I have spent most of my life listening to other people’s stories, as a teacher, a writer, and even during my days as a bartender. My work has always included making space for stories to emerge, guiding their telling, and finding ways to collect and share them.

Through HeldFast, I provide gentle structure while encouraging stories to unfold in ways that respect both the living and the departed, the people speaking and the people listening.

For nearly 20 years as an English professor, I have worked with students as they develop their voices and build the confidence to share their experiences with others. In the classroom, listening means offering guidance, asking questions, and helping students shape what they want to say clearly and with intention.

Before teaching, I spent nearly a decade working as a news reporter, where listening carried a different kind of responsibility. I was present with people during moments of change and sometimes crisis, then relayed events to readers as faithfully as possible. Reporting required accuracy and a commitment to keeping the person or situation at the center, even when material was difficult.

Even before entering the classroom or newsroom, I was learning how conversations move like water when people are comfortable, or break with a crash when they are uncomfortable.

Behind the bar, while in college, I learned about service while experiencing people in moments of celebration, disappointment, and sometimes grief. In that role, even before I knew where my career would land, I was learning how people tell stories, from the mundane to the fantastical, and everything in between.

Across all of these roles, I learned witness and stewardship. I learned what it means to hold someone else’s words carefully, without rushing or reshaping.

Beyond those professional experiences and credentials, like most people, I have experienced personal loss. That experience has informed this work more than any degree.

I hold a master’s degree in Composition and Communication and an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Public Relations. Along with my lived experience, my education provided me with many of the tools that brought me to create HeldFast.

I live in Michigan with my family and remain deeply connected to education, community, and the belief that when words are witnessed and held with care, they help us stay steady.

I am glad you’re here and look forward to meeting you.

Kathie Marchlewski