust God’s timing. You’ll be reminded that His grace is sufficient and that faithfulness—rather than striving—is the path to a meaningful, joy-filled life.

Shop for Good - Support the work of Collide by shopping our thoughtfully curated collection of Bible studies, apparel, candles, and more. Every purchase helps fund our mission to help women experience the transformational love of Jesus.

🎉 Special for Podcast Listeners: Enjoy 20% off your order with code PODCAST20 at The Collide Shop

Connect with Ruth - Website | Instagram

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.

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Shaped to Bear His Image: Spiritual Formation with Bethany Allen Nov 27, 2024

Show notes

In this insightful episode of The Collide Podcast, we sit down with Bethany Allen, the Pastor of Spiritual Formation & Leadership Development at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon. Bethany shares her journey from the South to the Pacific Northwest, where she discovered her calling to guide others in becoming true image-bearers of God.

Bethany dives into the heart of spiritual formation, sharing how scripture, community, and leadership intersect in her ministry. She unpacks the challenges many people face in their spiritual journey and offers wisdom on how to navigate them. From counseling and curriculum development to fostering a deeper understanding of God’s design for His people, Bethany provides practical insights for anyone seeking to grow in their faith.

Tune in as we explore the importance of being shaped by God, the role of community in spiritual growth, and what the future holds for spiritual formation and leadership at Bridgetown Church.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

What it means to be an "image-bearer of God" and how this concept shapes her ministry.
How living in Portland has influenced her perspective on ministry and cultural engagement.
The integration of scripture into counseling, curriculum development, and leadership training.
The vital role community plays in personal and collective spiritual growth.

Connect with Bethany:

Learn more about Bridgetown Church: Bridgetown Church Website
Follow Bridgetown Church on social media: Instagram | Facebook

Follow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook

🛍️ Shop for Good at the Collide Store

🎁Partner with Collide to Impact Lives! Visit our website for more information about giving.

🎫 Get tickets to our upcoming Collide Conference in Portland, OR!

📲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!

Colliding with Jesus in Pain: Christine Stone’s Story of Redemption and Healing Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

In this deeply moving episode of the Collide Podcast, we sit down with Christine Stone, a longtime friend of Collide and a pivotal figure in its story. Christine was part of the original “Wounded Collision Bible Study,” a gathering of college women that ignited the vision for the Collide ministry. She shares her powerful journey of colliding with Jesus in the midst of unimaginable pain and tragedy, how He transformed her life, and how her story has inspired and brought healing to others.

From heartbreak to hope, Christine opens up about the challenges she faced after a life-altering accident, the surprising way God redeemed her pain, and the unexpected role she played in launching the Collide Counseling Program. Her story reminds us that even in our darkest moments, God can use our wounds to bring light and healing to others.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

Christine’s experience as part of the original Collide Bible study and how it shaped her faith.
How tragedy struck her life and how she experienced her own “wounded collision.”
What her relationship with God looked like during her most painful moments.
The incredible story of how God used her pain and an insurance settlement to help others through the creation of the Collide Counseling Program.
How Christine has seen God redeem her story and bring purpose to her pain.
What keeps her choosing to collide with Jesus, even in the face of fear and doubt.

About Christine: Christine Stone is a wife, mother of three, and a beloved friend of Collide. As one of the women in the original Collide Bible study, she played a key role in the ministry’s beginnings. Her inspiring journey of healing and redemption has impacted countless lives, showing how Jesus can meet us in our mess and transform our stories for His glory.

Join Us: Christine’s testimony is a beautiful reminder that God can bring beauty from ashes and hope from heartbreak. Whether you’re navigating your own pain or looking for encouragement, this episode is sure to inspire you to trust God’s redemptive power.

Resources and Links:

Learn more about the Collide Counseling Program
Explore other stories of healing and transformation: The Collide Podcast
Connect with us on social media: Instagram, Facebook

Subscribe & Review: Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to the Collide Podcast on your favorite platform, and if this conversation encouraged you, we’d love for you to leave a review.

Christine’s story will touch your heart and remind you of the incredible ways God can use us, even in our brokenness. Tune in and be inspired!

