Bourbon starts with a mash bill — the mix of grains that determines how it will turn out. Adjust the percentages even slightly, and you get a different result. People aren’t distilled with corn, rye, and barley, but we do have ingredients that make us who we are.

For me, it starts with Texas and Florida — born in one, shaped in the other. I wasn’t far from journalism growing up; I’ve often said that pressroom ink runs in my veins. My parents, especially my mom, are a major part of my mash bill. She taught me to read and write, and her creative influence still shows up in everything I do. I didn’t grow up sheltered from the world — I grew up watching it unfold.

My Christian faith is another key ingredient. I honestly can’t imagine going through life without it. It has been my anchor through every season — the highs, the failures, and the do-overs.

Of course, not all ingredients are sweet. I messed up my freshman year at Stetson, and I struggled in the Air Force. My path has had detours that weren’t flattering, but eventually I overcame them. I believe now, more than ever, that redemption matters more than perfection, because I’ve lived long enough to need both.

Writing, journalism, and history are core to who I am — not hobbies, but part of my wiring. I love chasing understanding more than chasing answers, and writing has always been how I make sense of life, not just record it.

Life also shifted through two divorces — my parents’ and my own. Those seasons weren’t easy, but they changed me. Lizzi and Daryl helped me through the hardest days of my life, and I’m more grateful for them than a paragraph can cover. And Sully — I can’t imagine life without him. He has brought joy I didn’t even know was still waiting for me.

The loss of my mom, dad, and stepfather also left a permanent mark. I didn’t just lose them — their absence reshaped the landscape. It’s true: some of the hardest chapters didn’t ruin me — they seasoned me.

Teaching wasn’t the career I imagined. I once pictured myself writing stories that won Pulitzer Prizes — not explaining them to teenagers. But I’ve learned something along the way:
My goal isn’t to make better students — it’s to help shape better humans.

So if I had to describe my mash bill, it would include faith, family, loss, redemption, curiosity, journalism, writing, and the determination to keep improving. And like good bourbon, I’m still aging — but at least the barrel is good.

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” — Romans 5:3–4

“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6

Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.