When you’ve walked through unimaginable loss, finding your way back to faith can feel impossible.

In this episode, Known Through Connection host Jess Collicott sits down with Angie Hansen, founder of Butterflies & Halos, whose story embodies grace through grief.

After losing her infant son, her husband, and her brother within a few short years, Angie turned her pain into purpose by becoming a certified grief coach and creating spaces where others can heal. She shares what it means to sit in sorrow, how to support friends who are grieving, and the hope that faith can return even after silence.

Angie also offers gentle guidance and resources for anyone walking through loss this season:

• Butterflies & Halos: gifts, writings, and faith-rooted support for healing hearts.

• The Collective for Hope: Omaha-based programs for grieving children and families.

• Get Griefy Magazine: free issues featuring stories of resilience and hope.

• The Holiday HeartLift: launching November 1, 2025, a 25-day series of short audio messages, journal prompts, and reflections to help you navigate the holidays after loss.

  Use code KTCHOLIDAY50 at checkout on ButterfliesandHalos.com for 50% off.

This conversation is tender, faith-filled, and practical — a reminder that even in the hardest seasons, love and grace still hold us.

In this special episode, the spotlight turns inward. Host Jess Collicott shares pieces of his own journey through a year marked by disruption, loss, and rebuilding.

With honesty and care, Jess opens up about moments that tested his health, faith, and identity, and the unexpected ways God, family, and community have carried him forward.

This is not a story of perfection. It is a story of resilience, love, and presence in the middle of pain. It is an invitation to sit with the hard, to honor the process of becoming, and to remember that connection has the power to heal and restore.

If you have ever wondered how to keep going when life unravels, Jess’s story will meet you there.

Tim “TC” Collins is a man whose life reflects strength, humility, and love. From being bullied as a child to losing his younger brother at 18, TC’s journey forged resilience and discipline, but it’s his faith and compassion that define him.

In this episode of Known Through Connection, TC shares how pain became the foundation for his strength, why he treats every relationship as a gift, and how love is the true power that overcomes. His perspective on fatherhood, fitness, faith, and healing is timely, inspiring, and deeply human.

If you want to be reminded of what high character and high values look like today, this episode is worth your time.

Five Simple Practices for Stronger In-Person Connection

In Episode 6, you’ll learn five field-tested ways to create genuine connection when meeting face-to-face. These small shifts can transform an ordinary coffee, lunch, or walk-and-talk into a moment where people feel truly seen.

What you’ll learn:

• How to greet with a handshake that actually connects (and a quick tip if it doesn’t land right).
• Why opening with “It’s good to see you” sets the right tone.
• How being interested, not interesting, deepens conversation.
• Why steady eye contact matters more than scanning the room.
• How to carry the connection all the way through the goodbye.

These practices come straight from Jess’s own playbook and are simple to apply in your very next interaction.

If this format resonates, let us know. We’ll continue to weave in more short, practical episodes alongside guest conversations. Thanks for listening, and for helping others be known through connection.

On her birthday, Alexis Maust and her family lost their home to a sudden fire. What followed was a season marked by faith, resilience, and a community’s love that poured in when they needed it most.

In this conversation, Alexis shares the events of that day, the vulnerable work of receiving help, and the ways she has learned to see life through the lens of love. We talk about surrender, asking for help, and discovering what cannot be taken, even when everything changes.

Listen as Alexis reflects on:

• The moment she realized her family was safe
• How a week-old prayer prepared her to receive love
• Why asking for help can deepen connection
• Choosing faith over fear in the aftermath of loss

Connect with Alexis:

• Facebook: Alexis Maust
• Coaching Instagram (Women’s Coaching): @beyour.awesome
• Personal Instagram: @alexis_maust
• LinkedIn: Alexis Maust

Rebekah Bradford is more than an Olympian. She is a comeback champion and a model of faith-fueled strength. In this episode, Rebekah opens up about her journey through Olympic sport, the role of faith in the hardest seasons, and what it means to build real strength and resilience through family, setbacks, and second chances.

We talk about:

• How to keep showing up after disappointment and loss
• Faith as an everyday anchor, not just a feeling
• The slow, steady process of rebuilding after setbacks
• What it means to be seen and supported in both the spotlight and ordinary life
• Building a family and a future beyond medals

This is not just a conversation about achievements. It is about the in-between moments that shape who we are and the growth that comes from showing up, even when things do not go as planned.

Connect with Rebekah:

• LinkedIn: Rebekah Bradford
• Instagram: @bekahbrad

If someone in your life is facing a setback or tough season, send them this conversation. It just might offer the hope or encouragement they need. ☀️

Grit and joy are woven through every part of Kelli Foreman’s life on Kodiak Island. In this episode, Kelli invites us into her real, unscripted world as a wife, mom, farmer, and the heart behind The Last Small Farm. Whether she’s caring for animals before sunrise, guiding her boys, or welcoming her online community, Kelli’s story is grounded in resilience, faith, and an honest love for simple things.

Our conversation isn’t about showing off. It’s about showing up—finding meaning in early mornings, in caring for others, and in the courage it takes to let life be both messy and beautiful. Kelli opens up about the challenges she’s faced on the farm, lessons learned through loss and recovery, and the choice to keep showing up with joy even on the hardest days. For Kelli, presence matters more than performance, and connection is found in the quiet, faithful rhythms of daily life.

Connect with Kelli:

🌱 Website: thelastsmallfarm.com

📸 Instagram: @kodiakgoatdairy

Join the conversation:

What part of Kelli’s story stayed with you? Share a moment of grit or joy from your own journey in the comments, or reach out to Kelli’s community to keep the connection going.

What does it mean to become known - not just for what you’ve survived, but for the way you live, lead, and lift others up? In this episode, Jess Collicott sits down with Hannah Soderstrom: founder, advocate, cancer survivor, and the heart behind Even Mermaids Get Leukemia.

Hannah shares her journey from a normal 13-year-old to navigating a life-changing leukemia diagnosis. She opens up about the hardest moments, the power of presence, and how the support of family, friends, and generous strangers made survival possible. Together, Jess and Hannah explore the real meaning of connection, and how simple acts—like giving blood or showing up for a friend—can change a life.

In this episode:

• ​Hannah’s honest account of childhood cancer and the scariest hour she faced waiting for a blood transfusion
• ​The story behind Even Mermaids Get Leukemia and its mission to help kids feel like kids again after cancer
• ​How to support survivors, nominate a child, or make a difference in someone’s journey
• ​The impact of small kindnesses and why presence always matters more than performance

Support Hannah’s mission:

→ Nominate a childhood cancer survivor, donate, or learn more at evenmermaidsgetleukemia.org

→ Follow Even Mermaids Get Leukemia on Facebook and Instagram

Consider donating blood.

Every transfusion is a lifeline for kids like Hannah. Visit your local blood bank to make a real difference.

Share this episode.

If you know someone who needs encouragement, hope, or a reminder that they’re not alone, please send them this conversation.

Thank you for being a part of Known Through Connection. Here, presence matters more than performance—and every story is an invitation to connect. ☀️