Fortitude
Everyone has a story of Fortitude! When we tell our stories of pain in adversity - stories of courage, redemption and hope - we give others permission to speak up and get the help they need. Each episode will give the listener a look inside what overcoming adversity looks like no matter what life throws at you. Each story is uniquely different - stories of alcoholism/addiction, infidelity, rape, abuse, loss of a child/children, cancer, rare disease, tragic accidents...etc.! We are in this life together to support one another and build community around hope and redemption. I am your host, Heather Kittelson, and I am so excited to have you here as part of the Fortitude community!
Fortitude
#24: Lon & Grace Stroschein - Triumph over Trauma
It was one of the biggest nights of Lon’s professional career when Lon received a call from his only daughter Grace while driving to his company's acquisition celebration. It was the kind of call that no parent expected to get.
Lon’s daughter, Grace, was very active in multiple school activities, and church and loved spending time with her family. She hid her pain and suffering very tightly. Nobody really knew or understood what Grace was going through. Nothing would have ever pointed to depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts.
At age 15, Grace was sexually assaulted at a high school party. Grace was living with shame, guilt, and disbelief but she decided to tell her parents what had happened right away. Both Lon and his wife listened and did all the ‘things’ parents should do to ‘deal’ with the ‘problem’ and within a year they had moved on and considered the situation closed. However, that wasn’t the case for Grace. After years of pain and reliving the trauma, Grace was having suicidal thoughts.
Grace is thriving and doing wonderful through treatment, TLC from family and friends, and therapy. It’s taken a lot of hard work and it has been so worth it. Grace shares her story and wisdom alongside her father Lon who shares his story from the parent's perspective.
This father-daughter is priceless!
Lon’s Bio (Aug. 2023): Lon is the founder and CEO of Normal 40 - a movement that inspires people to declare their future, and provides the tools to chase it. In 2022, Lon left his corporate job on a hunch that the world was asking more of him. Without a resume, a business plan, or independent wealth, but with the support of his wife and family, he separated from the W2 race. Then, on another hunch, he launched Normal 40. Lon dedicated most of 2022 to capturing the stories of people from across the globe who felt like their best days were in front of them, that they wouldn’t live in their current capacity, but they didn’t know how to transition. These conversations, and the hard choices we all eventually face, became his motivation for this book
Lon’s mission is to inspire change in a thousand lives. And he will know he has been successful when he has a thousand notes of thanks from people who have been impacted by the change. Lon is a pilot and loves traveling with his family, or getting dirty at the family farm near Warner, SD.
YOU TUBE VERSION: https://youtu.be/go_dptsnr7E
Normal 40: https://www.normal40.com/
Lon’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lon-stroschein-normal40/
The Trade book: https://www.normal40.com/the-trade-book
Lon’s Insta: https://www.instagram.com/lon.stroschein/
Grace’s FB: https://www.facebook.com/grace.stroschein
Grace’s Ista: https://www.instagram.com/grace.stroschein/
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