BDG-North Carolina – 2009 RSS Feed

Barbara Garlock shares an inspiring BIG dream!

June 17, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009, BIG dream inspiration, Big Dream videos and podcasts with 3 Comments

Barbara Garlock has an amazing story… AND an amazing BIG dream!

She is a successful attorney… she has a huge heart… AND she is a stage four cancer survivor.  

Now, she is wanting to help others that are facing challenging health issues by introducing something she is calling a "Center for Patient Partnerships."

Check out our video interview from the recent BIG dream gathering in North Carolina…

She wants to start a center as a collaborative project affiliated with one or more universities.   

Students, practitioners and professors of medicine, law, theology, social work, psychology, nursing, etc. could help people navigate the health care system and be advocates for the patients who need it most!

And not just "treat" them… but help them in a loving and compassionate way… listening to them… and helping to provide resources and sense of peace.

So, if you have encouragement, ideas or connections for Barbara, please click "comments" below this post and let her know!

And keep dreaming BIG!

Mitch

A BIG dream update from Carly!

April 28, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG Success Stories, BDG-North Carolina - 2009, Big Dream videos and podcasts with 1 Comment

Hey gang…

Many of you have been asking for an update about Carly’s BIG dream of building a well in Africa!  (Click here to check out the original post.)


If you haven’t heard, she’s the amazing high school senior who came up the idea of having her school raise enough money to drill a well in Central Africa!

Carly shot us an update last night… and it’s going GREAT!

Since our last post, she has been busy…

  • She met with her principal and he LOVED the idea!
  • She pitched it to one of the clubs at her high school… and they LOVED it!  She said she was blown away by how many people signed up to help!
  • And she has a school-wide presentation this Wednesday, to get the school on board!  Go get ‘em Carly!

Then… you may remember that Carly wanted to get 1,600 bracelets in order to raise the money for the wells in Africa.  In her video, she asked for help on this.

So… the BIGGEST update is that one of her sister’s good friend’s dad works for a company that makes give-away items… including promotional bracelets!  He heard about the dream and talked with Carly about it.

After the conversation, he let her know that his company had decided to donate half and pay for the rest!

That’s right… she got the bracelets that she needed!

Plus, they have cut the normal delivery time from 6 weeks down to days, so she, and her team, can have them to sell before the end of the school year!

How cool is that?

So… yeah… here’s a high school student who is teaching the world about dreamin’ BIG!

If you want to help out Carly… or just leave her an encouraging word…  just click on “comments” below.

Oh and hey… what if we all followed Carly’s example… and her wisdom?

I’d say the world would be a better place!

Keep dreamin’ BIG!

Mitch

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A belated BIG thank you to the team behind the BDG in NC!

April 7, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009 with 0 Comments

Each BIG dream gathering is different. 

We never quite know what to expect… and we are always amazed at the freaky cool things that happen when real people come together to dream BIG!

And… the BIG dream gathering in North Carolina was no exception. 

We had amazing connections… incredible stories of people pursuing their dreams… and new BIG dreams launched!

But for me, the coolest aspect of this BIG dream gathering was the team behind it.

From the beginning, when Randy Nowak and BJ Gustinis approached me to see if they could host a BIG dream gathering in Cary, I knew they wanted to spark some hope and fuel some BIG dreams in their area.  Million thank yous

The plan from the beginning was to "experiment" by getting back to the roots of that first BDG in our home…  keep this event smaller… and have a BIG impact on a core group of people… and then start a groundswell of encouragement in Cary!

Randy and BJ went to work to get the word out… find a location and promote the event. 

They worked tirelessly to make it happen! 

Plus, they enlisted the help of some of their incredible friends to help volunteer at the event itself!  (Thanks MJ and Betty!!!!  Your efforts and encouragement were priceless!!!)

Yup… all of their efforts culminated in an incredibly intimate, safe, fun, and encouraging BDG!  And this was possible due to Randy and BJ's (and their freakishly cool friends) efforts of time, money and elbow grease!

