Send us a text Jennie Allen is an award-winning and bestselling author as well as the founder and visionary for the IF: Gathering . She is a passionate leader following God’s call on her life to catalyze a generation of women to live what they believe. Jennie has a wealth of wisdom to share with dreamers like us because she is one of us. She has struggled, fought back fear, and lived to see a dream that’s bigger than herself come to fruition. Jennie holds a master’s degree in Biblical studies fr...
Jul 22, 2020•43 min•Ep. 160
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! Follow Julie Manning on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliermanning/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode with Julie Manning here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/45 About Julie: Julie Manning is a wife, boy mom, and pediatric nurse practitioner. At age 25 her career took a turn as she decided to leave her corporate job to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In this ne...
Jul 15, 2020•49 min•Ep. 159
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast ! Follow ProGrace over on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamprograce/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode with Angie Weszely here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/31 Angie Weszely is a speaker, writer, strategist and dreamer. As the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization ProGrace , she’s passionate about equipping Christians to shift how we talk and think about a...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 158
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! You get all the latest news on Sharon Hodde Miller over on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonhmiller/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode with Sharon Hodde Miller here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/29 A Quick Summary: Sharon Hodde Miller is a teaching pastor at @brightcityrdu , an author, wife, mom, and PhD. In this episode from late 2016 she talks about the len...
Jul 01, 2020•42 min•Ep. 157
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this repeat episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! You will find the show notes from the original episode with Hannah Anderson here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/23 All summer long I will be re-sharing some of my favorite episodes that you may have missed the first time around, and especially for these summer episodes I have compiled journaling questions to help you process your dream. I’m offering this set of journaling pages for just $5 because I...
Jun 23, 2020•50 min•Ep. 156
Send us a text Stephanie Pletka’s superpower is encouraging other women. She desires to support the busy, overwhelmed mom who feels held hostage by other people’s expectations of her. In this final interview of Season Seven, I hope you’ll laugh at Stephanie’s honest storytelling, be encouraged by her grace-filled presence, throw off all the ridiculous expectations and give yourself permission to be the woman God created you to be. As we bring Season Seven to a close, may this final interview and...
Jun 10, 2020•48 min•Season 7Ep. 155
Send us a text Have you ever had the perfect opportunity to share your dream and got tongue tied (or talked waaaay too long) trying to explain it to someone you just met? This month I wanted to delve into the topic of how we talk about our dreams because I think it’s an important step as you work to define what exactly you do or are passionate about. Because having clarity about your dream helps you make decisions about your steps and helps share with others who might want to join you in the jou...
Jun 03, 2020•26 min•Season 7Ep. 154
Send us a text Jessica Hottle’s passion is to see women set free from the lies of this world. She’s written several books on the topic of worth and hosts a podcast called What’s the Truth? tackling the lies we believe and how you can shift back to truth. In this interview we dig into the fear of being mediocre or irrelevant, knowing what season your dream is in and not running ahead of that, how to figure out if you’re striving for the wrong things, and Jessica’s best system for writing a book. ...
May 20, 2020•47 min•Season 7Ep. 153
Send us a text Courtney Reimer is on a mission to not only help girls and women know and understand their worth but also to know why they have worth. This interview is a reminder that where we place our hope matters. As Christians we’ve likely heard or been part of conversations about our identity in Christ but living that out feels so complex. How do we place our identity in Him? What does that look like? How do we know if we’re even getting it right? One of the reasons I wanted to interview Co...
May 13, 2020•48 min•Season 7Ep. 152
Send us a text Whether you’ve already started on your dream or you’re still in the starting blocks trying to figure out how to pivot as a result of changing circumstances, now is the time to think creatively about how to move forward and take messy action. What have you got to lose? All around us people are creating new ways to encourage and inspire others, whether it’s a birthday car parade outside someone’s home, a neighborhood ritual like howling at the moon to remind one another that we’re n...
May 06, 2020•31 min•Season 7Ep. 151
Send us a text Whatever your circumstances right now, I pray this honest conversation about learning to trust God’s goodness gives you hope to persist and present your requests to the Lord. There is no worry too big for him; there is no amount of doubt He cannot handle. Maria’s story will help you press into Jesus and come out on the other side of today’s concerns with a deeper trust in God and a desire to abide with Him in all things. Weakness, grief, loss, and pain are not topics we love to ta...
