Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever wondered if your dream is actually worth the time you're spending on it, or if you're just being a little frivolous?

I hear this question a lot, and under the surface, it's rarely about the dream itself. It's about whether you're worth pursuing it.

In this episode we look at the story of David and Goliath. David didn't have the armor, the size, or the resume. What he had was confidence in the name of the Lord he was standing in. That's the same confidence available to you, whether your dream feels too small, too late, or too uncertain right now.

We're talking about:

• Why your security has to be settled in Christ before you take the next step toward your dream
• Two simple questions that help you test if a dream has real, redemptive value
• Why "am I capable enough" might be the wrong question entirely

If you've been stuck wondering whether your dream has value and worth, or if you're the right person to carry it, this episode is for you.

This episode originally aired on 2/15/2022

Devoted Dreamers is hosted by Merritt Onsa — Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn't behind her.

If you want to keep working through questions like these in a supportive environment with other women who get it, come join us in Dream Believers. You don't have to figure this out alone.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

~ Are you afraid you might hear God wrong and somehow miss the dream He has for you?

This episode is for the Christian woman who keeps wondering, What if I choose the wrong path? What if this dream is just my idea? What if I make a mistake and miss God’s plan for my life?

I understand that fear because I’ve asked those questions too.

In this solo episode, I’m talking about hearing God’s voice, finding your calling, and what it actually means to move forward in faith when certainty is nowhere to be found.

I also share part of my story from a long season of singleness, when I wanted God to make everything painfully clear but, instead, had to learn that trust was not the same thing as getting the answers I wanted.

If you’ve been stuck in self-doubt, afraid of stepping outside your comfort zone, or worried that your God-shaped dream depends on you getting everything exactly right, I hope this conversation brings relief.

In this episode, I’m talking about:

• Why fear of hearing God wrong can keep you frozen
• What Scripture says about purpose, gifts, and identity in Christ
• How to take a faithful next step without having the whole plan figured out

I’ll also invite you to look back over the story God has already written in your life: your experiences, gifts, passions, people, places, and the redemption He has already worked in you.

You do not need to wait until every question is answered.

You do not need to hold your dream with a white-knuckled grip.

You can trust that God is big enough to guide you, correct you, sanctify you, and use you even when your steps feel imperfect.

***

If you're ready to pursue your dream in a way that's rooted in Scripture, aligned with how you're wired, and supported by women who get it, come find your people 👉 merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers

Devoted Dreamers is hosted by Merritt Onsa — Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn't behind her.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

~ Have you ever felt like you were in a holding pattern with your dream?

If you’re wondering what to do with a season of waiting, this episode is for you. I'm so glad you're here.

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Heather Holleman, author, speaker, and Penn State instructor who has spent decades helping women fall in love with God's Word.

This half of the conversation might be the most practically encouraging thing I've shared in a long time.

We pick up right where we left off in the previous episode (#363), and Heather gets honest about what to do when you're in a slow season, when your dream feels buried, and when you're not sure what the next step even is.

Here's some of what we cover:

• The five file folder strategy Heather used during a season of preparation and how it became the foundation for everything God has built in her life
• What changes when you put worship before the dream
• The question Heather says every dreamer needs to ask

What I love about Heather is that she never lets the dream become bigger than the dream maker.

She reminds us that we are chosen by God for His purposes and that the work He has prepared for us will come as we abide in Him, not as we hustle our way toward it.

If you are a midlife Christian woman who wants to pursue a dream God has placed on your heart but you're tired of striving, this conversation is going to feel like a deep breath.

Heather also pointed us to Ephesians, especially chapters 1 and 2, as a foundation for understanding who we are in Christ before we go chasing any dream. I'd love for you to read it alongside this episode.

If you missed part 1, go back and listen to Episode 363. Then come back here and let Heather finish what she started.

And if you're looking for a community of women who take both faith and dreams seriously, come find us at Dream Believers. It is one of my favorite places on the internet, and I'd love to have you there.

