Episode 5

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Published on:

20th Jun 2024

The Things That Bind Us: Mike Brown's Journey to Publishing Books That Inspire Us

This week host Marty Mechtenberg and Susan Ford talk with Mike Brown, Founder of SOULSTIR Publishing. Mike shares his remarkable journey from personal reflection during 2020’s challenges to the establishment of his publishing company. In sharing his family’s impactful story and his deep-rooted connections with Notre Dame, Mike reveals how he found his purpose and began to inspire others through empowering stories.

Listen this week as we explore the publishing industry, creative control, and the South Bend-Elkhart community’s schools and organizations. 

QUOTES

  • “I tried to figure out what I could do. What I learned through that process is that I'm an invigorating force. I bring a lot of energy to any room that I enter. I inspire people. I motivate people. So I decided to take what that meant, and it became something that stirs your soul.” -Mike Brown [02:18]


  • “Publishing, to me, still feels old-fashioned in a sense. I think it's easy to romanticize publishing. There's something about the craft of holding a book in your hands, the artwork, the design, and even the choices of the font in the book and the thickness of the pages.” -Mike Brown [19:08]




TIMESTAMPS

(00:12) Mike Brown's Journey to Founding SOULSTIR Publishing

(04:51) Honoring A Grandmother's Legacy Through Community Service And Storytelling

(16:02) The Journey of Self-Publishing and Building a Publishing Company

(31:57) Using Voices and Engagement to Enhance Children's Storytime

(34:23) Community Engagement and Collaboration in South Bend



RESOURCES

Mike Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mb7231979/  


CONTACT

Martin Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ 

Susan Ford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-howard-ford-8446441/

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About the Podcast

Rooted and Reaching
Stories about local Startups and Founders in South Bend and Elkhart
There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region.

In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.