0
Skip to Content
Kate Sjostrand | Author
Home
About
Writing
ThrottleThread (Blog)
Contact
Kate Sjostrand | Author
Home
About
Writing
ThrottleThread (Blog)
Contact
Home
About
Writing
ThrottleThread (Blog)
Contact
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
It Is The Way
Writing Life, Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 3/28/26 Writing Life, Personal Essays & Reflections Kate Sjostrand 3/28/26

It Is The Way

There is no middle ground. There is no “later,” because now is later. When something takes hold of you, really takes hold, you don’t get to ignore it. You either answer the call, or it drives you fucking insane.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
Newer Posts
Older Posts

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

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