welcome
Even after a lifetime in professional communications, I still love a good story—especially the ones that depict traveling through our driest seasons and finding still waters again. That's why I write, teach, and speak about:
-
wading through our stories,
-
recognizing the beauty of our scars,
-
seeing how mercy is healing us, and
-
envisioning our missions more clearly.
Clarity begets courage, and reframing builds resilience.
I help people in various life-transitions (e.g., aging, recovering, single-parenting, empty-nesting, and those seeking new depths of faith and purpose inside and outside their churches) to gain perspective and perseverance through studying their stories. By remembering, healing, and dreaming--solo or in community--we can become ready to step into whatever's next: Join us on the journey!
navigating a new path?
Find your footing here: From story work classes in communities and churches, small group facilitation, or one-on-one writing intensives and book coaching, you'll find all the guidance you need to navigate your next steps toward greater clarity, meaning, and purpose.
Contact me to join a class today or discuss customized options.
what is story work?
"Where did you come from, and where are you going?" -Gen. 16:8
Story work looks at all the components that made us who we are—the people and relationships, talents and weaknesses, blessings and wounds, opportunities and setbacks.
It entails reviewing, sharing and/or writing our story with a trustworthy guide (and perhaps others who are traveling similar paths). It also may weave in questions of faith, loss, and hope deferred...especially when it feels as though our road's been rough.
Story work is especially valuable at life's biggest intersections; it provides clarity for second careers, healing from old hurts, and guidance for life-transitions like empty nesting, caregiving, or returning to school.
And while it involves courage and commitment, one of the biggest requirements is curiosity: to want to understand more about where we came from, and where we're headed next. It helps us prioritize what matters most.
In this story work practice, we get clearer about our unique purpose and mission, the gifts and wisdom we've gained, and what might produce our greatest chapters yet.
a wild dream
It started with a nonprofit my business partner and I cofounded in 2007 to work with single moms and their kids. My book from that time—One: Single Mothering, Full Circle—helped to encourage healing in community for single parents. Then, it took me nearly eight years to walk, process, and capture the desert season that culminated in my next book, Gone for Good: Lessons from a Midlife Exodus, which highlighted the deep, individual healing work we're all invited to do in middle age. That work then yielded Holy Disturbance: Reacquainting the Church and Her People with the Gifts of Suffering, aimed at impacting a far wider community: helping people in the Church go deeper in their faith, purpose, callings, and relationships.
Through it all, my mission has solidified and a wild dream has bubbled up...that maybe those who've navigated a hard road in life—often seemingly alone—might find greater understanding, encouragement, rest, and redemption with others as they take a fresh look at their lives and purpose.
why you, and why now?
Maybe it's (past) time you considered your story from a new angle: Do you believe there's something more for you that requires every hurt you've sustained, every dream you've questioned, every tear you've shed, and every mile you've walked...a purpose with your name on it?
I do. I believe that for all of us.
With story work, we learn to view the whole of our lives—wounds, wisdom, and wonder—through the lens of redemption and possibility.
It's all about solo- and community healing, and finding new meaning.
For some, this work isn't so much about becoming a better writer (although it may help strengthen you on that front) but rather about becoming more courageous, resilient, and aware: of the value of your story and your purpose, the wisdom you've gained, and the ways you've been equipped to share it with the world. It's about finding steps in the sand and light for the path. It's also about leaving a "trail of altars" in our wake to help others—mile markers of where we've walked, failed, learned, and tried again.
Are you ready to take a deeper look at your amazing story and imagine what might be next?
Have you gone through crises and life-changes such that you want to write a different ending for the years to come?
Do you want to learn how to map out your purpose via story work, with others on the same kind of journey?
I invite you to travel with the rest of us sojourners as we study, dream and write about our lives and walk into the good land promised to us, stepping into more purpose-filled futures. There's a perfect class and cohorts waiting for you!
let's talk...
If you're ready to navigate your next steps,
see available seminar options, or email me with questions.