Discern by Doing
A 6-month online community for those times when everyone is depending on you to keep your job or calling exactly the same but you are ready to explore other options.
January 13 - July 13, 2025
You still care about the mission of your organization, but the organization is not fully caring for you.
As a part of Discern by Doing, you will learn to create small experiments that will inform big changes toward a more joyful and aligned life. We take some calculated risks, get to know ourselves in this context, and learn from the feedback we receive when we do things (a little bit) differently. Or a lot differently. Sometimes things REALLY need to change.
This is group coaching based on design thinking, with a strong emphasis on taking action. You'll be in a very small group where everyone chimes in with ideas. They may think of some exciting new solutions, but you alone get to set your weekly goals, moving forward at your own pace.
Things could be different this summer.
Most people are surprised at how much they can change in only six months, simply by being held accountable to relatively small action steps on a regular basis. Unlike a weekend retreat where you set goals and are left to implement (and often fail), we constantly revisit them to see how to improve them or remove what's in the way. Some people explore a move to a new calling, others use the time to rise from burnout to balance, and some launch a new project or business. What will you do?
A proven path to being more purposeful, more confident, and more closely aligned with your calling.
01
Getting to Know You
How will you give yourself an "A" in this eCourse? How will you cultivate a Growth Mindset? Where have you sensed God's presence in the past? Where might that call be leading next? How will you delegate or set boundaries to make room for something new?
02
Crafting a Calling
What are our inborn traits? How might we better understand our gifts through the lens of the Enneagram? What are our learned skills and behaviors? Which of those are still serving us? What are the needs of our community?
03
The 90-day goal
What is your vision for the next 3-5 years? What goal could you set for the next 90 days that will help you better understand that vision? What habits and tasks will help you reach that goal? How can we celebrate each step of the way?
04
Fear and Other Roadblocks
What are some common roadblocks that keep us from making progress? How can we take action despite what others may think? How do we maintain relationships with those who may not be in favor of our personal changes?
05
Celebration and Reflection
What did you learn from pursuing a 90-day season of active discernment? What can we celebrate together? What might be your next 90-day goal? Where did you hear the still, small voice of God speaking through the world around you?
When your career requires emotional investment, you can end up depleted and stuck.
If you are a leader in a caring or serving profession, you need to be emotionally invested simply to do your job. Yes, you feel a sense of purpose and calling. When it's time to consider whether to change the way you interact with your institution or leave entirely, everyone around you is deeply invested in you keeping everything the same. Not only that, but it's hard to carve out the time and energy to explore creative solutions because you're so depleted by the end of the day.
Over time, you don't make the changes that are on your heart, and don't fully live your own calling while you help everyone else live theirs. You may even start to feel to feel lonely, something that the U.S. Surgeon General has found is as dangerous as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.
This group offers the exact type of support you need in order to explore alongside others going through the same thing.
Here's what others have said
"
Discern by Doing led me to trim away things in my life which were blocking my progress. Dawn taught me to find my priorities and live my life according to the things I value. She helped me focus on things which give me life, both creatively and vocationally, and I have excelled in both areas because of it. I have noticed improvement, focus and joy since working with Dawn.
—
BRENDA BOS
Bishop
"
Dawn helped me find the confidence and guided me through major life changes: a new job, a new home, and a new social life. I’ve even found the courage to make decisions about my future and finances! I knew God was calling me to new things, but I had no idea what a great fit those new things could be.
—
VICTORIA HOPPES
Director of Youth & Family Ministry
"
It makes a huge difference to have folks who see things in you that you don’t see in yourself because you’ve been too busy just doing your thing. It's amazing how much intimacy and trust can build on Zoom. The things we shared in Discern by Doing were truly the presence of the Holy Spirit in community.
—
SHERMAN LEE
Volunteer Chair of the Youth & Family Ministry Committee
"
“Maybe it's because it took me so long to tell my story, but now I cannot not tell my story. There is totally something holy about being welcomed at the table and being our authentic selves.”
—
TARA ULRICH
Deacon, Jamestown, ND
Have Questions? We Have Answers.
Is this only for pastors, priests, and deacons?
Absolutely not! We have groups for pastors, church-adjacent small-business owners, progressive non-profit leaders, and volunteer committee members at mainline denominations. You'll fit in best if you're at least active enough to effortlessly know things like when Lent is and what the letters VBS stand for.
What's the time commitment?
The bi-weekly Zooms are 90 minutes, usually on a Monday or Thursday afternoons. We choose the time based on everyone's availability and even move the session if everyone can't make one. The weekly videos are just 5-10 minutes, but challenge you to take action, which can take as much or as little time as you'd like.
Is the class expensive?
The cost of the eCourse is well within most Continuing Education budgets and in line with many coaching opportunities. A few people have also received funding from a relative, institution, or grant. Leaders in certain synods have access to funding that covers the cost.
How do I know if I'm ready for this?
You don't need to have all the answers or even know what's next for you, we'll do that together. Just be ready to experiment and lean into a sort of Holy Imagination about what may be next for you in your current context or in another vocation. If you are so deeply depleted that it's hard to imagine giving any energy to finding solutions, this type of group coaching is not for you (yet.)
Meet Dawn.
Dawn Trautman is the visionary founder of Big Picture Big Purpose, an organization dedicated to transforming leaders who are deeply emotionally invested in their organization but starting to burn out. She is the only coach with masters degree in both theology and organizational psychology, which she combines with nearly twenty years as a business owner. Her work has been described as "strategic," "action-oriented," and "relentlessly positive without being unrealistic."
In 2024, Dawn released her newest book, “Parables of a Resilient Nomad” about the decade she spent as a full-time nomad and the communities that grounded her on the journey. She and her daughter live in New York City where they prioritize weekly dinner parties, live music, and volunteering at their church's food pantry.
Here's what it's like.
Dawn spoke with Pastor Amanda, who had recently completed a Discern by Doing group and had this to say.
The program includes three major components.
Learning Videos
The backbone of the eCourse is a curriculum made up of weekly 3-5 minute videos and asynchronous online discussion. Most videos feel like a TED talk, but some are clips from popular shows (TV and Broadway) that demonstrate our theme. Comment any time on Monday. Every comment gets a response.
Small group coaching
Bi-weekly 90 minute Zoom calls are all about celebration, gentle challenges, and thinking expansively about the work of the Holy Spirit. We end every meeting by setting action goals, so you'll never wonder what to do between sessions. Set the goal as big or small as you need. Whatever fits into your daily life.
WINS-day
We hold one another joyfully accountable through WINS-days, a midweek online check-in where we post proof of our progress. (Pics or it didn't happen ... )
Discern by Doing: a supportive environment to explore what's next that won't leave you exhausted.
The process begins with a free, 25-minute, no pressure exploratory session. Choose a time, and then watch your email for a link to the meeting along with some guiding questions for our time together.
The process begins with a 25-minute, one-on-one exploratory session.
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