G_O_D
🙏✨ What happens when God asks you to move… and doesn’t give you a plan? In this episode of Other People’s Shoes, Neil sits down with Stephanie Rivard, who, after 11 years as an Executive Director, did something most of us only talk about — she walked away after hearing God tell her to leave. No roadmap. No safety net. Just obedience. Titled G.O.D. (Gift of Desperation). This conversation explores prayer, learning to recognize God’s voice, and what it looks like to become fully dependent on Him. Stephanie even flips the script and asks Neil a question that stops him in his tracks. Honest, challenging, and deeply reflective, this episode invites listeners to ask themselves: Am I desperate enough for God to lead and willing to listen when He does? 👂🚪✨
🎙 SEASON 22: WHO’S THERE — EPISODE: G.O.D.
Gift of Desperation
🚪 SEASON THEME: WHO’S THERE
This season keeps asking one question:
Who’s there when life knocks, and how do we respond?
Sometimes the knock comes as an opportunity.
Sometimes as a disruption.
Sometimes, as a quiet voice we’d rather ignore.
This episode explores what happens when the knock doesn’t come from the outside but from God Himself.
👣 GUEST INTRODUCTION
My guest this week is Stephanie Rivard.
Stephanie spent 11 years serving as the Executive Director of a nonprofit. By every logical measure, she was exactly where she was supposed to be: stable, effective, and impactful.
And then, last year, defying logic and comfort, she heard something unexpected.
Through prayer, Stephanie sensed God telling her to leave.
No roadmap.
No backup plan.
No safety net.
Just obedience.
🙏 LEARNING TO LISTEN
This episode centers on prayer not as a formula, but as a relationship.
Stephanie shares how, over time, she has developed a deeper sensitivity to what she believes is God’s voice guiding and directing her steps. She’s honest and grounded about it.
She doesn’t claim perfection.
She doesn’t hear clearly every single time.
But she does say this: the more she listens, the more familiar that voice becomes.
And when the call came to walk away from a role she loved, she listened.
🔄 WHEN THE GUEST TURNS THE MIC
Stephanie does something rare in this conversation, something most guests haven’t yet done.
She asks me a question.
Not a casual one.
Not an easy one.
A question that stops me cold and forces real reflection in the moment.
It’s a reminder that when conversations are rooted in faith and honesty, they don’t always move in one direction. Sometimes the knock comes mid-conversation, and you have to decide how you’ll answer.
🧭 FAITH WITHOUT A PLAN
Stephanie’s story invites us to sit with an uncomfortable truth:
Sometimes following God means moving without clarity.
Without confirmation.
Without control.
This isn’t a story about recklessness; it’s about dependence.
Letting go of certainty.
Trusting provision.
Moving forward, when the next step hasn’t been revealed yet.
🎁 WHY “G.O.D.” THE GIFT OF DESPERATION
We call this episode G.O.D., short for Gift of Desperation.
Because desperation has a way of stripping away self-reliance and exposing what we truly trust.
This episode challenges listeners to ask themselves:
Do I have the gift of desperation?
Am I desperate enough for God to hear and to respond?
What would it take to become fully dependent on Him?
Not out of fear.
But out of trust.
💡 QUESTIONS THIS EPISODE INVITES
This conversation doesn’t rush answers. It invites posture:
How do you know when God is speaking?
What happens when obedience costs you comfort?
Are you listening or waiting for certainty first?
What if dependence is actually the point?
🪞 A REFLECTION FOR THE LISTENER
Stephanie’s story isn’t meant to be copied; it’s meant to be considered.
You may not be called to leave your job.
But you may be called to listen differently.
To pray more honestly.
To loosen your grip on control.
And to ask whether desperation for God, not outcomes, might actually be a gift.
🔗 CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE RIVARD
🌐 TeeMWORK – Stephanie Rivard
✨ The Clarity Advantage
🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES
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📣 LEAVE A REVIEW
If this episode challenged how you listen, pray, or trust, a review helps others find conversations that ask deeper questions.
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