What if the decision you’ve been putting off could open up possibilities for your life and your dream that you haven’t even considered? In this episode, you’ll learn about how a simple (even unspoken) prayer in faith can transform your circumstances, why we can let go of the idea of ever arriving at the finish line, and how to hold tension between the demands of young children in one season of motherhood and the gift of time you’ll receive once you release them into the world.
264 || [Solo] 3 Truths to Help You Make Decisions about Your Dream || Merritt Onsa
Do you keep trying to decide about an aspect of your dream, but you just can't seem to commit? Maybe the end goal feels too far out of reach so it’s difficult to define what you should do today, or there are so many directions you could go that all the possibilities are paralyzing. If decision-making stirs up fear and worry for you, this episode will help you identify your tendency to avoid decisions and give you three gifts to help you look at decision-making in a new way.
263 || [Solo] What Can You Accomplish for Your Dream in Just Two Hours a Week? || Merritt Onsa
How can you make meaningful progress on your dream, especially when you don’t have the time? You’re always serving, giving, and caring for others and you wonder when you’ll ever find time to really “go for it” with your own dreams. In this podcast episode we discover the reasons time feels like such an enormous barrier to our dreams, what Scripture says about time and how we spend it, and how to find little windows of time so you can say “yes” to the dream God has given you.
262 || [Solo] What’s the Right Way to Start Pursuing a Big Dream? || Merritt Onsa
What’s the secret to feeling ready to pursue a dream? It is a humbling experience to be given a God-shaped dream. There is no instruction manual, which means you’re often on your own to figure it out by guessing at the steps or watching someone on social media who’s ahead of you, which is often a recipe for comparison. Neither option works very well. That’s why I’m helping you identify the barriers to feeling ready, show you where they come from, and help you make a plan to address them.
261 || What Does God Want You to Do With Your God-Shaped Dream? || Brittany Ann
How can your small first steps really make a difference? Brittany Ann began her writing and speaking career in the smallest of ways using what she already had—a bit of time while her baby slept and a computer. Instead of focusing on her lack she used what she had to start writing. Today she’s a bestselling author and founder of a popular Christian-living website for busy moms. This episode will remind you you’re not alone and teach you about trusting God with the future of your dream.
260 || [Solo] Revival Springs Up. How Do We Shape Our Lives for God's Glory? || Merritt Onsa
What is a revival? Maybe you have questions about this like I did when I saw Jennie Allen post about #AsburyRevival in her Instagram Stories. I started to pay more attention when she said she was traveling to Kentucky to witness it herself. In this episode, I’m asking you to think along with me about being part of the body of Christ and what that means for those who aren’t physically present at Asbury, where revival has already happened in your own life, and how Holy Spirit revival can and will impact how you see and go after a dream.
259 || How to Pursue a Dream When You Can't See the Full Picture || Rachel Baker
What can you do when you don’t have what it takes to follow your dream? If you lack the time, energy, or know-how to accomplish the God-shaped dream on your heart, it can feel like an unbearable weight. In this episode, Rachel Baker shares her story about battling self-doubt so she can continue pursuing her dream. You’ll learn about depending on God for all that you lack, keeping your dream surrendered to Him as He shapes and grows it, and letting Him define success in every season.
258 || [Solo] What Story Will You Be Telling about Your Dream a Year from Now? || Merritt Onsa
What do you want to be true about your dream in a year? When I ask other dreamers about what’s keeping them from acting on their dream, there are a few repeated themes. One of the biggest struggles Christian women share is not having clarity on their dream. Others feel uncertain about the next right step to take. It's no wonder we feel this way. Without a clear road map to your destination of accomplishing the dream you’ll never actually arrive anywhere.
257 || How to Thrive in the Refining Fire of Bringing Your Dream into the Public Eye || Ainsley Britain
Have you been keeping your dream to yourself? Making your work public is an act of vulnerability. Writers, artists, and dreamers know what it feels like to share something beyond a small, trusted circle and afterwards experience a vulnerability hangover. In this episode, Ainsley Britain shares one painful but a necessary part of making your dream more public, how to work from overflow rather than exhaustion, and practical tips on planning your days to reach writing milestones even with a baby at home.
256 || Two Examples of How an Intern Can Expand Your Capacity and Grow Your Vision || Katie Bulmer & Christa Hutchins
Have you ever wondered about bringing on extra help but didn’t think you could afford it? Your dream is so big that you can’t do it all on your own, but you don’t have the budget to hire someone else. That doesn’t change the fact that your hours are limited and you’re spending more time on tasks that drain you rather than light you up. Today’s guests are sharing what they’ve learned about how to get started with an intern as well as some unexpected benefits they discovered along the way.
