Send us a text If you’re feeling anxious, impatient or disappointed about the progression of your dream, this episode is for you. You can’t help yourself; the dream feels big and important and all-consuming sometimes. But as you start to take steps, your progress towards a certain outcome can feel like it’s moving at a snail’s pace. There are obstacles you didn’t anticipate. Some things take longer than you imagined. Your capacity or availability to move the dream forward isn’t what you hoped. L...
Oct 06, 2021•30 min•Season 9Ep. 216
Send us a text Is your dream financially viable? What difference would it make if you weren’t worried about the expense involved? In preparing for this interview, I realized what a shame it is that I have neglected to speak about this topic on the podcast. I’m so grateful my guest today, Katie Jones, approached me about this conversation. Katie is a money coach with a passion to teach biblical financial principles so you can embrace the gifts God has given you, feel confident managing your money...
Sep 29, 2021•42 min•Season 9Ep. 215
Send us a text Is fear of failure standing in the way of your freedom to pursue a dream? Does it feel like everyone else has a bigger following and is further along than you? If you’ve struggled with doubt, fear, comparison, or imposter syndrome and those bullies are keeping you from your God-shaped dream, I want you to hear in this episode that it IS possible to find freedom. In fact, your struggles may be an indicator that breakthrough is just around the corner. My guest today, Kelsey Joy Rink...
Sep 22, 2021•28 min•Season 9Ep. 214
Send us a text Do your dreams feel bigger than you? Has God revealed something that wasn’t what you expected? My guest this week is Jamie Kirschner, founder and creator of UncommonTEEN. Her God-shaped dream is something she never expected. Missions work was what she had planned for her future; but God had a different plan a little closer to home: serving teen girls as they navigate their faith and find their identity in Jesus. God took Jamie’s experience of growing up without a support system, a...
Sep 15, 2021•35 min•Season 9Ep. 213
Send us a text How is imposter syndrome killing your dream (and your confidence)? If you’re stuck, stalled out, or struggling to say yes to your dream, maybe imposter syndrome is the thing holding you back. Are you confused about what imposter syndrome is, whether you have it, or more importantly, how to get over it? If that’s you, this episode is full of hope that you can overcome imposter syndrome with God’s help. You’ll learn how to recognize imposter syndrome, how it impacts you, and why it’...
Sep 08, 2021•27 min•Season 9Ep. 212
Send us a text Are you weary of constantly striving? Have you tried everything to move your dream forward but find that no matter how hard you work it’s never enough? Erica Wiggenhorn has been where you are. She has walked through the fire and been tempted in her journey to run after self-reliance, people pleasing and self-doubt. It’s the reason she is so passionate about seeing revival in God’s women in order that we might cease striving and choose to surrender and receive the abundant life Jes...
Sep 01, 2021•52 min•Season 9Ep. 211
Send us a text Do you ever feel like no one understands your passions? Like they just don’t get why you would pour so much of yourself into this dream? Megan Sjuts returns to the podcast this week to share what she’s learned about building community around your creative work and allowing God to push you out of your comfort zone to build and hone new skills within you. If you’re ready to stop dreaming by yourself, this is the episode for you! It’s always such a gift when a guest returns with an u...
Aug 25, 2021•28 min•Season 9Ep. 210
Send us a text Have you ever wondered where God is when your life feels out of control, or your plan isn’t working out the way you thought it would? Jamie Dodero was on a successful career track in the hotel industry when Covid-19 hit and she was furloughed. This is the story of how God used a significant professional setback (alongside major health issues in her newborn baby girl) to grow Jamie’s faith and fuel her dream to write a children’s prayer book. In this interview Jamie and I also talk...
Aug 18, 2021•38 min•Season 9Ep. 209
Send us a text Have you ever looked at someone else living her dream and thought, “Wow! She’s so much further along than me” or questioned why dreaming a God-shaped dream is so difficult at times? We see only a tiny glimpse of their journey on social media or IRL but still we think other people have had an easier road or at least haven’t faced the challenges we have in our dreams. This solo episode is about clearing away misconceptions you have about the path to a dream, how God uses our difficu...
Aug 11, 2021•37 min•Season 9Ep. 208
Send us a text I’ve got something special and a little different for you this week. Back in May I was a guest on Connecting in the Chaos podcast, hosted by one of my podcasting students, Heather Oncken. You might recognize the name. Heather was a guest on Devoted Dreamers for episode 197. We talked about How to Know When God is Speaking to Your Heart . G o check that out if you missed it. Heather and I had such a great conversation when I was a guest on her show so she gave me permission to repl...
