Join Dr. Chrysandra Brunson as she reflects on an incredible year of achieving dreams and inspiring others to do the same. From completing her doctorate at Oral Roberts University to becoming a professional mermaid, Dr. Brunson shares her journey and the power of living out God’s calling. Through captivating stories and personal experiences, she encourages listeners to create their own bucket lists and to step into their God-given destinies with courage and faith.
Welcome, everyone, to The Calling’s radio show to all the dreamers. I’m your radio host, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson, founder and CEO of The Calling. It is such an honor to be with all of you today. You know, at The Calling, we have realized that so many people are afraid to go after the dreams that Jesus has put inside each one of their hearts because they are afraid to fail. And that’s just plain wrong because of God has given us a dream and we’re not living it out. We are wasting it. And we do not want you or anyone else to die with regret. That’s why at The Calling, we love to inspire, empower, and equip people to, after God’s calling on their lives, treat the best kind of eternal legacy possible to have immediate impact on themselves and their families. And we love to do this through so many different avenues, through custom tools, programs, workshops, seminars, but especially through this radio show where we bring on all these guests. And today, my friends, I’m happy to share and very humbled that I will be your guest. Just being able to reflect on 2025 and all that the Lord has done with and through throughout all of you. We have so much to look forward to. We are just going to be declaring that God’s dreams for each one of our lives will be coming true and that we can live them out no matter what. It’s been really fun to be able to reflect just recently over the weekend was my birthday. And I just thank all of you for just all the fun birthday wishes and And during that time, was able to look back on the beginning of the year where I wrote down some bucket list items on how to go after the dreams in my heart and what was on that list. And I am very happy to share that a lot of them did come to be. It was really special. You know, in the beginning of the year, I had written down that I wanted to be Dr. Chrysandra Brunson and very humbled to report that as of May from Oral Roberts University, was able to get my doctorate of strategic leadership And it was just such a humbling honor to be able to go to ORU to have the best cohort in the whole world and to really reflect on knowing that we’re not just meant to have another degree, but we have the tools and resources to be able to change the world and to be able to change the future, to be filled with heaven’s presence, with heaven’s innovation. and to be a.k.a. a professional futurist. So that was very special. I will tell you that there were some hard points where I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it. I think anyone in their doctorate program, any program, but especially this last semester of one’s doctorate program, you have your dissertation and it’s a pass or fail. And I honestly didn’t know which way it was going to go. It’s a whole committee. You don’t know a lot of the people. They may like you. They may not like your project. And you just have to be able to be in this heart posture of surrender. And I will never forget when I got… A direct phone call from Dr. J. And I had been, you know, I’m pretty good at not getting worried about too many things. But it had been taking a while to hear back from the committee and whether or not I was going to be able to walk at graduation for the commencement ceremony again. And when I did get the call, I didn’t know if it was a, we’re so sorry. Like, you’re going to have to try again this whole next year. And I honestly didn’t think I could continue on. But he said, hello, Dr. Brunson. And it was one of the most… surreal moments and it was my mom was right next to me being able to witness all of it and she had been a huge supporter one of the main ones of seeing the value of having a doctorate for for your life and what it can do for you so it was very special there was a lot of tears and just the best commencement ceremony at ORU I remember the day I there was a whole bunch of things from writing, just publishing my kid’s book. And there was a book signing that Barnes and Noble and then also going to one of the most beautiful farms that it was nearby. And that farm has baby kangaroos, baby zebras, camels. you name it, and they have it. It’s literally a piece of heaven. And I got to do all three of these things and speaking at ORU in one day. And it was fun. It was like a quote, like life of a doctor. And that’s not every single day. But you know, I think what happens is that there is acceleration when we’re walking in obedience to our calling. And I just was able to get glimpses of that throughout this year. Another thing that was on the bucket list was becoming a professional mermaid. And I know that sounds a little bit