255 || Could Building the Right Team Be the Secret Sauce for Your Dream? || Lindsay May
What if your dream is already in the hearts of others? Have you ever considered that just because God gave you a dream that it doesn’t mean you were intended to fulfill it alone? Could there be others out there who have gifts and talents and experiences that you lack and who could be fantastic assets to your team and the fulfillment of your dream? Lindsay May is back to share why it was so important to build a team from the beginning and how she started with people who were right in front of her.
254 || Why Your Dream Could Be Ready to Launch Sooner Than You Think || Junia Judson
It can be difficult to know when and how to launch a dream because of limitations that seem impossible to overcome. Domestic violence survivor Junia Judson was overwhelmed when she began researching what it would take to build a company that would not only create a path toward financial freedom for herself but also for other survivors. Then she met someone who believed it was not only feasible but also could become a reality sooner than Junia ever imagined.
253 || [Solo] How Community Can Help You Finally Start on the Dream You’ve Had Forever || Merritt Onsa
Have you discovered the power of building community around your dream? When you choose to walk out your dream with others alongside you who are doing the same, you’ll uncover a power and wisdom that you cannot access on your own. In this solo episode, you’re going to hear about why you should intentionally surround yourself with people who think differently, getting uncomfortable in a safe group, and who my Accountability Accelerator is for (and who it’s not).
252 || Do You Need to Add More Playfulness to Your Dream or Your Parenting? || Joy Wendling
How do you Live out God’s Dream for Your Life Even When You Have Imposter Syndrome? I often encounter and encourage women who face imposter syndrome. They feel unqualified and inadequate to share the message God has given them to share with others. That’s why I’m excited for this conversation with Joy Wendling to bring to life ways we can trust God with what he has given to us to share, even when we feel unqualified.
251 || Finding Beauty in the Messy Middle of Pursuing a God-Shaped Dream || Christine Marie Bailey
How do you adapt when your dream isn’t quite what you planned? Fear and perfectionism are two of the biggest enemies when it comes to pursuing a God-shaped dream. Maybe you’d prefer to have it all figured out before you begin. Or you’ve stepped out in the past but then retreated when things didn't work like you thought they would. My guest Christine Bailey knows all about stepping into a dream that is not fully figured out and the courage that comes from taking simple steps of obedience.
250 || [Solo] Four Ways You Will Grow When You Build Your Dream in Community || Merritt Onsa
Have you resisted invited others into the hardest parts of your dream? We all want to be the one who’s there to help a friend in need, but who wants to be the needy one? Few of us easily admit weakness; it’s our fallen nature as humans. But it’s also the lie we see all around us: everyone else has their stuff together. Instagram highlights rarely touch the hard stuff, not in a real or meaningful way. So you end up feeling like you’re the only one who’s struggling.
249 || How to Go All in with Your Dream Right from the Start || Simone Ispahani
As a college student, Simone Ispahani learned the devastating truth about the millions of victims worldwide who suffer from human trafficking. With newfound perspective, she began to learn as much as she could about the issue, and in 2021, she founded Social Brew, a global e-commerce coffee marketplace devoted to fighting human trafficking through profits shared with organizations committed to the cause.
248 || How to Pursue a Dream That You Might Never See Finished || Angie Weszely
In June 2022, the nationwide conversation about abortion rose to the top after the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Dobbs v. Jackson case and overturned Roe v. Wade after decades of legalized abortion in the U.S. It was long before that, though, when today’s guest Angie Weszely began to understand how the politicized nature of the abortion discussion in the United States was doing more harm than good to everyone involved.
247 || How a Healthy Lifestyle Can Give You Capacity to Get Your Dream Moving || Robin Rhine McDonald
What can you do when you lack the energy and vitality to pursue your God-shaped dream? Oftentimes we find ourselves with to-do lists that far outweigh the hours we have in a day to complete those tasks. And somewhere in the mix, you realize you’ve lost sight of your health and how that impacts everything you do, including running after a God-shaped dream. But where do you start and how do you make healthy living sustainable?
246 || [Solo] The #1 Reason to Start Pursuing Your Dream before You Feel Ready || Merritt Onsa
One of the biggest lies keeping dreamers stuck is thinking you are lacking something necessary to begin. It’s like there’s a box to check, an accomplishment to achieve, or a degree to earn before you can truly begin on the dream in earnest. Well, that’s just not true. In this episode, you’re going to hear what’s at stake if you wait to feel ready, the truth about what pursuing a dream is really like (instead of what you’ve made up in your head), and strategies for starting before you feel ready.