Strangers on The Way
Transforming the world, one stranger at a time. On a quest to eliminate loneliness and isolation, writer and speaker Lauren Hansen is on a mission to encourage every person to meet someone new every day. This podcast shares inspirational stories of her interactions with strangers across the world. Be inspired through her stories to create new stories of your own.
Episodes
118 episodes
Episode 117: Steve Backlund - Speaking life, building identity, and empowering leaders
In Episode 117, Lauren interviews author, speaker and joy-activator Steve Backlund. Steve Backlund is a prolific encourager, catalytic author, joy activator, and revivalist teacher. He and his wife Wendy lead Igniting Hope Ministries and bring ...
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Season 1
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Episode 117
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33:35
Episode 116: Dele Okuwobi - Building and creating, how to pray, and the power of failure
In Episode 116, Lauren interviews builder and creator Dele Okuwobi. Dele leads an organization called Wonder Association that helps church leaders build, create, innovate, and launch the dreams God has placed in their heart. In this episode, De...
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Season 1
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Episode 116
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43:14
Episode 115: Jacki Mjoen - Teaching the next generation, the Enneagram, and overcoming brain cancer
In Episode 115, Lauren interviews teacher and brain cancer warrior Jacki Mjoen. Jacki is a middle school math teacher who helps her students overcome shame and the fear of not being smart enough. In 2022, Jacki received a brain tumor diagnosis ...
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Season 1
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Episode 115
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31:15
Episode 114: Romain Berthelot - Becoming a Catholic priest, coming to light, and Ignatius of Loyola
In Episode 114, Lauren interviews French Catholic priest Romain Berthelot. Romain serves in a wonderful Catholic community called the Chemin Neuf. In this episode, Romain shares his journey to becoming a priest, reconciliation between family, a...
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Season 1
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Episode 114
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1:04:14
Episode 113: Francesco Bianco - Healing miracles, Italy, and meaning from Moana
In Episode 113, Lauren interviews Italian-native Francesco Bianco. Francesco lives with a community in Italy and is passionate about praying for healing and people understanding their royal identity. In this episode, Francesco talks about how h...
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Season 1
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Episode 113
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1:03:45
Episode 112: Hannah Shallenberger - Intentionally loving others, handwritten notes, and growing up in a big family
In Episode 112, Lauren interviews brilliant, witty and connector of people Hannah Shallenberger. Hannah has served in higher education and K12 for her career helping to fulfill goals of students and organizations through fundraising. In this ep...
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Season 1
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Episode 112
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40:22
Episode 111: Jeffrey Clayton - From introvert to extrovert, connecting with people, and being a dad
In Episode 111, Lauren interviews risk-taking introvert and people connector Jeffrey Clayton. When Lauren met Jeffrey, he was introducing himself to everyone in the room and she noticed his kind friendliness. What she didn't know was that Jeffr...
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Season 1
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Episode 111
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35:10
Episode 110: Christine Haber - Celebrations, everlasting love, and life in Jamaica
In Episode 110, Lauren interviews Jamaican Bishop Christine Haber. Christine was a Broadway dancer in New York, a travel agent, and began leading a ministry in Jamaica 23 years ago (and is celebrating the 23rd anniversary this month!). Christin...
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Season 1
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Episode 110
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44:29
Episode 109: Alyssa Goncales - Finding your voice, voting, and the power of local elections
In Episode 109, Lauren interviews Arizona-based wife, mom and political field representative Alyssa Goncales. Alyssa was a business owner and hair stylist for 21 years and a couple of years ago, a friend invited her to volunteer at a political ...
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Season 1
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Episode 109
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31:02
Episode 108: Eléna Kappers - Belonging, cross-cultural mission, and growing up in Yemen
In Episode 108, Lauren interviews worldwide adventurer Eléna Kappers. Eléna grew up in Yemen with her parents (her dad is Dutch-Canadian and her mom is German), went to university in Scotland, and currently lives in England. In January, Eléna w...
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Season 1
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Episode 108
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42:46
Episode 107: Lea Schmehl - Scouts, experiencing peace, and life in Germany
In Episode 107, Lauren interviews German-native Lea Schmehl. Lea is a joy-filled 21-year old student studying to become a math/geography teacher. In this episode, Lea shares about what it's like living in Germany, her experience working and ser...
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Season 1
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Episode 107
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41:30
Episode 106: Bertine Pas - Unity, mushroom chairs, and life in the Netherlands
In Episode 106, Lauren interviews Netherlands-native Bertine Pas. Bertine is a teacher filled with so much joy and light! In this episode, Bertine shares about her adventurous summer across Europe, life in the Netherlands, and her journey of fa...
