We’re talking with Jonathan Pitts who’s a bestselling author, speaker and he’s an executive pastor at The Church of the City in Franklin, Tennessee. He’s also the proud dad and a big dream advocate for his 4 amazing daughters. Jonathan has pursued a number of big dreams… and has encouraged his family to dream big too. In fact, his oldest daughter had a major role in the movie “War Room” at the age of 10!
But Jonathan will be the first to tell you that life can bring major challenges and tough setbacks too. In fact, Jonathan was married to his beautiful bride Wynter… who was a successful author and magazine publisher. And just as they were putting the finishing touches on their book on marriage… Wynter passed away unexpectedly… leaving him a widower and the father of four grieving daughters. As you can imagine… this totally rocked his world and the future and the big dreams Jonathan and Wynter had planned together completely dissolved.
So he… along with his daughters had to decide how they were going to live life and move forward. And it’s been a tough… beautiful… messy… and wonderfully inspiring journey since. Now… Jonathan has written a new book that offers us a real... intimate… raw... and ultimately hope-filled look at grief… and how to live life to its fullest after tragedy. It’s called, My Wynter Season: Seeing God’s Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief. We’re going to talk about it… and what it takes to continue to dream… and encourage others to do the same on the other side of grief. Let’s do this!
RESOURCES:
Jonathan’s newest book: My Wynter Season: Seeing God’s Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief.
Jonathan and his wife, Wynter, co-wrote Emptied: Experiencing the Fullness of a Poured-Out Marriage and She is Yours: Trusting God as You Raise the Girl He Gave You.
Jonathan now serves as president of the ministry he and Wynter founded together, For Girls Like You––a nonprofit organization featuring a magazine and resources for girls that grew out of Wynter’s desire to empower and equip their own girls and to provide parents with the resources and support needed to raise strong women.
Jonathan’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/pittsjr26
THE “DREAM TOGETHER” APP IS HERE!
That’s right! Our DREAM TOGETHER App is here!
The “Dream Together” app is designed to help you clarify your goals as well as connect with like-minded individuals so you can “dream together” to make those dreams (big or small) a reality!
So… HERE ARE THE STEPS:
STEP 1: Download the app.
- Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE
- Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE
STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo
STEP 3: Be inspired by the dreams that are already there. Then… follow and encourage a dream or two!
STEP 4: Post at least one of your own dreams… and then invite friends to join you so you can DREAM TOGETHER!
Let’s do this!
MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
As you probably know… this year we’re going after launching 1 million dreams this year! It’s been amazing to see your response and your support. LOVE that so many of you are on board with this mission.
At the same time… we need to acknowledge that in the midst of a global pandemic where many people are hurting from the loss of family members, it’s important to speak to the “tough stuff” too. That’s exactly why we’re talking with Jonathan Pitts… because his unique perspectives can bring comfort and encouragement based on his own first-hand experience with unfathomable loss.
In his book, “My Wynter Season,” Jonathan takes his readers on the emotional journey from “love at first sight” to complete blindsided loss in the midst of a season of losing family members (in a period of two years the Pitts family lost 6 family members including Wynter), to finding the beauty in seeing Wynter’s continued impact on the world.
During our conversation… we talk about the importance of finding hope amidst the hardest days and the deepest grief. Plus, we dig into ways to dream and/or dream again… after experiencing loss.
I think you’re going to love this conversation. I sure did!
DREAM THINK DO MINUTE BY MINUTE:
- 0:02 What to expect today
- 2:08 Download the Dream Together App
- 3:12 Meet Jonathan
- 5:05 Conversation starts
- 5:59 When Jonathan and his wife started dreaming
- 8:45 The best thing about dreamers
- 11:24 When Jonathan and his wife started building the company together
- 15:35 When everything changed for Jonathan
- 19:20 How Jonathan and his family started to move forward
- 23:22 Jonathans advice for anyone learning how to dream again
- 30:05 Who Jonathan's new book is for
- 31:36 Mitch’s final thoughts
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Powerful stuff. What did YOU think? I want to hear from YOU!
Leave a comment below and let me know what stuck out to you! And hey… please share this episode with someone who might need it! Thanks.
Our guest is Sheri Salata. She’s a writer, producer and podcaster. Her current adventures are an evolution of her twenty+ year career with Oprah Winfrey.
Over that time she served as executive producer on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as co-president of Harpo Studios and The Oprah Winfrey Network. But after years of telling other people’s makeover stories and featuring so many inspiring journeys... Sheri decided to “produce” her own life transformation.