Healing from Childhood Trauma | Finding Freedom Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

What if the secret you've carried the longest is the very place Jesus wants to bring healing?

Childhood trauma has a way of convincing us that silence is safer than telling the truth. If you've ever wondered whether healing is really possible after abuse or whether God can redeem the deepest wounds of your past, this conversation is for you.

Author Melissa Olsen shares her courageous journey of surviving childhood sexual abuse, breaking the power of secrecy, and discovering the freedom that comes from bringing darkness into the light. Her story is a powerful reminder that no wound is beyond the reach of God's healing love.

Meet Melissa Olsen

Melissa Olsen is the author of Broken Girl Fly, a deeply honest memoir chronicling her journey of healing from childhood sexual abuse. Through vulnerability, humor, and unwavering faith, Melissa encourages survivors to step out of shame, embrace truth, and discover the freedom that comes through Jesus.

In This Episode, You'll Discover…

Why childhood trauma often keeps us trapped in silence—and how bringing it into the light begins healing.
How Jesus meets us in our deepest pain and walks with us through recovery.
What happens when we stop hiding our story and choose vulnerability instead.
Practical encouragement for survivors who wonder if healing is truly possible.
Why your past does not have to define your future.

How This Episode Will Encourage You

If you've carried painful memories, shame, or hidden wounds for years, know this: healing is possible. Jesus is not intimidated by your story, and you don't have to carry it alone. We pray this conversation reminds you that freedom often begins with one courageous step into the light.

Follow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook

🛍️ Shop for Good at the Collide Store

🎁Partner with Us to Impact Lives! Visit our website for more information about giving.

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

📲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!

Learning How to Be Gentle with Yourself with Jillian DeBritz Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

🎧 Listen & Subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen.

What if God isn’t as hard on you as you are on yourself?

In this powerful and grace-filled episode, Jillian DeBritz invites us into a conversation about self-compassion, shame, and the healing that comes when we learn to be gentle with ourselves. Drawing from her own story and coaching work, Jillian shares practical tools to quiet self-criticism, tune in to our inner world, and reflect God's love in how we treat ourselves.

Meet Jillian DeBritz

Jillian is a certified life and leadership coach, writer, speaker, and host of the Permission Slips podcast. A former educator and recovering perfectionist, she knows firsthand the toll of burnout and the journey toward healing. Today, she helps women silence shame and embrace a gentler, more sustainable way of living rooted in purpose and grace.

In This Episode, You'll Learn

Why self-compassion is essential for emotional and spiritual health
How to challenge the inner critic with kindness and truth
What it means to pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, and needs
The power of asking better questions for personal growth
How Jesus models gentleness toward us—and how we can do the same

Why This Episode Matters

If you’re exhausted by your inner critic or weighed down by the pressure to always get it right, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Jillian reminds us that we don’t have to hustle for worthiness—God already calls us beloved. Walk away with a renewed perspective, practical tools for inner healing, and permission to treat yourself with the same grace you’d extend to a friend.

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.

A 20 Day Walk Toward Gratitude – A beautiful guide with 20 daily reflections, practical tools, and journaling space to help you grow a heart of gratitude.

Partner with Us - Love what Collide is doing? Help us bring hope and healing to women through counseling, content, and connection.

💛 Give today at wecollide.net/give

Connect with Jillian - Website | Permission Slips Podcast

FREE DOWNLOAD: Gentle Framework Guide: Cultivate Self-Compassion

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!

Trust and Joy in Your Greatest Heartbreak with Mattie Jackson Oct 30, 2024

Show notes

In this moving episode, we sit down with Mattie Jackson, an author, speaker, podcaster, and co-founder of NaSHEville, a philanthropic organization supporting orphans, widows, and victims of human trafficking. After experiencing the tragic loss of her husband just three weeks shy of their first wedding anniversary, Mattie has transformed her pain into a message of hope and resilience. Through her books Lemons on Friday and Through the Valley of Grief, as well as her podcast In Joy Life, she offers a heartfelt guide for navigating grief with trust and joy in God.

