My Name is Kaleb Stoppel

For much of my career, I worked in education as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and athletic director. I believed deeply in serving students, supporting staff, and showing up for communities in meaningful ways. Leadership, for me, was always rooted in relationships and care.

In March 2022, my life changed in an instant. I was shot while intervening during a school shooting. That experience reshaped how I understand leadership, identity, mental health, and healing after trauma.

The physical recovery was only one part of the journey. The emotional and internal work that followed became far more complex. I wrestled with questions about purpose, belonging, and who I was outside of the roles I had always known. I also learned firsthand how isolating trauma can feel, even when support exists around you.

Over time, I began to recognize the importance of slowing down, seeking help, and allowing space for honest reflection. Healing was not linear, and it did not come with quick answers. What it required instead was patience, humility, and the willingness to take life one step at a time.

Out of that process came this book. Not as a solution or a blueprint, but as an honest account of survival, loss, growth, and rediscovery. My hope is that readers find pieces of their own story reflected here and feel less alone in whatever they may be carrying.

Today, my work centers on sharing this message with care and intention, both through writing and conversation. I believe stories matter. I believe presence matters. And I believe that healing often begins when we give ourselves permission to slow down and acknowledge what we have been through.

To understand the full journey that shaped this book, you can continue to the My Story page.