God has given you a purpose that is uniquely yours, but the temptation to control the results can disrupt any meaningful progress because the dream belongs to God first and the outcomes rest on Him alone. If you are anxious, stressed out, or worried about the future, this episode is filled with the truth of Scripture and Carla’s calming presence to remind you of the value and importance of surrendering our God-shaped dreams to Him daily.
216 || [Solo] Do You Feel Like You’re Not Making Progress on Your Dream? || Merritt Onsa
Your dream feels so significant and all-consuming at times, but when you start to take steps, your progress feels more like a snail’s pace—or not at all. You encounter obstacles you didn’t anticipate. Certain tasks take longer than you imagined. Your capacity or availability to move the dream forward isn’t what you expected. Life has taken over, and it feels like you’re at a standstill with your dream. If this sound familiar, this is the episode for you.
215 || How to Fine Tune Your Finances So You Can Dream Without Hesitation || Katie Jones
Is your dream financially viable? What difference would it make if you weren’t worried about the expense involved? My guest today, Katie Jones, 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, and pursue your God-shaped dream without any hesitation.
214 || Your Imposter Syndrome Breakthrough May be Just Around the Corner || Kelsey Joy Rinker
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.
213 || How to Pursue Your Dream Even If You Feel Like an Imposter || Jamie Kirschner
Do your dreams feel bigger than you? Has God revealed something that wasn’t what you expected? Jamie Kirschner’s God-shaped dream is one she never expected. She was planning for a future in missions work, but God had a different plan: serving teen girls as they navigate their faith and find their identity in Jesus. God took Jamie’s experience growing up without a support system and He’s using it so other teens don’t have to navigate that journey alone.
211 || What Is the Next Thing You Need to Hand Over to God? || Erica Wiggenhorn
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, choose to surrender, and receive the abundant life Jesus promises.
207 || How to Support Our Friends in Their Dreams || Guest Appearance [Replay]
In May 2021, I had the privilege of being a guest on the Connecting in the Chaos podcast; this episode is a replay of that conversation. Heather Oncken and I talked about how we can better support our friends in their dreams. Showing support can be as simple as asking how it's going with her dream or celebrating one of her big or small wins. We also talk about what to do if you are the friend pursuing a dream and it feels like nobody is supporting you.
203 || [Solo] Why Rest Not Hustle is the Fuel Your Dream Needs || Merritt Onsa
What does rest look like for you? Is it collapsing into bed after a long day? Or vegging out on the couch with Netflix? I have recently realized that there has to be a better way to work and rest that will spark more creativity and help avoid burnout. This episode will help you think about the restorative rest you need to fuel your God-shaped dream and how to make decisions today to implement it in your life.
202 || The Delight of Keeping it Simple and Working from Your Zone of Genius || Sarah Maddack
Sarah Maddack discovered her God-shaped dream by paying attention to what flows naturally out of the gifts, talents, and experiences God has given her. 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 before she became a TikTok sensation.
201 || [Mini] This is What Happens When You Suddenly Go Viral on TikTok || Katie Bulmer
Katie Bulmer returns to the Devoted Dreamers Podcast to remind us of what really matters, especially once you achieve something you’ve worked toward for a long time. When a 30-second video she created went viral on TikTok, she felt blindsided. This short conversation is all about the unexpected reactions, how she dealt with criticism from strangers, and what she learned as a result.
200 || Celebration Episode: The Journey to Devoted Dreamers || Merritt Onsa & Tabitha Bigbee-Highland
In celebration of the 200th Devoted Dreamers episode I chose to do things a little differently. The tables are turned, and I am being interviewed by my friend and past guest Tabitha Bigbee-Highland, founder of Every Day Faith. You’ll hear the back story of Devoted Dreamers, my heart for this ministry and the challenges I’ve faced in pursuing my own dream (and how I’ve handled them). At the end, don’t miss the speed round where Tabitha asks me to answer a bunch of random questions on the fly!
199 || How to Keep Perspective When You Don't See the Fruit of Your Dream || Katy McCown
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.
Season 9 || [Bonus] Do You Have a Dream Burning in Your Heart?
With five years of podcasting under my belt, people always ask what I’ve learned so today I'm sharing my three top takeaways from interviews with Christian women dreamers as they fight back fear to start business, launch a nonprofit, write a book, pursue a speaking career, wait on God, test out new ideas, fight the lies, battle comparison and imposter syndrome, and come out on the other side trusting God more because they’ve learned to lean on Him in the process of chasing their dreams.
198 || How You Respond to Rejection Matters More Than Your Success || Heather Thompson Day
Although she is the author of seven published 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.
197 || How to Know When God Is Speaking to Your Heart || Heather Oncken
A kind gesture by a friend inspired Heather Oncken’s dream to 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 prayed for clarity, God prompted her to 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, and even someone’s life through our small, intentional gestures of love.
196 || God Meets You in the Most Unexpected Moments of Pursuing a Dream || Kat Harris
Kat Harris’s vision for women to know their beauty, identity, and value was born out of years spent asking difficult questions of God, herself, her community, and strangers on the subway. Her dream was never to write a book on sex and dating as a single Christian woman. In fact, doing so has revealed all her insecurities. But walking forward in it despite the challenges has grown her confidence in a God who gives us space to question and explore our dreams.
195 || [Solo] 3 Commitments to Make Before Spending Money to Pursue Your Dream || Merritt Onsa
Are you ready for big things to happen with your dream? Maybe you’re weighing the pros and cons of hiring a coach, or you want to invest in a course for the support and accountability that will push you out of your comfort zone, or that training program to fill in your knowledge gaps. All of these are great options but only once you have considered the three commitments that need to come first, before you invest any money in your dream.
194 || How to Glean the Best Path Forward from the Mentors in Your Life || Kelsey Chapman
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 and continue making her dream a reality, even through the difficulties.
193 || Do You Believe God Will Do Great Things Through Your Dream? || Blythe Daniel
What’s your relationship like with your mom? 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 reminds us that this is true for His role in our dreams as well.
192 || Feeling Too Broken to Dream? Embrace Your Story & Trust God's Plan || Yolanda King
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.