Dealing with an anorexia and bulimia is a huge struggle... but what do you do if you have never even heard of an eating disorder? Krystal Cook grew up in an Amish community near the Canadian border. She shares her life story to this point, and how she was able to get help and overcome struggles her family didn't even have words for.
Dealing with an anorexia and bulimia is a huge struggle... but what do you do if you have never even heard of an eating disorder?
Krystal Cook grew up in an Amish community near the Canadian border. She shares her life story to this point, and how she was able to get help and overcome struggles her family didn't even have words for.
Some stories are graphic reminders of the awful things humans are capable of. Better stories remind us that we’re capable of overcoming the evil with good.
Abdou Katih grew up in Syria, long before the official beginning of the civil war. He witnessed, first hand, the events and attitudes that lead up to the violence we've seen in the last 8 years. How do those experiences shape the life and views of someone so young? What lasting impacts do they have on an extended family?
"Hitting bottom" is a phrase we toss around pretty casually. What does hitting bottom really look like?
Corey Trimble, like millions of Americans, grew up in a "broken home." After his parent's called the family together to announce their decision to divorce, Corey's downward spiral began in earnest. The journey from that family meeting in Mt. Juliet to pastor of a large church in Murfreesboro was anything but a straight line.
What does it take to be "successful" in life? Obviously, that depends on how you define success.
No matter how you define it, George Gecowets is a success. His story is so quintessentially "American Dream" that it's a bit hard to believe it's not from a Jimmy Stewart movie. He's a veteran, businessman, writer, educator, father, and husband. He's also my uncle... And everyone should have an uncle like my Uncle George.
Legacy is a curious thing. It's almost impossible to control what we actually pass to our children.
Israel Anthem grew up in a family of successful Christian musicians. The legacy being passed to him and his sisters was clear from the start: faith, music, and success. But there was more to the legacy than just that... and escaping it would be a matter of life and death.
Lots of people can make lemonade out of lemons, but a select few can make lemon meringue pie.
Bree Reynolds was born with all of the qualifications for justified self-pity: poverty, divorced parents, and a birth defect... But that's just not her style. She's tough, tenacious, faith-filled, and very funny. Underestimate her at your peril!
Humans seem to have a built in preference for extremes. We don't often rest in a central position. Andy makes most people look mellow.
Whether in sports as a kid, music as a teen and twenty-something, or philanthropy as an adult, Andy Meldrum is a man of passionate extremes. He knows nothing of half-measures. Where that comes from and the effect it has on himself and those around him is a fascinating story... with some unexpected twists.
For modern women, having both a successful career and a family isn't an impossibility, but that doesn't mean it comes easily.
Amy Atkin has been a mother, wife, and executive, and she always jumps in with both feet. In fact, she seems to thrive on going "all-in."
While that strategy can lead to phenomenal success, it can also result in sudden and complete collapse.
Who do you want leading and teaching your children in your absence? Intentionally seeking out and identifying the sort of integrity and wisdom I want in my kids lives has been a non-stop job... but not an impossible one.
Craig Hargrow exudes those qualities. He is humble, forthright, gentle and strong. What does it take to raise a man like that? What sort of parents? Experiences? Which struggles do you allow and which do you protect from? Forget the kids, how can I be more like Craig when I grow up?
If a doctor used the phrase "not compatible with life" to describe your baby girl, how would you respond?
Eric Brown is a Nashville based photographer, husband and father. Until becoming a parent, nothing about his life would have stood out as being totally unique, but when his third daughter was diagnosed with Alobar holoprosencephaly, Eric and his family experienced the deepest levels of grief, but also discovered disproportionate joy.
When life and circumstances conspire to steal your stability and joy, how do you continue to find beauty?
Maranda Stebbins is an artist, daughter, sister and friend. She's gotten to travel across the country and even the world in pursuit of her craft, but it was in the most difficult circumstances of her life that she was able to find something beautiful, painful, and completely human.
Does becoming a rock star change you? What if you're a preacher's son and barely old enough to vote?
By any estimation, Jon Thatcher is a not your typical rock star. He's soft spoken, wears nondescript clothing, has zero social media presence, and your car is probably fancier than his. Also, Jon is gentle, kind, and deeply thoughtful. He also has an absolutely wicked English sense of humor that can take your knees straight out from under you.
Lots of kids dream about bright lights in the big city. Not all of them follow that dream with so much purpose and dedication.
Jamie Yost is a Tennessee native from a rural, farming community who went to some pretty extraordinary lengths to get a chance at being on the radio. Her experiences in her tiny home town and in Nashville radio has given her plenty of hilarious stories to share.
Regret is poison. Avoiding it is the work of a lifetime.
Dr. Charles Marable is a family doctor, father, and my friend. He has lost much in his one-man crusade against the broken model care in modern society... but those losses aren't something he'll blame on others, nor is he willing to accept them as they a done-deal.
What is it like to have the happiest day of your life turn into a nightmare you can't wake up from?
Bryn Sierra is a California loving daughter of the Navy, a teacher, and administrator. She's happily married with two beautiful daughters, but was the birth of her first daughter that triggered postpartum depression and anxiety, and lead her straight into the darkest days of her life.
Where you begin does not dictate where you finish.
A quick read of Andrew Morton's childhood would leave you prepared for a very dark punchline: poverty, instability, abuse, and a series of "step-fathers." But that's just where things begin, not where they finish.