Author Spotlight: Jodi Kozan

We are pleased to introduce Jodi Kozan, who recently published Wellspring: Finding Peace, Living Brave with us. The book is now available through the Word Alive Press Bookstore, Chapters/Indigo, Amazon, local Christian bookstores, and wherever else books are sold. We asked Jodi to share a little bit about her ministries, her writing, and how this book came to be. But first, a little bit about her.

About

Jodi Kozan grew up in northern Minnesota with loving parents, an older sister, and a younger brother on an acreage where she was free to dream, be adventurous, and explore in ways that have helped shape the person she is today. Some of that freedom supported the God-given gifts within her; other aspects led to looking for love in all the wrong places.

As a young girl, her diary became a safe place to express herself. She also remembers one particular book that impacted her: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret , by Judy Blume. She loved the honesty and real life questions the book captured. Like Margaret, she too had a sense that there was a God out there, but she wasn’t fully convinced He was real or could be trusted—that is, fully until Jodi was in her mid-twenties.

Jodi met her husband Tim in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1988, which began a whirlwind long-distance romance as he lived and worked in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. While preparing for the Miss Minnesota pageant in 1989, he captured her heart by pursuing and visiting her every other weekend for two and a half years.

After being married for thirty-six years, Jodi is now able to reflect on the many life lessons that God has taught her through His Word, His people, and His work in her life, which includes the simple and the profound.

One such moment was a dramatic encounter with Jesus in 1996. She had experienced a miracle with God in the middle of the night while rocking her baby girl to sleep. Earlier that evening, a woman had asked Jodi a simple question at a church planning meeting: “Don’t you know Jesus?” That night, she tossed and turned, which led to a deeply personal prayer to God. That prayer confirmed that she was truly seeking to know Him deeply in her heart. She experienced salvation assurance, a supernatural grace for the regrets she carried, and a healing from the fear that held her back.

Hearing God speak to her heart for the first time was life-changing.

Jodi began sharing her story one-on-one and with women’s ministries. She stepped out in faith with other women in her community to launch a ministry that shares the Gospel of Jesus with boldness.

As she and Tim raised their family and served at their local church, she spent more than two decades founding and leading nonprofit organizations that foster unity, restoration, and freedom. She founded Women’s Journey of Faith in 1999 and in 2016 co-founded Hope Restored, a Canadian charity that walks alongside survivors of sexual exploitation and addresses the scourge of human trafficking.

After resigning from her many hats with these organizations, she’s had more dedicated time to explore writing goals and enjoy her family, which includes four daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandsons—with two more on the way soon!

Though she has gone through many transitions, Jodi feels renewed excitement for the future. God has been faithful through each chapter of her life, giving her greater peace and courage for the next steps ahead.

Q&A

Q: How did you decide what kind of book to write first?
A: This book was written during a season when God was inviting me to slow down, listen more closely, and tend to my own heart. After twenty-five years of founding two non-profits, becoming an empty nester, and adding more titles to my name (like Grandma and Seminary Graduate), writing had become a place to centre my heart and thoughts for my own sake, and to hopefully inspire others along the way.

It took me a while to hone in on the concept, but the book’s concept became clear as I lay aside two other book projects that had been on my mind. Although I’ll get more specific with vision and personal testimony in future books, I sensed that this one needed to be written in more of an interactive devotional style. Someone can read Wellspring in thirty days, take a deep dive through it during a personal retreat, or spread the reading over months. It’s their choice. When I divided the thirty entries into four segments—“God’s Story, Your Story,” “Repairing the Heart,” “Filling the Heart,” and “Extending the Heart”—I better understood how to focus each one.

Q: Do you have any practical advice for aspiring writers who may feel stuck?
A: I had a supportive family who cheered me on, which meant the world to me. But since I felt stuck as to where to start, I received writing mentorship from two individuals. They helped me a lot. I also enlisted a group of women to pray for me while I was writing. I sent them regular updates as to where I was and how they could consider praying for me. This process was certainly humbling but worth the effort, as it reminded me how much God desires for us to serve in community. Writing can often feel like a lonely venture, alone behind your laptop for hours, days, and months on end, but we are never alone with God and His people. We are better together!

