In this “WE AGREE TO PRAY†bonus episode, we’re talking with Brant Menswar. He’s an award-winning musician, popular speaker, and bestselling author. In this conversation, we dig into Brant’s journey with prayer… from the lowest points of hearing the brutal words, “Your son isn’t going to make it through the night,†to experiencing a miracle that involved people from around the world. 

Plus, we’ll talk about the very real and raw emotions (and prayers) that follow such an incredible experience.  We talk about how to walk out your faith on those days where you’re feeling 100% and on those days that you’re feeling a solid 2%.  Plus, we dig into the mechanics of how he makes prayer a part of his daily (and wildly busy) life.  I think you’re going to love it.

RESOURCES:

• Brant’s book: “Black Sheep – Unleash the extraordinary, awe-inspiring, undiscovered YOU!â€
• His podcast: “Thoughts that Rock!â€
• His band: BIG Kettle Drum: www.bigkettledrum.com
• Brant’s Website: www.brantmenswar.com

 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What’s something that stood out to you from what Brant said?  What’s something that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know!

And hey… please share this episode! Your friends will thank you!

Brant Menswar is our guest. Brant’s an award-winning musician, sought-after speaker, and a critically acclaimed author and I think you’re going to love him. Let’s be clear… and consider yourself warned. Brant’s got some strong opinions… and he’s not afraid of unleashing them.

For example, Brant believes that unless you can identify your 4 to 5 non-negotiable core values… you can’t do ANYTHING on purpose.  He also believes that about 99% of us are winging it, and that’s why most people aren’t getting the results they want or living the life they were meant to live. 

He’s got some great stories and statistics to back this up… but more importantly… he’s got some powerful strategies to help us get clear and make some awesome stuff happen.  Plus, we’ll be talking about Brant’s new book called BLACK SHEEP.

RESOURCES:

• Brant’s book: “Black Sheep – Unleash the extraordinary, awe-inspiring, undiscovered YOU!â€
• His podcast: “Thoughts that Rock!â€
• His band: BIG Kettle Drum
• Brant’s Website: www.brantmenswar.com

MORE ON THE BRANT MENSWAR EPISODE:

So… we’ve all heard of Walt Disney.  He was wildly successful and he truly dreamed bigger, thought better and did more than most could imagine.

Now… even though most of the planet recognizes Walt’s name, most people don’t know that it was really Walt’s brother Roy… who helped to make a lot of that success possible.  

Walt was the visionary… and Roy was known for getting things DONE!  He was involved in making so many of Disney’s biggest wins happen.  In fact, Roy pulled off finalizing and opening Epcot Center after Walt had passed away.

Now, one of my all-time favorite quotes comes from Roy Disney.  Maybe you’ve heard it.   Roy Disney used to say… “When your values are clear, decisions are easy.â€Â 

Brilliant… right?  When your values are clear… decisions are easy.

Well… in today’s interview with Brant Menswar, we’re talking about ways to help you to get clear on YOUR values… and as a result… you’ll be able to make better decisions and feel really good about them too!  Brant’s got some great stories, some powerful strategies AND we’ll even mix in a little neuroscience to bring it all together.

 

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:40 Meet Brant
• 3:27 How “Black Sheep” began
• 3:50 Why the name “Black Sheepâ€
• 5:05 The Black sheep values we all need
• 20:15 The science behind good decision making
• 20:47 The power of feelings in decision making
• 20:20 Sometimes the truth in a room isn’t the absolute truth
• 25:20 Honor what you’re feeling in the moment
• 28:54 One of the best ways to stay in the present

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What’s something that stood out to you from what Brant said?  What’s something that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know!

And hey… please share this episode! Your friends will thank you!

Lori Allen - the star of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” is our guest!  We’re talking with Lori about prayer and how it plays a MAJOR role in her life.  Lori’s one of the world’s most sought-after bridal experts and she’s the central figure of TLC’s reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. Lori Allen talks about prayer in her new book, “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to age with elegance and class while never losing your beauty and sass!”  But in this interview, we dig into some prayer stories and the mechanics of how she prays (pretty much… nonstop) day to day! RESOURCES: Lori’s Website: loriallen.com Lori’s Book: www.thomasnelson.com Lori’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/bridalgirl80 MORE ABOUT THE TLC’s LORI ALLEN EPISODE: As you’ll hear, Lori and I talk about how prayer is at the center of ALL she does.   Whether it’s being a bridal expert or a successful female entrepreneur… Or being a breast cancer survivor as well as a mom… a wife… prayer is right smack dab in the middle of ALL of it! This short BONUS session is packed with great stories and REAL WORLD wisdom that I think you’ll love. By the way, Lori’s been featured on CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, and the Wall Street Journal… to just name a few.  So I’m excited and honored to have her join us for this BONUS “We Agree to Pray” episode of DREAM THINK DO! I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What’s something that stood out to you?  What’s something that Lori said that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know! And hey y'all (I’m inspired by Lori)… please share this episode!  Your friends will soooooooo thank you!

TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta’s Lori Allen is our guest!  Lori opened “Bridals by Lori” just two weeks after graduating from Columbia College in South Carolina. Four decades later, she is one of the world’s most sought-after bridal experts.  And of course… she’s the central figure of TLC’s reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. By the way… the show has been running for 11 seasons and it’s shown in more than 120 countries.  Lori’s new book is called, “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to age with elegance and class while never losing your beauty and sass!”  So we’re going to be talking about ALL of that!   RESOURCES: Lori’s Website: loriallen.com Lori’s Book: www.thomasnelson.com Lori’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/bridalgirl80 MORE ABOUT THE LORI ALLEN  EPISODE: As you’ll hear, Lori and I talk about her journeys as a bridal expert, a successful female entrepreneur, a breast cancer survivor as well as a mom… a wife… and as an awesome human being.   It’s packed with great stories and timeless wisdom that I think you’ll love. By the way, Lori’s been featured on CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, and the Wall Street Journal… to just name a few.   So I’m excited and honored to have her join us on DREAM THINK DO! Plus, as you’ll hear… I asked questions that YOU wanted me to ask.  So, be listening to see if I used one of YOUR questions.  #letsdothis EPISODE - MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 4:17 Why this group and why now? 9:40  The catalyst to saying “yes, to what’s next!” 11:00 How the pandemic affected the message 12:00 Fighting back and being resilient 18:20 How Lori Allen and Monte met 21:00 Which bride left the greatest impact on Lori 22:35 How Lori takes the stress off of brides 26:40 How Lori stays healthy 29:40 Life is far from over! 30:12 Mitch's biggest takeaways I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What’s something that stood out to you?  What’s something that Lori said that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know! And hey… please share this episode! Your friends will thank you!

Ashleigh S. Chapman is a human rights lawyer and an expert on human trafficking.  She’s been working hard for the past 20 years to protect the most vulnerable populations around the globe.  On this BONUS episode of DREAM THINK DO... Ashleigh shares a powerful prayer story of something that happened to her when she was out on a jog.  It’s a wild fun story of how prayer can work when you least expect it.    RESOURCES: Ashleigh is the founder of Justice U™ which is an online learning platform that quickly delivers knowledge from experts in the anti-trafficking movement to massive audiences who need it, with the tools every modern learner needs today. Built to help anyone with a desire to make a difference.  WE AGREE TO PRAY: If you’d like to join us for “WE AGREE TO PRAY,” simply click here: www.weagreetopray.com.  MORE ON THIS Ashleigh S. Chapman - BONUS EPISODE: This is a BONUS episode, so we’re talking with Ashleigh S. Chapman about the power of prayer and how it’s played out in her life.  Listen in for an amazing story and some great insights on prayer too!!! By the way, my FULL interview with Ashleigh can be found here:  www.mitchmatthews.com/286. It’s an INCREDIBLE episode because Ashleigh has a dream of ending human trafficking in our lifetime.   To that end, she is the founder of Justice U™ which is an online learning platform that delivers training from some of the top experts in the anti-trafficking movement.   She’s working around the globe to do her part to end human trafficking.  For example, Ashleigh has helped the Senate of Mexico establish its first comprehensive legislation to combat human trafficking.  Plus, she is serving as an advisor to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to create the “End Modern Slavery” Act.   And she’s led training in over 100 cities and in eight different nations.  Absolutely amazing work. I can’t wait to dig into how this all got started… what’s she’s learned so far and to get her perspective on what’s next!   LET’S HERE FROM YOU!: What stood out to YOU from Ashleigh’s story?   I want to hear from YOU!   Leave a comment below… and let us know what you think!

