Finding home in the margins is kinda my thing...

Hi, I'm Stephanie,

I'm a former small-town girl turned world traveler. Growing up, my whole life was planned out for me. I dreamed about living in a cute farmhouse and raising a bunch of babies, and I often lived in fear of the outside world. But then a chronic illness ruined the whole plan, and I spent my twenties moving across four different states (and eleven different homes!) — constantly testing my limits and my bravery until I grew into a whole new person. I became best friends with people who didn't fit the mold and traveled across countries and continents and experienced how a fulfilled life takes so many different forms.

Now, I'm a full-time writer and multi-business owner who's adamant that women deserve to narrate their own stories. This space is dedicated to encouraging young women to radically embrace the unknown, chase after self-discovery, and build a sense of purpose that belongs only to them.

Hey love!

Current project: traveling to all my grandma's favorite countries, Eat, Pray, Love-style

I once heard that grandparents and grandchildren have a close connection because their time in heaven overlaps before they come to earth. I’m not sure exactly what my Christian theology would have to say about this, but I like to believe it’s true.

My grandma, Nancy, is the person who taught me how to have grit — and to love and embrace the unknown as much as the familiar. Long before women were allowed to open their own bank accounts, she was solo-traveling across the globe, testing the limits of her bravery and making friends in Egypt, Hungary, and Argentina.

Nancy came home from her travels mostly to see her grandchildren — collecting stories, trinkets, foreign words, and currency for us along the way so that we could dream about seeing the world, too.

And whenever I feel anxiety about crossing a new state or country border, I tell myself that my grandparents have already been where I'm about to go.

For the past few years, I've been drawing these parallels between Nancy's life and mine. And I've decided to make something out of it. In the midst of what feels like a quarter-life crisis, I've made it my mission to trace Nancy's footsteps across the globe — to see if her favorite places will make me as brave as they made her.