Send us a text Get on a Discovery Call with Merritt to learn about 1:1 Dream Coaching Motherhood can be all-consuming, especially if you’re in that stage of caring for small children. Amanda Bennett of the Gotcha Mama Podcast shares about her difficult transition as a first-time mom and how that experience motivated her dream of supporting new moms who may be struggling alone like she was. Her message is one of grace and freedom in Christ as well as resisting the temptation to make everything pe...
Feb 17, 2021•40 min•Season 8Ep. 188
Send us a text **Trigger Warning** When you are hurting, it can be difficult to believe that God would use your pain for good. In early 2014, Ashley Opliger was struggling with her faith, worrying about her unborn child, and wondering why she was not seeing answers to her constant prayers. Ultimately, her baby girl, Bridget, was stillborn at 24 weeks gestation. Ashley’s mother brought a hand-knit cradle to the hospital, made specifically for holding such a tiny baby, and God used it to shift Ash...
Feb 10, 2021•42 min•Season 8Ep. 187
Send us a text Did the year 2020 reveal some hard truths about your life, like it did for me? Did slowing down (because you had to) reveal the true cost of busyness in your life? Or on your family? What did you gain because of the pandemic and living in lock-down? And how do you want to live as a result? This solo episode is all about the change you can affect when you shift from busy to purposeful in how you live and how you pursue your dreams. None of this is rocket science. But if you are any...
Feb 03, 2021•34 min•Season 8Ep. 186
Send us a text Stephanie Hodges wishes she hadn’t waited so long to boldly share her message of holistic health—body and soul, not just spirit—as a godly pursuit. Her book, The Daniel Fast Journey , is about the transformative experience of fasting for spiritual and physical health. This episode not only offers a primer for those who have been curious about fasting but also shares Stephanie’s journey of not shrinking back from the dream God had placed on her heart for His people. Getting over th...
Jan 27, 2021•33 min•Season 8Ep. 185
Send us a text God’s plans are often different from ours. This was true for Ellie Sanazaro when her world was forever changed after her daughter was born without the chromosomal disorder doctors had told her to expect. God used this event to change Ellie's heart and lead her down the path of adopting a baby with Down syndrome. Ellie is now passionate about spreading the message that EVERY child is an Image Bearer. Ellie shares in this episode about the heart change she and her husband went throu...
Jan 20, 2021•35 min•Season 8Ep. 184
Send us a text Failure is where we grow and learn; it shapes our future decisions and is a reminder of the choices we want to make differently next time. Few people wish to experience failure but attempting to avoid it means missing out on essential opportunities for growth that only come from taking risks, getting it wrong, and picking yourself up to learn and try anew. This week’s guest is Hannah Brencher, the author of a new book called Fighting Forward, offering hope-filled reminders to keep...
Jan 13, 2021•38 min•Season 8Ep. 183
Send us a text Identity can feel like an overwhelming subject to discuss, especially if you don’t feel secure in yours. And there are plenty of things in the world vying for our affections so that even if you have a good understanding of the security that comes with your identity in Christ, there are still distractions like comparison, fear, or worldly desires that stand in the way. In this solo episode I share the four mistakes we make as it relates to our identity as we pursue a God-shaped dre...
Jan 06, 2021•34 min•Season 8Ep. 182
Send us a text Out of the darkness in her own past, Chystal Gaunt began sharing her story of domestic abuse and launched a nonprofit organization to love and serve women who have experienced the same. Her story is one of God providing for her dream repeatedly as she continues to follow His lead. Even though she went through a season of overwhelm and burnout, God provided a new vision and paved the way for each baby step along the way. If you or someone you love has experienced domestic violence,...
Dec 30, 2020•42 min•Season 8Ep. 181
Send us a text Two quick links I mentioned at the beginning of this episode: Join the Devoted Dreamers Facebook Group here ! Launch your own podcast by enrolling in my podcasting beta program here . Deadline: Friday, Dec. 18th ******** This was the second most requested topic for a solo episode based on a poll I posted in the Devoted Dreamers Facebook group earlier this year >> Planning Your Dream While Doing Your Dream. If you’ve let your desire to plan stand in the way of bringing your d...
Dec 16, 2020•25 min•Season 8Ep. 180
Send us a text You often hear about dreams that were birthed out of someone’s deepest struggles, and Toni Hebel’s God-shaped dream is no different. Hers is a story of significant hurt and yet God has used it for good. He has called Toni and her husband, Bruce, into ministry teaching people how and why we must forgive even the deepest wounds all because of the blood that was already paid on the cross through Jesus Christ. Theirs was a dream 30 years in the making and the result of trials, betraya...
