I didn’t always know where I belonged.
For a long time, I believed survival meant pushing forward and not looking back.
Losing what I thought defined me forced me to pause, rethink my assumptions, and begin again.
I’m S.T. Griffon. I’m a writer, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, and a lifelong learner at heart. I’ve lived a life shaped by change, and I’ve learned that reinvention rarely arrives with a clear plan.
If you’re here because you’re curious about the book, welcome. If you’re here because you’re navigating a shift of your own, I’m glad you’re here.
I grew up on Chicago’s South Side in a childhood shaped by instability and resilience. I learned early how to read a room, adapt quickly, and keep going even when the ground felt uncertain.
As a young adult, I joined the U.S. Army and served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. That experience taught me discipline and courage. It also taught me something quieter. You don’t have to feel ready to take the next step. You just have to take it.
After my military service, I built a career in corporate America and became a Fortune 500 executive. From the outside, it looked like success. Inside, I was still learning how to separate who I was from what I did.
When a long-built career came to an unexpected end, the first week was hard. I cried a lot. I tried to figure out what was next before I was ready to ask the right questions.
It was later, through journaling and quiet reflection, that I found steady ground. Writing helped me slow down long enough to listen to what that season was trying to teach me.
She Wasn’t Supposed to Fly grew out of that time. It traces my journey from a turbulent childhood to military service, raising two children on my own, and leadership in corporate America. More than a timeline, it’s a story about reclaiming voice, redefining success, and learning to begin again on my own terms.
I wrote this book for anyone who has ever felt confined by circumstance or expectation, and sensed there might be more waiting if they were able to pause and listen.
I feel most at home with a hot cup of coffee and a good book. I love quiet mornings, long walks, and learning for the sake of learning.
I believe courage is often quieter than we expect.
I believe growth usually follows loss.
I believe we are allowed to change our minds, our paths, and our definitions of success.
I hold degrees from Southern Illinois University and Wake Forest University, but the most meaningful lessons I’ve learned came from lived experience and paying attention when life asked me to slow down.
Today, I live in Virginia with my husband and our dogs, Jasper and Lola.