Azna Amira was the first Black woman reporter for the Wall Street Journal. She's lived in Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Northfield, Minnesota—the town where we both attended Carleton College.

I met Azna in Northfield, where she returned to live following a reunion. She was among the first Black students, graduating the year I was born, and first to challenge prevailing white perspectives. Eighteen years later, Carleton was where I first had my white mindset challenged. So it felt like coming full circle to sort through this year's landmark events with her.

In Azna's words:

We've survived 2020, and—surprise!—graphically grasped the fatal flaws in our trusted institutions laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Whew!  

Radical change is necessary, but it seems to offer as much pain as promise.  There's no "normal" to return to, so what do we do?

Well, what if we learn to TALK with those who seem so different from us? Maybe they're not as "crazy" as they are simply human.  Demonizing others damns us all, but hearing hearts and minds through their STORIES might reveal much of value for all.  

We are our stories, and our stories are US.

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

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Bradley Bodeker is a Minnesota Maori storyteller and multimedia artist who likes to play guitar and sing at local bars with his band Snow White and the Brown Man. He also creates mosaic portraits of music legends using their lyrics to make up the image. On Facebook, he enjoys sharing Coffee with Friends on Sunday mornings and hosting live readings on holidays. 

Bradley's books include a poetry collection—The Broken Mirror Reflected; horror fiction–Midnight Snacks, Nyctophobia, and Zechariah 14:12; and a book aptly titled Bar Napkin Rants. Bradley is currently working on two projects, The Ballad of Broken Bird and A Woman's Lot.

Bradley's Website: http://themadproet.weebly.com

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1

Bradley Bodeker is a Minnesota Maori storyteller and multimedia artist who likes to play guitar and sing at local bars with his band Snow White and the Brown Man. He also creates mosaic portraits of music legends using their lyrics to make up the image. On Facebook, he enjoys sharing Coffee with Friends on Sunday mornings and hosting live readings on holidays. 

Bradley's books include a poetry collection—The Broken Mirror Reflected; horror fiction–Midnight Snacks, Nyctophobia, and Zechariah 14:12; and a book aptly titled Bar Napkin Rants. Bradley is currently working on two projects, The Ballad of Broken Bird and A Woman's Lot.

Bradley's Website: http://themadproet.weebly.com

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1

Katie Sanders is a Digital/UX Designer turned Sensory Designer who helps kids and adults create sanctuaries in their homes. She discovered late in life that she has auditory processing disorder and dyslexia which allows her to understand her son’s similar needs with autism and sensory processing. Using 20 years experience in how people use technology and why, combined with color theory and practical design, she transitioned to helping families create brilliant routines and renewing spaces. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son. Please visit her website, where you can download "Elements of a Sensory Sanctuary."

Katie's Website: https://TheSchoolOfSanctuary.com

Facebook group Sanctuary for Sensitives: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SanctuaryForSensitives

Instagram: https://instagram.com/TheSchoolOfSanctuary

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

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Work with Amy 1:1

Dana and Peter Smith are owners of MinnyRow Market (MRM), a boutique grocer that specializes in locally sourced and ethically produced foods. Their goal is to create a community around the local food and products they carry, reflecting a blend of their two backgrounds.

Dana’s passion is customer service. She graduated from the University of Saint Thomas, majoring in journalism. Prior to meeting Peter, Dana worked as an educator at lululemon and then helped open Nordstrom Ridgedale as a denim specialist. Peter knows food. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu and held various kitchen jobs, most notably as sous chef at Campiello in Eden Prairie. After starting his family with Dana, Peter left the world of cooking to move up the supply chain as a sales representative.

At MinnyRow Market, they're creating an environment that educates the importance of local food while allowing the customer to feel like an old family friend each time they step inside the store. 

While MRM customers shop local, they're supporting small businesses across the state. Or as Dana and Peter put it:

"We don’t have any secrets, that’s our secret. We're transparent in the products we carry, not re-branding or putting our label on a commodity.

"We believe in keeping your friends close and your farmers closer."

Website: https://MinnyRow.com/

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Minnyrowmarket/

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/minnyrowmarket/

Pinterest: https://Pinterest.com/minnyrowmarket/

#mrmfam

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1

Shellie Miller is a coffee-loving, systems-master, no-BS, magic-loving business coach for ambitious and creative entrepreneurs and business builders.

Gathering your business team and tools as an entrepreneur can be tricky. Shellie provides solutions to these creative nomads in their journey. Through collaborative conversation and a supportive arena, Shellie has cultivated a garden that can feed the work of clients as they navigate the landscape of their business. (And yes, note from Amy, those garden and coffee metaphors helped me make sense of a whole lot of abstraction.)

Business Building Workshop:

https://4atribe.com/bountifulbusiness/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/shelliemillercoach/

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/shelliemillercoach/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi-eZY_Qw-yD-6wCK4nuTqQ/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelliemillercoach/

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1

Emily P.G. Erickson is a mental health researcher and psychotherapist turned writer. She began practicing mindfulness meditation in 2007, while living in Thailand and hasn’t stopped learning about mindfulness since. Her writing about culture, mental health, mindfulness, and motherhood has been featured in various publications, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, and Motherwell. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and children. 

Emily's Website: https://emilypgerickson.com/

Emily's Medium Article: https://medium.com/@emilypgerickson/how-perfectionism-and-white-supremacy-culture-are-connected-a0e47da6f8c5

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyPGErickson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilypgerickson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilypgerickson

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1

Dr. Nneka Sederstrom was Director of the Center for Ethics and Director of the Spiritual Care Department at Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC before coming to Children's Minnesota as Director of the Clinical Ethics Department. She earned her PhD in Medical Sociology, MPH in Global Health Management, and MA in Philosophy. She is widely published in Clinical Ethics and speaks regularly at national and international meetings.

Dr. Sederstrom loves to read (especially long epic fantasy series), dance, knit, and engage in all things crafty. She is the first African American woman bakery owner to use locally sourced ingredients in the state of Minnesota. She is the mother of Grayson, who happens to be a baby model, and Aadya, who may model one day. She is the wife to Charlie, the love of her life. Her favorite music is anything before 2005. Her favorite quote is “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou

Charlie Sederstrom is a registered nurse and the current clinical and technical trainer at Medica where, among other duties, he is helping to lead a health equity work group that is beginning to take a detailed look at how access to quality health care, and health literacy, can be improved across the region.

He, like many White people, is beginning to better understand the role he needs to play in recognizing, and then taking action against, racism in our community.

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1

Rebecca Shisler Marshall, PhD (CCC-SLP) is the founder of Centered Living and an Associate Professor at the University of Georgia.  She completed her master’s and PhD in Experimental Cognitive Psychology at the University of South Carolina concurrently with a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, which inspired her research examining attention post-stroke, especially in individuals with aphasia (a language disorder).

After two master’s degrees and a PhD, Rebecca describes herself as a recovering stress addict, turned intuitive healer and spiritual teacher. She incorporates work as a certified yoga instructor and life coach, shamanic practitioner, Reiki master, and mindfulness instructor.

Rebecca uses ancient practices mixed with modern wisdom to help women with health challenges feel better and have more energy. 

Rebecca's Website: www.CenteredYou.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CenteredLiving

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centeredyou/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1515960370

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

Learn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers

Work with Amy 1:1