Jen Builds Heaven
Last year, the Shriners held their annual fundraiser, flying in kids from all over the world. Jen volunteered to help and ended up building this beautiful little playhouse for the event. “About three weeks before the big day, she went to the Shriners Hospital to meet some of the kids and teach a few basic […]
The Skew of Flying Fist Palookas
“One time we were in a bar-restaurant,” Payton says. “There’s this giant biker covered in death imagery tattoos, with a scraggly beard and knuckles the size of small melons lorded over his girlfriend, face pressed to hers, yelling and spitting. Everyone could see it was gonna get physical when they were alone, but no one […]
The Glue of Digital Hookahs
If you haven’t figured it out yet, my boy Schwab here is a computer genius. He is a total geek, code wonk, ones-and-zeros savant. When he was sixteen, he created TipTap the App. Yep, that TipTap. The one that got everyone learning Morse code again just to send secret love notes. Every-freakinone downloaded it, and […]
A World of Difference in Ordinary Days.
Before we begin, let me share a story about the difference a day without depression makes. For decades, my days started with my shattered heart, sadness, and hopelessness. At the same time, an inner critic on steroids would yell a litany of abusive comments at the top of his lungs, telling me I was a […]
Theory of the Big Pinata.
I am a big guy. Some people are surprised at how big I am in person. Owing to my size, I may have enjoyed an extra helping of external abuse due to being a big piñata. I would have had an easier time with depression if I hadn’t been a big, loud man wearing the […]
The Impossible Weight of Burden.
Every morning you wake up already exhausted, carrying a burden most people will never experience. Before breakfast, you’ve already fought a battle that no one else can see. Then you go to work, raise children, go to school, pay bills, answer emails, smile at strangers, and somehow keep moving while your own mind insists you […]
Solidudes and Delivery Boxes of Happy
How being raw about mental health changed my business strategy.
You are Heroes
Why every character in The Peace Strain has a specific frequency of trauma.