Amanda

Life Coach Leah Harper Releases Memoir to Help Others Deal with Trauma and Begin Their Healing Journey

Posted on July 9, 2026July 9, 2026 by Amanda

Leah Harper is an area faith-centered life coach who specializes in helping women find peace, purpose, and healing. As a certified life coach, she works with clients individually and in retreat-like settings to help them build confidence and emotional resilience, navigate life transitions, view self-care as a non-negotiable, and be free from burnout and overwhelm.

“I’ve hosted a total of seven women’s retreats at Kraus Farms. I incorporate horses because it helps the women learn to slow down, and to spend time in nature with a larger animal that they have to learn to trust. It’s been a beautiful experience,” Leah says.

She has also written a book called Through a Daughter’s Eyes, that is part memoir and part guided workbook that is designed to help women that are walking through life carrying invisible wounds while trying to hold everything together.

Prior to her work as a life coach, Leah spent 10 years as a Child Life Specialist, helping children and families facing fear and uncertainty in hospital settings. In 2020, just days before the world shut down due to the global pandemic, Leah left her position at the hospital to be a stay-at-home mom.

But not long after that transition, she began to feel the effects of not only the pandemic and helping her then five-year-old son with his virtual schooling, but also the overall demands of motherhood. Leah began slipping into a mother and wife that was tired, stressed, and snapping at the ones she loved.

“I recognized that I needed to work on some inner stuff and acknowledge the internal little girl within me that I had ignored my entire life.”

Leah Harper in a green shirt and jeans — Leah Harper is a certified life coach and she has written a memoir called Through a Daughter’s Eyes. *Photo via Leah Harper Coaching on Facebook.*

She points to the pain that surfaced during that time as pivotal to her healing and her future. It’s what led her to work with a life coach, which she attributes to helping her learn emotional regulation and other coping skills, leading her deeper into her faith, and helping her take the next step in her career.

“I’ve really been coaching people throughout my whole career, but I didn’t actually see it that way at the time. Working with my life coach was such a valuable experience that I knew that would become my next step in life,” Leah shares.

After working with her own life coach, Leah made the decision to pursue her formal training to become a life coach so she could help other women and has been a life coach for two years. She has certifications through the Take Action Coaching Academy and SSLS Mindset and Life Coaching.

About the memoir

Around the same time she began working with her life coach, Leah began documenting some of her painful childhood memories on her phone and sharing vulnerable posts on social media. The responses she received from her social media posts made her realize how many women are dealing with their own trauma and don’t understand what they should do with it.

Soon after, Leah decided in addition to her life coaching business she could help even more women if she compiled the videos she’d recorded of herself sharing parts of her story into a book. Through a chance meeting at a women’s networking group, Leah found Little Black Book Publishing and the publishing company helped her share her story with the world.

Through a Daughter’s Eyes is a memoir that follows Leah from early childhood through her late thirties as she reckons with the lifelong impact of her father’s addiction, abandonment, and eventual imprisonment for murder. Leah shares moments from her life with honesty and vulnerability and does so in a way that will resonate with women who have experienced childhood trauma, have felt guilty about succumbing to the stresses of motherhood, or grappled with how to become a cycle-breaker for themselves and their families.

She weaves stories of what it was like to grow up as a little girl who admired a father struggling with addiction, with the latter portion of the book moving toward healing, forgiveness, and spiritual awakening, and a guided workbook to help readers begin their own healing journey.

If you would like to learn more about Through a Daughter’s Eyes, it is available for purchase on Leah’s website. You can connect with Leah on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, or learn more about her life coaching business on her website.

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Get to Know Brandon Bretz, Owner of Residential Architectural Drafting Business Freelance Services

Posted on July 8, 2026July 7, 2026 by Amanda

With increasing construction prices and interest rates, more people are opting to add on to their existing home rather than looking for a new home. This decision not only makes financial sense since they’re reinvesting equity directly into their property, they’re also ensuring they stay in their current neighborhood, school district, or current acreage.

Whether you choose to add a larger addition such as a new master suite or a smaller project like a four seasons room, it’s important to work with an experienced design professional that can help guide you through the process. Freelance Services is a growing Franklin County drafting and design business owned and operated by Brandon Bretz, a residential architectural draftsman with over 25 years of experience.

Brandon grew up in Arnold and attended South Tech High School, a tech school that gives its students real-world experience in hands-on career fields like welding, construction, graphic design, and more. It was at South Tech that he was introduced to drafting and reading architectural blueprints.

Under the school’s program, he learned how to draft blueprints by hand as well as through using the two-dimensional drafting software AutoCAD. After drafting at South Tech, Brandon knew he wanted a career in residential architecture and once he graduated high school, he pursued an associate degree in drafting and design, while also balancing a full-time career in the drafting field.