Q: Who has inspired you over the years to consider writing a book?
A: While leading women’s ministries, I was most passionate about hearing and reading about other people’s transformational stories of faith. A former pastor said to me years ago that I could impact more people with the written word, since at that time I was focused on speaking, leading groups, and facilitating events large or small.

That challenge hasn’t left me. I took an online course by Shannon Ethridge (BLAST: Building Leaders, Authors, Speakers, and Teachers) and also attended She Speaks, a conference hosted by the Proverbs 31 ministry in South Carolina. With more than 650 women gathering there, I sensed the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, telling me that success in life isn’t necessarily about publishing a book, leading a big ministry, or doing great things. Rather, it’s about staying true to God and doing the next best thing that is in line with His will. I had an overwhelming sense that each of the women at that conference had a story to tell. This mission lay heavy on my heart as I flew home. I knew that I wanted to write in order to impact lives for God.

Q: On your website, you write that you helped your dad write his story as a legacy piece for your family. How has that experience helped you in becoming an author yourself?
A: It helped a ton! I first gifted my dad a year-long subscription to a personal book-writing app for the family. At first, he didn’t feel that he had much of a story. To which I replied, “Nonsense, Dad!” He agreed to take on the project, as long as I’d help him.

How I cherish the many hours we spent together! I suggested an outline, came up with chapter titles, reminisced about his stories, and helped him turn his sentences first into paragraphs and then into chapters. My mom helped by searching for photos. The project deadlines weren’t as strict as those you’d encounter with a traditional or hybrid publisher, like Word Alive Press, but going through the process of setting and respecting deadlines was an invaluable experience that helped me work towards deadlines with Wellspring.

Within a year, my dad was proud to make copies of this book available for his children and grandchildren.

Who but God could have known that when I sat down to help write my dad’s memoir, I’d be helping our family plan his funeral four years later? Although he admitted that writing wasn’t his passion, working on that book was such an incredible experience. He was so excited about sharing a glimpse of his life, faith, and wishes for his family. For more context on this experience, I would recommend reading about it on my blog.

Q: Do you have other writing goals in mind for the future?
A: Now that I have the experience of writing this first book, I plan on finishing my second in the near future. That one will be a more personal memoir.

In looking back at all the ministry endeavours I’ve had the joy to be a part of, I see a common thread through them all: God’s story and our stories. I’m passionate about the concept that we all have a story to tell. So once I’m finished with the memoir, I definitely can see the joy of writing other books. A children’s book series would be fun now that I am a grandmomma! It would be very fulfilling to work on follow-up books to my devotional and memoir in order to equip others.

Q: Do you have any last words of advice on story work and how that can impact the writing process?
A: In one of my chapters in Wellspring, I encourage the reader to consider jotting down key moments in their lives on a timeline. Jotting down the highs and lows, as well as the facts of life that have made you the person you are today. Some of those memories will be life-giving while others may be painful to recall. Regardless, taking the time to reflect on this and acknowledge where you are at in life, and where God may want you to grow and heal, is crucial in terms of our self-awareness.

Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, having clarity in your own story is key. It helps you hone in on your authentic voice. After all, there is only one you in God’s timeline. There’s not any room for cookie-cutter versions of us. God’s story is meant to intersect with all our stories. The more we’re at peace with God, the more confidence we’ll have to impact the reader in a positive way.

Connecting Points

Find and follow Jodi online:
Website: jodikozan.com
Instagram: @jodikozan
Facebook: @JourneytoRestoration

Upcoming Events:

• Jodi will appear at the Women’s Journey of Faith 2026 conference, “Cherished,” held from May 1–2 at Forest Grove Community Church at 502 Webster Street in Saskatoon. Come meet her at her book table and the meet-and-greet!
• Jodi will share from her book as well as lead a creative floral arranging activity at a “Books and Bouquet” ticketed event on May 30. See her website for details.
• Kennedy’s Parable in Saskatoon, 603B 51st Street, is hosting a book launch for Wellspring, details to follow.
• On June 24, she will appear at another upcoming ticketed event in Saskatoon, “Get Your Brave On.” See her website for details.

Jodi is available for further book-related events. Contact her if you’re interested in partnering with her.

And, order her book here: Wellspring.