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Kate Sjostrand | Author
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Kate Sjostrand | Author
Home
About
Writing
Keeper Universe
ThrottleThread (Blog)
Contact
Home
About
Writing
Keeper Universe
ThrottleThread (Blog)
Contact
They Should Walk Away Knowing They Mattered
Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 5/2/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 5/2/26

They Should Walk Away Knowing They Mattered

There’s a moment in every project when it stops being an idea and becomes real. Not in some abstract way, but in that gut-level, holy shit this is actually happening way. That moment hit me this week when I opened the first full proof of A Survivor’s Guide to Survival.

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The Survivor’s Club
Personal Essays & Reflections, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 5/1/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 5/1/26

The Survivor’s Club

There’s a moment when you realize the scars aren’t random. They tell a story … of holding on, of not letting go, of surviving something that was trying to end you. And when you meet others who carry the same marks, you recognize it immediately. You’re part of something now.

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Happy Campers
Rants & Raves, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 5/1/26 Rants & Raves, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 5/1/26

Happy Campers

There are two kinds of happy campers. One finds peace in the quiet of the woods. The other parks in the left lane at 67 and destroys everyone else’s day. This is about the second one.

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Friendship Is the Front Edge of Romance
Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/29/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/29/26

Friendship Is the Front Edge of Romance

Friendship, for me, isn’t light. It’s not small talk or shared drinks or passing time. It’s standing at the edge of someone’s soul and choosing to stay. And that’s exactly why I can’t tell where friendship ends and romance begins.

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On Fear
Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/27/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/27/26

On Fear

Somewhere along the way, fear stopped showing up the way it used to. Not because I conquered it, but because I’m starting to realize it might not have been real in the first place.

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Hurry Up and Lead
Rants & Raves, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 4/25/26 Rants & Raves, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 4/25/26

Hurry Up and Lead

I showed up to the airport way too early, thinking I was being smart. Turns out, I just bought myself a front-row seat to human behavior, and a reminder of what real leadership actually looks like.

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Tonight, That Is Enough
Personal Essays & Reflections, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 4/24/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 4/24/26

Tonight, That Is Enough

For years, I was overlooked. But not now. And maybe that timing wasn’t a mistake. Maybe I was meant to be here, with these people, at this exact moment.

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The Sting of “Sir”
Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/24/26 Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/24/26

The Sting of “Sir”

I pretend it doesn’t bother me. I’ve learned to pick my battles. But every “sir” lands, and over time, those moments add up in ways people don’t see.

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People at 35,000 Feet
Rants & Raves, The System is Broken Kate Sjostrand 4/22/26 Rants & Raves, The System is Broken Kate Sjostrand 4/22/26

People at 35,000 Feet

Somewhere between boarding and landing, people forget how to be human. It’s not the plane, it’s the entitlement, the impatience, the complete lack of awareness at 35,000 feet.

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The Ones Who Get It
Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/22/26 Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/22/26

The Ones Who Get It

Some people don’t do small talk. They don’t skim the surface or fill silence with noise. They go straight to the things that matter. When you find one of those people… you know.

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The Edge of the Tear
Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life Kate Sjostrand 4/19/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life Kate Sjostrand 4/19/26

The Edge of the Tear

I don’t write to decorate ideas. I write to catch the moment before they break, the edge of the tear, suspended between control and release.

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Closer to Closure?
Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/19/26 Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/19/26

Closer to Closure?

I didn’t call her for revenge. I called because I wanted to finish something. To look her in the eye and say the words that would finally let me walk away.

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Where the Quiet Lives
Personal Essays & Reflections, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 4/17/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 4/17/26

Where the Quiet Lives

The world goes quiet in the middle of the night. No noise. No demands. Just space to think, to create, to exist. Maybe that’s what I’m chasing on two wheels during the day, finding stillness inside the chaos.

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Rolling Forward
Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/13/26 Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 4/13/26

Rolling Forward

What started as a quiet curiosity turned into something louder, something undeniable. A cold morning ride, a nervous first step into a new world, and a reminder that it’s never too late to chase the things that have always called your name.

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1:00 a.m. Courage
Personal Essays & Reflections, Rants & Raves, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 4/13/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Rants & Raves, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 4/13/26

1:00 a.m. Courage

There’s a certain kind of courage that only shows up at 1:00 a.m., usually soaked in alcohol and aimed in the wrong direction. This is a story about commitment, accountability, and what actually matters when your life is on the line.

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I Got It Right
Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life Kate Sjostrand 4/11/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life Kate Sjostrand 4/11/26

I Got It Right

I’m not smiling because I wrote a book. That’s just mile marker one. You don’t celebrate at mile marker one, you keep walking. You build strength. You send a signal to the universe that you’re not done. I’m smiling because I got the message right… and it’s landing.

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Pollen, Pain, and a Published Book
Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life Kate Sjostrand 4/5/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life Kate Sjostrand 4/5/26

Pollen, Pain, and a Published Book

I can’t breathe. Not metaphorically, literally. My nose is wrecked, my face is stitched back together, and Albuquerque pollen decided to show up like it had a personal grudge. But somewhere between the pain, the irritation, and the sheer stubbornness of it all… my book went live. And honestly? I’ll take that win.

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Pain, But Progress
Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/4/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/4/26

Pain, But Progress

They fixed it. That’s the truth. Nerve endings waking back up, sensation returning to places that have been dead since October. That part is a win. But healing isn’t clean. It’s not gentle. It’s sharp, throbbing, and relentless. This is what progress actually feels like.

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Cut, Stitch, Publish
Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/3/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Writing Life, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 4/3/26

Cut, Stitch, Publish

On the same day I hand my face over to a surgeon’s knife, I’m waiting for something else to be born: my first book. One stitched back together. One finally set free. Either way, something changes today.

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When You Start Questioning Your Own Mind
Personal Essays & Reflections, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 3/29/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Leadership Kate Sjostrand 3/29/26

When You Start Questioning Your Own Mind

I wasn’t crying because of pressure. I deal with pressure every day. I was crying because, for a moment, I thought my mind was broken and I didn’t know if I could trust myself anymore.

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Words forged in fire, ink, and steel.
© Kate Sjostrand

Email me: katelynsjostrand@gmail.com
Instagram:
@katelynsjostrand