Episode 267: Beauty Woven in the Brokenness (w/ Austin Ludwig)
The Forgotten Podcast
The Forgotten Initiative
4.9 • 532 Ratings
🗓️ 14 April 2025
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Trigger Warning: We want to let our listeners know that this episode includes mentions of physical abuse. If you are sensitive to this topic, we recommend you listen with caution.
Trauma is one of the hardest challenges to navigate in life. Whether it’s impacting you or someone you love, it can be easy to wish that trauma could be erased in an instant. But our latest guest’s powerful story reminds us that healing doesn’t happen with the snap of a finger. It takes the steady presence of others, the patience to water seeds we can’t yet see growing, and the courage to keep seeking God—even in the darkest moments.
After fifteen years of abuse and a childhood riddled with trauma, Austin Ludwig ended up in the foster care system until he aged out at 18. As he wrestled with the broken pieces of his past, he encountered the transformational love of Jesus and the opportunity for healing and restoration through the Gospel.
Today, Austin is a musical artist, writer and speaker who serves on staff with the WinShape Foundation.
In this episode, he shares about the brokenness in his childhood as well as the hidden beauty, why every person has an opportunity to respond to the trauma they have experienced, encouragement for foster parents who may currently have a tumultuous relationship with a child in their care, and much more!
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/austin-ludwig-267/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sharing the stories of the foster care community. This is The Forgotten podcast. |
| 0:08.4 | In that moment, and like I smiled back at her, let out a little bit of laughter. I don't know if |
| 0:13.8 | it was the side of each other, just how silly it was, but just honestly felt this, it doesn't make |
| 0:19.4 | sense, type of supernatural peace. And I wish the story got better |
| 0:24.0 | after that. It didn't. You know, we had to go home that night and life continued on until we ended |
| 0:28.2 | the foster care system very, very shortly after that. Hey, it's Jamie Cabe. Welcome to the |
| 0:34.7 | Forgotten podcast, where we are highlighting the stories of the people of foster care. |
| 0:40.1 | We want to bring you hope and encouragement in your journey and help you support the foster care community where you live. |
| 0:46.8 | This podcast is a resource of the Forgotten Initiative. |
| 0:51.1 | Learn more about our work across America and how you can get involved by visiting |
| 0:55.8 | the forgotteninitiative.org. And please consider joining with us on mission with a gift of any |
| 1:03.0 | amount. You can do this by texting the word forgotten to 44321. Okay, it's time. Let's do this. |
| 1:13.1 | After 15 years of abuse and a childhood riddled with trauma, Austin Ludwig ended up in the foster care |
| 1:30.8 | system until he aged out at 18. As he wrestled with the broken pieces of his past, he encountered |
| 1:37.4 | the transformational love of Jesus and the opportunity for healing and restoration through the |
| 1:43.1 | gospel. |
| 1:44.4 | For the past 12 years, he has given his life to full-time ministry, using his testimony |
| 1:49.6 | to inspire his artistry, writing, and public speaking opportunities. |
| 1:55.0 | And after years of pastoral ministry, Austin is now a self-produced artist, living in |
| 2:00.7 | Atlanta with his wife of four years. |
| 2:03.5 | He serves on staff with the Wind Shape Foundation. Working with Wind Shape homes, Austin helps |
| 2:08.8 | equip local churches to engage in foster care. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing |
... |
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