DREAM THINK DO | Motivation, Encouragement & Strategy

Sarah Yourgrau is my guest. She’s an Emmy-Award Winning Producer dedicated to reimagining and rebuilding the ways that we connect with each other, both on and off the screen… and she’s a self-professed “Optimism Activist.†Sarah’s traveled the globe and worked on a wide variety of projects. Her current focus is working with Mike Rowe on “Returning the Favor.â€Â Her work is demanding and takes her all over the world. Plus, since many of her projects involve REAL people and unscripted situations, that means she has to try to organize chaos… minute by minute. As a result, she has to be intentional about her focus, and her mindset… daily. So we’ll dig into her 5 non-negotiables for having YOUR ideal day… no matter what! RESOURCES: Check out Sarah Yourgrau as she meets Mike Rowe for the first time… and works her magic with Returning the Favor: www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2020109721593621 Sarah on IG: www.instagram.com/sarahyourgrau Sarah’s Now Tell Me Something Good: www.instagram.com/nowtellmesomethinggood Returning the Favor on IG: @returningthefavorshow Returning the Favor on FB: www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=UMr1tXVxhuVAGvya&v=1154661701594665 MORE ON THE SARAH YOURGRAU EPISODE: Listen… Sarah Yourgrau’s the real deal… and she’s had some fun adventures. She’s worked for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions. Heck… she was even Maya Rudolph’s personal assistant for a year. And my personal favorite… she’s a producer for Mike Rowe and “Returning the Favor.â€Â  In fact… for years… Sarah has traveled extensively throughout the United States and internationally…. creating documentaries, commercials, television series, and online content. During that time… she has been studying resilience, optimism, hope, and community change-making… right there on the front lines… spending time with… and telling the stories of people who are making a difference and making the world a better place! All of this has given her a truly unique perspective on the American identity. And… I’m also excited to say… has laid the groundwork for her OWN Optimism-Generating Media company called, "Now Tell Me Something Good." Her company is already doing amazing work… by providing content that offers tools, insights, and best practices… not to mention great stories… that are needed right now. It’s content that will inspire people to start and sustain work that impacts the world in a positive way. Guys… she’s pure awesome and I’m so stoked to have her join us so let’s get to this! MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 1:29 Introducing Sarah Yourgrau 3:34 What is an optimism activist 5:56 The origin of Sarah’s optimism 8:32 Sarah on being a producer 11:39 Meeting and working with Mike Rowe 19:13 Specific tools to create optimism 19:45 Meditation 22:22 Gratitude 25:56 Dealing with curveballs 27:41 Believe that it’s possible 31:17 Where resilience meets optimism LET’S HEAR FROM YOU! What did you think? Drop me a comment below! I want to hear from you. What’s a favorite story or strategy from Sarah? Let me know. Hey… and pleasssssssssssse share this episode! I think we can all use a little more Optimism Activism in our lives!!! Amen? Amen.

We’re talking with Harris III about how prayer has impacted his life and his work. Harris is a professional illusionist who has performed for more than two million people on five continents. His unique approach and innovative thinking have also caught the attention of executives at organizations like Apple, Disney, Nike, and NASA. His new book is called “The Wonder Switch.â€Â I talked with him about all of THAT in episode 292 of DREAM THINK DO, so be sure to check that out. But in this short BONUS interview, we talk about a powerful prayer experience that helped Harris to know that God wants to be in the details AND it changed the way he lived! I think you’ll dig it! RESOURCES: Harris III website: harrisiii.com The Book: harrisiii.com Harris III Instagram: www.instagram.com/harrisiii Facebook: www.facebook.com/harristhethird Twitter: twitter.com/HarrisII YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/HarristheThird LET’S HEAR FROM YOU! Let me know what you think about his story. Have you ever wondered whether you can talk to God about the “details†of life… especially subjects like the money? I know I wrestled with this for a while.  Comment and let me know what you think. I can’t wait to hear from YOU!Â

Harris III is a professional illusionist who has performed his unique brand of magic and storytelling for more than two million people on five continents. His unique approach to magic, story-telling, and innovative thinking has also caught the attention of creative leaders and executives at organizations like Apple, Disney, Nike, and NASA. Harris has just written a new book called “The Wonder Switch.â€Â In it… he shares some great stories and powerful strategies to help you reclaim your wonder and reshape your life! Since wonder is at the heart of innovative thinking and bigger ideas… this is critical… especially right now. So let’s get to this! RESOURCES: Harris III website: harrisiii.com The Book: harrisiii.com Harris III Instagram: www.instagram.com/harrisiii Facebook: www.facebook.com/harristhethird Twitter: twitter.com/HarrisII YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/HarristheThird MORE ON THE HARRIS III EPISODE: In addition to performing around the globe… when that’s safe to do… Harris III has also become a visionary entrepreneur, sought-after coach, creative consultant, and a quiet producer behind a diverse list of various film and TV projects. I was wildly blessed to get an early copy of his new book and I can tell you that Harris taps into his experiences as a professional magician and storyteller… to help us all remember the power of WONDER.  In fact, he’s dug deep into this concept of WONDER and uncovered some keys that can help anyone to move from feeling STUCK to living more of the life they want to live. And before anyone is tempted to dismiss “wonder†as being all rainbows and butterflies and little ponies… it’s important that we tip our hat to the power of wonder and awe. In fact, Socrates said… “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.â€Â Plato followed up with… “Philosophy begins in wonder.â€Â  Let’s jump a few centuries… and check-in with Albert Einstein. He said… “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.â€Â Neil Armstrong… the first person to walk on the moon once said… “Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.â€Â And one of the most important authors of all times DR SEUSS was known for… “Think and wonder, wonder and think.â€Â  That’s right. Wonder. It’s a timeless truth that wonder is the beginning of a lot of things that are good… but it’s sooooooo easy to lose that sense of wonder too. Right? Well… today, Harris is going to help us dive into the subject of WONDER. What is it. Why is it important? AND… how to intentionally cultivate it… to have more of the good stuff in your life. It’s an awesome convo… that I think you’re going to love… so let’s get to it! MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 1:55 Meet Harris III 4:00 Harris’ origin story 11:15 Losing the wonder 14:03 The importance of wonder and how it's linked to storytelling 16:47 Wonder gives us permission to believe 17:59 Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing 19:28 Applying wonder and awe to your life practically 22:17 The wonder switch 24:39 The impact of wonder on Imagination 27:36 Practical ways to apply positive creativity 30:15 Rewriting the script 37:07 Mitch's biggest takeaways LET’S HEAR FROM YOU! Let me know what you think about the importance of WONDER. Comment and let me know what you think of what Harris III had to say and what’s he’s suggesting we do to cultivate some more WONDER and AWE in our lives. I can’t wait to hear from YOU!Â

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!†His podcast: “Thoughts that Rock!†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!†His podcast: “Thoughts that Rock!†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 Sheep†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.