Overcomers Overcoming
Dr. Christopher Scott Wyatt is an autistic self-advocate and father of two neurodiverse daughters. He earned a doctorate researching online education and writing instruction for students with autism spectrum disorders. His experiences living with physical and neurological differences shape his parenting. Dr. Scott consults with schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations on issues of autism, neurodiversity, and active inclusion. Parenting Neurodiverse children — those with ADHD, autism, sensory processing issues, and learning disabilities — presents challenges. As a diagnosed...
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Kristie Guard was raised in a toxic family, and she married into a toxic marriage. She endured nearly 27 years of life not knowing what value she had to anyone. Ten years into a marriage with her high school sweetheart, author Kristie Addair Guard admitted the “happily ever after” just wasn’t, and it didn’t show any signs of getting there. However hard she tried, the lies she’d been given in childhood held a tight grip. Those fears left her enthralled—being unwanted, unloved, abandoned, and unimportant. In a last-ditch effort, she walked away in search of healing and happiness on...
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Grace Peterson gave birth to a “rainbow baby,” which has come to be known as the child born following a previous loss from a stillbirth or miscarriage. Grace’s child was diagnosed with the rare Trisomy 18 chromosomal disease. Trisomy 18 is a disorder in which babies are born with three copies of chromosome 18 instead of 2. For an unknown reason, this accident occurs at conception, and all cells in the body will have this structure. She wrote the book Behind My Smile: A Rainbow Baby Story as a journal to work through her traumas of the first attempted birth. She had a difficult childhood...
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Sara Slaybaugh experienced the emotions and discouragement of a toxic marriage. Many of us want a wholesome, long-term relationship to illuminate each other. As a person of faith, Sara hoped to get healthy support from fellow believers. She experienced mixed support from various people. Sara is now remarried with a blended family. Through her life experience, she works with divorced Christian women to coach them to learn how to find a loving and supportive relationship. Based on her experience, she understands the emotions of being a divorced Christian and feeling like an outsider in your...
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Dr. Christopher Scott Wyatt is an autistic self-advocate and father of two neurodiverse daughters. He earned a doctorate researching online education and writing instruction for students with autism spectrum disorders. His experiences living with physical and neurological differences shape his parenting. Dr. Scott consults with schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations on issues of autism, neurodiversity, and active inclusion. Parenting Neurodiverse children — those with ADHD, autism, sensory processing issues, and learning disabilities — presents challenges. As a diagnosed...
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Seth Gehle survived substantial childhood abuse and trauma. His father nearly killed his mother when he was two years old. As a result, he grew up with a single mother of three children. When he was approximately ten years old, his mother became abusive and addicted to crack and cocaine. This led him down a path to being molested by a grown man for more than five years resulting in an estimated 400 encounters. Seth developed a resolve to report and incarcerate the abuser. Seth has moved on and done incredible things with his life. Today, he is an aspiring author of his upcoming memoir...
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Michael Ostrolenk has been on a journey of self-discovery and is working with others through transpersonal counseling psychology. Having developed an autoimmune disease as a child and possessing divergent learning styles that the rigid educational system couldn’t handle, the conventional wisdom of doctors and educators almost robbed him of his creativity, independence, and, ultimately, his life. Michael has been on a remarkable journey of self-discovery and mastery, starting as a nine-year-old. It began with Michael discovering the power of meditation, guided imagery, and biofeedback. These...
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Kelly Tuttle became a brain injury survivor in 2015 after her car T-boned another car that had pulled out in front of her. She thought she would shake off the crash and continue with her life. The next day, her co-workers said she wasn’t talking coherently. So, she saw her doctor, who said she had a concussion, and she should be better in two weeks. Months later, she was living with a stranger in her head; she felt alone and lost. She didn’t like this stranger; she was rude and impatient, had the focus and attention span of a gnat, couldn’t remember anything, was irritable, and slept a...
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Jeff Pierce has experienced many devastating consequences in his life, including bankruptcy, loss of a business, his wife’s death from cancer, and recovering from a dysfunctional family. Jeff was born in Binghamton, NY, and, due to his father’s employment, attended twelve schools during his 13 years of formal education. Due to the extensive moving, Jeff was always the “tall, skinny new kid on the block” in school. Therefore, Jeff was the recipient of name-calling and belittling before it was even known as “bullying.” In addition to being an author, Jeff is a speaker and...
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Mary G. Barlow chronicles her early life dealing with her mom’s death when Mary was seven years old, as well as her adult life in finding peace and joy. Years after her mother died, Mary learned her mom had committed suicide, possibly manifested from postpartum depression following the birth of Mary’s younger brother. Based on her life experience and the ensuing trauma of learning how her mother died, Mary wrote the book, “Home, My Story of House and Personal Restoration.” In writing “Home,” Mary blends literary and medical writing and journalistic talents. As a medical writer,...
info_outlineJohn A. Brink was born in 1940 in Nazi-occupied Holland during WWII. From the time he could walk, his days often consisted of foraging for food with his brother and sister during harsh warlike conditions, surrounded by death and hardship, especially during the hungry winter of 1944/45. John’s mother was left to raise her three kids alone when their father was drafted into the Dutch Army. They wouldn’t know if he was dead or alive until the liberation of their village by Canadian soldiers on April 12, 1945. This was when John determined he would one day move to Canada - the land of his heroes. He was only five years old when this decision was rendered. Like many others who lived through that time, John has lived his entire life with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from being in a warzone. After serving in the Dutch Air Force for two years, John subsequently emigrated to Canada in July 1965, arriving in Prince George with $25.47 in his pocket. John’s other lifelong dream of owning a sawmill came to fruition ten years later in 1975 with the creation of Brink Forest Products, which has since become North America’s leading secondary manufacturer of value-added wood products. At 83 years of age (as of this writing), John continues to succeed as President and CEO of the Brink Group of Companies and 10+ other companies. John authored three books and hosted the ON THE BRINK Podcast series. He is also a fierce advocate for erasing the stigma surrounding ADHD, something John has lived with his entire life. In his spare time, John enjoys riding dressage, body-building, philanthropy, writing, public speaking, and spending time with his family, wife, and animals. In recognition of John’s lifelong achievements, the University of Northern British Columbia awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree. Less than a month later, he also received the Order of B.C. in June 2019, the highest achievement a civilian in BC, Canada, can achieve. John committed to a 1-million-dollar donation to the College of New Caledonia to help support the Trades And Technology Centre. John’s vision with this donation is to create a Centre of Excellence for Northern British Columbia to enhance Northern workforces, economies, and population growth. He authored “ADHD Unlocked,” “Finding Your Passion – Living The Dream, and “Against All Odds,” which are available wherever books are sold.