I’m Dian, the author of Every Reindeer’s Dream. I live in Crestone, Colorado.

I found my way back to the state of my birth after spending most of my growing up years in Kansas and a brief adventure to Saudi Arabia and London following my college years. 

I believed from a deep inner knowing

When I was young, I believed from a deep inner knowing that I could do anything I wanted to do. At the time, I knew I would grow up to be a teacher. I played school in my free time, teaching my younger siblings, or dolls and stuffed animals when real kids weren’t into my games.  Usually I taught reading. It was my favorite part of school! 

BOOK characters became special friends

Being an introvert and needing lots of alone time to rejuvenate from a very social world around me, I turned to books as my preferred company outside of school. In The Little House series, The Secret Garden, The Boxcar Children, the characters became my special friends. In college during my Kiddie Lit class at the University of Kansas, I became introduced to stories I’d missed growing up – The Hobbit, The Cricket in Times Square, A Wrinkle in Time – to mention only a few. 

"flow" is our soul expressing itself

Reading led to writing. With friends I made up songs and plays. I fell in love with poetry in high school. During an assignment in an English class to write about the story “Silas Marner” from the gold’s point of view, I first experienced “flow.” This is a term coined by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi. Flow occurs when you experience a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of an activity. Years later during a Creativity class I was introduced to the concept. From the ancient wisdom teachings I’ve immersed myself in over the past few years, I now know that “flow” is our soul expressing itself. 

As a teacher, I loved teaching communication skills to children. I began to collect picture books, which I thought were for my classroom, but they turned out to really be for me! I discovered children’s stories have messages for kids of any age. I often used picture books to develop concepts in all areas of the curriculum, including the yoga classes that I teach to kids. An undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Special Education plus two graduate degrees – one in Gifted Education and the other in Health and Wellness – served me well throughout the first part of my adulthood.

I am also passionate about body, mind, and spirit integration

I am also passionate about body, mind, and spirit integration. In 2013, The Chopra Center certified me as a Vedic Educator to teach Primordial Sound Meditation, Yoga, and Ayurveda Perfect Health. Through Yoga Ed™ I learned methods to teach yoga to children and am registered with Yoga Alliance. As I’ve begun to share the wisdom of these practices that have profoundly changed my life in workshops and classes, many people, both children and adults, now have resources to connect with their inner wisdom and find inner quiet. 

Misha, the main character in my book Every Reindeer's Dream, is teaching me how to pay attention to my soul’s calling and to follow my dreams! As a life-long learner, I continue to take writing classes that inspire me to write personal essays, poetry, and children’s stories. My writing has been published in Home and Away and in Exceptional Students Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century. 

It is now my dream to share the wisdom I’ve learned with you.

I write from the voice of my heart to the ears of your heart, hoping to help guide you on your journey.

Won’t you join me?

THIS IS JAKE, MY HEALING DOG!