goofy. Some people call me Dr. Mermaid. That’s right. But I had seen how much it touches people’s lives and souls to be a true professional aquarium mermaid. And that’s with Wands and Wishes Mermaids, the number one mermaid company in the world. In order to do that, I had to get my scuba, open water scuba certification, as well as my stress and rescue certificate. And then you have to get your mermaid classes. So I know it’s new news to a lot of people, but I will say that it’s quite a process and how to do it quite rapidly in the midst of my dissertation. And I do have pictures. I might have to share them with the public at some point, but I’m Definitely working on my doctoral project while I’m a mermaid. And you’ll see me dressed up as a mermaid working on my computer in between my dives. And, you know, it’s one of those fun tales to be able to tell future grandchildren. Yeah. So it was really fun and was just really grateful to, you know, I was able to go out to Cancun to get my open water certification and my amazing safety diver, Mike, was able to take a couple of us down and. We were able to do two 30-feet dives as well as two 60-foot dives. And we had a whole bunch of classroom work and trainings and pool work. Literally, it’s supposed to take months, if not a year, to be able to complete. And did it in a few weeks. Did basically all of my stuff in about a week because that’s all I literally had time-wise. And so scrunched everything in. A thing you learn as a doctor is that there are lots of open gaps in time. And that might be in the beginning of your day, the middle of your day, the end of your day. But you can always, if you’re able to time gap, you can really squeeze in those goals to be able to see them be manifested in our everyday reality. So it was really powerful information. was my first aquarium was at Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey and it was just it was so it was so special to be able to go down it was 25 feet down and about 13 sharks that varied in size but anywhere from 7 to 12 feet in length and we had three safety divers down with us But it was quite the experience to be able to overcome and to do in such a short amount of time. And just something that I’m so proud of my heart of having that desire and speaking it. And I’m, you know, as part of one of my gifts for my graduation is, So that was that was just such a magical experience and something that now I can be able to explore the underwater realm that is, you know, 70. plus percent of the world that most people don’t get to discover or see for themselves. And so it was just highly encouraged. If you’ve ever thought about it, there’s becoming more and more ways to be able to see the world from underneath and to see life. And there’s such a creativity and inspiration and aspect of imagination that we just, we can’t grasp here on top of the water. But once you go under there, So much to explore, pioneer, and now have those certifications to be able to see more of the world. I’m so grateful. for that. Well, during that, also in the beginning of the year, one of my bucket list items was also for this children’s book that I had been waiting for so long to be able to come to be, Tales of a Call, to be published and released. And we had the book launch in the spring and it was so special. It was forwarded on by Mark New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker and all of his books. Each one is just awe-inspiring and really does touch the soul to be able to follow Jesus fearlessly. Tales of the Calling particularly, you know, it was written by a lady that came to the Callings event at Red Rocks Amphitheater. And her herself was a renowned illustrator. But she just loved this story of how The Calling started and wanted to unravel my story inside of The Calling’s story. And so she was able to gift this tale to The Calling and I. And we had the illustrator, Croy Kitzmiller, who I… I’m so humbled to say I got to babysit when he was four years old, him and his siblings. And he is one of the most talented artists I have ever come across. And he said yes to doing this for his senior project in high school. So the calling, as you guys know, most of you know, it started when I was a senior in high school. And for Croy’s senior project, he… illustrated this kid’s book for the calling and i and just so so you i mean i’m just so humbled so grateful and we we’re just excited for it to continue to grow and reach and uh we we’re actually looking for some new publishers so if you’re interested we are we are looking for that and we were able to have the book launch at Barnes & Noble and actually a few locations across the country to be able to initiate the whole book. And what’s special about it is that there’s two aspects of the illustrations. One’s in one direction, one’s the other one, one’s animated, one is the direct illustrations from Croy. sheets so kids are able to read the book uh hear about you know this girl moi how she went after calling and how they can do the same and activate their god-given calling you guys we’re reflecting on 2025 thank you for being a part of the calling and i’s lives we’ll be right back Twist and shout with Lee & Co. 