Out of that… she wrote her bestselling book, “The Beautiful NO - and other tales of trial, transcendence and transformation” which beautifully and authentically chronicles her journey to find LOVE for life in new ways! So… we’re talking about ALL of THAT!
RESOURCES:
- Sheri’s Website: sherisalata.com
- Sheri’s Podcast: thepillarlife.com/sheri-nancy-show
- Sheri’s Book: The Beautiful No
Check out Sheri in the Documentary: “25: Oprah Behind the Scenes:” Click here
THE “DREAM TOGETHER” APP IS HERE!
That’s right! Our DREAM TOGETHER App is here!
The “Dream Together” app is designed to help you clarify your goals as well as connect with like-minded individuals so you can “dream together” to make those dreams (big or small) a reality!
So… HERE ARE THE STEPS:
STEP 1: Download the app.
- Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE
- Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE
STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo
STEP 3: Be inspired by the dreams that are already there. Then… follow and encourage a dream or two!
STEP 4: Post at least one of your own dreams… and then invite friends to join you so you can DREAM TOGETHER!
Let’s do this!
MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
When Sheri decided to write her book, “The Beautiful NO - and other tales of trial, transcendence and transformation,” she knew it meant digging into her past successes and setbacks, excavating the lessons she learned, and boldly reimagining her future.
Some might say it’s equal parts “cautionary tale,” mixed in with some stand up comedy,solid life strategies AND a really loud “Middle-of-Your-Life Rebel Yell!”
It’s a powerful and fun example of someone giving themself permission to choose to dream bigger, to think differently and to do even more of what they were put on the planet to do! And to lay some things down and boldly enter into a new season on her own terms! That’s why I’m so excited to get to this conversation!
LISTENER LIGHTNING ROUND QUESTIONS!
Stephanie asked:
She’s held some impressive positions… how does she stay creative at all levels and what word(s) of advice does she have for staying creative?
Tracey asked:
(She can’t wait to hear the episode btw...)
I'd ask what does Sheri think is one the most important things to dream… think… or do for a woman who is reinventing herself in the middle-of-life?
Mona asked:
What was one of her most important Ah-ha moments as a leader?
Helen asked:
Her work with Oprah was so demanding. What’s one key for motivating staff in really busy times?
EPISODE MINUTE-BY-MINUTE:
- Welcome to 312!
- 0:15 What to expect today
- 3:20 Download the Dream Together app
- 4:28 Get to know Sheri
- 7:35 A look into Sheri’s book
- 13:16 The downside to quick success
- 15:28 How Sheri started to take control of her life
- 19:06 Use your past success can give you the confidence to dream bigger
- 22:20 The healthy fear that should drive every dreamer
- 26:16 How to bust out and stay out of any rut
- 28:39 Listener lighting round!
- 37:29 What's on the horizon for Sheri
- 40:00 Wisdom of the week to anyone who needs help dreaming
- 41:26 Mitch’s biggest takeaways
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Wow. What a conversation. What did YOU think? I want to hear from YOU!
Leave a comment below and let me know. One of the things that really stood out to me was Sheri’s willingness to reinvent herself. To go from a “typist” and a manager of a 7-Eleven to running one of the most successful media brands of all time… to then giving herself permission to do it again in THIS season. Yup… I loved that. It’s such a good reminder that it’s never too late!
Yeah… that was one thing that stood out to me. How about YOU? Comment below and let me know. And hey… please share this episode with someone who might need it!
Okay… it’s time to DREAM TOGETHER! This is a REALLY special episode. That’s right. We’re marching towards our big audacious goal of launching 1 million dreams in 2021! And in THIS episode… we’re launching our new app called, “Dream Together,” which is going to help us all to connect and help each other to pursue and achieve our dreams and goals this year! Now… it’s DREAM THINK DO… so we’re also going to talk about the power and the importance of not going after dreams alone. That’s right. We’re going to share some fun stories and offer some powerful strategies to help YOU (whether you use the Dream Together app or not) to get clear and achieve more of your dreams and goals in 2021! You in? I hope so. Let’s get to this!
RESOURCES: THE “DREAM TOGETHER” APP IS HERE!
That’s right! The beta version of our DREAM TOGETHER App is finally here!
The “Dream Together” app is designed to help you clarify your goals as well as connect with like-minded individuals so you can “dream together” to make those dreams (big or small) a reality!
We’re working hard to grow this in a way that attracts people from around the world who really want to encourage each other and work together to make dreams happen. So... everyone needs a group code to join!
HERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS:
Since you’re a DREAM THINK DO listener… you can join with the code: dreamthinkdo.
So… HERE ARE THE STEPS:
STEP 1: Download the app.
- Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE
- Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE
STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo
STEP 3: Be inspired by the dreams that are already there. Then… follow and encourage a dream or two!
STEP 4: Post at least one of your own dreams… and then invite friends to join you so you can DREAM TOGETHER!
MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE:
As a DREAM THINK DO-ER… you know that we can’t go after dreams and goals alone. There’s a VERY good chance… you’re going to need some help along the way. But asking for help… doesn’t mean you're weak! It can actually allow others to shine!
I talk about this in-depth in the episode but here are a few of my favorite quotes on this subject.
“You can do what I can not do.
I can do what you can not do.
Together we can do geat things!”
- Mother Theresa
Charlie Mackesy’s book, “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse.”
It’s true. Asking for help doesn’t mean you're weak. It means you are brave! It means you’re brave enough to acknowledge we’re not supposed to do this alone!
I tell some stories during the episode.
Here are a few pics but you’ll have to listen to get the FULL story on each!
DREAMING ABOUT WRITING A BOOK AT 9? LET’S DO IT!
Meet Mia. She wanted to write a book (at 9 years old) but she wasn’t sure. She was scared. She was nervous. But she was willing to “Dream Together.” And when she did… a group of fellow dreamers (and her mom Karena) encouraged her to do it. So… she did! And got it done in one year! Plus… be sure to listen in to the episode to hear what Mia and her mom did next!
DREAMING ABOUT JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE? LET’S DO IT TOGETHER!
Then there's THIS motley crew of dreamers who all decided they wanted to skydive… BUT they also realized they probably wouldn’t do it if they didn’t do it TOGETHER! Did they ALL do it? Well… you’ll have to listen to the episode to hear how it went.
DREAMING ABOUT HELPING KIDS IN AFRICA:
And then there’s Mandy. When she originally posted her dream of helping kids in Africa… it felt a little bit like saying she wanted to visit the moon! She didn’t have a plan, the time or the money… but she was willing to put it out there! As she did, Mandy received some help from some unexpected sources and it changed her world! Plus, it changed the lives of the people who were willing to DREAM TOGETHER with her too!
By the way… it’s been a few years since Mandy’s first trip to Africa. But you’ll have to listen to the episode for a VERY special update to THIS dream! Trust me… it’s absolute proof that you just never know where a dream might lead you.
PERMISSION TO DREAM TOGETHER:
Then… there’s these two. They didn’t know each other before coming to a BIG Dream Gathering we held at the University of Reno. BUT because they were willing to share they’re dreams and be bold about where they needed help… they found each other! As they did… they realized they had “complimentary dreams.” One wanted to be more intentional about her fitness and overall health and the other wanted to experiment with wellness coaching. The best thing is that as they started to help each other out… they also got to have some fun and become friends in the process! Again, you just never know where YOUR dream journey may take you… especially when you’re willing to DREAM TOGETHER!
Those are some of the stories of what can happen when you dream together.
What might happen as YOU start to give yourself permission to set some goals and start in some small but significant way? Let’s find out!
But again… don’t do it alone! Let’s DREAM TOGETHER!
AGAIN… HERE ARE THE STEPS FOR DOWNLOADING THE DREAM TOGETHER APP:
STEP 1: Download the app.
- Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE
- Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE
STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo
STEP 3: Be inspired by some of the dreams that are already there. Then… follow and encourage a dream or two!
STEP 4: Post at least one dream and invite some friends to join you!
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:
How about it? Do you agree that it’s important to not go after dreams alone? Why do YOU think it’s important? What are some ways you invite people into your dream journey? More importantly… how do you encourage others to dream? I want to hear from you and hear YOUR stories! Comment below and let me know.
Plus… let me know your thoughts on going after this crazy goal of helping to launch 1 million dreams this year? What do you think? Are you in? Do you think we’re crazy? Who’s someone that YOU are inviting to join us? Leave a comment and let me know. I can’t wait to hear from YOU! #letsdothis
Episode Minute By Minute:
- 0:21 Welcome to 311!
- 0:52 Drum roll please… The app is here!
- 2:00 Progress not protection
- 3:16 Let’s talk about our big goal
- 5:51 The story of David and Goliath and how it applies to every dreamer
- 10:33 What if we did dream together this year?
