Aside from being deeply rooted in our faith in God, we are parents, grandparents, HR leaders, lifelong encouragers, and people who have always believed there is something powerful about the right words arriving at the right time.

For more than 25 years, our professional lives have been centered around people. We have spent our careers leading teams, developing leaders, mentoring others, building programs, navigating change, and walking alongside people through some of the best—and sometimes most difficult—moments of their lives.

Looking back, we realize that much of what we have always loved about our work were the people.

Listening. Encouraging. Helping. Connecting. Developing. Serving.

And somewhere along the way, Brian as a life long learner, loves writing about Scripture! Some of his papers are over forty pages long! For Samira, another love keeps showing up: books, beautiful paper, journals, planners, pens, handwritten notes, meaningful gifts, Scripture, and words worth keeping.

The work of opening up this avenue to serve others has been exciting! It has also brought questions we didn’t expect. We never pictured ourselves as a small business owners. We have busy lives with our work and family. We have wondered whether we would have enough time, whether we could keep up and not feel overwhelmed. Also what happens if this doesn’t succeed? YIKES! At times asked the hardest question of all: What if this isn’t God’s direction?

We don’t have a polished answer to every question. We’re still praying, learning, and taking the next step we can see. We share that because I don’t want the story of Rooted Words to sound as though it arrived fully formed or without fear. It has taken research, decisions, imagination, work, and the courage to keep going while still discerning the path.

Our hope is that Rooted Words becomes a place where beauty and purpose meet: where the things we write help us remember what is true, where encouragement moves from one person to another, and where people have space to pray, praise, give, and receive.

Whether you come for a journal, a gift, a moment of quiet, or a word of hope, We are so glad you’re here!