The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

How does discipleship shape the way we make sense of pain and suffering in our lives? Why is Scripture so important—not only for our own spiritual growth, but also for the growth of our children? As a military wife, Hunter Beless began to recognize her own need for deeper discipleship amid the challenges and constant transitions of military life. She started seeking out conversations with those wh...

How do you find a way forward when shame from sexual abuse threatens to keep you stuck? What do you do with pornography and sexual addiction when they’re intertwined with the wounds you’ve carried for years? For podcast host and entrepreneur Ken Freire, finding freedom from pornography and the lingering shame of childhood sexual abuse was anything but easy. The road was marked by isolation, secrec...

What do you do when you find yourself living a life that was never your plan? How do you navigate the heartache of divorce and come out the other side stronger? Author and speaker Vaneetha Risner was no stranger to suffering long before her husband told her he had met someone else and wanted a divorce. After having walked through polio as a child, losing her infant son due to medical negligence an...

What does the gospel speak into our suffering? How can the Bible anchor us with hope in our deepest pain? Author and co-founder of She Reads Truth, Amanda Bible Williams has helped countless people understand the importance of Scripture in their everyday lives. But it was through her own journey—adoption and raising a medically fragile child—that God’s Word became even more personal and powerful....

How do we make sense of the pain others have caused us in light of the choices we’ve made? What do we do when we find ourselves somewhere we never intended to be? Christian recording artist Nicole C. Mullen opens up about the pain she endured in an abusive marriage. As she reflected on her journey, she came to understand that while she was never responsible for the abuse or betrayal she suffered,...

How can the Church move from constantly referring people in pain elsewhere to becoming the first place people turn for healing? What would it look like to create spaces where everyday believers are equipped with the tools to step into the hurt of those they encounter? Social researcher Shaunti Feldhahn and psychologist Dr. James Sells recognized that the mental health crisis in our country was at...

WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers. How do you get back up when life seems determined to knock you down? What does it look like to move toward the fire of adversity and pain in our lives instead of running from it? For author and pastor Shawn Johnson, the challenges of growing up in a home marked by addiction, battl...

WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers. How do you find hope again when the pressure of life builds to an unbearable level? What does it look like to find confidence in God’s love instead of worldly success? Like many leaders, Pastor Charles Metcalf found himself at a breaking point. After the challenges of 2020 left hi...

How do we model the way God brings each of us into His family? How can we faithfully support families who choose to grow their families through fostering or adoption? For Pastor Andrew Hopper, adopting a child with special needs has opened his eyes to a deeper understanding of what it means for each of us to be adopted into the family of God. Through navigating complex medical needs, the pain ofte...

How do you begin to disrupt the toxic family patterns you experienced as a child? What do you do with the dissonance between the outward appearance of your life and the reality of what was? For Amy Duggar King, life was lived in two very different worlds. One appeared happy and carefree, marked by regular appearances on her extended family’s reality TV show, **19 Kids and Counting**. The other was...

How can you believe you are highly favored when you experience great loss? What does it look like to trust that God still loves you when tragedy strikes your family? Kurt and Denette Schaer had already seen how God can redeem suffering—having walked through Kurt’s infidelity and experiencing radical healing in their marriage. But even that couldn’t fully prepare them for the heartbreak they would...

WARNING: This episode contains conversations about suicide and suicide ideation and may not be suitable for all listeners/viewers. How do you experience Jesus fully after coming to Christ? How can you continue to experience Him when life is full of pain and difficulties? Naeem Fazal has an incredibly powerful testimony of how he first encountered Christ. Born into a Muslim family, Naeem experience...

What does suffering offer us when it comes to spiritual awakening? How can we experience a movement of God after walking through a season of pain? In 2023, Pastor Zach Meerkreebs was an ordinary pastor serving at a local seminary, still walking through the emotional pain from the loss of his infant daughter, Esther, three years prior. On what seemed like an ordinary day, he delivered a chapel mess...

