We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christle Reed a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christle, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I had one of the most amazing fathers a young girl could have. He was very intentional about making positive memories. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a rare lung disease in November of 1997. Even through his pain, even through his discomfort, he still put his role as a father first. He knew that he wasn’t going to be around much longer. In May of 1998, my father passed away. As you could imagine, this hurt me to my core.

For years, I struggled with my emotions and I couldn’t figure out why someone that was so good and so great would have to die. Writing became my outlet. I was 11 years old when my father died. I am now 35 years old and it still hurts. However, I knew I needed to turn that pain into purpose.

In 2021, I released my very first book, Hugs from the Sky. I wanted to create something that young children could use to jumpstart their healing process. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to heal at 11 years old, I just didn’t know how to. I didn’t know where to even begin with processing those emotions.

On top of my personal reasons for creating this book, my community was a motivation as well. I am from Kansas City, Missouri where the homicide rate has increased every year. Nobody thinks about the children left behind after these heinous crimes. Who’s going to help them process? And if I had to take a guess, the individuals committing the crimes are oftentimes products of unhealed childhood trauma as well.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I simply love writing. It’s what empowers me, it’s what heals me, it’s what motivates me, and it’s what keeps me close to God. Writing is the vehicle I use to motivate others. Now, I am not a technical writer- I don’t have a degree in English or Journalism, but I do have passion and a story to tell. I think that is what people like most about my writing. I want it to sound like we are on the front porch together, drinking a glass of lemonade and simply shooting the breeze. I want people to feel seen, heard, and loved when they read my work.

When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my husband, our three beautiful children, and serving the youth in my community.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to encourage the masses. It’s truly that simple for me. People are dealing with so much stuff in our world today and since society is typically caught up with social media and celebrity gossip, it’s often overlooked. I want to break that mode. I want to help us get back to truly caring for each other.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I remember when I first started this journey, I created a nonprofit called Familiar Faces. Its focus was to bring awareness to depression and anxiety- understanding that it’s oftentimes the “familiar faces” in your life. However, I was not healed enough to do this. I tried to start this organization while I was at my lowest of lows. Essentially, I was ineffective at helping others because I refused to help myself first.

I knew I was on the right path, it was simply just the wrong time. I had to close down my nonprofit and seek healing for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lovecreedkc.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creedthewriter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christle-reed-msml-66964167/

Image Credits
Photo: Corey Reed Illustrations: Mikayla Moore