👉 merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers

🔗 Connect with Heather Holleman

Website: https://heatherholleman.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writer.heatherholleman/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherholleman/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-holleman-6b101941/

Devoted Dreamers is hosted by Merritt Onsa — Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn't behind her.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

~ This week marks 10 years of the Devoted Dreamers podcast, and I am celebrating by sharing one of my favorite conversations from the archives.

Author, speaker, and college instructor, Heather Holleman, PhD, loves helping women fall in love with the Bible and with Jesus. She believes God's Word is so powerful that it creates life where there is none, and she has built her entire calling around helping women take God at His Word.

If you are a midlife Christian woman trying to figure out where God is calling you, Heather is the kind of woman you want to sit with.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Heather and I talk about:

• What it feels like to sense God's anointing on your work and why following that feeling matters more than having a plan
• How Heather discovered her true calling by paying attention to where God was already moving, not by forcing a direction
• How Scripture became her daily anchor and the specific verses that carry her through fear, pride, and uncertainty

This episode originally aired in 2018, and eight years later, this conversation still stops me in my tracks.

One of the things I keep coming back to is this: sometimes we get so focused on whether the dream will happen that we stop focusing on the person of Christ. She returns to that truth again and again, and every time she does, she brings a specific verse with her. It’s so rich and full of gospel truth.

So, if you find yourself in a season of wondering whether God is even doing anything with what he placed on your heart, this episode is for you.

I also want to say, if you are already pursuing a God-shaped dream and you want to build community around that, I would love for you to join us in Dream Believers, my online community for women who are taking faithful steps toward what God has put on their hearts. You can find us at merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers.

Part 2 with Heather drops next week. Do not miss it.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

Does the fear of getting it wrong keep you from moving forward on your dream project?

This is one of the most common concerns I hear from Christian women who are looking for the courage to trust God with something that matters deeply. This episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered whether you’re hearing Him right, whether the timing is off, or whether a mistake means it was never supposed to happen at all.

In this final episode of a four-part series, I’m wrapping up my conversations with co-host Kari Eliza, the voice behind the Instagram account @Held.Right.Here. She is a passionate leader at the intersection of attachment science, nervous system, and Christian faith, and in this conversation, she gets honest about her own seven-year journey of resisting her calling before finally saying yes.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

• Why God’s timing is often more creative than the plan you had in mind
• How going public with your dream will stretch your nervous system and why that’s not a reason to stop
• What to do when someone disagrees with or pushes back on what you feel called to share

Kari Eliza shares something I think you’ll hold onto: following your calling is a gift, not a performance.

When you’re not trying to get it right for an audience, you can relax into it. God covers the mistakes. He uses the whole messy journey, including the detours, the slow seasons, and the criticism.

If you missed the first three parts of this series, go back and listen to episodes 359 through 361. Then, come back, and let this one settle in.

If you are done waiting for the perfect plan before you move forward on your dream, I want you to know you don’t have to figure it out alone. Dream Believers is my virtual community for Christian women who are ready to make real progress on what God has placed on their hearts. Come find us at merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers.

You were never meant to pursue your dream alone.

🔗 Connect with Kari Eliza

• Instagram: Held.Right.Here

Devoted Dreamers is hosted by Merritt Onsa — a Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn’t behind her.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

Knowing God’s love and actually feeling loved by Him can seem like two completely different things.

That gap is exactly what this episode is about. My co-host Kari Eliza of Held Right Here has spent years at the intersection of attachment science, nervous system health, and Christian faith. And what she taught me about experiencing God's love didn't just change how I pray. It shifted how I move through my whole day.

In this episode, Kari Eliza walks us through a simple daily practice, one that started not as a spiritual exercise at all but as a way to calm her nervous system. What grew out of it was something she describes as the most transformative thing she has ever done.

Three things you will take away from this conversation:

• Why knowing God loves you and feeling His love are two different things and what creates that gap
• How a practice rooted in secure attachment can help you move from performance and striving into genuine rest with God
• Practical ways to begin, even if sitting quietly with God feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar at first

We talk about why Zephaniah 3:17 hits differently when you have experienced what God’s delight in you actually feels like. She also highly recommends the book Anatomy of the Soul (affl.) by Dr. Curt Thompson, if you want to go deeper.

