Reader,

I’d been seeing them all over social media: women walking with weighted vests to build stronger bones and muscles. I got curious—osteoporosis runs in my family, and I’ve seen how broken hips marked the beginning of the end for too many women on my mom’s side.

So I thought, Why not? It’s worth a try, right?

And I asked for one for Christmas.

Welp… 15 pounds strapped to your back for a 1-mile walk is harder than it looks on Instagram. I used that vest once in January—and then took the next 2½ months to recover. 😅

But as spring came and the days got longer, I kept seeing my weighted vest sitting on a shelf in the garage, inviting me to try again.

In late March, I finally did. First, just around the block. Then, a little further. Eventually, I walked that full mile again—and it wasn’t nearly as painful as the first time.

And it came with this reminder:
We grow little by little, not all at once. Starting out is messy, awkward, and slow. And that’s okay.

It’s the same with our dreams, too, isn’t it?

You may have tried something once—put yourself out there, started writing the first chapter of your book, or shared a bit about your dream online or with a friend—only to come up against a wall of doubt, fear, and imposter syndrome that probably sounded a little like this:

👉 I’m not ready.
​👉 I’m not enough.
​👉 Who do you think you are to do this?
​👉 Someone else could do it better.

And maybe you haven’t gone back to it since.

But I wonder:
​What if the breakthrough is just one more step of faithfulness away?

This week’s podcast guest, Eryn Lynum, knows the feeling. In Episode 334—How God Leads Us into Our Most Passionate, Purposeful Work—she shares how she went from a newbie author who didn’t even know what a podcast was … to creating her own Top 1% podcast teaching biblical truth to kids through nature and science. Take a listen here 👇👇

Eryn's story is such a beautiful reminder that “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5) and the dreams He’s given us aren’t meant to happen overnight. Rather, they begin with small steps we often don’t feel quite ready for.

And if you’re nodding along thinking, That’s me—but I still don’t know how to move forward, let me encourage you:

You don’t need to try harder or "fix" yourself.​
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But you do need truth, clarity, spiritual tools, and a supportive community to bolster your courage and confidence to keep going when self-doubt, fear, and imposter syndrome strike.

This very need—shared with me by countless women back in 2019—was the inspiration for my Dreamers Unleashed course, created to help you overcome imposter syndrome and walk confidently in your God-given purpose.

More on that coming soon.

But for today, I hope you’ll give this conversation with Eryn a listen. Let it be your permission slip to start small, try again, and trust that God is still moving—even if you’re just walking around the block.

With you,
~Merritt

P.S. Want to be first to know when Dreamers Unleashed opens? Add your name to the waitlist here, and make this the year you kick imposter syndrome to the curb.

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