Apr 29, 2020•48 min•Season 7Ep. 150
Send us a text When your circumstances feel overwhelming, it is difficult to imagine the abundant life Jesus offers or even to believe that it is available to you. This very struggle inspired Kara-Kae James to launch Thrive Moms, a ministry to encourage overwhelmed moms to believe that Jesus has something more for them besides exhaustion and isolation. In pursuit of this dream, Jesus also transformed Kara-Kae’s heart. God works through our valleys, and if we’re not in a valley right now, I don’t...
Apr 15, 2020•39 min•Season 7Ep. 149
Send us a text Alexandra Kaval is a certified Christian coach for high impact women who crave more. She formerly worked in the corporate sector in HR talent development. Just four years ago she made the leap to go out on her own and build a coaching practice that would empower women with intentional Christ-centered support for their life and careers. It’s difficult to know where to focus when you start out building a business or pursuing a dream, especially if you are doing it on your own. The l...
Apr 08, 2020•50 min•Season 7Ep. 148
Send us a text This episode is the second in a new series of Strategy Sessions with a listener who has a burning question to ask, needs help narrowing down her options, or just wants a listening ear so she can find clarity amidst all the options before her. Ashley Johnson has a bent toward entrepreneurship and a love of seeing new ideas come to life. Over the past few years God has uniquely brought together Ashley’s values of relationship, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment to form The Co...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 7Ep. 147
Send us a text As the coronavirus wreaks havoc on our world right now, it seems everyone has lost something. Even if you still have a job or at least some of your income, you’ve certainly lost the freedom you previously had to go about your life as usual. For those who have lost a great deal more or even if you’re just struggling with the fear of what could happen next, this episode is for you. First, I want to acknowledge the scary time we are living in. There is a process of grief I think we’l...
Mar 26, 2020•58 min•Season 7Ep. 146
Send us a text Dianne Jago is founder of Deeply Rooted Magazine and author of a newly released book, A Holy Pursuit , teaching us how the gospel frees us to follow and lay down our God-shaped dreams. Her dream grew out her faith in Christ and a desire for others to know and love Him too. Along the way, that dream has been displayed in different forms as life her circumstances have ebbed and flowed, but it has always remained true to its original purpose. Dianne and I recorded this interview long...
Mar 18, 2020•43 min•Season 7Ep. 145
Send us a text Ep 144 | Show notes are here: http://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/144 As a small child, Lauren Stengele fell in love with the Spanish language that gracefully flowed from her great-grandmother’s lips. Her God-shaped dream grew over the years into a desire to homeschool her children in two languages. But as a non-native Spanish speaker, it was harder than she imagined. After looking but not finding the resources she needed, she decided to create them herself and offer them to other ...
Mar 11, 2020•43 min•Season 7Ep. 144
Send us a text When I shut down my social media activity in December 2019, I felt certain it was what my heart and mind needed, but I was struggling to really let go. The first week presented a host of issues bubbling up in my heart that affirmed the decision to detox myself in this way, as much as I was still fighting it. But thirty days later, I was no longer so eager for the habits I’d left behind. I’m not here to tell you that social media is wrong or that you shouldn’t spend your time on it...
Mar 04, 2020•31 min•Season 7Ep. 143
Send us a text Rachel Awtrey is an online encourager and host of the Behind the Bliss podcast. She has a heart to create space for women to share stories and the reality of what life is really like behind the bliss so that others might experience an “Oh yeah, me too” moment. I know you’re going to relate to her so much as she talks about her fear of the unknown in following this dream and how God is meeting her in that place with His grace and goodness. We dig in a bit to the spiritual side of w...
Feb 19, 2020•50 min•Season 7Ep. 142
Send us a text Jaime Fenwick is the founder of Bringing Inspiration Home, a business dedicated to inspiring women to pursue their dreams and tap into their creative gifts through the pursuit of beauty, adventure, and purposeful living. This episode is a reminder that if God has gifted and impassioned you with a dream, there is no reason to let your lack of training stand in the way of pursuing it. Jaime teaches us about being renewed in our dream and how we can find ways to pursue the restorativ...
Feb 12, 2020•42 min•Season 7Ep. 141
Send us a text This episode is the first of my bi-monthly Strategy Sessions with a listener who has a burning question to ask, needs help narrowing down her options, or just wants a listening ear so she can find clarity amidst all the options before her. Natalie Arent is a brand and graphic designer with a knack for seeing what her clients struggle to put into words. She helps female entrepreneurs naturally standout, draw in their people, and propel their business forward through meaningful desi...
