I got to sit down with Olga Reed, a longtime member of The Village Church and someone I deeply admire. Olga walks us through her story—from battling depression and loneliness as a first-generation college student, to coming to faith in Christ, and then surviving one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history at Virginia Tech.

Her testimony is a resounding declaration that the darkness did not win and Christ was at work even in the darkest places. Through pain, trauma, and even survivor's guilt, Olga clung to the Word of God, discovered healing in community, and found that Jesus is better than life.

In This Episode

• Meet Olga Reed: First-Gen Faith and Virginia Tech
• Depression, Isolation, and Searching for Belonging
• Surrender to Jesus: "Fine"
• Finding Cru and Her First Bible Study
• April 15: The Suicide Attempt
• April 16, 2007: Waking to Sirens
• After the Shooting: Fear, Grief, and Loneliness
• Hope in Romans 8 and the Power of Scripture
• Triggers, Therapy, and Talking About It
• Evil Exists, But So Does Resurrection

FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE:

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Thank you to our Sponsors

QAVA is a Christian streaming platform that helps you understand the Bible and live out your faith with confidence. Think of it as digital discipleship in your pocket. Visit qava.tv/theovercomers and use code OVERCOME50 for 50% off your first 6 months. That’s only $4.99 a month!

This book offers biblical wisdom and the stories of faithful saints to help you see God’s faithfulness in the darkest seasons. Grab Overcoming the Darkness today at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever good books are sold.

Through Scripture and her own journey of suffering, Colleen Chao reminds us that all our longings point to the joy of our true Home with Christ. Get your copy of On Our Way Home at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever good books are sold.

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Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co.

For sponsorship inquiries, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

In this episode, I sit down with my lovely wife Lauren to explore her story. She shares about growing up as a “good girl,” always chasing approval, achievement, and the A+. But beneath that pursuit was a deeper struggle: the fear of being weak, broken, or not enough. We talk about how that mindset shaped our marriage, her ministry, and her identity—and the powerful moment when she finally laid it all down at Recovery. This conversation is filled with the kind of grace that sets people free. If you’ve ever struggled with perfectionism, people-pleasing, or performance-driven faith, I believe this episode will offer truth and healing to where you are.

• Childhood roots of perfectionism and people-pleasing
• How "being good" can become a way to avoid needing God
• Marriage as the first wake-up call to grace
• Hitting the idol of achievement in music ministry
• The surrender chip moment: Letting go of control
• Embracing powerlessness and understanding grace
• How fixed mindset stifled creativity and risk-taking
• Moving toward a growth mindset in songwriting
• Learning to say “no” and disappoint people with peace
• Parenting and people-pleasing under the spotlight
• Shame, criticism, and trusting God with your reputation
• Remaining vigilant: How perfectionism tries to sneak back in
• Final encouragement for those stuck in performance

• Beth Moore's Bible Study: Believing God
• TVC Recovery Ministry
• Follow Lauren

FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE:

Instagram | Youtube | Website | Newsletter

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You!

Thank you to our Sponsors

QAVA is a Christian streaming platform that helps you understand the Bible and live out your faith with confidence. Think of it as digital discipleship in your pocket. Visit qava.tv/theovercomers and use code OVERCOME50 for 50% off your first 6 months. That’s only $4.99 a month!

This book offers biblical wisdom and the stories of faithful saints to help you see God’s faithfulness in the darkest seasons. Grab Overcoming the Darkness today at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever good books are sold.

Through Scripture and her own journey of suffering, Colleen Chao reminds us that all our longings point to the joy of our true Home with Christ. Get your copy of On Our Way Home at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever good books are sold.

–

Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co.

For sponsorship inquiries, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co

I sat down with artist, writer and friend Josh Nadeau to explore his path from theological precocity to personal crisis and ultimately, redemptive beauty. Josh shares how growing up steeped in Reformed theology didn’t insulate him from a slow descent into apathy, addiction, spiritual numbness, and walking through life “as a ghost”. It was beauty—raw, embodied, soul-stirring beauty—that woke him up. We talk about deconstruction, embodiment, addiction, the love of God, and why aesthetics — embodied faith — might be what Saints are made from. If you’re barely hanging on or wondering what a holy life could look like beyond checklists, I commend his book Room For Good Things to Run Wild to you.

• Growing up “super Christian” and deeply catechized
• University: the intellectual wrestling match of faith
• Burnout, apathy, and alcohol: five years of slow unraveling
• Rock bottom: bourbon at 5am and the call of hidden music
• Churchy clichés and the need for something that can bear the weight
• The boxing gym: embodied weakness and discipleship
• Gnosticism, disembodied faith, and hunger for incarnation
• Theology of the Body & rediscovering the sacred in flesh
• Becoming a saint: not instant, not easy, but beautiful
• God’s love beyond usefulness, the danger of returning to slavery
• Why Josh wrote Room for Good Things to Run Wild
• Beauty as the apologetic for a disenchanted age
• Speaking to the silent middle: the “4 out of 10” Christian life

• Room for Good Things to Run Wild by Josh Nadeau
• Josh’s Instagram
• Josh’s Substack

Instagram | Youtube | Website | Newsletter

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, one of the best ways to support the show and make sure others find it, is to subscribe and leave a review. Thank You!

Overcoming the Darkness by Nate Pickowicz

This book offers biblical wisdom and the stories of faithful saints to help you see God’s faithfulness in the darkest seasons. Grab Overcoming the Darkness today at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever good books are sold.

On Our Way Home by Colleen Chao

Through Scripture and her own journey of suffering, Colleen Chao reminds us that all our longings point to the joy of our true Home with Christ. Get your copy of On Our Way Home at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever good books are sold.

–

Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co.

For sponsorship inquiries, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co