Dream Big!

Program Purpose

The Dream BIG! program is designed to inspire with knowledge, guide in problem-solving, and support behavior change as it relates to participants pursing and attaining their dreams.

Program Goals

Increase participants’:

• Thriving well-being,
• Sense of community,
• Engagement at work, and
• Attainment of their dreams.

Program Objectives

• Inspire participants to dream.
• Encourage participants to pursue their dreams.
• Coach participants in setting strategies and goals to take steps towards their dreams.
• Connect participants with other dreamers and resources.
• Celebrate and support participants as they live their dreams.

The 9-month Dream BIG! coaching program is designed for IU staff and faculty who desire an extended period of individual accountability and support while they pursue their dreams. Participants are paired with a Dream Coach who will meet with them twice a month to provide tools, strategies, encouragement, and support on their dream journey. The program begins with a four-week quick Kickstarter program that provides participants the tools and strategies needed to get started on the journey to living their dreams.

Participants will identify and prioritize their dreams, determine how much of an investment it will take to attain their dreams, tactfully map out the steps to pursue their dreams and receive tools and strategies to stay on task amid life’s challenges that could derail their dreams.

Once a month, participants meet with their Dream BIG! counterparts during a group inspiration session. These sessions allow participants to support and encourage each other as well as attain valuable tips and tools that will assist them on their dream journey.

• "No one ever asked me what I want, I was always the giver as a mother, daughter, wife, friend, employee, etc. My dream coach has a wonderful way of asking me open ended questions that engages me to think and express what is important to me that I not have fully recognized about myself. And I realized it is only from that place of truth, that I can create anything if it is reflective of my values."

• “I would not have signed up for graduate school without the Dream BIG! program to inspire me.”

• “As a result of the program, I realized that the dreams and goals I was putting my energy towards were no longer important to me, they no longer fed who I was. And I learned to be okay with putting the previous dreams to bed and realized they had a purpose at one-time.”
• “I’m seeing great changes in all areas of my life...What I’ve really learned through my participation here is my dream to have more social connections. And I’ve made such progress on this. My kids used to make fun of me all the time because my cell phone never went off with text messages or phone calls. Now, it’s going off all the time and that surprises them. It makes me happy because I have social connections now. I owe that 100% to this program.”
• “Thank you for coordinating the Dream BIG! program!! I have worked with my coach for the past six months and she has been absolutely wonderful. She is absolutely phenomenal – she is a great listener, a warm spirit, and a born motivator… Career exploration and mobility was one of my goals – and we are happy to report that I achieved it!!”

The Dream BIG! program has supported numerous individuals on their journey to living their dreams. To find out what our Dream Catchers have dared to dream and accomplished, click here.