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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
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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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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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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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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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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No Ticket
Rants & Raves, Personal Essays & Reflections, The System is Broken Kate Sjostrand 3/25/26 Rants & Raves, Personal Essays & Reflections, The System is Broken Kate Sjostrand 3/25/26

No Ticket

Today I get paid for the crash.
Not by the woman who hit me, but by my own insurance.
And somehow, that feels like losing.

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Proof of Life
Writing Life, Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 3/24/26 Writing Life, Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 3/24/26

Proof of Life

Holy fuck. I just ordered proof copies of my book. It’s real now. One last push, one last pass, and it’s out in the world.

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El Paso, Heat, and a Little Bit of Healing
Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 3/23/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 3/23/26

El Paso, Heat, and a Little Bit of Healing

Sometimes you don’t need to burn your life down. Sometimes you just need to ride far enough to remember who the hell you are.

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Running South
Motorcycles & Mayhem, Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 3/21/26 Motorcycles & Mayhem, Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 3/21/26

Running South

I’m coming up on five months since the accident. Five fucking months. And just when I thought I was clawing my way back, life decided to remind me that sometimes the hardest hits don’t come from the road… they come from people.

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Fire, Fracture, and the Finish Line
Writing Life, Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 3/20/26 Writing Life, Personal Essays & Reflections, Freedom & Fire Kate Sjostrand 3/20/26

Fire, Fracture, and the Finish Line

My book is so goddamned close. And So, She Rose didn’t come together in a straight line. It came together through death, through failure, through pain, and finally, through fire. Turns out, sometimes the ending of your story doesn’t come from inspiration… it comes from impact.

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The Pain You Don’t Notice
Personal Essays & Reflections, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 3/18/26 Personal Essays & Reflections, Motorcycles & Mayhem Kate Sjostrand 3/18/26

The Pain You Don’t Notice

Sometimes the most dangerous pain isn’t the sharp kind that makes you scream. It’s the quiet kind that hums in the background for so long you stop noticing it. After months of recovery from a crash, I discovered just how much pain my body had quietly learned to live with.

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

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