Hello, friends, Ben Shalati here with a quick and hopefully exciting invitation to start off 2026.

This is an invitation all about getting more proximate with the people in your life,

to invite your friends and loved ones to better understand you and your story.

So over the years, I've talked with a ton of people who want to share their story,

but just don't know where to start.

So if that sounds like you,

we're here to help. Charlie and I will be teaching a two-part personal story writing workshop

at Utah Valley University on January 24th and February 7th. And it is totally free. We'll help you

get your creative juices flowing and teach you how to craft an honest, thoughtful, and compelling story, a story that you can share with your friends and loved ones.

And I want to be clear, this is a workshop. We will be working during this time.

On the first Saturday, we'll meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and some of that time will be spent learning practical writing skills in a classroom.

But a lot of the time will be spent on your own, on your laptop, working, writing your story.

We'll break up into small groups to share progress, give feedback and encourage one another.

And then two weeks later, we'll come back together for a half day just to share our finished

or nearly finished stories with our groups.

And we'll even have a volunteer copy editor available if you'd like help polishing your writing.

I've talked to so many people over the years who want to write their stories and just don't know

how to begin. So if that's you, this is your moment because there is real power in sharing our

stories.

I've seen hearts expand and minds change through storytelling.

And I know your story can open new doors of understanding as well.

So let's make 2026 the year we write our stories and then we share them with the people we love.

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