Stories from the trenches of real life

A Small Raise for Caregivers

On the often invisible work — and underappreciated cost — of family caregiving.

Autism: Grief, Gratitude and Gifts

Published during Autism Awareness Month, on what her son Jack has taught her.

Caryn M. Sullivan brings a rare combination of professional insight and personal experience to her award-winning opinion columns. As a former attorney, she understands how to examine complex issues from multiple angles, yet it is her lived experience that truly sets her work apart. She has navigated the legal system, the healthcare maze, and the emotional terrain of family crisis, and she draws on all of it when she sits down to write. Her columns do not simply inform — they illuminate the human dimension behind the headlines.

Writing for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Caryn has spent more than a decade honing the craft of opinion journalism. Her voice is steady, compassionate, and unafraid to ask difficult questions. She writes about topics many people avoid: serious illness, loss, caregiving, and the quiet struggles that unfold behind closed doors. Yet her columns never feel heavy-handed. Instead, they offer readers a sense of companionship — the feeling that someone else understands what they are going through and can put words to experiences that often feel beyond language.

The journey that shaped Caryn's perspective was not one she would have chosen. She has faced cancer, undergone a bone marrow transplant, and managed the complexities of heart disease. She became a medical crisis manager for herself and for loved ones, learning to advocate fiercely within healthcare systems that can feel overwhelming and impersonal. Later, widowhood added another layer of grief and resilience to her story. These experiences did not define her, but they deepened her capacity to write about hardship with honesty and grace.

Motherhood has also been a profound teacher. Raising a son with autism gave Caryn an intimate education in neurodiversity, special education systems, and the everyday realities of families navigating developmental differences. She learned to see the world through a different lens — one that values patience, celebrates small victories, and questions society's assumptions about what a meaningful life looks like. This perspective infuses her writing with warmth and a deep respect for the diverse ways people experience the world.

Beyond the newspaper page, Caryn is a sought-after speaker who connects with audiences through storytelling that is both personal and universal. She tailors her presentations to each setting, whether she is addressing a nonprofit foundation, a healthcare association, or a community gathering. Her talks explore resilience, finding hope in difficult circumstances, and the art of reframing adversity. Audiences leave not with platitudes but with practical wisdom and a renewed sense of what is possible when life takes unexpected turns.

Caryn's work with organizations like Fraser and various community foundations reflects her commitment to service and volunteerism. She understands that strong communities are built through shared stories and mutual support. Her involvement goes beyond writing checks or lending her name — she shows up, listens, and contributes in ways that honor the trust people place in her. This ethic of genuine engagement runs through everything she does, from her columns to her public speaking to the quiet acts of kindness that never make it into print.

The blend of roles Caryn has occupied — attorney, columnist, patient, caregiver, widow, mother — gives her a multifaceted view of life's challenges. She does not pretend to have all the answers, but she knows how to ask the right questions. Her writing helps readers discern what matters amid the noise, offering a window into difficult situations without sensationalizing them. There is a tenacious quality to her work, a refusal to look away from hard truths, balanced by an equally strong commitment to finding glimmers of hope.

Readers often describe Caryn's columns as conversations with a wise friend — someone who has been through the fire and emerged with her compassion intact. She writes for people who are grappling with life's biggest questions, who feel isolated by their struggles, and who need to know they are not alone. Her storytelling bridges the gap between private pain and public understanding, reminding us that even the most difficult experiences can become sources of connection and meaning when shared with honesty.

Through her columns, speaking engagements, and community involvement, Caryn M. Sullivan continues to build a body of work rooted in the belief that stories matter. She invites readers and audiences to move beyond surface-level engagement with the issues that shape our lives — healthcare, disability, grief, family — and to sit with the complexity and the nuance. In a media landscape that often prizes speed and sensationalism, her thoughtful, deliberate approach offers something rare: a space to think, to feel, and to find common ground.