Now, I'll say that they will probably be embarrassed by me pointing this out because they didn't do it to get the credit.  They did it to promote BIG dreaming and paying it forward in Cary… but I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to them for their time, support, ideas and love!

Again… Randy, BJ, MJ and Betty…THANK YOU! 

You made a BIG impact on me… on those who attended the event and on Cary itself!

Now… Cary… keep dreaming BIG! 

And keep us in the loop on your freakishly cool stories as you walk out those BIG dreams!

Thanks,

Mitch

photo credit and kudos to: Barca

Thanks Vickie for the great story and for dreaming BIG with us!

April 1, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009 with 0 Comments

Newspaper and teaImage by Matt Callow via Flickr

When Vickie Dehamer came to our most recent BIG dream gathering in North Carolina… I knew she was a BIG dreamer… right from the start.

She was a reporter from the Cary News and she wanted to do a story on the BIG dream gathering.  

What was great was that she was willing to immerse herself in the process.  She signed in.  She posted a dream.  She connected with other BIG dreamers.  
 
All the while, writing her story… but also encouraging dreamers as she went.

She was awesome!

Plus, she did a great job on the story which was published in their paper today! 

 
Thanks Vickie!  You are awesome!
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Help Carly with her BIG dream of digging wells in Africa!

March 27, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009, BIG dream inspiration, Big Dream videos and podcasts with 4 Comments

UPDATE (3.30.09):

We have had an overwhelming response to Carly's request for help.  Some of you have requested ways to help pitch in with some financial help.  We've been in contact with Carly and she's going to be relaying some ways that people can donate to her student project.   

She has also had some offers of materials for the bracelets… which is incredible!  

What's amazing is that as the offers have come in, Carly's dream keeps getting bigger.  It's all freakishly exciting!  So, keep helping out!  It will be amazing to see where this takes her and this BIG dream!

If you want to help out, you can click on "comments" at the bottom of this post and leave your contact information. Or shoot us an e-mail at info@akickinthepants.com.  We'll relay the info to Carly.

Carly or her student adviser will get back in touch with you!

Thanks for dreaming BIG!

Original Post (3.27.09): 

Carly attended our most recent BIG dream gathering in North Carolina. 

When she started to describe her BIG dream, I knew it was one we needed to get the word out on… especially since she needs some help right away!

Check out her BIG dream in her own words…

So… some of the background on this… is that Carly is working with ICDI International to build wells in Central Africa.  You can check them out at http://www.icdinternational.org.
You can also check out an awesome video that tells their story by clicking here.   

So, it's simple… Carly needs our help…
  • getting materials for bracelets, in which she is going to turn around a sell to her fellow students at her high school. 
  • Once she raises $3000, they will be able to sponsor a well for a village in Central Africa and her high school's name will go on it.  (How cool is that?!?) 

How can you help?

  • Donate $$ to help pay for the bracelets  
  • Or… donate materials for the bracelets (she is thinking beads and leather-type string, but is open to other ideas.) 
  • Or… just leave her some encouragement with some kind words about the idea (Honestly, this is pretty amazing for a high school senior… don't you agree? 

You can leave your comments, suggestions and/or offers to help by clicking on "comments" below this post.  Then, Carly and/or her student adviser will get back to you (especially if you are wanting to help out!). 

Lastly, there is a deadline to this.  She's needing to get this wrapped up by mid-to-late April, so her club can tackle this before the end of the school year.  

So, dig in… see if you can help!

Thanks for dreaming BIG and helping young BIG dreamers like Carly!

Keep dreaming BIG…

Mitch

Excuse me President Obama… Judy is ready to help!

March 25, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009, BIG dream inspiration, Big Dream videos and podcasts with 0 Comments

Okay… so Judy Gustinis came to the BIG dream gathering last night.

This is a woman who impacts a room.  

She has a presence and a smile that will knock you over.  

But when you find out about her history… you are even more blown away!  

High level executive with a Fortune 100… launched products… started a program for small and medium sized businesses in New York… oh… and… started the first center in the U.S. for resource recovery and re-manufacturing at the Rochester Institute of Technology in NY.

Yeah… wow.

