So many people put in so much work for this project. This was NOT a one-woman show. I want to take some time to acknowledge and thank each and every person who helped make Diamonds 2021 happen.

You see, I’m the kind of girl who always reads the acknowledgment page in books. Because I know how many people it takes to publish a book. Well, I think conferences should have acknowledgment pages too.  

First of all, the Diamonds 2020 Speakers:

• Bella Morganthal
• Tessa Emily Hall
• Becca Doss
• Hailey Hudson
• Esther Smith
• Kara Swanson
• S. G. Willoughby
• Bethany Rose
• Susie Larson
• Will Lundy
• Rachel Lundy
• Angela R. Watts
• Chris Simning
• Peter Frey
• Mary Frey
• Nicole O’meara
• Tasha Marie Brown

Almost every single speaker had a chronic illness. Several were moving. And each of them worked hard to produce encouraging and uplifting content for you and me. I was also blessed by their genuine care and support for me personally.

Diamonds 2020 Staff:

Rebecca Washburn: She was the amazing person behind the study guide, and I am so grateful for her heart to serve chronic illness warriors. She managed so many of the details behind the study guide.

Angela Watts: Angela was the awesome Diamonds 2020 blog tour host AND street team manager! She organized bloggers, helped facilitate speaker interviews and guest posts, and picked up the slack for me.

Julia: She managed the Diamonds 2020 private Slack community, working to make it a safe, welcoming space for lonely spoonies who wanted to connect with people who understood — all the while, hosting her own flash fiction contest! 

I’m telling you, these conference staff members are superheroes.

Bethany Rose: Bethany was the one who originally said, “What about a conference?” She has been both a voice of encouragement and of practical care throughout both Diamonds 2019 and Diamonds 2020 and Diamnods 2021. This year, she served both as a speaker and the vital vision manager.

Hailey Hudson: She served not only as a speaker, but also the amazing social media manager for Diamonds 2021. You’ve probably interacted with her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, as she kept everyone updated and shared encouragement. Hailey also did lots of other behind the scenes tasks from giveaways and sponsor stuff to much more.

Thank you also to Tara and Kenna who joined as last-minute staff members when I had a meltdown a week before the conference. I so appreciate their willingness to jump into the chaos and help despite their own busy schedules.

Each and every one of these wonderful ladies was incredible help and blessing to me and so many as they sacrificed their time and energy to serve the chronic illness community. Please go visit each of their linked blogs and drop them a comment to share how their work blessed you!

Study Guide

Sarah Holman: Sarah Holman reached out to me after I had announced Diamonds 2020 and, of her own accord, volunteered her time to format the Diamonds 2020 and now 2021 ebook study guide for free.

Jessica Greyson: Jessica formatted the interior of the Diamonds 2021 study guide, turning it around quickly so that we could get it published in time. I may be biased, but I think the interior is beautiful.

Silas Willoughby: Silas is the person who helped tweak the book cover to make it work for publication.

Grace Pederson: Grace was a huge blessing. She created the BEAUTIFUL Diamonds 2021 study guide cover, and she also offered her services for free in order to serve those attending the conference.

Diamonds 2021 Teams:

Street Team: Thank you so much to the AMAZING street team, you guys were incredible as you worked to share the conference so that it could get to the people who needed it.

Blog Tour Team: Thank you to the blog tour team! You know who you are, but I am so grateful for your excitement and enthusiasm as you shared about the conference on your blogs, writing posts, and sharing guest posts and interviews.

Diamonds 2021 Prayer Team: You guys were the warriors behind this conference. Prayer was how this conference ever came to be and ever continued. Thank you SO much for your faithful support as you fought for this conference in prayer, praying over every single step.

Moderators: I had so much fun spending my weekend with you! You rock.

My Family: Yep, my family deserves a shout out. They are the ones who dealt with my increasing stress and had mercy on me when I was frustrated or near tears or panicking. Thank you to my whole family who prayed for and supported me so that I could do this.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank God. Without His love and care and working, Diamonds 2021 would not have existed. Guys, I’ve spent the last few months battling to even function. I wanted to give up so many times. You guys, I’m a nineteen-year-old, for goodness sake! A nineteen-year-old with a chronic illness. I haven’t even spoken at a conference besides Diamonds before. But yet, in my weakness God did amazing things. Is He cool or what? So take a moment and praise God with me. The glory belongs to Him.

Thank you all for supporting me during this time and I hope that Diamonds 2020 was encouraging to you. If you didn’t get to watch it, you can purchase the all access pass here.

If Diamond 2021 blessed you, please consider either buying something from the merch shop. While we offered it for free since we didn’t want to put any burden on you who already face so much, it wasn’t free for us to put on, and many of the expenses came out of my own pocket. By buying merch, you are both treating yourself and supporting your fellow chronic illness warriors. It’s a win-win.

If you don’t even know what this whole Diamonds 2021 thing is that I’m talking about, you can view all the details here.