What We Covered:

Choosing Joy in the Midst of Grief: We discuss how Mattie’s podcast, In Joy Life, inspires listeners to choose joy despite challenging circumstances and the power of embracing both joy and sorrow simultaneously.
The Importance of Community: Mattie emphasizes the significance of connecting with a supportive community, including Christian friends and widow mentors, and how these relationships helped her avoid isolation in her early years of grieving.
Spiritual Practices in Suffering: Mattie talks about the spiritual practices that sustained her, such as wailing, worship, connecting, and hoping. She explains how these practices shaped her healing journey and offers advice for those struggling to find hope in their grief.
Being Rooted in Defiant Hope: In the face of loss, Mattie discusses how she chose to be rooted in hope, even when her circumstances seemed hopeless. She shares practical ways to combat fear, anxiety, and spiritual attacks during difficult seasons.

Resources Mentioned:

Mattie’s Books: Lemons on Friday: Trusting God Through My Greatest Heartbreak and Through the Valley of Grief: A 365-Day Devotional of Spiritual Practices for Hope in Suffering
Mattie’s Podcast: In Joy Life Podcast
Website: mattiejackson.net

Follow Willow on her Website, Instagram or Facebook

🛍️ Shop for Good at the Collide Store

🎁Partner with Us to Impact Lives! Visit our website for more information about giving.

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

📲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!

Celebrating 10 Years of Collide: Volunteer Stories of Faith, Purpose, and Service Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

In this special 10th Anniversary episode of The Collide Podcast, we celebrate a decade of impact by sitting down with three dedicated Collide volunteers Beth Henry, Kelli Hawkinson, and Michelle Holladay, who have collectively served for 25 years. These incredible team members share their personal stories of why they choose to serve, what fuels their commitment, and the unique blessings they've received along the way. They open up about the joys and challenges of volunteering, offering listeners a glimpse into the heart of service and the transformational power of showing up for others.

Together, we explore why service is worth the sacrifice and how volunteering has deepened their faith, built meaningful connections, and led to a sense of purpose that goes beyond themselves. As we celebrate Collide's milestone birthday, these volunteers' reflections remind us that true impact happens when people come together with a shared heart for loving and serving others.

Join us for this inspiring conversation and be encouraged to consider how you too can make a difference through a heart of service. Happy birthday, Collide! 🎉

Key Takeaways:

Why these volunteers choose to serve at Collide and what keeps them coming back.
How serving others has grown their faith and shaped their lives in unexpected ways.
The sacrifices and rewards of volunteering, and why it’s worth saying "yes."
The impact of a collective heart for service and the legacy of Collide’s community.

Follow Willow on her Website, Instagram or Facebook

🛍️ Shop for Good at the Collide Store

🎁Partner with Us to Impact Lives! Visit our website for more information about giving.

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

📲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!

Happy 10th birthday, Collide! 🎂

Breaking the Cycle of Childhood Trauma with Traci Grant Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

🎧 Listen & Subscribe to the Collide Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen.

What if the pain of your past could become the foundation of someone else’s healing?

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, we sit down with author, speaker, and trainer Traci Grant as she shares her incredible story of resilience, redemption, and faith. Traci opens up about the heartbreak of childhood trauma, abandonment, and betrayal—revealing hidden family secrets that shaped her life, including the discovery of her biological father and the genetic connection to her son’s hemophilia.

Meet Traci Grant

Traci is the author of After the Rotting, a raw and hope-filled memoir about breaking generational trauma. Through her work as a speaker and trainer, she empowers others to face their stories with courage, lean into healing, and live with purpose.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

How Traci uncovered painful family secrets—and the impact they had on her identity
What it looks like to stop the cycle of generational trauma
How God’s faithfulness showed up in the middle of her darkest moments
The grit and grace it takes to heal from abandonment and betrayal
Why telling your story can be one of the most powerful tools for healing

How This Episode Will Encourage You

Traci’s story is a bold reminder that your past doesn’t have to define your future. Through her vulnerability and strength, you’ll be reminded that healing is possible, restoration is real, and God is with you every step of the way.

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.

Connect with Traci - Website | Instagram

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!