The Dare to Dream Podcast

23 days ago Gregory decided to embark on a 100-day challenge. Each day, he is tasked with making a bold or outrageous request to a stranger. On day four, he knocked on a stranger's door and asked if he could cannonball in his pool. To his surprise, the man said yes and filmed a video of his perfect form. This video went viral on Instagram and has over 270,000 views. It seems the idea of being...

My younger brother Jesse Van Patten is one hell of an individual. Greg, Jesse and I caught up on Jesse's current ambitions at twenty years old as an exceptional collegiate runner, and what the sentiment is like in his generation. We discuss societal pressures and what it takes to be ourselves, the benefits of facing discomfort voluntarily, and most importantly, why the greatest gift we've...

Yo! Vinny here. This weekend marks one year of living in Japan; when I had this dream of moving to a foreign country, I pictured me against the world. In a way I hoped for that adventure. The lone wolf in a foreign country. I couldn’t have imagined that I’d immediately make lifelong friends, that we’d have countless memories and experiences together all over this country, and that we’d cap off our...

Greg and I (Vinny), love to read. Fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, your grandma’s cookbook—nothing’s off limits. Not merely for entertainment, but because stories help us understand reality. They help us better know ourselves.  Integral to a meaningful story is conflict, revelation, courage, fear; love.  The purpose of our young lives, we’ve found so far, is to live a story worth telling. That is wh...

This short solo episode with Gregory will leave you feeling bold, inspired, and hopeful. It is all about saying YES to life, reality, and challenges that make your palms sweat. Expect to learn: The best way to accept a Karaoke solo How Chat GPT defines Living a Story Worth Telling Why there are no wrong decisions How to say yes to reality How to become the right type of Yes Man/Woman Why the Unive...

Life is one heck of a roller coaster. It’s the ups and downs that shift our perspective—the seasons, the waves—which contrast one another and help us understand what life can truly be. We need the lows; it’s in those difficult seasons that we prove to ourselves who we can be; that we can make it through; better yet, that we can make it through in style without losing the love in our hearts. What g...

The boys are back together! You know it’s an episode full of laughs and epiphanies whenever that happens. On this episode of DTD, Vinny discuss’s how he’s been reclaiming his peace of mind through a fresh morning self-reflection technique, as well as why letting go of expectations and exterior pressure has provided for a beautiful, peaceful week.  Hopefully this practice can help you declutter you...

Carl Jung is famous for formulating the concept of the shadow self. Known as the "repressed self" or the "disowned self", these are the parts of us that we relegate to the darkness of the unconscious mind. Our shadow consists of all the "negative" qualities we try to hide from others (and ourselves) because they bring us shame, embarrassment, or disgust. To hide our s...

Last week I (Vinny) posted two Instagrams: one that was a highlight reel of good things in my life, and twenty minutes later, one that showed me broken, hurting, vulnerable. Both posts were an expression of who I am - yet the second one made an impact. It helped other people who were hurting, too. It shed some light on what I was struggling with. People reached out, and I felt so much love. That’s...

In this solo episode, Gregory walks you through the powerful mindset shift he experienced recently. It's all about making sure that what you are aiming at (and measuring for) on a daily basis, aligns with what you ultimately want to get out of life. He realized that he was wanting to positively contribute to the lives of others and enjoy his life on the macro scale, but on the micro scale, he...

If we’re lucky, we’ll come across certain individuals in our lives and there will be an immediate connection. Be it a new bromance or a romance, it doesn’t take long for the conversation to get deep, personal, real. These are the good ones. The relationships which satisfy our souls and make us better individuals. Santana is one of those extraordinary human beings. Santana and I (Vinny) met recentl...

Gregory is 17 hours into his conversational journey to speak with 100 people about their biggest dreams. He is quickly learning that nearly everyone is craving freedom. Financial freedom. Creative freedom. Lifestyle freedom. The freedom to do WHAT they want, WHEN they want to do it, with WHO they want to do it with. And when he asks about the plan to obtain this freedom, he is seeing the same form...

