Ron Stempkowski, Author at ron stempkowski

The Unseen Grief in Workplace Change

Posted on November 18, 2025November 18, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Workplace change always looks so tidy on paper. A reorg announcement lands in your inbox with color-coded boxes and arrows pointing confidently toward the future. Leadership says things like “alignm... Read More

An Infusion of Empathy

Posted on November 17, 2025November 26, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Lately, I’ve been carrying around this steady, low-grade urge to give the world a giant dose of empathy. Not in a grand, superhero way. More like a quiet nudge. A refill. A top-off. Something warm p... Read More

The Quiet Ways Grief Changed Me—for the Better

Posted on November 16, 2025November 16, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Grief and loss don’t define me. They inform me. For a long time, I thought grief had rewritten my entire identity. After Ken died, everything felt marked by before and after. I didn’t recognize th... Read More

The Writing Life, Rewritten – November Edition: Momentum Happens Quietly

Posted on November 14, 2025November 27, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Hi friends, November always feels like a creative crossroads. The year’s winding down, but my brain seems to ramp up this time of year. Maybe it’s the early darkness. Maybe it’s that familiar en... Read More

What Grief Taught Me About Storytelling

Posted on November 13, 2025November 13, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

There’s a strange thing that happens after you lose someone you love — the story you thought you were living ends mid-sentence. One minute, you’re a “we.” The next, you’re a plot twist you... Read More

The Rituals That Remain

Posted on November 10, 2025November 11, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

I’ve always loved a good ritual. There’s something comforting about repetition — the way lighting a candle, brewing the same cup of coffee, or playing a familiar song can create a little order i... Read More

The Essay as Mirror: Why I Keep Coming Back to Personal Narrative

Posted on November 2, 2025November 2, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Writing personal essays isn’t about oversharing — it’s about understanding. Every time I sit down to write, I end up meeting a new version of myself in the reflection. Sometimes he’s brave, so... Read More

When the Story Starts Writing You Back

Posted on October 31, 2025October 31, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Something has been stirring lately. It started earlier this year when I organized the fundraiser in honor of Ken’s 60th birthday. What began as a simple idea—to celebrate the life he lived and the... Read More

The Luck We Carry

Posted on October 21, 2025October 28, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

Every so often, you meet someone who changes the temperature of your day — not through grand gestures or deep conversations, but through a single, simple truth. That happened to me recently at the l... Read More

A Redemptive Friendship

Posted on October 4, 2025October 28, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski

I woke up to the news that my friend Craig has died. It was less than a month ago when his sister Teresa, also a dear friend, texted me to tell me that, after some investigation, they were blindsided ... Read More

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