In this episode of Connection Happens, I sit down with award-winning author Teri M. Brown for a candid conversation about resilience, reinvention, writing, relationships, and the experiences that reveal what we’re capable of.

For Teri, one of those experiences happened in 2020, when she and her husband embarked on an extraordinary journey across the United States on a tandem bicycle. It was physically grueling, emotionally demanding, and at times pushed her far beyond what she believed she could handle. But the journey also became a metaphor for their relationship—and a turning point in the way Teri understood herself.

She talks openly about how difficult the trip was, the moments when she broke down, and the resilience she discovered along the way. By the end, Teri had come away with a powerful realization: she was capable of doing things that had once seemed impossible. Just 14 months later, she published her first book.

That experience provides a natural bridge into our conversation about writing and the complicated path toward becoming an author. Teri reflects on moving from nonfiction into fiction, struggling with self-doubt, and learning to trust her instincts as a storyteller. We talk about how personal experiences find their way into fiction and why emotional truth is central to the character-driven stories she wants to tell.

The conversation also turns to her latest novel, Peg Unhinged, and its exploration of women navigating midlife. Teri discusses the importance of giving those experiences honest representation and creating female characters who are allowed to be complicated, uncertain, frustrated, funny, and still evolving.

We also dig into the realities of publishing: the emotional vulnerability of releasing a book, the strange relationship writers develop with recognition, and Teri’s experiences with different paths through the industry. She shares what she has learned about hybrid publishing, self-publishing, and the freedom that can come from taking greater ownership of a creative career.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about what happens when we discover that the limits we’ve placed on ourselves may not be limits at all. Whether crossing a continent on a bicycle or finally putting a story into the world, Teri’s journey is a reminder that personal growth often begins by attempting something we aren’t entirely sure we can do. 

Learn more about Teri and her books at terimbrown.com.