My father, a WWII veteran, first taught me the power of stories. Then my beloved 99-year-old aunt died when I was 49½, and I realized how easily life stories can disappear. Too many people believe their stories don’t matter or don’t know how to share them. That loss changed my path and sparked my mission to create accessible ways for anyone—not just writers—to preserve and share their stories.

I stay motivated through impact. In publishing, I saw how many powerful stories go untold because people lack time, confidence, or access. That insight led me to create StorySessions™—a more accessible path to storytelling. Every time someone says, “I didn’t think my story mattered,” and then shares it, that's when I know this mission is worth it.

The $25,000 would help expand StorySessions™ by training facilitators who can guide more people in sharing and preserving their stories. It would also support promotion and growth of the StorySessions™ podcast and development of short audio companions—CliffsNotes-style versions of books—alongside full audiobooks so more voices and legacies can be heard and preserved.