Kristine Ochu, Best-Selling Author of Campfire Confessions Shares Her Mantra “Keep On Rolling” for the Women Lifting Up Women Series
By Jules Lavallee
Kristine Ochu is a former World Champion Log-roller and Global HR Executive turned best-selling author of Campfire Confessions, international speaker, resilience expert, screenwriter, and executive producer of Affluence, an award-winning documentary. Kristine was named one of Global Woman Magazine’s “Top 100 Entrepreneurs & Mentors.” As Founder of “Keep on Rolling,” Kristine shares practical, science-informed tools that help women build resilience, rediscover their inner strength, and create more joy and freedom in their lives. A passionate community builder, she believes deeply in the power of women lifting one another—and the ripple effect that encouragement, mentorship, and meaningful connection can create in the world.
Kristine has turned a lifetime of unexpected challenges, including a traumatic brain injury into a mission to help women rise, reconnect, and move forward. Kristine will be launching her handbook in early 2027, “40 Quick, Easy, Powerful tools to “Keep on Rolling:” Your Lifeline to Joyful Freedom in the Moment that You Need it the Most.” Her philosophy: “Everyone falls off the log. The power is getting back on.”
KEEP ON ROLLING! – Kristine Ochu
You have turned a lifetime of unexpected challenges, including a traumatic brain injury, into a mission to help women rise, reconnect, and move forward. Share your backstory.
My life has taught me that we don’t always get to choose what happens to us—but we do get to choose what we do next.
My story began in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where I became a World Champion log roller. I learned early that you’re going to fall off the log. The key is finding your focus, believing in yourself and having the courage to get back on. Little did I know how much that lesson would prepare me for life.
I went on to become a successful Global HR executive, but behind the accomplishments were some difficult chapters. At the height of my career, I went through a divorce and became financially responsible for raising my two daughters, who were only three and five. On the outside, I looked successful. On the inside, some days felt like a marathon. I was trying to be a great mother and a strong leader, pay the bills, manage a demanding career and somehow keep everything moving forward. There wasn’t much room to fall apart because two little girls were depending on me.
I remarried and found happiness again, but life brought more challenges. I lost a loved one to suicide and others to cancer and became a caregiver to my mother. Through these different seasons, I learned about grief, responsibility, reinvention and the enormous strength women often find because they simply HAVE to keep going.
Then life knocked me off the log in a way I never expected.
I developed Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a severe neurological illness that affected multiple cranial nerves and my brain. It was initially missed because the lesions began deep inside my ear canal. Within a week, the pain became so severe that I was vomiting and crying, and my husband had to carry me to the car and drive me two hours to a larger hospital.
My life changed.
For months, severe dizziness kept me from driving to physical therapy, playing tennis, being in loud rooms or even enjoying a walk because the world would spin. I became very isolated and wondered, “Will I ever get better? And what will I do if I don’t?”
More than two years later, a specialist at Mayo Clinic told me I might not improve much further and needed to accept my “new normal.” That was incredibly difficult to hear—but it also became a turning point.
When your brain and body no longer work the way you expect them to, everyday things you once took for granted can suddenly become victories. Recovery taught me patience, humility and gratitude. It also gave me a deeper understanding of invisible disabilities, chronic conditions and the loneliness people can experience when the world can’t see what they’re going through.
I thought about women I knew who had faced cancer, the loss of a child and other enormous challenges. And my mind went back to log rolling.
I couldn’t worry about what might happen next. I had to find my balance and just take one more step.
That’s when KEEP ON ROLLING became much more than a connection to my log-rolling past. It became my philosophy for living.
I discovered that resilience isn’t necessarily about getting your old life back. Sometimes it’s about accepting what has changed while refusing to give up on what is still possible. Sometimes you get back up gracefully. Sometimes you crawl. And sometimes you need someone to reach out a hand and remind you of the strength you can’t see in yourself yet.
And I kept moving forward.
I became the award-winning author of the bestselling novel Campfire Confessions, a screenwriter, speaker, resilience coach and film producer, including my work on the award-winning documentary Affluence. I was also honored to be recognized by Global Woman Magazine as a “Top 100 Entrepreneur & Mentor.”