Why do we create? Why throughout history have artists painted, written, composed music, taken photos or performed dance routines in their rooms for nobody to see?  As creatives, we’re enticed by the prospect of turning our art, whatever that may be, into our livelihood. Some of us will be lucky enough to do so. But if the only reason we create is because of an illusory promise of success, we may w...

Want to prove something? Prove that you are enjoying the process of figuring yourself out and chasing your current ambitions and curiosities. These are words from the uber-successful entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk that he says applies to anyone under 40. In this solo episode, Gregory expands on Gary's advice and shares the powerful life lessons he has been learning recently. Expect to learn why:...

Vinny sits down with his friend Eli, an artist and creative soul who has allowed her curiosity to guide her life in fascinating directions. Originally from Montreal, Canada, there was a point in Eli's life when the mask of old had to come off to make way for something more genuine, more real. After this realization, Eli traveled the globe garnering experiences while honing in on who she really...

Over the past two weeks, Greg and I (Vinny) made soul-enriching memories in my home city, Osaka, Japan as well as sunny Fukuoka and a rain-drenched Nagasaki. Along the way, we often brainstormed on our biggest, most outrageous ambitions. One anchor of our trip was the following quote on the Rich Roll Podcast by legendary editor and founder of Wired Magazine, Kevin Kelly: “Do something in your twen...

I (Gregory) was a guest on my friend  Stacey's podcast  recently and we talked about the comfort zone. She asked me about how people can get out of their comfort zone more, and I was struck by a big thought. I realized that most people (including myself) try to take the intellectual approach. We read books like  The Comfort Crisis  and  Daring Greatly  to inspire us. We listen to David Goggins...

The boys are back together and it feels so good! It’s the morning of an adventure; before heading down south from Vinny's home in Osaka, Japan to Fukuoka, Greg and Vinny discuss some of the concepts they’ve been fired up on lately, revolving around this ancient wisdom: “Segui il tuo corso e lascia dir le gente,” wrote the 14th-century Italian poet Dante Aligheri, (“Follow your own road and let...

Jonathan Van Putten has been on an incredible journey of transformation and healing through breathwork. After experiencing several business heartbreaks and years of battling various addictions, Jonathan's life was changed in a single afternoon. Four years later, he now has five different certifications in breathwork facilitation and coaching. Tune in to learn how he has used breathwork and col...

Over the past year, I (Vinny) have been asked in different ways if I’m always happy. This has made me ask myself, why? This question of whether I’m always happy has made me wonder if it seems as if I’m putting on a front; if people think that who they see isn’t the real me. Well, I can tell you I hurt; I feel just as deeply as anybody. That doesn’t mean the man you see with the unwavering smile is...

You don't need to paint or write in order to live an artistic life. Creativity isn't just about creating tangible things in the world for others to see. Rather, living artistically comes down to how you engage with each moment of every day. It's in the texture of your actions, the way you treat people, and how you respond to challenges. Regardless of your profession, Vinny and Gregory...

After a nine-day surf trip in Panama, Gregory reflects on a few powerful realizations that stemmed from having ample time for leisure, afternoon naps, and reading. The biggest epiphany came from Elizabeth Gilbert's book Big Magic and has to do with the distinction she makes between martyr and trickster energy. Martyr energy is heavy, solemn, sacrificial, and rigid. Trickster energy is light, s...

This is my (Vinny) first spring living in Japan. What I love about this country is how each season is utterly unique. The autumn leaves (紅葉, kōyō) paint the hills in fiery red color, yellow and orange tints. The spring is delicate, renowned for its soft pink cherry blossom trees (桜, sakura). While the fall foliage lasts for a couple of months, the cherry blossoms flower and remain for about a w...

Much of the time, we want this show to provide the insights that we've gleaned from facing our fears, dealing with a problem and coming out on the other side. But we don't always have the answers. In reality we rarely do. We're figuring it out as we go just as much as anybody. We've both felt the need to slow down and take some of the pressure off that we put on ourselves. On this...

Dare to Dream is a podcast to inspire you to embark on the adventure of your life. Some of us feel deep within our bones that we have this passion, this adventure, this life we long to pursue—however we're afraid. It's daunting to pursue a dream that goes against expectations. It's scary trying something with no idea if it will work. Even if you know what you are here to do, it's up to you to take...