Welcome

How do we Thrive when we can barely survive?

Hi, I’m Stephanie.

Grace & Grit have taught me hard & good lessons about scraping by so we can rise.

thanks for stopping by

If you’ve ever found yourself on your path of greatness then sidelined by unexpected lay-offs, family issues, health issues, or any other sort of life-altering event, I’m glad you’re here. I can sympathize.

I believe we can dig deep and grow big in the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Growing big through the extraordinary is the reason I am here with you today.

When we find ourselves maxed out, grace and grit can help us move from surviving to thriving as we make a mental shift and rise through our failures on our path to a better tomorrow.

Grit in the context of character is defined by Merriam Webster as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit.” This kind of indomitable spirit is built over time with resolve and perseverance. As grit is built, grace must inform our approach to ourselves, others, and Jesus.

My story is for men, women, and youth as we individually and collectively overcome the challenges before us.

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There is hope to be had. There are dreams to be re-defined. There is ground uncharted that is ours to take.

I’ve learned volumes about finding my roots, anchoring deep, fighting for gains, and pressing forward in the exhaustion to rise above the odds. 

Let’s continue to learn together as we walk the storms, the sands, and allow Him to set our feet on the rock of security. 

Join me. Let’s walk together. 

EVENTS

With strong business career experience and a worldview informed by my faith in Jesus, I would love to speak at your business, school, youth, team and faith based events about grit and grace for ourselves and others.

My message is tailored for your audience and theme; my style is candid and practical. When appropriate, I speak from the Bible about growing in Christ.

I'd love to inspire and encourage your people as they rise through obstacles. I’m delighted to meet you.

Since 2010, I’ve been on a health ride no one could have imagined. Countless doctors, tests, states, specialties, healthcare types, and dollars turned up everything ranging from declarations of “you’re dying” or “you have brain damage” to “you’re anorexic” or “you’re a hypochondriac.” Yet, no tests could identify the cause of symptoms that screamed devastation. We thought 2014 and 2016 would be my end, but God chose otherwise.

In 2017, after seven years of seeking, I was accurately diagnosed for a portion of my problems. In February 2020 I stepped deeply into natural health and haven’t looked back. In terms that don’t make sense to our western trained minds, I finally found explanations, hope, and ultimately healing.

I am not ‘yet’ a “normal” person with my health, but I have come a LONG way and now enjoy a full life with the energy needed to live it. Because of this profound discovery, I re-tooled myself academically and now have a natural health practice helping others feel better using the modalities that helped me feel better. Such a rewarding ride.

Without my husband’s support, I am certain I wouldn’t be here with you today. He persevered with me and for me and our kids in a way that is both admirable and worth emulating. His grace and grit in our family is a story unto its own and one woven into anything I share. My journey in grace and grit is both individual and collective as he and I built our young family and invested our lives in our church community by building and leading a thriving young professionals ministry through these life-threatening times.

I explore the character and faith complexities of experiences such as these - scraping through unexpected and unmanageable events, living for a long time with life-altering unknowns, fighting for a new normal in the chaos, re-defining dreams, clinging to simple goals, wins and losses in friendship and community, and a host of other realities that result from events so tortuous and so deep they seem inconceivable even as they are being lived. 

God is both sovereign and good and we are made to dig deep and grow big. Perhaps the greatest of all dreams and investment happens in the space we’ve been given. Let’s re-think our dreams and find joy and Jesus in what can be today.

Stephanie is a gifted teacher and communicator whose story of trusting God through years of sickness will greatly encourage you as you walk through unexplained trials and suffering.

- Stephanie T. (producer of children’s curriculum)

Stephanie’s story is full and a worthwhile read!

- Adam J. (machinist)