How do you trust God in seasons of waiting? How do you testify to His faithfulness when the outcome isn’t what you hoped for? Pastor and author DawnCheré Wilkerson never expected her long journey through infertility to become such a significant part of her story. Yet, as she found herself in an extended season of waiting, God invited her to share honestly about both the pain and the promises she d...

How do you engage with the Word of God when your world is falling apart? What does Scripture offer us in our deepest pain? Pastor and author David Platt has built his life and ministry on the foundation of God’s Word—through his own personal struggles, challenges, and questions. As an adoptive father, David has witnessed firsthand the power of Scripture in guiding him as he shepherds the hearts of...

Can life after trauma hold something more than pain? How can you discover new purpose and growth after suffering? Nothing Is Wasted Coaching Director, Teresa Glantz, has walked her own path of trauma and healing—and has transformed her pain into a calling to help others heal through teaching about trauma and post-traumatic growth. She is passionate about showing others that while pain and trauma m...

How do you hold onto hope while processing new losses after past ones? How do you reconcile the deep suffering you experience in life with the goodness of God? Ashley Opliger knows these questions well. After losing her daughter, Bridget, to stillbirth, she couldn’t imagine a greater pain. Years later, when her father was killed by a drunk driver, she found herself navigating a new wave of grief l...

How do we make space for our grief in the midst of what is often called a joyful season? What happens when the traditions we once cherished become painful reminders of those no longer at our table? Author Lanier Ivester understands the deep ache of loss and how it reshapes the holidays. After walking through multiple griefs—many within a single year—Lanier found herself reimagining the Christmas s...

What do you do when you find yourself living a life you don’t always love? How can joy be rediscovered after seasons of sorrow and heartache? For author, podcaster, and military wife Rachel Awtrey, learning to love her life hasn’t been an easy journey. After losing her father at a young age, walking through a messy season of grief, and navigating the uncertainty that comes with being married to a...

How do you find hope when life unexpectedly thrusts you into the valley of loss? How do you navigate the rugged terrain of pain? For Nothing is Wasted’s Podcast Producer and Content Director, Catherine Fitzgerald, the heartbreak and trauma of losing her brother, Zac, plunged her into a valley unlike anything she had ever experienced. In the aftermath came secondary losses of community and identity...

Warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and may not be suitable for all audiences. What do you do when your life turns into a nightmare? How do you find healing from the deepest hurts imaginable? As a therapist, Kimberly Haar had spent years walking others through darkness and difficulty. But nothing could have prepared her for her own journey through trauma. Years after an amicable divo...

What do you do when you find yourself reacting as a leader? How can the wounds of your past impact who you are becoming? Former pastor turned leadership coach and podcaster Tony Miltenberger began noticing a powerful pattern in his conversations with leaders: the emotional reactions that were surfacing and influencing their leadership were often rooted in unresolved wounds from the past. As he dug...

How can you keep trusting God when you experience the most unimaginable trauma? Where can you find the goodness of God when the pain feels unrelenting? Erin Ketchen grew up in a family deeply rooted in faith. That foundation became essential when her family was thrust into a season of profound suffering. First, her husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer, a journey they had to navigate togeth...

How do you navigate the inevitable storms of life? What does it truly look like to grieve the life you once envisioned? Josh Turner is no stranger to life’s storms. From parenting a daughter with special needs—whose diagnosis didn’t come until she was 12 years old—to enduring a painful betrayal at the church where he served as a pastor, Josh has weathered more than his fair share of hardship. Thro...

How do you hold onto hope when the answers just aren’t coming? What does it look like to keep the faith when it feels like your prayers are going unheard? Olivia (Feller) Gerber’s journey with chronic pain began in high school, when unexplained symptoms started to disrupt her daily life. Despite countless medical tests and doctor visits, she was left without a clear diagnosis—only more questions a...