Feb 05, 2020•44 min•Season 7Ep. 140
Send us a text Malinda Fuller is a bold communicator who is passionate about thriving families and helping people grow as disciples of Jesus. You may have seen her writing in Christian publications both online and in print. She is the author of Obedience Over Hustle: The Surrender of the Striving Heart and has become a trusted voice on the topics of obedience, hustle and living an intentional life. At the beginning of a new year it’s hard to miss the hustle all around us. We’re gonna set all the...
Jan 22, 2020•36 min•Season 7Ep. 139
Send us a text Misty Phillip has a passion for women to seek Jesus, study the Word and grow in grace. She has recently transitioned from the role of homeschooling mom to founder of Spark Christian Podcast Conference. Her story is a vivid reminder that God is not only our creator but also our provider, and He provides far beyond what we might expect. If your dream feels totally out of your league – way bigger than anything you could ever manage alone – you’ll love this interview. Misty saw a need...
Jan 15, 2020•48 min•Season 7Ep. 138
Send us a text Happy New Year and welcome to Season Seven of The Devoted Dreamers Podcast. This quick (self-edited) episode is an update on how the podcast will serve and support you in this coming year of fighting back fear, trusting God, and flourishing in the confidence He’s given you to pursue your God-shaped dream! The big updates include: I’m launching my first audiobook this season; I’ll be sharing all-new solo episodes (and would love your suggestions for topics you’re dying to hear abou...
Jan 08, 2020•13 min
Send us a text Kat Armstrong didn’t set out to become an author. Rather, she wrote her first book in order to steward a message about living in the fullness of the Greatest Commandment: how we, as women, might love the Lord with all of our mind and strength as well as our heart and soul. I loved the opportunity to chat with Kat once again—a return visit to the show since her first appearance way back in 2016. I’ve been keeping up with her from afar on social media and always feel a connection to...
Dec 04, 2019•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 137
Send us a text Finishing is one of the most difficult things for me to do. Maybe it’s a fear of not being able to keep improving on something once it’s done. I don’t know for sure, but I’m embarrassed to admit that more than once I’ve left a project unfinished indefinitely. But there is one thing I do know: I really like to start stuff! This episode is all about helping you establish a process of starting and continuing to move forward in your God-shaped dream. I said, “stop stalling” in the tit...
Nov 20, 2019•44 min•Season 6Ep. 136
Send us a text If “busy” has become your mantra, Stefanie Gass offers up a little real talk in this interview to help you plan out your day, prioritize what matters, and let go of the rest so you can finally find the time for your God-shaped dream. Host of The Mompreneur Mastermind Show, Stefanie loves helping women business owners step into their potential. We can so easily get distracted or discouraged with where we are today because it is impossible to see where we’ll be tomorrow or a year fr...
Nov 13, 2019•45 min•Season 6Ep. 135
Send us a text Rachel Pellegrino’s story of becoming a Christian children’s book publisher will teach you to look to your own passions and experiences—even into your grief and darkness—to discern what God has called you to do with your life. When she was in the middle of grief, Rachel couldn’t have imagined what she would be doing today. At the time, her dream to publish children’s books wasn’t even on her radar. But a few business courses, a conversation with her husband, and some outreach to p...
Nov 06, 2019•52 min•Season 6Ep. 134
Send us a text Productivity expert, writer, and speaker Tonya Dalton joins us on the podcast to share her vision for helping women to center their lives not on doing more but on doing what’s most important. Tonya has recently published a book and launched a movement of the same name: The Joy of Missing Out: Live More By Doing Less . This interview was full of value in an intentional, tight little package, shorter than most of our interviews around here. Tonya really knows how to make the most of...
Oct 30, 2019•43 min•Season 6Ep. 133
Send us a text What is the biggest thing you’ve ever had to trust God for? It seems that the longer we wait for something that we desire but the result of which remains unknown, the more difficult it is to believe the answer will come or that it will be the answer we’ve been praying for. I’ve met listeners who struggle with trusting God for the deepest desires of their hearts and that extends to their dreams as well. When something feels “too big” or “too scary” to tackle on their own and they d...
Oct 16, 2019•45 min•Season 6Ep. 132
