Little Sparks
Join Tara Windibank and Cecilia Blackwell, co-founders of the Hildegard Collective and hosts of the Little Sparks Podcast, as they chat about all things faith and music! We’ve custom-tailored a podcast just for Catholic musicians, for the purposes of building community and cultivating important conversations. With plenty of special guest interviews, inspiring stories, and musical drama, you can expect lots of deep conversations and a healthy dose of hilarity, as these former college roommates take you through the peaks and valleys of life as a Catholic musician.
Episodes
69 episodes
S6E9: Catching Up with Julia: The Artist's Way and Radical Trust
Today we're welcoming back our friend Julia Janowski! Julia was a guest on Season 1, and her life has taken many twists and turns over the past few years. We're chatting about what she's learned about trusting in God, and how The Artist's Way i...
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46:15
S6E8: The Huron Carol & Evangelization
Have you ever heard of The Huron Carol? This traditional Christmas hymn was written by a saint, and its unassuming lyrics have a lot to teach us about evangelization.----Here's the links referenced in today's episode -The Huron Caro...
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41:51
S6E7: All Things Gratitude!
With American Thanksgiving just around the corner, today we're taking a moment to reflect on gratitude. One of the most important tools for growing in contentment, peace and joy, we're chatting about why gratitude is so crucial to incorporate i...
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31:03
S6E6: Combating Christmas Loneliness
Loneliness is endemic in our times, and can especially affect musicians around the holidays. Today we're chatting about how to combat the holiday loneliness, whether you're working, or spending time with family this Christmas season.----
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38:27
S6E5: Preparing for the Christmas Season
It's the most wonderful time of the year - unless you're a working musician, drowning in your hectic schedule. Today we're chatting about how to get on top of this crazy time of year, with mental, physical, and spiritual preparation. ----
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35:51
S6E4: St. John Henry Newman & The Humanity of Music
Today we're chatting about the newest Doctor of the Church - St. John Henry Newman. Known for his prolific writings, did you know he was also a musician? We're sharing some fascinating snippets of John Henry Newman's musical life, taken from hi...
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48:47
S6E3: All Saints & All Souls
This is part 2 of our mini-series on the All Hallows Triduum - the feasts of All Saints & All Souls! Today we're chatting all about the importance of these commemorations, some ideas of ways to celebrate them, and a bit about their music.
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38:05
S6E2: Halloween & Spooky Music
Today, we're chatting all things Halloween! Though it's become somewhat controversial in Catholic circles in recent years, we're sharing the reasons why we believe it's so important to continue commemorating this important day in the Hallowtide...
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45:34
S6E1: We're Back!
After an unexpectedly long hiatus- WE'RE BACK! We're thrilled to be returning to the podcast for Season 6. In this episode, we're catching up on what's happened since we last recorded, the reason for the untimely end of Season 5, and chatting a...
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32:03
S5E9: Discerning Roles
Discernment - it can feel like a Catholic buzzword sometimes, with it's increasingly casual use in day-to-day life. But what does discernment really mean and why does it matter?For musicians, especially those forms that require the expl...
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45:25
S5E8: Music & The Gift of Motherhood
We have a very special guest on this week's episode - Cecilia's mom, Olivia Leskowicz! Sharing her personal story of growing up in a musical family, and balancing a budding career and a young family, this episode is dripping with wisdom and ins...
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1:02:24
S5E7: Let's Talk About Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body was one of the most widely known works of Pope Saint John Paul II, and its message has broken barriers in teaching us about our own humanity and the Divine Character of God as understood through His beautiful creation of hu...
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55:10
S5 Bonus Episode: Emotional Abuse
Following last week's episode, Cecilia addresses an important and easily overlooked form of mistreatment: emotional abuse. Broaching this difficult topic, Cecilia shares candidly from her own personal experience and healing journey.
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15:34
S5E6: Being Sinned Against
Power imbalance is an unfortunately common problem in the music industry. It can be personally and professionally devastating to be on the receiving end of unfair treatment or inappropriate behavior of any kind.In today's candid episode...
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1:01:21
S5E5: Saint Alphonsus Liguori
You may have heard of St. Alphonsus Liguori, but how much do you really know about his life?St. Alphonsus was a moral theologian, extraordinary musician, intelligent lawyer and much more. He suffered with chronic pain, experienced a tot...
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46:41
S5E4: Healing Injuries & New Age Practices
If you've ever experienced a performance-impacting injury or illness, you'll know well the feeling of desperation to find healing. For many musicians, this becomes a gateway to new-age practices, which can be encouraged by teachers, coaches or ...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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1:02:59
S5E3: The Virtues, Part 2
Send us a textAfter a deep-dive into the Cardinal virtues last week, we're back discussing the Theological virtues! Everyone knows these terms - Faith, Hope a...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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59:37
S5E2: The Virtues, Part I
When you think of the word virtue, what comes to mind? If your answer is somewhere along the lines of "dry," "old-fashioned," or "prudish," you need to listen to this episode! The virtues are actually good habits – which we all need to cultivat...
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1:06:27
S5E1: Moral Theology Isn't Scary
Join us for our first episode of season 5! Today we're chatting about moral theology, what it's all about, and why it's relevant for us today. A book we love on this topic:
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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45:51
Season 5 Preview
We are excited to announce that our Season 5 preview episode is here! Listen in to hear the theme of the upcoming season, what we’re most excited for, some super exciting updates on the podcast and more! Trust us, you definitely don't want to m...
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24:15
S4E10: Reflecting on Life & Our Favorite Season 4 Moments
Here we are at the end of Season 4! We're taking some time to reflect on our favorite moments from Season 4, as well as the big life changes we've each been experiencing between the beginning and end of this season. This has been such an incred...
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32:23
S4E9: Pride vs. Stewardship
Join Tara as she discusses pride versus stewardship, and the distinction that lies between them!What we're listening to:Tara:
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51:13
S4E8: Surrendering to God's Will
After an unexpected, short hiatus, we're back! Today, we're sharing our own career stories and how the Lord helped us to both surrender to His Will, and rejoice in it. What we're listening to: Cecilia:
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1:16:55
Bonus Episode: Let's Talk About Success
How do we define success, and what does success look like when we focus on what God wants, instead of the world? Tara's discussing these questions in today's bonus mini-episode through the perspective of her own struggles and dreams.
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17:33
S4E7: Catholic Composers Who Practiced Their Faith
Throughout music history, we can find numerous Catholic composers who were devoted to their faith. Today, we're chatting about the lives and examples of just three of these composers. We're covering Franz Liszt's inspiring reversion story as he...
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1:01:36