Ashleigh S. Chapman is our guest today.  Ashleigh is a human rights lawyer and an expert on human trafficking. She’s been working hard for the past 20 years to protect the most vulnerable populations.  Among her many efforts… Ashleigh is the founder of Justice U™ which is an online learning platform that delivers training from some of the top experts in the anti-trafficking movement… and delivers it in a way that everyone to better understand the specific things they can do to help end human trafficking.  She’s working domestically and internationally.  For example, Ashleigh has helped the Senate of Mexico establish their first comprehensive legislation to combat human trafficking.  She is serving as an advisor to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to create the “End Modern Slavery” Act.  Shes helping to establish the Freedom Council which is an assembly of business leaders and global companies dedicated to the cause of ending human trafficking.  And she’s led training in over 100 cities and in eight different nations.  Absolutely amazing work. I can’t wait to dig into how this all got started… what’s she’s learned so far and to get her perspective on what’s next!  Let’s get to this!     RESOURCES: Ashleigh is the founder of Justice U™ Justice U™ is an online learning platform that quickly delivers knowledge from experts in the anti-trafficking movement to massive audiences who need it, with the tools every modern learner needs today. Built to help anyone with a desire to make a difference.    MORE ABOUT THE Ashleigh S. Chapman EPISODE: Welcome to episode 286 of DREAM THINK DO!  We’re digging into a wildly important subject today, and I’ll be the first to admit… it’s a heavier subject.  But… as you know with dream think do… we don’t shy away from important topics… especially if we can help you to see some places where you can be making a difference.  AND… if we can share an inspiring story. In this episode… we get to do both. The topic is ending human trafficking in our generation. The story is of one person who decided that even though she’s just one person… she thought she’d try to make a difference right where she was at.  And as you’ll learn… she started small and now she’s helping whole countries on initiatives to stop human trafficking.  It’s an amazing interview and I think you’re going to love it. By the way, while more and more people are becoming aware of the presence of human trafficking, very few understand it. Therefore, very few know how to stop it. Get these statistics:  Human trafficking is a $150 billion-a-year industry  Sadly… it’s one of the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises It happens closer to home than one would imagine, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide That means human trafficking impacts 1 in every 200 people Whether you’ve got a passion for helping to end human trafficking… or like our guest… you might feel called to take on a challenge that seems insurmountable… I’m betting today’s episode will inspire you to start small… and to keep moving forward on that dream to make a difference!  MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 1:40 Meet Ashleigh 4:03 How Ashleigh became passionate about fighting human trafficking 9:06 What human trafficking looks like in 2020 12:11 The most trafficked demographic 14:01 How you can create change in your area 17:44 Tips for prevention 26:45 What to do when your dreams feel too big 30:04 How to get involved 31:18 Mitch’s biggest takeaway 32:32 What's coming up on DTD I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What stood out to YOU from this conversation with Ashleigh?  Was it a statistic about human trafficking?  Was it a specific approach?  Or was it a story?  Let me know what you connected with! I want to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment below.  Let’s keep this important conversation going!

Bonus Episode with Ben Courson! Ben’s an international speaker, bestselling author, and his TV show, Hope Generation with Ben Courson is broadcast around the world. NOTE: I also had a great interview with him for episode 284 of DREAM THINK DO.  (Be sure to check that out: www.mitchmatthews.com/284)  Since we’re walking out our “WE AGREE TO PRAY” project this month… I wanted to get Ben’s perspective on prayer.  So… in this BONUS session, he agreed to stick around to talk about how it’s played out in his life.   We cover a lot of ground in about 10 minutes!  We talk about neuroscience and prayer.  We dig into the subject of how waiting on God can be HIGHLY offensive and at the same time… the absolute PERFECT thing to do. #realtalk We also talk about the “Seed vs. Switch” mentality… and why that matters now more than ever!  I think you’re going to love it!  Let’s get to it…   RESOURCES: Sign up to join us for WE AGREE TO PRAY: www.weagreetopray.com.  Ben’s Latest Book: Flirting With Darkness.   Ben’s website:  www.bencourson.com You can follow Ben on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.    I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! So… what stood out to you?  What’s something that got you thinking?   Oh…. and how about you?  Any good stories on how prayer has played out in your life?  Any questions about it? I’d love to hear from you!  Hit me up in the comments and let’s keep this conversation going! And again… I want to invite you to join us for WE AGREE TO PRAY!  You can find out more and sign up at: www.WeAgreeToPray.com.