Aug 04, 2021•33 min•Season 9Ep. 207
Send us a text Have you struggled to fully commit to an aspect of your dream (or maybe even the whole dream)? Is making important decisions so difficult that you put it off or change your mind repeatedly? This mini episode is about how Jane Springer battled her fear of failure and finally made a commitment she’d been wavering on for years. Listen to learn about what changed her mindset from fear to freedom in order that her dream could flow. If you’re ready to finally make an important decision,...
Jul 28, 2021•29 min•Season 9Ep. 206
Send us a text Are you ever tempted to seek validation or affirmation from others? Julie Holmquist thought that she had rooted her identity deeply in Christ, but as soon as she started taking scary steps of faith toward a dream, she realized that she was looking to other people to give her what only He could. And that turned out to be a distraction from the true purpose He had put in her heart. Julie is an author, Bible study leader and host of the Kairos Moments podcast. She loves empowering wo...
Jul 21, 2021•34 min•Season 9Ep. 205
Send us a text Despite the popularity of podcasts (there are 16 million “avid podcast fans” in the U.S., according to a 2018 Nielsen Q1 study), most people don’t realize what it takes to create content on a consistent basis in order to get those episodes into your podcast app. If you’ve ever considered starting a podcast, the second most important decision to make is how to set yourself up for success so you can maintain consistency without burning out. That’s where my new course, Your Purposefu...
Jul 16, 2021•22 min
Send us a text Are you guilty of overthinking? You’re trying to figure out every little detail of a project and you’re so bogged down that you can’t even get started. In this mini-interview I bring Lauren Stengele back to the show to share an experience that gives hope to the overthinker and three easy steps for ditching those thoughts in exchange for momentum and direction for your dream. If you’re ready to ditch worry and overthinking, this is the episode for you! A “mini” episode is a shorter...
Jul 14, 2021•26 min•Season 9Ep. 204
Send us a text What does rest look like for you? Is it collapsing into bed after a long day? Or vegging out on the couch with Netflix? This episode will help you think about restorative rest and why you need it to pursue your dream. I’ve been asking myself the above questions for the last several weeks in the midst of our multi-household transition to a new home, wrapping up homeschool, and trying to balance fun and purpose in our summer schedule. Some recent wisdom from outside voices has cause...
Jul 07, 2021•26 min•Season 9Ep. 203
Send us a text The story of how Sarah Maddack discovered her God-shaped dream illustrates the value of keeping things simple and paying attention to what flows naturally out of the gifts, talents, and experiences God has given you. Sarah didn’t know the path He would take her on; none of us do. But she was willing to take risks and try new things, to stand out from the crowd, and to trust that God is so much bigger than any of the insecurities she may have felt in the beginning, before she becam...
Jun 30, 2021•36 min•Season 9Ep. 202
Send us a text Katie Bulmer is host of the Truth for Your Twenties Podcast , a speaker to over 50 colleges nationwide, and passionate about helping sorority women understand their worth and unlock their world-changing power. The heart behind her God-shaped 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. This is Katie’s third appearance on the Devoted Dreamers Podcast. If you want to hear what she had to sa...
Jun 23, 2021•26 min•Season 9Ep. 201
Send us a text Celebrating milestones is something I want to get better at, and Devoted Dreamers has had some big ones in the past month: The podcast turned five on June 1st We hit 200,000 downloads at the end of May And this is episode 200! Thanks for being here to celebrate with me! I am honored to be interviewed by my friend and past guest Tabitha Bigbee-Highland, founder of Every Day Faith, whose mission is to support women in establishing and growing their Daily Word Habit in order to recog...
Jun 16, 2021•56 min•Season 9Ep. 200
Send us a text Sometimes God’s timing does not make sense in our limited perspective. Katy McCown always knew she was called to write but she didn’t expect God to give the green light when she was eight months pregnant with her sixth child. Today she is president of She Laughs Ministries, a writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and a national speaker. Through all life’s uncertainties and surprises, Katy has learned some things about “living sure” even when the future is not. I hear so many listener...
Jun 09, 2021•41 min•Season 9Ep. 199
Send us a text Welcome to Season 9 of The Devoted Dreamers Podcast!! This bonus episode is a little meatier than some of the season intros I’ve done in the past. As our family is getting ready to make some big changes, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting and that includes looking back at how far I’ve come with my dream in the last several years. Yesterday I was my five-year anniversary of launching this podcast, and people always ask me what I’ve learned from the nearly 200 conversations I’ve ha...