Dec 09, 2020•45 min•Season 8Ep. 179
Send us a text This bonus episode is just for you if you’ve ever felt a tug to launch your own podcast. I’m collaborating with my friend and fellow podcaster Natalie Arent to share what we learned from launching our own podcasts (and how we can help you get over the hurdles faster and easier than we did when we first launched). Three things we wished we knew before we stated podcasting: #1 - If you're bootstrapping your podcast, it's going to take way longer than you think. #2 - Your podcast is ...
Dec 04, 2020•31 min
Send us a text Launch your own podcast by March 1st when you join my podcast beta program with Natalie Arent. Sign up here: nataliearent.com/podcastbeta Caroline Cobb is a mom and a wife with a passion to tell the stories of scripture through singing and songwriting. When she started writing her own songs, it was just a hobby; but a challenge from her husband and a looming thirtieth birthday turned her passion project into a profession. Her newest album A Seed, A Sunrise explores the longing of ...
Dec 02, 2020•33 min•Season 8Ep. 178
Send us a text This is the number one requested topic for the next solo episode based on a poll in the Devoted Dreamers Facebook group. And I get it! It can be difficult to discern exactly what your dream is, especially if you are a multi-passionate woman with lots of other responsibilities in your life. But if you’re here, listening to this one, I’m guessing you believe that God has something for you and you’re still just trying to figure it out. I’ve got seven points for you in this episode: Y...
Nov 24, 2020•44 min•Season 8Ep. 177
Send us a text Katie Bulmer is host of the Truth for Your Twenties Podcast, a speaker to over 30 colleges nationwide and passionate about helping sorority women unlock their world-changing power. The heart behind her dream is to be who she needed when she was a young woman looking for happiness in the arms of boys, Bacardi, and attempts to be beautiful. When the pandemic hit the U.S. in the spring, Katie’s scheduled speaking engagements at nearby colleges came to an abrupt halt. Her hope, like m...
Nov 18, 2020•24 min•Season 8Ep. 176
Send us a text Courtney Wong Davis is a coach for executives and organizational leaders looking for creative solutions to complex challenges. She’s an associate professor of communication management at Azusa Pacific University, and her first book, Leading Small Groups that Thrive : Five Shifts to Take Your Group to the Next Level , is grounded in social science research and translated to make a practical contribution to equip small group leaders to facilitate individual spiritual growth. This is...
Nov 11, 2020•40 min•Season 8Ep. 175
Send us a text I was torn about what to share on the podcast this week. I didn’t feel comfortable continuing, business as usual, with the next episode and neglecting what feels like a really important decision being made in the U.S. right now. So I did something that felt out of my comfort zone but also like the right choice: instead of releasing the episode I’d planned for the first week of November, I am sharing my heart about what I believe we as passionate, ambitious Christian women who are ...
Nov 04, 2020•25 min•Season 8Ep. 174
Send us a text Stephanie Rousselle is the founder of Gospel Spice Ministries. God has given her a unique passion for making the Bible come alive to modern-day hearts and minds. She offers a dose of encouragement for your unanswered prayers and a reminder of what to do when fear threatens to take over. I love Stephanie’s heart for teaching God’s Word to a modern-day Western audience. As a fellow podcaster, I can only imagine the level of perseverance and devotion required to engage with this high...
Oct 28, 2020•38 min•Season 8Ep. 173
Send us a text Beth Bruno is a curator of the feminine story, amplifier of the feminine voice, and explorer of feminine glory. You can find her doing just that with her daughters on the Fierce & Lovely Podcast; in her book, A VOICE BECOMING: A Yearlong Mother-Daughter Journey into Passionate, Purposed Living ; and through the Fierce & Lovely Moms Membership Community. Deeply committed to story, she leads a team of story experts with her husband at Restoration Counseling and directs ReSto...
Oct 21, 2020•22 min•Season 8Ep. 172
Send us a text Joanna Meyer serves the Denver Institute for Faith & Work as Director of Public Engagement and oversees the Women & Vocation Initiative. Joanna brings her story with vulnerability and openness regarding the loss of a personal dream, and she shares how God has continued to provide opportunities to develop her voice and vision for her vocational dream as well as clarity in how to steward a path that includes unanswered prayers. Joanna teaches us what it’s like to actively pu...