This is the kind of midlife Christian women spiritual growth conversation that does not come with a five-step formula. It comes with an invitation to slow down and let God love on you.

If you are pursuing a God-shaped dream, the intimacy you build with the Lord in this practice is not separate from your calling. It is the foundation of it.

If you want to keep growing in community, come find us at Dream Believers, my online space for Christian women who are done waiting on the sidelines and ready to make real progress together. Come find us at merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers.

🔗 Connect with Kari Eliza

• Instagram: Held.Right.Here

Devoted Dreamers is hosted by Merritt Onsa — a Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn’t behind her.

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

~ You’re reading your Bible and praying throughout the day and yet God still doesn’t feel close. You don’t have a discipline problem, so it’s got to be something else.

In this episode, I’m back in conversation with Kari Eliza, the voice behind Held Right Here, where she helps parents raise children in faith in a way that feels safe and connected rather than pressured and performative.

What Kari understands about how human beings are wired is changing the way I see my own relationship with God, and I think it will do the same for you.

We’re talking this time about what it looks like to pursue a God-given dream when your body is tense, your mind is running, and God feels far away. And more importantly, what to do about it.

Here’s some of what we cover:

• Why creativity, obedience, and joy with God are not things you produce, they are things that happen when you feel safe with him
• How your body signals disconnection from God before your mind catches up
• Why God is not disappointed in your humanness and how knowing that changes everything

This is episode 360, part two in the series with Kari. If you haven’t listened to episode 359 yet, start there first, then come back here.

One thing Kari said that I keep coming back to: the calling itself is a gift to you, not just to the people it will eventually serve.

If you’re ready to pursue your dream rooted in God’s Word, aligned with the way you’re wired, and supported by women who get it, come find your people in the Dream Believers community.

👉 merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers

🔗 Connect with Kari Eliza

• Instagram: Held.Right.Here

Devoted Dreamers is hosted by Merritt Onsa — a Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn’t behind her.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.

Send us Fan Mail

~ Does your relationship with God feel like something you’re trying to achieve?

If you have ever wondered why doing more and working harder doesn’t result in the deeper relationship you desire with God, there’s actually a really good explanation for why this happens and a way through.

In this episode, I sit down with Kari Eliza, the voice behind the Instagram account Held Right Here, where she helps parents share God with their children in ways that feel connected and deeply relational.

Kari is an American living in Norway with her Norwegian husband and two kids, and she brings one of the most honest and tender perspectives on faith I have encountered in a long time.

What started for Kari in wanting to support her highly sensitive daughter became a healing journey of her own, and it changed everything about how she experiences God.

This conversation is for you if you have always believed the right things but still feel like you are working hard to earn God’s love and approval.

Here is a glimpse into our conversation:

• Why growing up in a Christian home can still produce a performance posture with God, even when your parents genuinely loved Jesus
• How striving shows up in our bodies, not just our behavior, and why renewing your mind alone may not be enough
• What it actually feels like when your nervous system begins to exhale in God's presence, and why that changes everything

Kari's story didn’t have a quick fix. It was a two-year journey of slow, steady transformation. And it is one of the most hopeful things I have heard.

If you are tired of your relationship with God feeling like something you have to manage, this episode is a good place to start.

If you are pursuing a God-shaped dream and doing it mostly alone, I want you to know there is a place for you. Dream Believers is my online community for Christian women who are ready to stop waiting on their dreams and want to start moving instead.

Come find your people: 👉merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers.

🔗 Connect with Kari Eliza on Instagram: @held.right.here

The Devoted Dreamers podcast is hosted by Merritt Onsa — Christian life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Dream Believers community. New episodes drop every week for the woman who believes her best chapter isn't behind her.

Sign up for Dream Believers. Just $49/month or $490 for the year (get 2 months free!)

NEXT STEPS:
Connect with Merritt: Website || Instagram || Book a Call
Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts/iTunes
Subscribe: on Apple Podcasts * on Android
Join the Dream Believers community

MORE ABOUT THE DEVOTED DREAMERS PODCAST:
Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.