Meet Our Fall 2019 Conference Speakers!
Our Fall 2019 Collide conference, Overcome, is just a few days away and we’re getting SO excited for the incredible experience that we know is to come for the hundreds of ladies who will be in attendance. There will be delicious dessert, engaging activities, a photo station, some incredible music, and in typical Collide fashion, we have quite a few surprises up our sleeves as well that you’ll just have to come and experience for yourself. Our prayer is that every woman walks away from this conference different, believing in her identity as an overcomer, with the boldness and confidence to partner with God to overcome her real life challenges and obstacles.
Amongst all of the conference prep and excitement, we continue to find ourselves in awe of the guest speakers joining us on November 15th. From an Olympic Gold Medalist, to the CEO of an innovative and impactful organization, to a woman leading the charge on Global Missions Initiatives, to a gifted pastor and communicator, to Collide’s very own Founder and Director – it is one stacked line up of world changers who will be getting vulnerable and sharing about the personal challenges they are overcoming with God in order to continue to work passionately toward a better world.
As you prepare your own heart and mind for this weekend’s conference, we wanted to give you a one-stop-blog-post with the low down on each speaker so you can get as stoked as we are.
Laura Wilkinson
Laura Wilkinson is an Olympic diver who is well known for her amazing come back during the 2000 Olympic games, emerging from 8th place to win the gold. She recently came out of retirement and is training for the 2020 Olympics! Laura also co-founded a non-profit called Anchored in Hope, has a parenting blog, and hosts the Hope Sports Podcast where she talks with elite and professional athletes about finding purpose beyond performance. Laura is also a motivational speaker and has been a broadcaster for NBC. This incredible woman has pushed through pain, fought hard and come out victorious and we are so excited to learn from her at our fall 2019 conference, Overcome.
If you’d like to learn even more about her story and some background for what she’ll share at the conference, you can tune into her interview on The We Collide Podcast.
Lori Salierno Maldonado
Lori Salierno-Maldonado is the CEO of Teach One to Lead One, an incredible organization that supports at-risk kids. Lori carries the wisdom of many years of following God’s calling on her life. She is a sought-after teacher and often speaks on the importance of mentorship, finishing what you started, and taking one step at a time on the journey to fulfilling your dreams and tackling challenges. She will be speaking to Collide ladies on a piece of her personal story that she doesn’t typically address publicly and we can’t wait to hear how God uses her experiences to relate and connect with other women who are facing immense obstacles on their journey to own an identity as an overcomer.
Lori isn’t afraid of hard questions, and she has the faith, experience, and practical advice to encourage women to be their healthiest and most impactful selves. We are so excited to learn from her at Overcome.
We got the opportunity to interview Lori on our podcast, so if you’d like to learn more about this gifted preacher and teacher, you can tune into her interview here.
Grant and Laurel Fishbook
Grant and Laurel have been on the front lines of ministry together for over 30 years. Laurel is currently leading Touchpoint, a ministry that cares for the souls of pastors and their spouses as well as leading the charge on CTK’s Global Missions Initiatives. Grant is the Lead Teaching Pastor at Christ The King Bellingham.
Obstacles are nothing new to Grant and Laurel, but their story is not about the obstacles – it’s about how Jesus has been their constant guide on the journey to “Overcome.” We can’t wait to welcome Grant and Laurel to the stage at our fall conference to be interviewed by Willow.
To hear Grant’s messages (trust us, his energy and wisdom is the ultimate combo for sermons you won’t want to miss), tune in on CTK’s website here.
Willow Weston
Willow Weston loves telling stories and inviting others to share theirs. She’s a foodie, a beach walker, a party-thrower, a coffee shop addict, a wife, and a mom. She is open about the wounds and insecurity she battles, and she’s passionate about helping other people become authentic with their pain so they can walk toward wholeness. Over 20 years ago, God called her to be a messenger for Him and she is now a speaker, blogger, author and the Founder and Director of Collide. Willow is known for her incredibly honest storytelling and here in the office we often joke that her superpower is making women cry (in the best, most therapeutic way). 😉
To learn more about Willow and her work, visit her website here.