Leveraging Weddings for Extraordinary Impact with Samantha Mathews

What if a wedding could be more than a celebration of love between two people—what if it could also be a catalyst for healing, dignity, and new beginnings?In this episode, we sit down with Samantha Mathews, the visionary CEO and Founder of The Andrée Collective, who is reimagining the wedding industry as a space for social transformation. Rooted in compassion and creativity, Samantha’s work empowers women who have survived trauma, especially domestic violence, by offering them meaningful pathways to employment, confidence, and connection.Through her deeply human approach, beauty becomes more than aesthetics—it becomes a force for resilience. We talk about the values that fuel her mission, the sacred stories of recovery and hope woven into each event, and how something as personal as a wedding can ripple outward to change lives and communities.HostRev. Lisa Greenwood is the President & CEO of Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation. She joined the staff of TMF in 2012 serving as Vice President for Leadership Ministry before taking her current role in 2022. Rev. Greenwood is an ordained elder in the North Texas (now Horizon Texas) Conference of the United Methodist Church, where she served congregations for twenty years. During the last five years of her local church ministry, Lisa served as a ministry strategist with Horizons Stewardship Company. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. Co-HostRev. Dr. Amy Butler is the founder of the philanthropic initiative Invested Faith. She previously served as the first woman senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church (D.C.), associate pastor at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, and intentional interim minister at National City Christian Church (D.C.). Pastor Amy holds degrees from Baylor University, the International Baptist Theological Seminary, and Wesley Theological Seminary. She's a mother of three children and currently lives in Hawaii.Amy’s book is Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other.GuestSamantha Mathews MA, LPC, NCC, is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor and founder of Andrée Collective. Sam discovered her passion for serving female trauma survivors at the start of her career in nonprofit fundraising with a domestic violence/sexual assault dual agency in North Carolina and has spent the last ten years gaining invaluable experience in the field while laying the groundwork for Andrée Collective. Since completing her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Sam has worked tirelessly for the survivor population and towards her greater purpose: seeing women thrive. Sam is actively committed to serving the greater Philadelphia region through Andrée Collective as well as her involvement in church and education.Timestamps00:00 - Intro08:01 - The Founding of Andrée Collective16:02 - Dreaming of a Safe Future: The Role of Resources in Recovery23:07 - New Models of Ministry40:21 - Challenges and Solutions in Nonprofit Work46:50 - Embracing New PossibilitiesLinksVisit our show’s website at www.ignitingimagination.org.To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.To receive emails about the podcast, subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We know your inbox is inundated these days; we aim to send you content that is inspiring, innovative, and impactful for your life and ministry.