Oct 14, 2020•30 min•Season 8Ep. 171
Send us a text Lisa Vanderveen has a burden to bring transformation to women with past abortions or sexual heartbreak. Her God-shaped dream is the result of her own healing over the last few years, releasing 30-year-old hurts and embracing her calling as a practitioner of the healing modality that blessed her so much. Lisa is in the early stages of working on life coach certification to help her clients complete their own transformation by embracing their God-given calling. Still in the early st...
Oct 07, 2020•32 min•Season 8Ep. 170
Send us a text What keeps you from pursuing your God-shaped dream? Have you struggled with that voice in your head that says you are not enough or regularly poses the question “Who am I to do this?” The Oxford Dictionary defines imposter syndrome as t he persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills. When I first heard the term imposter syndrome I was totally confused, I didn’t understand what this was ...
Sep 30, 2020•24 min•Season 8Ep. 169
Send us a text These Pivot Session episodes are all short, honest conversations with a guest who has made a shift in her dream because of the coronavirus pandemic that arrived on the scene in early 2020. ’Cause we’re all about not allowing the enemy of our souls win the battle for our dreams. Listen in and be encouraged, maybe even get an idea about how you might listen and be open to how God is shaping and shifting your dream during this unprecedented time in our lives. Brand and graphic design...
Sep 23, 2020•21 min•Season 8Ep. 168
Send us a text Katie Wussow is a business coach who specializes in working with service-based creative entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business. She helps them put a strong foundation in place in their business so they can be profitable and make a full-time income doing what they love. Katie says she launched her dream of being a business coach back in 2017 out of necessity. In that pivotal decision-making moment, she knew she could either give in to fear and do something safe (like g...
Sep 16, 2020•35 min•Season 8Ep. 167
Send us a text Hello Season Eight!! I’m so glad to be back with you here on the podcast! A lot has happened over the summer—I don’t have to tell you that—but I’m so excited about what’s in store for us with Season Eight. This quick little episode is a preview of what you can expect in this new season and how I want to support you as you pursue your God-shaped dream. I’ve found some real clarity on my own dream since I published my last episode in June; maybe you’ll notice that in the language I ...
Sep 09, 2020•7 min
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this final Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! Follow Rebekah Twinem & Foundshop on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/found_shop/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/100 Rebekah Twinem created Foundshop, an online clothing resale shop near Boulder, Colorado, out of her love for vintage clothing and a deep concern for people and the planet. It is her mission to educate about...
Sep 02, 2020•42 min•Ep. 166
Send us a text So many kids are heading back to school (virtually or in person) this week and next, but I've got two more Summer Rewind episodes for you before Season 8 begins! Thanks for listening today! You can follow Kristi Hayes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristi_hayes_bestrongstory/ Since our original conversation in 2018, Kristi has published a children’s book based on the real-life experiences that led to the launch of Be Strong Story. You can grab a copy on Amazon ! You’ll fi...
Aug 26, 2020•49 min•Ep. 165
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! Follow Beth Bruno on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiercelovely/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode with Beth here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/81 In this interview, Beth Bruno talks about her journey to becoming a writer even though she didn’t think she was a “creative.” Her first book, A Voice Becoming , released in 2018 and illustrates her passion for mothers to ...
Aug 19, 2020•55 min•Ep. 164
Send us a text About Tiffany: Tiffany Bluhm is an author, speaker, and writer who is passionate about helping women come to know their value and purpose because of a loving, redeeming God. In a style that speaks to women right where they are, she shares insights from a life spent chasing after Jesus while walking alongside women from suburbia to the inner city, jails and brothels, and the slums of Kolkata. She speaks regularly at conferences and events, and writes for several websites, print pub...
Aug 12, 2020•35 min•Ep. 163
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! Follow Trillia Newbell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trillianewbell/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode with Trillia here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/64 About Trillia: Trillia Newbell is an author, speaker, radio commentator, wife and mother. She has authored several books and Bible studies on the topics of faith over fear, gratitude, endurance in our faith, uni...
Aug 05, 2020•41 min•Ep. 162
Send us a text Thanks for listening to this Summer Rewind episode of the Devoted Dreamers Podcast! Follow LaKena Dunham on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lakenadunham/ You’ll find the show notes from the original episode with LaKena here: https://www.merrittonsa.com/podcast/58 About LaKena: LaKena Dunham is the founder of Hewalenamo Girls, Inc., a non-profit organization providing financial assistance for educational purposes to girls from impoverished families in developing countries. An ...
Jul 29, 2020•51 min•Ep. 161