But some of my proudest successes aren’t awards—they’re the opportunities I’m passionate about giving back. Through Campfire Confessions book sales and charity events, I’ve supported women affected by cancer, literacy projects, the Humane Society and UNICEF. And through Keep on Rolling, I now share practical resilience tools to help women manage stress, rebuild confidence and reconnect with their own strength.
Looking back, I realize the World Champion log roller, executive, single mother, caregiver, athlete, patient, author, filmmaker and coach are all part of the same story.
The lesson I learned standing on a log all those years ago turned out to be the lesson of my life:
Everyone falls off the log. The power is in getting back on.
Who has inspired you along your journey?
So many extraordinary women have touched my life, but three stand out because each came into my life at a pivotal time and inspired me in a different way.
Dr. Victoria Rader — Possibility and Generosity
Victoria came into my life when I was recovering from my neurological illness, deepening my relationship with God and making a conscious decision to say YES to life again—even if I was still dizzy or nauseated. Victoria is a TEDx speaker, internationally bestselling author, transformational coach and Founder of YU2SHINE. We met through Global Woman Club Metro DC and immediately connected. She later introduced me to Greg Reid, which led to my involvement with Affluence, Secret Knock and Prosperity and opened an entirely new world for me.
But what inspires me most about Victoria is her generosity. She makes introductions, shares opportunities and genuinely wants other people to succeed without expecting something in return. She believes in my “Keep on Rolling mission” and even helped me clarify my message I had struggled with for over a year. Her openness about her faith also encouraged me to become more comfortable sharing my own. Victoria taught me that when one woman opens a door for another, the ripple can travel farther than either of them imagined.
Antoinette Stratton — Excellence and Belief
Antoinette Stratton is my Executive Film Coach and an entertainment-industry coach, manager and producer with more than two decades of experience. We connected over my dream of bringing Campfire Confessions to the screen. She loved its “perfectly imperfect” women, adventure, friendship and messages of self-love, forgiveness and never giving up. More importantly, she believed in me as a writer.
What began as several months of coaching became a two-year journey as I continued recovering and dealt with illness and loss in my family. Antoinette supported me without ever lowering the bar. I rewrote material again and again until she could finally say, “This is great.” Under her guidance, I completed the television series bible for Campfire Confessions. She is both a coach and a leader. She’s compassionate and uplifting, but unwilling to let you present anything less than your best. Somewhere along the way, my coach became a dear friend. Antoinette hasn’t simply made me a better writer; she has helped me believe more deeply in the writer and woman I am.
Dr. Cyndi Romine — Courage and Service
Dr. Cyndi Romine inspires me to lift my eyes beyond my own life and ask, “Where is the need, and how can I be of service?” She is the founder of Called To Rescue, an international nonprofit dedicated to helping rescue and protect children from sex trafficking, abuse and exploitation. For more than three decades, she has taken that mission around the world, working with law enforcement, communities and international partners to protect vulnerable children.
Victoria introduced Cyndi into my life through the Butterfly Global Effect fundraiser benefiting Called To Rescue. After speaking personally with Cyndi and learning about her mission, I knew I wanted to help. I reached out to women in my community and was overwhelmed when together we raised more than $15,000 toward the effort. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of crying with Cyndi, laughing with her and seeing the woman behind the mission. She goes into places many of us would be frightened to go, yet remains positive, faithful and compassionate. Her courage makes me braver. Her service makes me look beyond myself. She reminds me that I don’t have to solve every problem in the world to make a difference—I simply have to be willing to do what I can.
These three women have given me different gifts: Victoria taught me to see possibility and open doors for others. Antoinette taught me to expect excellence and believe in my gifts. Cyndi taught me to have the courage to look beyond myself and serve. All three have shown me what happens when strong women don’t compete with one another—they believe in one another, lift one another and create ripples of change far beyond themselves.
You are the Founder of “Keep on Rolling.” How are you helping women build resilience and rediscover their inner strength? Who should be recognized?
Keep on Rolling grew from my own experience of discovering that resilience isn’t something reserved for a special few. We all have it. Sometimes we simply need help finding it again.
My mission is to give women quick, easy and powerful tools they can use “in the moment” when they need it the most. These tools can create calm, self- confidence, peacefulness, inner joy and feeling energized. They help women practice self-care and reconnect with their own inner strength.
I especially want women to understand that self-care isn’t selfish and resilience doesn’t mean pretending everything is wonderful. It means learning how to support yourself through the difficult moments so those moments don’t define you.