Ben Courson is our guest.  He’s an international speaker, bestselling author, and his TV show, Hope Generation with Ben Courson, is broadcast in 180 countries, and his radio show airs on more than 400 stations nationally. His latest book is called “Flirting With Darkness.”  In it, Ben talks about his own journey with overcoming depression and battling thoughts of suicide.  He also offers up some specific strategies that you can use if you’ve ever been tempted by suicidal thoughts… or if you know someone who’s wrestling with that.  World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th… AND because all of the stuff with Covid-19 and all the wildness that 2020 had thrown… we thought it would be a really important subject to cover and wildly relevant time.  So let’s get to this!     RESOURCES: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English & Spanish. PHONE: 1-800-273-8255 WEBSITE:  suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  Ben’s Latest Book: Flirting With Darkness.   Ben’s website:  www.bencourson.com/ You can follow Ben on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.    MORE ABOUT BEN COURSON EPISODE: Okay, guys… we’re going after a big and important topic today.   Get this: Every 40 seconds… someone… somewhere in the world… takes their own life. There are 123 suicides a day in the US alone.  Now… that statistic floored me but this next statistic broke my heart: the second leading cause of death in the world for people aged 15 to 24 is suicide. I know… I know… this is a heavy subject… but you know that with this podcast... we’re all about helping you to dream bigger… think better and do more of what you were created to do.  And if we’re going to be true to that mission… and take this mandate seriously... that means we can’t shy away from tough topics.  And that’s exactly why I’m excited we’re talking with Ben Courson.   MINUTE BY MINUTE: 1:30 This is an important topic 2:27 Meet Ben 6:48 Why Ben is passionate about this topic 10:35 When Ben knew he needed help 13:31 How to fight depression 17:08 Go on adventures with God 19:47 Building relationships 23:21 Choosing to fight 27:57 Ben’s favorite dream quote 29:00 Mitch’s biggest takeaways   I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! So… what stood out to you?  What’s something that got you thinking?   Oh…. and how about you?  Any good stories on how prayer has played out in your life?  Any questions about it? I’d love to hear from you!  Hit me up in the comments and let’s keep this conversation going! And again… I want to invite you to join us for WE AGREE TO PRAY!  You can find out more and sign up at www.WeAgreeToPray.com.

There’s so much division and polarization in the world right now. BUT at the same time, I think there’s a pendulum swing that’s happening too. There seem to be more and more people who are saying, “Enough!” Let’s find some common ground and let’s work from there to find real solutions. They’re looking for a place to start! Because that’s what we do… when we are at our very best. We find a way to find a way. We find a way to band together to help. We find a way. That’s where the “We Agree to Pray” project comes in. We don’t have to agree on everything, but what if a small group of people could come together to say, “We AGREE to pray.” What might happen? Well… let’s talk about that!     RESOURCES: To sign up for WE AGREE TO PRAY, go here: WeAgreeToPray.com. Episode 282: “Empathy - A Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World.”  Click here: mitchmatthews.com/282 Mitch’s “6 Miracle Story.”  Click here.   We AGREE TO PRAY PROJECT EPISODE MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 2:00 Are you sick of the polarization? 3:15 Why Mitch Learned from a Derecho 8:09 The human spirit 10:56 The phrase that sparked the idea 13:47 The power of prayer and what to do when you feel “the nudge” 27:11 What’s coming up in September 32:21 Will you join us? 34:43 How to join   MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE: Recently, on an early morning drive… I was reminded of how we… as human beings… find a way.  That’s right.  When we are at our best, we find a way to help each other, encourage each other, push each other and come alongside each other. That idea planted a seed. What could we do… if we gave ourselves permission to find some common ground?   As I was praying about this question, I got hit with a phrase. “We Agree to Pray.” Well… I’ll be honest.  At first, I pushed back on the idea.  I thought, “People can't seem to agree on ANYTHING right now.  They can’t agree on big stuff like politics, COVID… or the little stuff like who makes the best French Fry or how to eat an Oreo. But… WHAT IF? What if a ragtag group of us was willing to put aside our differences for a month? What if we… a group of very different people… took a month to pray for healing, hope, grace, unity, solutions and breakthroughs?   What might happen? Now… here’s the deal.  Prayer may not be your thing.  If that’s the case… TOTALLY cool.  No harm no foul.  We’re good.  And hey… if you want to drop out of this episode… that’s totally fine.  We can TOTALLY still be friends AND you are still TOTALLY part of the DREAM THINK DO family.  Because we are TOTALLY willing to recognize and honor our differences and our similarities here! At the same time… if prayer IS your thing… or you’ve always been curious about it… cool.  Let’s keep talking. See… prayer hasn’t always been big for me.  But over the years… prayer has brought me a lot of peace, hope, strength, grace, AND love.  PLUS… it’s also become a part of our core business strategy and something I depend on as we navigate the wild waters of life (especially in 2020!!!). Now, I don’t do it perfectly.  When I pray… it’s messy.  It ain’t poetic.  It’s not beautiful.  #IloveJesusbutIcussalittlebit  But it has become powerful… and amazing.   In the episode, I share some examples, plus I mention our “6 Miracle Day.”  (Click here to read that story: mitchmatthews.com/our-6-miracle-story/ Most importantly, we’ve seen the power of prayer help people to experience a sense of peace, hope, and strength.  And we’ve seen incredible things happen when a group of people comes together to pray. So… for the month of September, we’re wanting to do something we’re calling the WE AGREE TO PRAY project. It’s where people from all walks of life agree to pray… together. We’ll send out a daily email to: Offer some encouragement Provide a shared prayer focus for the day Share some stories and breakthroughs