Freelance Services is a growing Franklin County drafting and design business owned and operated by Brandon Bretz, a residential architectural draftsman with over 25 years of experience. Photo credit: Alex Don Media Group

Over two decades of experience

In the early 2000s Brandon landed his first full-time job and quickly began gaining practical drafting experience. Over time he stacked his knowledge base through the various jobs he held as a production draftsman at decorative fence and metal railing companies, architecture firms, and design build firms. Although he’s worked on commercial projects like multifamily units, shopping centers, and commercial corridors, his passion has always centered on residential architecture.

After a decade of doing architectural drafting projects on the side of his full-time job, in 2023 Brandon began his entrepreneurial journey and went all in with Freelance Services. The transition from working a full-time job as a production draftsman at an architectural firm and working on projects for his own clients on the side was a big leap, but one that Brandon welcomed when he realized it was an opportunity to make a bigger impact.

“Since I’ve gone out on my own, I’ve done a lot of professional networking to get my name out there and find clients. The reputation I’ve built professionally and with my clients has allowed me to help more people.”

Services provided

Due to the experience he gained working at a variety of firms, Brandon is as comfortable working with an individual homeowner as he is working with contractors. He can assist contractors who are having issues pulling a permit, draw plans for firms that don’t have in-house drafting personnel, or help out firms that need drafting support from time to time.

“What I’ve noticed over the past three years is that more local municipalities are requiring permits and are adopting a more thorough review process for residential projects, even when they typically haven’t in the past,” Brandon explains.

“I have helped several clients recently work through what has been a six-to-eight-month ongoing permit process. Because of my experience working with permitting departments, I’ve been able to get contractors their permits so their teams can get back to building the project.”

His services include custom home plans that are tailored to the client’s lifestyle and budget, and he can adapt existing plans to fit a client’s needs or design something from scratch. And in circumstances when a client has outgrown their house due to a growing family, Brandon can help with renovations, additions, and remodels – everything from renovating a kitchen to adding a new room or completely remodeling a home to make it fit a client’s life.

A couple other ways Brandon can help a client maximize the space in their existing home is by providing finished basement plans and designing patios, decks, and other outdoor living spaces.

In this video, Brandon shares how his goal is to execute the customer’s vision on each project. Video credit: Alex Don Media Group.

Brandon’s process

“What sets me apart from others in my field is the individual relationships I form with my clients as well as my dedication to each one of my projects,” he says.

Finding the right person to help you through your project’s design process can feel like a daunting task. One way Brandon aims to eliminate the guesswork in this stage is by first meeting with a perspective client to get a clear picture of what the project entails, followed by putting together a design proposal based on the information he’s gathered in that initial client meeting.

“I begin the design process with a preliminary design proposal which allows clients to see how I work, and ensures we work well together,” he shares.

Another advantage of the preliminary design proposal is that it gives the client, Brandon, and any engineers involved a clear scope of work, which means more accurate bids for the work provided, so there’s no surprises when it’s time to move forward in the process.

If you’re thinking about making an addition, updating your outdoor living space, or are ready to build your dream home, view Brandon’s portfolio of work on his website. You can also connect with him on Facebook or call/text him at 314-799-9272.

News and Features

Volunteers Needed for Summer Camp Put on By Nonprofit That Supports Children and Families Affected by Childhood Cancer

Posted on July 2, 2026June 30, 2026 by Amanda

When a child gets diagnosed with childhood cancer, the diagnosis affects the entire family. While no family wants to imagine the unthinkable happening, the reality is that children get diagnosed with cancer every day and it puts families in a spot where their entire world shifts, yet life still continues. There are bills to pay, jobs to work, school to attend, and everyday obligations, in addition to the well-being of the sick child and the rest of the family, as well as financial considerations, and the list goes on.

HIS KIDS Cancer Support Group was founded in 1984 and it is a nonprofit that helps ease the financial burden of treatment by providing food, holiday gifts, and other needs to families.HIS KIDS founders Jim and Connie Miles lost their daughter Marcia to childhood cancer in 1982 and for over four decades the nonprofit has helped families navigating childhood cancer.

Another part of the organization’s mission is to bring hope and joy to all family members at all stages of their childhood cancer battle- from diagnosis, throughout treatment, and beyond through uplifting events and therapeutic programs, including its annual Camp HIS KIDS summer camp.

Camp HIS KIDS campers and support staff group shot. — Camp HIS KIDS is a week long summer camp experience for children with cancer, as well as their siblings. This year the camp will be held in Franklin County and the organization is currently seeking camp volunteers. *Photo via HIS KIDS on Facebook.*

The camp provides a unique experience by giving both children with cancer as well as their siblings an opportunity to meet other kids that are going through the same circumstances. The camp is therapeutically designed to meet the emotional and social needs of campers as well as the physical ones, with activities planned by an art therapist, counselor, recreation specialist, and an early childhood education specialist.

Camp HIS KIDS was located at a campground in Illinois for several years, but in 2026 it will be held at a campsite right here in Franklin County. Camp HIS KIDS relies on around 50 volunteers to make the week long event a success for children, and the nonprofit is currently seeking volunteers for the July 19-24 event.

