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Behind the Scenes

Frostbite, Friendship, and the Sound of Snow

I was on my way to the airport to pick up Melissa.

I hadn’t seen her since I left Albuquerque, and she was flying in to visit for Christmas. I was living in Fargo, North Dakota at the time, and after a quick stop at my apartment, we were heading straight to Park Rapids to spend time with my family....

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The Story Behind My Work : Loss, Resilience, and Finding My ShiNe

7/4/2024

Many people talk about a single moment that changed their life. I don’t have one of those moments—my life has been anything but a neat, straight line. It’s been messy, winding, and full of lessons I didn’t always want to learn, along with secrets I felt I had to keep. As I often say, “I’m ...

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Making a Difference One Starfish at a Time: Why Small Moments Create Real Change

5/31/2022

The other day, after a particularly frustrating interaction with several people trying to free themselves from addiction, someone shared a story with me that I’ve heard many times before — but today, I needed the reminder.

It’s called The Starfish Story, and it goes a little like this:

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Don't Punish the Dog

 

6/29/2024

My father was a perfectionist. He took meticulous care of his appearance and approached everything he did with precision, whether fixing a broken pipe or managing his business. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, it was something worth hearing, and always more profound than t...

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Winds of Change

07/06/2025

“The winds of change whisper in my ear,

 ‘C’mon,’ they say as they tickle my skin and ignite my senses . . .

‘It’ll be FUN!’”

Every time change shows up, it throws me for a bit of a loop. Not because change itself is bad, but because somewhere along the way I wired “change” to mean “s...

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This Little Light of Mine - Courage, Connection, and Learning to ShiNe Out Loud

6/5/2022

My life has been one long adventure—complete with heroes and heroines, battles between light and shadow, forgiveness and grace, joy and heartbreak… and some really good stories along the way. When I look back, I can clearly see that I’ve been on a lifelong journey to find my inner light.

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