The Devoted Dreamers Podcast

Send us Fan Mail 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 G...

Send us Fan Mail 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.  ...

Send us Fan Mail 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,...

Send us Fan Mail 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,...

Send us Fan Mail 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 launch...

Send us Fan Mail 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 sh...

Send us Fan Mail 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 th...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 pur...

Send us Fan Mail 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 help...

Send us Fan Mail 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 com...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail **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-kni...

Send us Fan Mail 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 purpose...

Send us Fan Mail 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 jo...

Send us Fan Mail 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 c...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Han...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 t...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 c...