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This is The Calling on Crawford Broadcasting, the show where marketplace leaders share their stories of faith, bridging the gap between your career and your God-given calling. Listen every weekday or become a sponsor and help other people live out their God-given calling. We are back. Thank you for listening to all the dreamers radio show. I’m your host, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson, founder and CEO of The Calling. And we are talking about all things of 2025 and what it looks like for 2026. The power of making a bucket list. I’m just sharing about my bucket list from this last year and hoping that it sparks some inspiration in your guys’ souls. Just shared the first half of this time together about having it on my bucket list to finish my doctorate of strategic leadership from Oral Roberts University with a concentration in strategic foresight. a.k.a. a professional futurist, helping create the future for small organizations, churches, schools, individuals. And just knowing that when we are able to have heaven’s lens, God’s lens on a situation, all things are possible and we can truly help forecast the future for heaven to come. So that was awesome. So powerful. Was able to get my open water certification for scuba diving and my stress and rescue and my professional mermaid license to become a professional aquarium mermaid. Doing that across the country from aquariums in New Jersey to Orlando to Ohio and Kentucky. Truly spectacular. You know, throughout the year as well, just reflecting on this last year was this very special opportunity to, again, come to the K-Love Fan Awards and to be able to do press throughout that time together. It was just so special to hear people’s hearts. And, you know, what I’m seeing throughout time is that there is such a special cadence with relationships and and being able to grow with one another, especially on a national and even global scale of reconnecting with listeners, reconnecting with guests that have been on this show, on the callings. at the calling conferences, at our workshops. And it was so special to be at the Kayla Fian Awards and then also at the Dove Awards in Nashville. For both of them, Nashville seems to be a good spot for country Christian artists. And yeah, it was just so fun. A fun story about the Dove Awards was that you know, we never really quite know until last minute about media passes. And so it was just so fun to be able to know that The Calling was able to make it on there alongside the best of the best crews. And one of the main artists that came over right away was Chris Tomlin. And What was fun is that we had just seen Chris at Charlie Kirk’s funeral. And I’m happy and so humbled to share that I was at the Charlie Kirk Memorial. being able to witness hundreds of thousands of people coming together to honor this soul that really lived fearlessly after his God-given calling and to see how the president honored him, how the administration, all of these leaders. What was so funny is that out of all the people, Elon Musk was right there and waited hours and hours. You know, all of us had to try to trickle into this And it was highly secure, as you can imagine. But it was it was one of the most historic events I’ve been able to be part of and being a part of the National Faith Advisory Board alongside those in the White House. It’s been it was just spectacular. So at the Charlie Kirk Memorial, Chris Tomlin was performing and leading worship alongside others. uh carrie job coney cody carnes brandon lake the list went on and on so flash flash forward to the dove award saw chris and you know it’s like chris well how was the charlie kirk memorial what was it like from your perspective and he was able to share with us that he lost his sound He didn’t have any sound in his ears when he was leading worship. No one would have ever known. But, you know, he had he didn’t get any sleep the night before. He wasn’t able to shower. You know, he just had to be ready to get on stage. And it was being streamed more often. from more people than anything, even the Super Bowl. And he had to just trust that God would be able to sing through his lungs and through his voice. And it was spectacular. It was holy. It was anointed. There was goosebumps everywhere. So it was just fun, a full circle moment on the red carpet with Chris Tomlin saying that and being able to see his amazing wife. And yeah, it was What we learn often, I think, everyone, is that we see all these people, it looks like they have everything all put together, but oftentimes, they’re just… They’re just praying alongside, too, that everything works out. And I will be a huge testament that that’s usually my heart prayer is that, Lord, like, please intersect all these different trials, these obstacles to be able to see your promise fulfilled. And a lot of times we don’t see all the hiccups that are happening. And, you know, the