I love reminding women to stop measuring themselves against everyone else. Look at the woman you were yesterday. Look at everything you have survived, learned and overcome. Give her some credit!
Keep on Rolling is ultimately about empowerment. You may not be able to control every circumstance, but there are things you can do to change your response, your energy and your next step.
And who deserves recognition? Every woman who gets up after life knocks her down. The caregivers. The survivors. The women beginning again at 40, 50, 60, 70 and beyond. The women quietly supporting families and communities while facing battles nobody else sees. And especially the women who reach back and help another woman rise.
Those are my heroes.
Tell us about the inspiration for your book, Campfire Confessions.
There’s something magical about a campfire.
People gather around it, the defenses start coming down, somebody tells a story—and before long, someone else says, “Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one!”
That feeling is at the heart of Campfire Confessions. It’s a story about deep friendship where the three best friends with three big secrets, go on a wild adventure where they must find the courage to confess their truths before they lose everything they love.
I based most of the action on a river where the three best friends take a long ago promise to do an overnight canoeing trip. They reconnect, banter, and laugh as they share their stories. But the next day, everything goes wrong. Sondra gets sick from drinking the river water, Jo gets trapped when her canoe flips, and Annie must walk out of the forest to find help.
I wanted a story that had strong women, “perfectly imperfect women” that women could relate to. It’s about self-love and forgiveness and letting go. Also, the power to be authentic.
I wanted to create the emotional equivalent of women sitting around a campfire together, laughing, sharing, confessing, sometimes crying. To share the message that beneath our different stories, we have so much in common, and we can be stronger—together.
Women carry so much that other people never see. We can become very good at appearing strong while privately wondering, “Am I the only one struggling with this?” The truth is they’re not. When one woman has the courage to share what she has experienced, another woman can recognize herself in that story. Shame gets smaller. Isolation begins to disappear. Compassion grows.
That’s what I want Campfire Confessions to create: connection without judgment. A place where we can celebrate the funny, messy, painful, beautiful reality of being human and recognize that our imperfections don’t diminish us—they connect us.
Pull up a chair. The fire is warm. You belong here.
Tell us about the documentary “Affluence.”
Affluence expanded my understanding of what it means to live a truly rich life.
We often hear the word “affluence” and immediately think about money. But real abundance is bigger than what is in a bank account. It can be found in purpose, relationships, generosity, health, connection, contribution and the difference we make in other people’s lives. My philosophy is that it’s the power to manage your thoughts, and “Just take one more step and never give up” even when it’s difficult to “Keep on Rolling!”
Being part of this documentary also reinforced something that has become increasingly important to me: our stories matter.
Film has an extraordinary ability to reach people emotionally. Someone can hear another person’s experience and suddenly see their own life differently. A story can create a conversation. A conversation can change a belief. And sometimes a changed belief can change the direction of a life.
That is what excites me about Affluence. I want people to walk away asking themselves, “What does a rich life mean to me? What am I doing with the gifts, relationships and opportunities I have been given?”
To me, true affluence isn’t simply about what we accumulate.
It’s about what we contribute.
What’s next?
I’ve learned not to put an expiration date on dreams.
I plan to publish my new handbook, 40 QUICK, EASY AND POWERFUL TOOLS TO “KEEP ON ROLLING!” Your Lifeline to Joyful Freedom—In the Moment You Need It Most in early 2027.
My goal is to share these “Keep on Rolling” tools to women around the world so they can build their own resilient, authentic lives. I want to keep writing, speaking, creating and using storytelling and film to connect people.
I’m also excited about the extraordinary people who continue appearing in my life. One introduction leads to another conversation, which leads to another opportunity—and suddenly a door opens that I never even knew existed.
I don’t believe we ever have to say, “It’s too late for me.” As long as we’re here, we can learn something new, help someone, change direction, begin another chapter and make a difference.
I don’t know where every road ahead will lead but I’m always up for a new adventure. What I do know is that I’ll keep showing up, keep connecting, keep helping women recognize their own strength.
Looking back, I realize the World Champion log roller, executive, single mother, caregiver, athlete, patient, author, filmmaker and coach are all part of the same story.
Everyone falls off the log. The power is in getting back on.
That’s what Keep on Rolling means to me—and that’s what I hope to give to other women.
