Authors Spotlight: Weston Breaux and DeAndrae Hinton

Weston Breaux: Growing up as a middle child often means learning to live in between — between attention and invisibility, independence and belonging. 

In this talk, the author explores how that “in-between” experience shaped their understanding of identity and sexuality.  This book, The Middle Child: Humble.Hopeful.Healing, tells the story of family, identity, and self-acceptance, while exploring what it means to feel unseen yet deeply connected, lost yet searching for belonging, even when things were chaotic. This honest and uplifting conversation reminds us that the middle isn't a place of being stuck — it’s where empathy, resilience, and identity are found. Sometimes, living in the middle is exactly where we find ourselves most fully. 

In the book, you will also explore how heritage connects us to something bigger — our values, our community, and the land itself. This talk reminds us that culture isn't just found in distant places or history books; it lives in the way we care for each other and farm animals, honor our past, and carry those lessons forward.  

DeAndrae Hinton: The author will discuss why he wrote the book, My Favorite Mistakes, how it transformed him through all walks of life, and how he redefined mistakes. He will use this as a template to discuss how to impart the following lessons:  Lesson One: Understand the Emotional Climate,  Lesson Two: Develop Vulnerable Authority,  Lesson Three: Pride vs. Parenting,  Lesson Four: Foster Adaptability,  Lesson Five: The Transformative Power of Influence, Lesson Six: Inspirational Support, Lesson Seven: Authentic Self-Perception,  Lesson Eight: Emotional Sovereignty and Self-Regulation, and finally the Closing Message: Turning Mistakes Into Movement