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~ 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!) 

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~ 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!) 

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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!) 

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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.

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~ 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:
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~ 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:
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~ What’s the right timing for your dream?

There’s a question I hear all the time, especially from women who already have a full life:

Is this the right time to pursue my dream?

Maybe you’ve asked it too. You’re already juggling a lot. You have people you’re caring for. And yet, somewhere in the middle of all of it, there’s this quiet idea, this pull you can’t quite shake.

But instead of moving forward, you keep circling the same thought.
Maybe later. Maybe when things calm down. Maybe when I have more time.

In this episode, I want to gently challenge those thoughts. Because sometimes what looks like a timing issue is actually something deeper. Fear. Overcommitment. Or uncertainty about what God is asking of you right now.

IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED IF IT’S THE RIGHT TIME TO PURSUE YOUR GOD-SHAPED DREAM, THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU.

I walk through three common mistakes we make when we think about timing and how those thoughts can quietly keep you stuck longer than you realize.

You’ll also learn how to begin discerning your next step with God, without waiting for a perfectly clear path.

In this episode I talk about:

• Why “I can always do this later” might not be as safe as it sounds 
• How being busy can mask a deeper question about obedience 
• Questions to help you discern if fear or calling is driving your hesitation 

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be wise about your time. Scripture reminds us to number our days and live with intention. 

But wisdom doesn’t mean waiting forever. Sometimes it means asking a better question.

Not “Is this the right time?” but “God, what are You inviting me to say yes to right now?”

If you’re craving space to process that question with other women who are walking a similar road, I’d love to invite you into Dream Believers. It’s a place where you can get out of your head, hear from the Lord, and take your next step alongside women who understand what it feels like to hold both faith and a dream at the same time.

Join us here: merrittonsa.com/dreambelievers

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

And you don’t have to wait for someday to begin.

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

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~ You have been thinking about this dream for a while now. Maybe a long while. And somewhere in the back of your mind, there is a quiet but persistent question: what is it going to take to finally feel ready?

This episode is for you if you have been waiting on confidence to come before you begin. Because the hard truth is that the waiting might be the very thing keeping you from the activity that would grow it.

In this episode, I dig into three mistakes women make when it comes to confidence, and any one of them can quietly stall a dream for months or years.

• Believing there is a shortcut that will make starting feel easier
• Thinking confidence comes from getting things right the first time
• Looking to yourself as the source of it

That last one is the shift that changes everything. Because your confidence was never meant to come from you. It was meant to be secured in God, in who He is, and in what He has already placed inside you.

I close the episode with two specific Scripture passages I want you to sit with: Romans 8:11, 14-17 and Acts 2:1-4. These are the foundation everything else in this episode is built on.

If you are ready to figure out what your next step actually looks like, I would love to have you join me for my April 23rd workshop, The Next Best Step for Pursuing a God-shaped Dream. Register at merrittonsa.com/workshop.

NEXT STEPS:
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~ Has self-doubt ever talked you out of something God was calling you toward?

It’s more common than you think. And it might be the very thing keeping you from the dream God placed on your heart.

In this episode, I'm talking about something I see in almost every woman I coach: the tendency to downplay our abilities and wait until we feel ready before we take a single step forward. The problem is, that moment of feeling ready rarely comes on its own.

Here are three things I want you to walk away knowing today:

• You do not have to have it all figured out before you start.
• You do not have to feel confident before you begin.
• You do not have to be perfectly competent to take the next step.

I also dig into one of my favorite stories in Scripture: Moses at the burning bush. Moses witnessed miracles, heard directly from God, and still said, "Please send someone else." If that is not relatable, I don't know what is. His story reminds us that self-doubt in the face of a calling is nothing new, and that God's presence is what makes the calling possible, not your readiness.

Your dream has nothing to do with trying to be perfect. God gave it to you in love and grace, and He does not expect you to fulfill it a certain way. Your job is simply to be faithful and take the next step.

If you are ready to work through this and figure out what your next step actually looks like, I would love to have you join me for my workshop, The Next Best Step for Pursuing a God-shaped Dream. Register at merrittonsa.com/workshop.

**This episode was originally released on 1/19/2022. 

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~ Are you a Christian woman trying to figure out the next right step for a dream? You feel like God has called you to something more in midlife, but what should you do about it? 

I've spent the last 10 years talking to women about their dreams. What I've learned is that most of us are not stuck because we lack talent or even faith. We're stuck because the dream feels bigger than us, and we don't know how to move forward or who to process it with.

A God-shaped dream is a specific calling that uses your gifts, your faith, and even the hard things you've walked through. It serves others. And it carries kingdom value in a broken world that desperately needs hope and healing.

Because of that, you are not meant to carry the dream alone. No, we were meant to do this together! You, marching forward, faithfully carrying your dream, walking alongside other women who are carrying theirs. 

This is important kingdom work, and this is why I'm hosting a workshop just for you on April 23rd, 2026. 

Join me for The Best Next Step for Pursuing a God-Shaped Dream. Whether you're just beginning, shifting gears, or somewhere in the messy middle, this is your space.

In this episode, I cover:

• What makes a dream "God-shaped" and why that distinction matters
• Why feeling overwhelmed or uncertain doesn't mean you're off track
• How to move forward without waiting for a perfect plan

Come to the workshop and determine the next best step for your dream. There's no homework, no pressure, and no perfect starting point required. Just you, your dream, and a room full of women who get it.

RSVP at merrittonsa.com/workshop and come ready to breathe, think, and take your next step.

God made you for a purpose, and He can be trusted with the dream He gave you.

NEXT STEPS:
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Produced by Jonathan R. Clauson.
Theme music by Reaktor Productions.
Ad music by Komiku.