traffic, the flat, you know, even today had a flat tire and everything. how to just figure out how to get to my, of course, the, you know, first in-person guests and is someone that I really look up to and was trying to make a good impression on. And the Lord just, he likes to humble us, but he also, he likes us to know that he, we’re dependent on him and that he, When we are less, he is more and he is greater. And he really does. He does what we could never do. But yeah, it was we had the Dove Awards and then there was such a fun. Just the timing with being able to reflect on the previous year with going to Israel. And that was really, really spectacular with media group from last November. Being able to travel down with people from the Today Show, from Newsmax, from NBC. And the list goes on and on and was amazing. chosen to be amidst these people. It was, again, humbling and just felt a very, very sacred experience to be alongside such leaders and leaders, especially within the realm of media, to be able to tell people’s stories and to be eyewitnesses to history. And especially from the aftermath of October 7th and seeing the leadership of These presidents of kings standing up against terrorism and to be able to have that courage and bravery to be able to combat evil was just was was very special. So I don’t even know this. Last year just went by in such a flash. And, you know, one of the biggest blessings to this year was being able to have this show move to a different signal, a much larger one, KLTT. And just so grateful to be able to be alongside with all of you as listeners, as guests. We have had the most remarkable ones from… the deputy mayor of Jerusalem to I mean, just the list goes on and on and on. It’s hard to even just share one single guest. But you each have been able to impact my life in such a profound way, as well as all the listeners. You you you guys are changing lives. my life, the callings, leadership’s life. And it’s so fun to be able to create a culture where we are dreaming big, going after God’s calling. And there’s so much to look forward to for this coming season with our international work, our global conferences, our educational tools being able to be built out and expanded across the world and invite you all to be part of this movement. You know, at the end of the show, we love to ask us what their encouragement would be for someone tuning in that’s afraid to go after their God-given dreams. So I guess that question’s for me. And I would just challenge each one of, I would challenge you tuning in that you would hear the wisdom in the beginning of this show, that we do not want you to die with regret. And that’s probably the echo of my heart is that I love you. The calling loves you. Jesus loves you and has the most amazing plans for you. And he is worthy to be trusted with everything. every single ounce of your heart and being. And you literally can go after that, that dream. And it’s not just for you. It’s not from you. It’s from God to you. And it’s a gift. And it’s a gift for you to be able to be able to experience the father’s love for you and for other people around you to be able to know God in such a, a new and vivid way. So I would just challenge you to really just sit in that feeling of living with any regret of not going after what you know inside your heart you’re meant to do and to know that this can be your switch. This can be your year to be able to completely set free and fly into your God-given dreams. And to write that bucket list for this year, it really helped direct, you know, these goal settings for the coming year for me. And I am doing it for this next year as well. I can’t wait to share more about that for what’s to come. But I pray that you are intentional about today to sit down. Maybe that’s five minutes. Maybe it’s an hour, maybe it’s hours and be able to turn on your worship music and to be able to hear from God what his dreams are for you for this coming year. And you are believed in, you are powerful, you are sons and daughters of the living God. This program, this show is meant to be able to help you all go after God’s calling on your life, praying that it encourages you from all of our different guests to know that nothing’s impossible with him. Whatever circumstances you are facing right now, you can go after those giants. You can defeat them and you can get to your promised land. As Paul says in Ephesians 4, 1, as a prisoner of the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. This is our time. This is our moment. We are in history for such a time as this. We have so many tools and resources, you guys, that we can tap into to truly take actions in our dreams right away. Tell someone… You know, go find our activation sheets online from The Calling. You can go to our website, our online sites on Instagram, Facebook. Fill those out and then tell someone what your God-given dream is. Write us as well at info at thecallingnonprofit.org. We are a community. We are a culture of people living out their God-given dreams. Till next time, dreamers. Keep dreaming big.