There are numerous ways to make an impact as a volunteer, and the organization is seeking day volunteers to help out in various roles. Volunteers may help with things like activity setup to more specialized roles for photographers, lifeguards, and camp nurses (must be an RN). If you’re unable to physically volunteer, you may support the camp with a monetary donation. The organization has an Amazon wish list filled with supplies needed for camp. View the wish list here.

Anyone interested in volunteering for Camp HIS KIDS should apply online.

More about Camp HIS KIDS

Camp HIS KIDS has been twice awarded the Stellar Performance Award for Best Special Needs Camp in the St. Louis area, and is a member of the Children’s Oncology Camping Association (COCA) which strengthens children’s cancer camps through networking, education, and advocacy. In 2017, the organization was awarded Gold Ribbon Camp Status for exceptional oncology camping and was re-certified in 2022.

Find out more about HIS KIDS by visiting its website, or follow the organization on Facebook.

Advertorial Feature

Meet Julia Weitzel, the Eureka-based Real Estate Agent with a Vision to Give Back to Area Youth

Posted on July 1, 2026July 22, 2026 by Amanda

When it comes to buying or selling a home, it’s important to work with an agent that has your best financial interests and lifestyle needs in mind. Both buying and selling situations can be exciting as well as stressful since there’s a lot of things out of your control, like market conditions, interest rates, and available home inventories. Having a skilled real estate agent on your side means someone will be there to share their knowledge of the local market, help you negotiate the best deal, find your dream home, or the best buyer for the home you’re selling.

One such area realtor is Eureka-based residential real estate agent Julia Weitzel. Julia has been in the industry for five years and during that time she has built a reputation of being a helpful and knowledgeable agent that stays ahead of market trends and current pricing strategies through expanding her experience helping clients in the St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin, St. Charles, and Lincoln County markets.

She’s had a thriving career so far, and has helped dozens of clients purchase their first homes, their forever homes, and their dream properties. Although she’s found success in the field, real estate is a career she came upon purely by happenstance.

Real estate agent Julia Weitzel has a reputation for being a helpful and knowledgeable agent that stays ahead of market trends and current pricing strategies. Photo via Julia Weitzel on Facebook.

Before real estate she volunteered at a children’s hospital and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Her original career trajectory was to become a child life specialist working with children and families in hospitals. After she earned her bachelor’s degree she got a job working in a title company in order to earn some money and take a little time off before going back to school to earn her master’s degree in social work.

Instead, through her job at the title company, Julia found her way into real estate when she met her now husband, Michael, who was working in real estate at the time. Today, Julia works closely with her husband, now a mortgage lender, and the couple often help people through the buying process with Julia handling the real estate portion and Michael walking buyers through the lending and loan approval process.

She grew up in nearby Cedar Hill, located in Jefferson County, and looking back at her childhood, Julia points to attending home showings with her mom as a situation that stands out.

“My mom did real estate part-time when I was a kid and I went with her to show houses sometimes. I thought it was so cool,” she recalls.

Helping local heroes save money

Giving back to the community is important to both Julia and Michael, and the Weitzels participate in Homes for Heroes, a nation-wide program which helps active duty military members and veterans, teachers, healthcare providers, law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS receive significant savings when buying or selling a home, or when refinancing a mortgage. The program partners with local real estate agents who give back a portion of their commission to the hero at closing, and participating mortgage lenders provide a credit toward the buyers’ finances for the loan, which also comes out of the lender’s commission.

However, giving back to the community doesn’t stop at the Homes for Heroes program. The Weitzels, who have two young children, are thinking about future ways they can help provide much needed resources for area youth.

A vision for area kids and families

Although she loves her career in real estate and helping people find a home that fits their lifestyle, Julia says the desire to do something for children is still something that’s on her heart.

“My motive for continued success in real estate is to save funds to put toward a nonprofit organization for youth. Although, I do not plan on leaving the real estate industry, I have a desire to organize something special for the youth in the community and I am hoping that finding success in my business in real estate will provide me with the ability to do this down the road,” she shares.

“This desire is inspired by someone very special to me. I believe that many children find a positive outlet in life through sports, music, and other arts. I would love for the organization to be centered around providing these outlets for free to all children along with mentors and coaches that would provide valuable leadership and sportsmanship guidance that will be helpful to children succeeding in life. The goal would be to provide a healthy outlet for children while also building valuable skills at no cost in an easily accessible place.”

The idea is still in the developing stages and there’s still a lot that has to happen until her dream comes to fruition. Right now Julia and Micheal are in the beginning stages of saving funds to go towards startup costs of the organization. She knows that the organization will serve kids in the more rural counties, and could see it being needed in Jefferson or Franklin County, or possibly in a location that’s accessible to families in either county.

If you’d like to learn more about her or you’re looking for a realtor to work with, connect with Julia on Facebook, Instagram, or on her website.