As a child, I loved to be with my grandparents and ask them questions about their lives. My favorite stories were about how they overcame challenges and got through hard times.

It turns out that begging them for life lessons benefitted me in many ways. When major challenges in my youth began to affect my hopes for the future, family stories helped me to pull through. I felt that if my ancestors could overcome and achieve difficult things in life, I could too. Today, I owe much of my success to the lessons, identity, and strength I derive from my heritage.

The positive effects of knowing your family history are not unique to me. Many academic and professional studies from the past two decades have shown that there is a quantifiable positive correlation between how much one knows about their family history and how resilient and successful that individual is. In fact, family stories affect everything from our personal identity to our mental health, relationships, and career success.

As an award-nominated professional historian and published author, I formed Everyday Legacies to help people record their stories for their families, themselves, and the world. Beyond the material assets you leave behind, your real legacy is your story. And my team and I have both the passion and the skill to help you tell it.

I'm so glad you are here!