Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtland (CB) Butler.
Hi Courtland (CB), thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Courtland Butler (CB), and I am the founder and host of “We Are Dream Chasers!”. The brand is all about spreading love and light into the world and encouraging everyone that has big dreams to keep learning, growing, and becoming better people throughout their journeys. When I think about my story, I think about all of the lessons I learned. I hope that my story encourages and inspires you all in some way.
Today I’m an outgoing social butterfly, podcaster, and multi-sport athlete. However, a younger version of me wouldn’t recognize me today. Before high school, I was pretty quiet and barely talked to anyone, and the first year was no different. This was a rather dull life, and I looked up to my friends Marnaye and Chy (I Love Y’all!!). They were both outgoing and showed a lot of love to others, and I saw how much of an impact they made in people’s lives. So going into my Sophomore year, I wanted to do the same thing and try a bunch of new things to try and have some fun. I loved that year of high school and kept that same philosophy. This way of thinking changed my life and shaped me into today’s person.
I learned 2 compelling lessons during my high school days, and I hope they can benefit you.
1. Be Yourself!
Because I wanted to try pretty much everything, I played 3 sports (tennis, basketball, and soccer), performed in talent shows, and ever performed in a musical. Some of these things weren’t considered very masculine to do at the time, and they were different things that most of my neighborhood was doing. I earned respect in all of my ventures because I was just myself. I am a Christian and didn’t curse or fight back in high school. I didn’t go to parties or drink or smoke. I showed love to everyone, and I had no enemies. I know this was a major blessing because I was just myself. I’m not saying this to brag, and I know I was different from many people. I could have been bullied for this, but I think that because I was just genuinely being myself and wasn’t ashamed of it, I gained respect instead.
2. Love Everyone!
It’s getting a little lengthy, so I’ll wrap this up. I do honestly hope that you are receiving value from this, though. When I started to talk more and try and show more love to others like Naye and Chy, I noticed how powerful that was. I saw how unique and fantastic building relationships could be. One small gesture like saying hello to someone sitting alone can make someone’s day so much better. That’s how I ended up where I am today.
I want to help people. I want to help them become their best selves and spew love and light out into the world. We need it, and through “We Are Dream Chasers!”, my career as a teacher, my athletics journey, and most importantly, through spreading God’s word, I hope to do just that.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. A massive struggle in my goal to spread love and light was through my tennis journey. I played college tennis at Webster University, and I was never as good as I wanted to be. I was mad that I was essentially a bench warmer, and I started hating myself for not being good enough. I started hating the game, and I even wished for my teammates’ downfall so I could steal their spot on the team. I worked on myself and learned to truly appreciate all of the lessons tennis taught me rather than only feeling good if I achieved a specific spot on the lineup. I learned to cheer for my teammates even on the sidelines, and I knew that spreading love and light to the team was as valuable as being in the no. 1 spot.
This mindset has helped me in all of my journeys when times are tough. College made me miserable at times, but I still wanted to show love to as many people as possible. My journey as a podcaster has been challenging, with trying to balance sports and school. But the mission is too important and valuable to give up. I just graduated, and this summer, I’m going all-in on “We Are Dream Chasers!” to give as much value as possible to others.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a podcaster and educator. As a podcaster, I interview multiple different sectors of up-and-coming people trying to do big things through a lens of self-reflection, self-growth, love, and light.
“We Are Dream Chasers!”
Interviewing Entrepreneurs, Artists, and Creatives for advice on the lessons they have learned
“We Are Dream Chasers Radio!”
They are interviewing and sharing the music of upcoming music artists to encourage other artists trying to make it in the industry.
“We Are Dream Chasers Sports!”
Interviewing Athletes to hear the lessons they learned and encourage people to look at their sports more deeply, applying the lesson to their daily lives.
“We Are Dream Chasers Education!”
They were interviewing educators intending to help students grow and learn the best they can.
I specialize in asking powerful, thought-provoking, and relatable interview questions. I believe this sets me apart from other interviewers as I take my time doing research on my guests and trying to make great questions as a High School Social Studies Teacher. I aim to help students grow as students and people through my content and coursework. I’m most proud that I can show my personality and passion throughout all of my ventures, as I believe that is a complex yet crucial thing to do.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I loved basketball with all of my heart and would spend 5-8 hours in the gym on many days during the summer to try and get better. I always loved music, including singing and playing instruments. I was also always outside playing with all of my neighbors and family. I was pretty shy at school until high school but was pretty outgoing with the people I was close with.
Oooh, and the WWE was my favorite! I loved Shawn Michaels!
Pricing:
- My podcasts are all free to listen to! However, on “We Are Dream Chasers Radio!”, which is only on Spotify, you have to buy Spotify Premium if you want to listen to full songs. I include all of the songs on my Playlist for the show though which is free to listen to. It’s called the “We Are Dream Chasers Radio Playlist!”. You can listen to it on Spotify.
Contact Info:
- Email: wearedreamchaserspodcast@gmail.com
- Instagram: @we_are_dream_chasers
- Youtube: We Are Dream Chasers!