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Season 1
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Episode 106
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37:50
Episode 105: Derek Matthews - Leadership, how to connect with people, and the future of AI
In Episode 105, Lauren interviews leadership expert Dr. Derek Matthews. Derek lives in Arizona with his wife and three children and serves businesses through leadership consulting (Character Quest) and innovative growth solutions (The Patriot P...
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Season 1
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Episode 105
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29:52
Episode 104: Agate Meikulāne - Life in Latvia, the beauty of nature, and wisdom to keep going
In Episode 104, Lauren interviews 20-year old Agate Meikulāne. Agate is a fully-alive and passionate student from Latvia who currently works at an art gallery. She spent her gap year traveling and working in fashion design and is set to study D...
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Season 1
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Episode 104
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47:54
Episode 103: Valerie and Leon - Kids Interview!
In Episode 103, Lauren interviews the youngest guests on the Strangers on the Way Podcast, eight-year-old Valerie and five-year old Leon! Valerie and Leon are siblings and live in the Chicago suburbs. In this episode, Valerie and Leon joyfully ...
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Season 1
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Episode 103
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8:14
Episode 102: Anne Beall - Analyzing fairytales, embracing self-compassion, and a hot air balloon ride
In Episode 102, Lauren interviews author and entrepreneur Dr. Anne Beall. Anne has written numerous award-winning books and owned a research company that enabled her to learn about fairytales, love, and gender dynamics of men and women, among m...
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Season 1
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Episode 102
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40:23
Episode 101: La Toya Ormsby - Walking through grief, setting a table, and life in Jamaica
In Episode 101, Lauren interviews La Toya Ormsby, Jamaica-native and Director of Client Services at a crisis pregnancy center in Maryland. In Jamaica, La Toya enjoyed mango season in the summer, jerk pits, drive-in movie theaters, and being sur...
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Season 1
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Episode 101
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57:32
Episode 100: Tony Hodges - Lessons from marriage, how to learn, and healing from Father wounds
"I know you've been through pain and I know you've been through loss, but this is how I'm going to put your life back together."In this episode, Lauren chats with Tony Hodges, English business man and Ministry Lead of Ci...
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Season 1
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Episode 100
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59:54
Episode 99: Kimberly Jackson - The creative process, generational legacy, and gifts from God
In this episode, Lauren chats with powerful business owner, graphic designer, photographer and prophetic trainer Kimberly Jackson. Kimberly comes from a family of 11 (she's the youngest of 11!), a long line of entrepreneurs, and currently owns ...
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Season 1
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Episode 99
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1:04:26
Episode 98: Julie Egger - Transformation, changing behaviors, and loving who you are
"The real power is being vulnerable. The real power is being who you are. The real power is speaking truth. That's what I really learned the last couple of years. You're sick in your secrets. You're powerful in your truth." -Jul...
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Season 1
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Episode 98
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39:02
Episode 97: Tyler Skupien - Finding career fulfillment, a love story, and discovering our love language with God
In Episode 97, Lauren interviews finance project manager and dancer Tyler Skupien. In this episode, Ty talks through her journey from corporate accounting to alternative investments and how finding career fulfillment is incredibly important. Sh...
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Season 1
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Episode 97
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27:40
Episode 96: Brian Phillip - Healthy masculinity, raising up leaders, and accessing abundance
In Episode 96, Lauren interviews ministry leader and Seattle real estate broker Brian Philip. Having been in the business and management field for over 20 years, Brian has experience and a passion for equipping leaders. His belief is that leadi...
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Season 1
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Episode 96
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44:46
Episode 95: Lindsey Harwood - APEST, staying present in parenting, and life in Nepal
In Episode 95, Lauren interviews Director of 5Q Central, wife, and mom of 3 Lindsey Harwood. Lindsey helps to lead an international organization that equips teams to adopt the APEST model based in Ephesians 4 (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shep...
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Season 1
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Episode 95
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27:17
Episode 94: Kevin Benejam - Stepping out, the wonder of children, and meeting strangers on the NYC train
In Episode 94, Lauren interviews New York native Kevin Benejam (KB). Kevin Benejam is a multifaceted artist, designer, speaker, entrepreneur, writer, actor, and producer, as well as the founder of KABEL and VESI Creative. Kevin's expertise span...
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Season 1
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Episode 94
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30:17
Episode 93: Kelly Hansen - Hansen's Ice Cream Parlor, building teams, and creating a thriving family business
In Episode 93, Lauren interviews Kelly Hansen (no relation to Lauren, but how fun they share the same last name!), family business owner of Hansen's Ice Cream Parlor in Wilmot and Burlington, Wisconsin. Kelly and her family opened Hansen'...
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Season 1
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Episode 93
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30:36