Strangers on The Way
Strangers on The Way
Lauren Hansen
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.
Episode 151: Denvil Lee - From policeman to pastor, planting small seeds, and being found by God
In Episode 151, Lauren sits down with Denvil Lee, Campus Pastor at The Chapel Lake Zurich. Denvil shares his incredible journey from working at McDonald’s, to retail leadership, to serving as a police officer, investigator, and detective, before eventually stepping into church leadership and pastoral ministry. One of the most powerful themes throughout the conversation is how Denvil approaches each role with a heart to serve and invest in people - often spending only a short time at the top b...
May 18
1 hr 8 min
Episode 150: Lynne Marian - Creation Care, Eliminating Poverty, and Empowering Communities Worldwide
In Episode 150, Lauren sits down with Lynne Marian, a leader who has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of faith, ministry, and mission-driven marketing. Throughout her career, Lynne has helped amplify the impact of some of the most influential Christian organizations in the world, including World Vision, Zondervan, World Concern, Our Daily Bread Ministries, and Outreach, Inc.. While at Outreach, she founded Outreach Magazine, known for publishing the influential Top 10...
Mar 16
29 min
Episode 149: Marcy Bursac - Why adoption was her Plan A, navigating foster care adoption, and closing the gap for waiting children
In Episode 149, Lauren sits down with Marcy Bursac, adoptive mom, author, national advocate, and founder of The Forgotten Adoption Option, to talk about what happens when adoption isn’t Plan B…but Plan A. Marcy shares how a visit to Moldova changed the trajectory of her life and led her to the desire to adopt. But when she stepped into the U.S. foster care system to adopt a sibling pair, she encountered something she didn’t expect: confusion, delays, misdirection, and a lack of clear guidance...
Feb 16
33 min
Episode 148: Dr. Paul Falkowski - Why visiting seniors matters, healing loneliness, and 1:1 care
In Episode 148, Lauren interviews Dr. Paul Falkowski, Founder and President of the National Association of Long-Term Care Volunteers (NALTCV) and explores the quiet, powerful impact of showing up for senior citizens — one visit at a time. Paul shares the remarkable origin story of his organization, which began not in a boardroom, but while serving as a choir director. After a visit to a local senior care facility, Paul quickly learned that there was a need for one-on-one visitors for the seni...
Jan 19
37 min
Episode 147: Moriah Stewart - Loving teenagers well, how to be a mentor, and the joy of pickleball
In Episode 147, Lauren interviews Oklahoma-based mom, pickleball enthusiast, and ministry leader Moriah Stewart. Lauren spontaneously met Moriah at a conference in Chicago. In this episode, Moriah shares about her and her husband Kyle's love of teenagers, what she's learned through mentoring young adults, how to recognize God speaking to you, and wisdom she's gleaning through playing pickleball. This episode is a warm, faith-filled conversation about noticing God in daily life, loving young p...
Jan 12
38 min
Episode 146: Jennifer Wenningkamp - Hearing God's call, shaped by Mozambique, and living a life of missions
In Episode 146, Lauren sits down with Jennifer Wenningkamp, a woman whose life has been profoundly shaped by divine encounters, courageous obedience, and a deep passion for loving people across cultures. Jennifer shares how, at just ten years old, she heard the audible voice of God calling her into missions, a moment that set the trajectory for her entire life. That calling eventually led her to Mozambique, where she served with Iris Ministries for more than a decade, met her husband, raised ...
Nov 24, 2025
47 min
Episode 145: Julie Yoder - Equipping preachers, leading with wisdom, and living the Vineyard legacy
In Episode 145, Lauren interviews Julie Yoder, one of the Senior Pastors at The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois, where she leads alongside her husband, Mike. Together, they also serve as Regional Leaders for Vineyard USA in the Midwest Central Region. Raised in the Vineyard, Julie is a gifted communicator, passionate leader, and developer of others. She leads the preaching team and is deeply committed to helping people encounter Jesus in their everyday lives. In this episode, Julie...
Nov 17, 2025
32 min
Episode 144: Amy James - Intimacy with God, inner healing, and discovering creativity
In this episode, Lauren interviews Amy James, a creative, faith-filled woman from Illinois who wears many hats. Alongside her husband, Amy hosts guests through their Airbnb, extending warmth and hospitality as a reflection of God’s heart. As a Sozo inner healing leader, she helps others experience freedom and restoration through intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When she’s not leading or mentoring, you’ll often find Amy painting, exploring her creative side, and discovering the...
Nov 10, 2025
40 min
Episode 143: Jen Dunnewold - Emotional health, honor, and loving well
In Episode 143, Lauren interviews Jen Dunnewold, a Tennessee native, devoted wife and mom, and member of her church’s worship team. Jen is passionate about emotional health, authentic connection, and creating intentional cultures of honor. In this episode, Jen shares how navigating complex family dynamics became a classroom for learning boundaries, self-awareness, and love. Jen opens up about overcoming people-pleasing, starting the journey toward emotional health, and discovering the freedom...
Nov 3, 2025
36 min
Episode 142: Jonas "Yo" Torres - Songwriting, stewarding the secret place, and life as a creative
In Episode 142, Lauren interviews creative Jonas "Yo" Torres who is currently serving in his third year at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. In this episode, Lauren and Yo dive deep into what it means to create from the secret place with God, where intimacy fuels creativity and art becomes an act of worship. Yo shares how the Gospel shapes his life and creativity, reminding us that Jesus came to show us what it looks like to be loved by the Father. If you’re longing to write songs...
Oct 27, 2025
39 min
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