EMPATHY: The Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World!  In this episode, we talk about a surprising conversation that opened my eyes to the importance of EMPATHY… especially right now!  (That’s right… 2020!)  In this episode, you and I take a deep dive into the power of empathy.  But more importantly, we give you some tools, some strategies and some science!  Plus, we introduce you to the idea of “JOY SHARING.”  That’s right!  It’s a concept that can help you to experience more joy and share it with others too!  I think you’re going to dig it… so let’s get to it!   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE: EPISODES MENTIONED: My interview with BEN STEIN:mitchmatthews.com/history-doesnt-repeat-it-rhymes-with-ben-stein My interview with LINDSAY PALMER: mitchmatthews.com/lindsay-palmer-create-your-opportunities\  MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 1:15 Storytime 4:48 The power of empathy 7:34 Healing division 11:57 Empathy’s connection to happiness 14:24 One of Mitch’s favorite quotes 18:56 Share more joy feel more joy 21:19 Connect with Mitch MORE ON THE EPISODE:  Over the 4th of July… our family got together with one of our favorite people… Ben Stein.  He’s a history teacher our boys had.  He has a true passion for history, government, politics and the human condition.  We got together… socially distanced and safely of course.  We got caught up and then we did what we do… we started to talk HISTORY and current events.  We had an AWESOME conversation. We didn’t agree on everything… but we brought up issues of the day… as well as linked stories to our history.  Some of the stuff… we totally agreed on and some of the stuff… we didn’t.   But we were able to have this deep… enlightening… fun… awesome conversation.  Family was there.  We were pigging out on all sorts of unhealthy food too.  Which I’m sure helped. But at one point… I asked a question.  It was partly hypothetical… and partly because I legitimately was open to his answer. I said, “Okay… we’ve talked about a ton of different issues… some of which we’ve agreed on and some not so much, but it’s been amazing. You’ve opened my eyes to some things, and I think I may have pointed you to a few things too.   What’s at the heart of that? He responded with one word.  “Empathy.” We were willing to have empathy for each other. It was sooooo true!  Now… I’m fascinated by psychology, communication and interpersonal dynamics.  I get lost in leadership theory.  So, of course, I knew the word.  But in that moment… it just hit me.  It was a truth I needed to be reminded of! Empathy. In the moment… I totally agreed… and then we moved on to more topics.  But the concept of empathy stuck with me.  So I kept digging into it.  And some of the things I’ve found led me to believe that it is truly the Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World! Seriously… I don’t want to over hype it… but the growing science and understanding behind EMPATHY is incredible.  I dug in and I wanted to share a little bit of you… so you could understand this Secret Weapon better… and use it more. Because when you understand empathy… you tend to connect with people at deeper levels, you create more trust AND… some new research is pointing to how empathy can actually make you a happier person too!  So let’s dive in.  EMPATHY DEFINED: One Definition for empathy is: "The ability to understand the feelings of another.” It does NOT mean you need to agree... but simply the willingness and ability to understand and honor the feelings of another person.  Another definition is: “The ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.” A third says, “Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgement, and emotionally connecting with another human being.” And right now... this is sooooo needed and sooooo healing!