In this episode of Grace Lives Here, I’m talking about what came after survival. After meningitis rewired my brain and took my voice with it. After years of learning how to function again. After caregiving, loss, exhaustion, and the quiet shame that can settle in when life is interrupted and you don’t recognize yourself anymore. This episode is about writing — not as productivity, not as publishing, and not as a cure — but as a way to stay. To listen. To make meaning in the middle of the mess. I share how journaling first helped me survive when my voice disappeared, how I later lost the practice when my writing turned outward and public, and how I recently found my way back to the page through a simple but powerful question: What would you write if you weren’t afraid? We talk about:  Writing as a way to process trauma, grief, and shame

 Losing your voice — literally and figuratively — and learning how to listen again  Caregiving, cognitive overload, and the pressure to keep everything together  Why not all survival looks intentional, healthy, or well- planned  How writing by hand can slow the mind and steady the nervous system  Beginning again without pressure, perfection, or performance This episode isn’t about fixing anything. It’s about finding a place to tell the truth — privately, imperfectly, and without apology. If you’ve ever felt the quiet pull to write… If you’ve been carrying things you don’t know how to say out loud yet… If you’re learning how to stay with yourself instead of disappearing… This space is for you. I also mention the book The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad, which I’ll link in the show notes for anyone who wants to explore journaling or creative practice further. Grace doesn’t always show up when things make sense. Sometimes it shows up right in the middle of the mess — in the becoming, the unraveling, and the small, brave act of putting words on a page. I’m here, sitting alongside you in the moments that change us, making meaning as we live them. Because this… this is where grace lives.

Resources mentioned in this episode: The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad https://a.co/d/bXvW2vF You can find the podcast, writing, and reflections at https://secondstorystudios.org

Email: secondstorystudios.creative@gmail.com

This is the first full episode of Grace Lives Here, and honestly, it still feels a little vulnerable to say that out loud.

In this episode, I share the story behind this podcast. Why it exists. Why it matters to me. And why it comes from a very different place than anything I’ve done before.

I talk about losing my voice in a very real way after surviving meningitis, how close I came to losing my life, and what it was like to rebuild myself when my brain and my words no longer worked together the way they used to. I share the fear, the self-doubt, and the lasting effects of trauma, along with how writing became the one place my thoughts could go when everything felt overwhelming and unsafe.This episode is not about having answers or offering a formula for healing. It is about telling the truth while still in the middle of things. It is about surviving experiences that leave a mark on your body, your voice, and your sense of self. And it is about making room for stories that are messy, unfinished, and deeply human.

If you are listening and you feel like you are still in the middle of your own story, still surviving parts of it and unsure how to move forward, you are welcome here. You do not need to be okay to listen. You just need to show up.

Next week, the podcast shifts into something lighter and more playful as I share the books, writing, and creative rituals that carried me through hard seasons.

Until then, remember that grace does not always show up when things make sense. Sometimes it shows up right in the middle of the mess.

Because this is where grace lives.

~ Kris

If you’d like to stay connected or explore more of this work, you can visit secondstorystudios.org. It’s where the podcast lives alongside my writing, projects, and what’s unfolding next.

What if the life you miss is the one you haven’t let yourself live yet?

That question has been sitting with me for a while. And honestly? This podcast exists because I waited. I kept telling myself I’d start when things felt clearer. When I felt more ready. When the fear quieted down a little.

But I’m not sure that moment ever actually comes.

So this is me choosing to begin anyway.

Grace Lives Here is a podcast I’m creating in real time, right in the middle of change, questions, and figuring things out as I go. I don’t have everything sorted, and I’m not trying to sound like I do. This is just an honest space to talk about faith, creativity, grief, growth, and what it looks like to come back to yourself after a season of survival.

Some days I’ll share reflections. Some days I’ll bring conversations and others' stories with me. Most days, I’ll probably admit I’m still learning.

If you’re tired. If you feel like something in you is asking for more room to breathe. If you’re craving change but don’t quite know what the next step is —

You don’t have to have it all figured out to be here. Neither do I.

Pull up a chair. Sit for a minute. This is where grace lives.

Because healing isn’t the end of the story, it’s simply where grace begins.

I’ve put everything in one place — the podcast, my writing, and the pieces of this journey I’m still figuring out — over at SecondStoryStudios.org. You’re always welcome to stop by.