- 13:02 One of Mitch’s favorite Big Dream gathering stories
- 16:39 You never know what dreams people will share
- 19:18 When one of the first Big Dream Gathering dreams came true
- 25:41 There is always a ripple effect to every dream
- 26:31 Make sure you are asking for help along the way
- 31:42 Experimenting with your dreams
- 33:24 Be open and be curious
- 37:29 A deep dive into our app
Amberly Lago is our guest. Amberly is a mindset coach and fitness expert. Her story and her thoughts on resilience and transformation have been featured in her successful TEDx talk… the Today Show and in publications like Shape, Heath and Keynote Speakers Magazine. Her bestselling book is called “True Grit and Grace” and she’s got a wildly popular podcast by the same name. Now… you might hear phrases like “True Grit and Grace,” and resilience… and wonder what’s made her an expert on these subjects. Well… at the age of 38… Amberly was totally living the life she wanted… but a near-death motorcycle accident changed all of that. After 3 months in the hospital and 34 surgeries… she found ways to not only persevere but thrive! And… by the way… she loves teaching and helping others do the same. Since we’re going after launching 1 million dreams this year… no matter what the year throws at us… I wanted to have Amberly on to talk about ways to pursue dreams… and live your best life… no matter what!
RESOURCES:
- Amberly’s Website: www.amberlylago.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/amberlylagomotivation
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmberlyLagoSpeaker
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amberlylago
- Twitter: twitter.com/amberlylago
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/AmberlyLagoMotivation
RELATED PREVIOUS DREAM THINK DO EPISODES:
We’re talking about our BIG… AUDACIOUS… Dream of working together to launch 1 Million dreams… this year! Here are two episodes to help:
PERMISSION TO DREAM: Here’s an episode to help you to get clear on some of your own dreams. Plus, it will help you to give yourself permission to dream (again): mitchmatthews.com/309
THE YEAR TO LAUNCH 1 MILLION DREAMS: This is the episode where I kick off the idea and invite YOU to be a part of it! A million dreams… in one year? It’s only possible if we do it together! You in? I hope so. mitchmatthews.com/306
We mentioned our mutual friend, Laura Gassner Otting during the interview, so I wanted to point you to my amazing interview with her as well. It’s called, “Carve Your Own Path - How to Ignore the Naysayers and Create a Life You Love!” mitchmatthews.com/laura-gassner-otting
MORE ABOUT AMBERLY:
Through her book, coaching methods, and workshops Amberly Lago has curated unique tools to teach others how to tap into their superpower of resilience and persevere through any of life’s challenges. She offers hope and solutions for anyone (like her) living in chronic pain to live life to the fullest. Amberly has most recently been featured on NBC’s The Today Show, The Doctors, Hallmark, Good Morning Lalaland, contributed to magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Health, and Disability Magazine and made the cover of Keynote Speakers Magazine.
EPISODE MINUTE BY MINUTE:
- 0:02 Welcome to 310!
- 1:50 Meet Amberly
- 4:05 Conversation starts
- 4:50 When everything changed for Amberly
- 7:40 When depression set in
- 10:54 Acknowledging the facts while remaining hopeful
- 14:22 How prayer has played a role in Amberly’s journey
- 18:51 The life-changing power of gratitude
- 23:17 How to dream in any situation
- 27:58 Wisdom nugget of the week
- 31:16 Mitch’s biggest takeaways
- 32:58 What to expect on the next
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Wow. What a conversation. What did YOU think? I want to hear from YOU! Leave a comment below and let me know. I have to say that I loved Amberly’s story and her wisdom… but one of the things that really stood out to me (and I didn’t know the story at all) was of her recent trip to the hospital with her daughter Ruby. As you heard, they’d both been struck by a car while they were on their scooters. Now, I can tell you… based on the situation… it would have been easy to be scared… or frustrated… or worried… or mad. BUT Amberly and Ruby chose to be grateful and that changed things. It changed things for them and it created a ripple effect around them too. So simple… but such an important reminder that we can find things to be grateful for in any situation… if we’re willing to look for them. And when we do… it helps to change our outlook and it starts to have a positive impact on you, your surroundings and the circumstances. So good!
Yeah… that was one thing that stood out to me. How about YOU? Comment and let me know.
Oh, and are you IN for the 1 million dreams? You don’t have to know what the dreams are (BIG or small) that you want to go after. It just starts with saying, “YES!” I’m in on the journey. We’ll figure it out as we go. Because… I can tell you right now… the only way this is going to work is if we go after it together! And I can’t wait to DREAM TOGETHER with you!!! More on that next week, but for now… just comment and say, “I’m IN!” #letsdothis