I’ve always believed that words can change the way we carry our lives.

Not because they erase pain or offer easy answers, but because sometimes the right words at the right moment remind us that we aren’t alone. They help us make sense of what we’re feeling. They give us permission to grieve, to hope, to begin again. They remind us that someone else has stood where we’re standing.

I’ve spent much of my life deeply curious about what it means to be human.

I’m endlessly fascinated by the things we all experience but don’t always talk about—the quiet battles we fight within ourselves, the ways loss reshapes us, the courage it takes to change, the relationships that heal us, and the small moments that become the turning points of our lives. I’ve learned that beneath our different stories, we’re often asking the same questions and carrying the same hopes.

HELD was born from that curiosity.

For years I filled notebooks with observations, reflections, and reminders—words I needed during my own difficult seasons and truths I hoped I’d remember during the beautiful ones. Some came during long walks. Others arrived in moments of grief, motherhood, healing, or stillness. Little by little, those pages became something much larger than I ever imagined.

HELD is not a memoir.

It’s a collection of reflections for anyone navigating the complexity of being human. It was written to meet readers wherever they are—in seasons of joy or heartbreak, certainty or uncertainty, growth or starting over. My hope was never to tell people what to think. It was simply to offer words that might help them feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.

Writing this book required more vulnerability than anything I’ve ever created.

There were many moments I wondered whether these thoughts belonged only in my journals. Sharing them with the world felt both terrifying and deeply necessary. I kept returning to one simple hope: if these words could make even one person feel understood, then every vulnerable page would be worth it.

Today, hearing from readers has become one of the greatest gifts of my life. Messages about pages that were highlighted, tears that were shed, chapters revisited during hard seasons, or words that arrived exactly when they were needed remind me why this work matters. Those moments have shown me that our stories, even when they differ, have an incredible way of connecting us.

Outside of writing, I’m also the founder of Lilje Marguerite, a jewelry company built on many of the same values that inspired HELD: creating meaningful pieces that tell stories, celebrate love, honor memories, and mark life’s most important moments. Whether through words or jewelry, I’ve always been drawn to creating things that people can carry with them.

I live in Minnesota with my husband, Ryan, and our two daughters, Daisy and Lily. They remind me every day to notice beauty in ordinary moments, to stay curious, and to never stop becoming.

At the heart of everything I create is one hope—that people leave feeling lighter than when they arrived.

If HELD has found its way into your hands, I hope it becomes the kind of book you return to throughout your life. A companion for the beautiful days, the difficult ones, and every season in between.

Because no matter where you are on your journey, I hope you remember this:

You are held.