Jun 02, 2021•38 min
Send us a text Although she is the author of seven books, Dr. Heather Thompson Day has faced rejection after rejection in her dream of becoming a best-selling author. Her newest book It’s Not Your Turn is the story of how God has used repeated rejections to shape her character over the years and to help her realize that who she is when she’s not in the spotlight is far more important than who she will be when she is. Heather’s winsome stories of rebounding from the disappointments she has experi...
Apr 28, 2021•34 min•Season 8Ep. 198
Send us a text A kind gesture by a friend inspired Heather Oncken’s dream to motivate and encourage people to be more intentional in their friendships. She knew she was supposed to do something with this inspiration. She just didn’t know what. As she continued to pray for clarity, God prompted her to simply pay attention and be faithful to the needs He placed in front of her. Today she shares the hope that in all our relationships we have an opportunity to change someone’s day, someone’s week, a...
Apr 21, 2021•48 min•Season 8Ep. 197
Send us a text HEADS UP: If you have children, grab some earbuds for this episode as it discusses some topics that you may not want your little ones to hear. Kat Harris has a vision for all women to know their beauty, identity, and value. It was born out of the years she spent asking difficult questions as a single Christian woman who is saving sex for marriage, her wrestling with narratives she grew up with in the church and how they conflict with the world she lives in today. Writing a book, e...
Apr 14, 2021•43 min•Season 8Ep. 196
Send us a text Do you feel ready, like really ready, for big things to happen with your dream? Maybe you’re weighing the pros and cons of hiring a coach who could help you leap over the hurdles in your way. Or investing in a course that’ll provide resources you lack and a supportive community to push you out of your comfort zone. Or there’s that program with the built-in accountability that will finally fill in your knowledge gaps and motivate you to get going on the road to your dream. If you h...
Apr 07, 2021•38 min•Season 8Ep. 185
Send us a text Book a Discovery Call with Merritt to see if 1:1 Dream Coaching is for you Kelsey Chapman is an author, podcaster, and personal cheerleader to women building their dream life and business. She loves teaching other women how to find mentors because mentorship has had such a positive impact on her life and business. Her mentors paved the way and shared their experiences, so she didn’t have to learn all the hard lessons herself. Those relationships are what pushed Kelsey to rise up a...
Mar 31, 2021•38 min•Season 8Ep. 194
Send us a text Book a Dream Consultation with Merritt What’s your relationship like with your mom? Literary agent and author Blythe Daniel and her mom wrote a book together to support restoration and healing in mother/daughter relationships. Theirs is one of the many resources Blythe has shepherded onto bookshelves around the world in fulfilling her mission as a literary evangelist. Part of pursuing this dream for Blythe has been remembering God’s faithfulness and His limitless nature; her story...
Mar 24, 2021•39 min•Season 8Ep. 193
Send us a text Book a Dream Consultation with Merritt Do wounds from your past threaten your confidence or progress toward your God-shaped dream? Do you have trouble believing that God sees you and knows your needs? Yolanda King shares her story of childhood abuse and neglect that could have kept her stuck in fear and seeking approval from others. But God had a different plan. Today she’s helping other women overcome obstacles and trauma to create a life and career they love. After I was a guest...
Mar 17, 2021•34 min•Season 8Ep. 192
Send us a text What does it look like to pursue meaningful work in a changing world? Michaela O’Donnell helps people do just that. We talk about recalibrating expectations regarding the pace of change, what to do when your dreams don’t happen right away, and how to look for breadcrumbs of God's providence along the way. In this episode, listen for my three big takeaways: That your dream coming to life is likely going to take longer than you anticipate and the importance of recalibrating your exp...
Mar 10, 2021•44 min•Season 8Ep. 191
Send us a text Have you ever considered being a guest on a podcast? It probably doesn’t surprise you to hear that the number of podcasts in the world right now exceeds 1.75 million (according to Podcast Insights) and that number is growing daily! I just finished beta testing my brand-new podcasting course with Natalie Arent and we personally trained the hosts of three new shows coming out in the next month. A few more stats in case you're not convinced this is a great way to get your message out...
Mar 03, 2021•31 min•Season 8Ep. 190
Send us a text Need some help getting your dream started? Book a discovery call with Merritt! Shelley Tyson is passionate about seeing women fall in love with Jesus, live lives of wild abandon for Him, and pursue building homes and businesses that reflect Him for generations to come. She is a homeschool mom of four, wife to Bryan, and resides in Atlanta, GA, where she enjoys long talks with her husband, a strong cup of coffee, and playing the piano in her free time. She runs a skincare business ...
Feb 24, 2021•31 min•Season 8Ep. 189
