Worlds Apart Words Together

Welcome back to Worlds Apart Words Together! This week we are introducing a very special guest: Kyle Stolk. This blog is dedicated for him to introduce himself so you can get to know him a little bit. But that's not all. For this week's podcast episode we've had the privilege to talk to him and hear from Kyle himself what life is like after retiring from professional sports. To hear more details about Kyle and his retired life experiences, make sure to tune in to our podcast which is launching this Saturday!  If you ask me my name, they call me Kyle Stolk. If you ask who I am, then I’m much more than just my name. I’m empathic, colourful, spontaneous, adventurous, honest and kind. I try to be a good person and truly believe that I am. I’m someone who enjoys trying new things, am curious about the world and all it has to offer. I enjoy meeting new people and sharing stories. I am somewhat of an extrovert, but my battery charges alone or in a small group setting.   I am 27 ye...

As the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 came around, I found myself seriously contemplating not only the past year but also the past few years. 2024 has not gotten off to a fresh start. Moreso, this year has just been one frustrating happening after another testing my mental, emotional, and physical capacity. Previously all my goals revolved around swimming or finishing school. Its exciting yet also very depressing to think about the future this year. This year its more about asking myself the questions of what will make me happy, what do I want out of life, what are my goals? Truth be told, the answer to all of those questions is I don't know. I do not know what I want to do with my life or career so I tried to frame my mind around what I can do to nurture a lifestyle I want and feels like me. After framing my mindset, I can up with a few "goals" for 2024. Fitness Goal: My whole life has revolved around swimming and doing a variety of weight room exercises to improv...

So, we're a few weeks into 2024, but honestly, it doesn't feel like a fresh start; more like we just tacked on some extra days to 2023. Weird, right? I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe it's because this New Year's Eve was unlike any other. Sure, I was happy spending it with Michael, but it didn't scream "celebration" to me. No fireworks in the area, and to top it off, there was this guy who started the countdown way too early. He was already in the New Year while the rest of us were still at 20 seconds. Talk about throwing off the vibe. So, yeah, 2024 kind of slid in without the usual fanfare. Anyway, with the New Year comes the whole resolution thing. I've never been big on setting goals at the beginning of the year, but this time, I thought, why not? Especially for this blog post. Reading Goal : I have downloaded GoodReads and want to keep track of any books that I read in 2024. Additionally, I want to read at least 10 pages before I go to...

WELCOME! to chapter two of our blog. 2023 was a year of firsts as it was the blog's birth year. Moving into 2024, we have some goals for the blog to stay connected and hopefully expand our audience as we go. We have been and will always will be about keeping it real and staying true to ourselves and our schedules, and 2024 isn’t gonna be any different. We're envisioning a year of growth, both personally and for our blog and podcast. As the new year begins, it's a time for reflection on the past and setting ambitious goals for the future. In our first podcast episode of 2024, we will delve into a reflection on the twists and turns of 2023, a truly remarkable year for us. The inception of this project, along with our podcast, has been a journey beyond our initial expectations. Gratefully, we have gathered a community of 12 followers on Spotify, and a dedicated readership for our weekly blogs. To everyone who reads and listens, we extend our heartfelt thanks as we continue to ...

Welcome to our final blog post of 2023! A reflection on the past year and an anticipation of the new one. The journey of this year has been quite remarkable. Personally, I (Marit) never expected to find myself in the position I am in today. Initially planning to complete my master's degree at Lewis University in the spring of 2024, my trajectory took an unexpected turn. Despite facing rejections from various graduate assistantship positions that were meant to assist with covering my educational expenses, I was pleasantly surprised to be admitted to the program I am currently enrolled in. While I may not entirely align with the teaching methods of this master's program, it is still very interesting and I have definitely learned a lot Additionally, fortunate moments graced my summer vacation as I spent quality time with my parents and hosted Michael during his visit to the Netherlands. Sharing his future home country with him was a joy, and the time spent together was truly speci...