TL;DR: Joel Roache left engineering behind to build Creative Minds—a community bringing Creators together through in-person retreats. When financial pressures threatened to slow him down, he entered Dare to Dream, shared his story boldly, and showed us how one year can change everything. Discover what’s possible when you say your dream out loud, and enter this year’s Dare to Dream Challenge for your chance at $100K.
The Creator journey is often portrayed as a solitary grind—a late-night battle against the algorithm fought alone in a dimly lit room. But for Joel Roache, last year’s Dare to Dream grand prize winner, that image couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you ask him what drives his success and anchors him when life inevitably throws a curveball, he’ll tell you it’s the connections he’s built when Creators step out of their digital silos and show up for one another.
Joel is an engineer-turned-Creator who’s passionate about helping people connect, create, and grow through storytelling. After quitting his job to pursue content creation full-time, he built Creative Minds—a Christian-led community that hosts in-person retreats to combat loneliness among Creators.
He entered Dare to Dream at a time when financial pressures were holding him back, pouring his heart into creating a video that didn’t just tell his story, but rallied people around his mission.
Discover how Joel went from engineering to creating, what led him to join the Dare to Dream Challenge, and how winning the grand prize has impacted his life since.
Joel’s Journey From Engineer to Full-time Creator
Joel began his career on a traditional path, spending four years in college to become a mechanical engineer. There was just one problem: While engineering was a stable choice, storytelling is what truly lit him up.
He’d started creating videos five years prior, treating it as a hobby rather than a viable career. But eventually, his desire to create outgrew the stability his corporate job promised, so he made the bold decision to quit and pursue his passion.
It wasn’t just a career change—it was a new beginning. Joel moved from Rhode Island to Charlotte, North Carolina to be near other Creators he’d befriended online. He was ready to give content creation his all, sensing it would change his life—and it did.
As he built an audience, Joel noticed many creatives (himself included) were facing a loneliness epidemic. Social media had become so all-consuming, it was hard to foster genuine personal connections—especially for Creators working solo.
He set out to change that by fostering an in-person community for creatives.
Bringing Creatives Together
Joel co-founded Creative Minds—a Christian-led community that hosts retreats, bringing Creators together to connect, collaborate, and create meaningful content.
“You’re not going to get far if you’re doing this thing alone.”
Before the Dare to Dream Challenge, Joel was already making strides with his retreats. The business had potential: ten people attended the first retreat, creating a ripple of positive impact beyond the experience itself.
But that mission came at a cost.
“We don’t make money from our retreats—the goal is truly to bring Creators together.”
Continuing to host retreats required resources, and Joel was under pressure financially. His income fluctuated month-to-month, and he knew it’d be hard to rely on brand deals during the winter months.
At times, he questioned whether he had what it took to make it as a Creator and struggled to separate his self-worth from the financial ebbs and flows.
Creating a Stand-Out Video: Joel’s Submission
When Joel learned about Dare to Dream, it felt like the perfect opportunity to prove his vision had potential.
He put everything he had into creating a compelling video, dedicating three weeks to his submission. He wanted to tell a story that conveyed his Creator journey, his vision for Creative Minds, and how this support could transform his life.
It was intense—he typically only spent a few days making videos, not a few weeks. But the stakes felt incredibly high.
When it came to submitting his video, Joel was nervous that it wouldn’t land. Sharing his story so candidly with the world was intimidating—and when you put so much of yourself into a video, criticism feels personal.
“I was exhausted, I was tired, and I decided there was nothing more I could do. I clicked post, and just put my phone down and took a breath.”
Dare to Dream Top 5: What Winning Meant for Joel
The moment Joel discovered he won was surreal. Stan’s team surprised him by showing up at his house with a giant check and balloons. He was in disbelief—was he being pranked? Did he really just win $120,000?!
Winning gave Joel the financial backing he needed to continue hosting Creative Minds retreats, bringing together even bigger groups of Creators. Within a few months of winning, he gathered 22 creatives in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a life-changing week of connection and storytelling.
But that was just the beginning. Being chosen from thousands of Creators deepened Joel’s belief in his creative skills. That renewed confidence and the visibility he gained from winning rapidly accelerated his career, attracting 10x the brand deals as before the challenge.
Yet, Dare to Dream’s most profound impact was on Joel’s creative voice. He realized that sustained success meant moving away from just making really cool edits toward deep, authentic storytelling.
That’s why this year, he evolved his videos into content that consistently shows his face, voice, and story. It’s helped Joel build trust with his audience, develop a personal brand, and secure more sponsorships.
“I try to be myself…people stay for the quirks you can’t find anywhere else.”
Putting His Mission to The Test
A few months after winning Dare to Dream, Joel faced a setback he never expected. While playing basketball, he tore his ACL—suddenly forcing him to slow down. Overnight, his focus shifted from relentless content output to prioritizing health, faith, and relationships.
The community Joel had so diligently built through Creative Minds stepped up during his recovery. Creators he’d met through his work—some of whom he’d first connected with online—showed up for him throughout a season when creating content was no longer the priority.
“It’s not really the content—it’s the community. That’s what really matters.”
Even while sidelined physically, Joel continued to grow. Over the past year, he surpassed his financial goal, replacing and doubling his former contract income. And although his injury temporarily put Creative Minds’ in-person retreats on hold, it’s not losing momentum—he’s planning a fourth Creative Minds retreat in April for 20 Creators.
In the meantime, he’s channeling his expertise into teaching others about storytelling and showing up confidently on camera, capitalizing on the skills he refined through the Dare to Dream Challenge.
More than anything, the past year reinforced Joel’s belief that success isn’t built on constant output—it’s built on relationships. And when life slows you down, those relationships are what carry you forward.
From Joel’s Story to Yours
Joel didn’t enter Dare to Dream with a guaranteed outcome—just a dream he cared deeply about and the willingness to share his story, even when it felt uncomfortable.
“At some point, you have to go against the norm… step out boldly, even if people don’t get it yet.”
Now, one year later, his life looks radically different than it did before the challenge. He’s scaled his Creator business, expanded his community, and fully stepped into his purpose.
Dare to Dream exists for Creators like Joel—people with a vision, a mission, and the courage to take the leap. If you’ve been building quietly, sitting on an idea, or wondering whether your story is worth sharing, this is your moment.
Tell us your dream. The business you want to build. The impact it could have. And discover what can happen when you bet on yourself.
👉 Enter the Dare to Dream Challenge for your chance to win $100K
Follow Joel’s journey:
Stan Store: Joel’s Stan Store
Instagram: @joelroac
TikTok: @joelroac
YouTube: @joelroac
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