Pretty much from the age that I could hold a pencil, family members have told me that someone has got to write our story. Ranging from hilarious to traumatic to downright unbelievable, the Ingersoll family has a storied history.

Naturally, most families believe their story to be memorable or profound in some way. As I got older, I assumed we weren’t all that different from any other conventional American family. Yet, as I would share anecdotes that came off somewhat flippant when delivered by a witty uncle, friends and peers would recoil.

After some time, I realized that not everyone’s mom has left their cop husband to marry a man (my father) who is incarcerated. Nor has their brother, at the encouragement of the aforementioned father, worked at the same chain establishment that their father once robbed. Perhaps to settle some invisible score or pure coincidence, but entertaining in any case.

While I was ashamed of my background for a significant portion of my life, I have more recently come around to sharing it. Embracing the wisdom of the beloved Fleetwood Mac, I’ve reckoned that time does, in fact, make you bolder. As of late, I’ve found an affinity for hearing these family stories with curiosity rather than judgment. This is due in part to my father’s declining health, along with grief of losing other close loved ones. It has reminded me how finite and precious life is, along with the importance of capturing all the memories you can.

As a result, I have a full-fledged fascination with family dynamics – birth order, traditions, affairs, and everything in between. I’ve channeled this curiosity into my own podcast called “Heirlooms” where my guests and I explore the stories, traditions, and items we carry with us for generations. It has been incredibly rewarding, and I love that it is essentially a sappy, nerdy “show and tell”.

To that same end, I hope to channel my interest and passion in capturing unique stories into my work with StoryTerrace. My aspiration is that anyone I encounter in this life feels heard and empowered to share their story, no matter how unconventional.