Now… she has a new BIG dream.  

It's to help President Obama and his team… to not only help the country to survive… but to help us thrive!

Check it out… in her own words…

So… how about it?  Who do we know?  Does anyone have any connections within Washington?  

How about getting Judy connected?  

You can click on comments below and leave her suggestions, encouragement or connections!

Or… you can e-mail her directly at: 
Let's get Judy to Washington D.C. to help!  Right now… our country needs as much wisdom as we can get!

Keep dreaming BIG!

Mitch

Check out Sean’s BIG dream…

March 25, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009, BIG dream inspiration, Big Dream videos and podcasts with 4 Comments

So, Sean showed up at the BDG in NC with a guitar case… so I just had to ask… "What's the BIG dream?"

  
As we talked… I found out that he's been playing for 2 years or so… and get this… other than a few lessons… he's self taught!

He also writes music… and has started to pick up the piano too.

Yeah… this kid amazed me.  

He had a heart the size of a Mac truck as well as skills and insight beyond his 16 years!

Okay… now… about his BIG dream…

He said he needs support and some people to listen.  

So… how 'bout it? 

Listen in… and then click on comments below and encourage Sean with some kind words.  (What would that have been worth for you to hear at 16?)

Go ahead… click on "comments" and let him know what you think.

Oh, and keep dreaming BIG!  

It's just like Sean says… If we don't have our dreams… what do you have?

Mitch

PS – Come on down for one last night of BIG dreaming on 3.25!  We'll be dreaming BIG between 6 and 9 pm.  You can stop by for 15 minutes or the full 3 hours!  It's up to you.  We'll just warn you… once you get started… you may not want to stop!  Click here for the details!
 

Check out BIG dreamer M.J. Craft’s BIG dream!

March 24, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009, BIG dream inspiration, Big Dream videos and podcasts with 0 Comments

M.J. Craft was one of the BIG dreamers that attended the BDG last night!

She was also brave enough to shoot a video to talk about her freakishly cool BIG dream.
Check it out!
The cool story behind this story is that as people heard about her dream last night… she wound up getting help from some friends on getting her studio set up.
AND… she also connected with a friend who has a BIG dream that involves construction and remodeling and he’s agreed to help her do some improvements so she can be up and running with her studio ASAP!
How cool is that?
This is a great example of how the BIG dream gathering works…
You come… you write down your BIG dreams… you put ‘em up on the walls… you talk with other dreamers to see if you can help… or be helped… and then… just see what happens!
Okay… so what’s one of YOUR big dreams?
Keep dreaming BIG!
Mitch

Wow! We had a great first night for our BDG in NC!

March 24, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009 with 0 Comments

Hey gang…

We had a great first night for the BIG dream gathering in Cary, NC!

Lots of BIG dreaming happening… and lots of great connections.

One BIG dream that we got to hear more about was BDG – NC team member… BJ Gustinis's dream of going back to Africa to reconnect and help some of the people she met last year!

Check out this video she made from that trip… it's amazing!

It was great to see some other BIG dreamers that were there encourage BJ on this dream last night!

She was already excited about this dream, but after last night… it looked like she was on cloud 9!  

So, what's one of your BIG dreams?

Come down tonight… write it down on a dream sheet… post it on the walls… and then connect with other dreamers!  You just never know what might happen!

Click here for all the details and directions!

Come dream BIG with us in North Carolina!

March 23, 2009 in BDG Blog, BDG-North Carolina - 2009 with 1 Comment

Hey gang -IMG_0738

We are dreaming BIG in North Carolina…

Here's the scoop:

WHERE: Oxxford Hunt Clubhouse in Cary, North Carolina.  (Click here for directions)

WHEN: March 23rd, 24th and 25th from 6 to 9 pm each night

HOW MUCH?: It's a free event

Oh… and the BIG dream gathering team members behind this event have set up a creative way to register.  So, click here to register.  You don't have to… but if you want to register this way… you can!

I'll be there… and I hope you will too!

Stay tuned to more updates through out the week!

Keep dreaming BIG!

Mitch

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