THE MAN

Brandon Kowallis is an active cave explorer, cartographer, and photographer, author of the book Fragile Frontiers and Cursing at Mountains, certified Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt and project management fanatic, and the director of the Salt Lake Community College Concurrent Enrollment Program. He has a master’s degree in filmmaking and has produced and edited several short films including: SLCC Concurrent Enrollment – Under the Hood, The SLCC Student Spotlight Series, The Wisdom Next Door pilot, Pornography, Confronting the Addiction, SLCC Concurrent Enrollment Directions, and the NACEP and InspHAIRation promo videos. His photographic works have been published in multiple publications and exhibits across the nation.

THE JOURNEY

From accepting a service call in a foreign country for two years with only one month of language training and just barely enough money to afford one to two meals per day; to suffering a solid two years of extreme baby-induced sleep deprivation; accepting a first-time leadership position in a toxic environment; battling chronic Lyme disease; discovering the body of a neighbor who took his own life; and dealing with the dark shadow of disabling anxiety and depression overshadowing those he loved; Brandon has had his share of challenges and traumatic moments that have shaped his life for the better. 

Though each of these experiences Brandon has spent every spare moment, every extra ounce of energy, finding ways to cope, and then to thrive. Through all of this he has discovered ways to lighten his load, address difficult relationship, enact change without frustrating others, and approach those around him with greater empathy. The journey has never been pretty and his navigation of it less than elegant, but life is far more than peaches and rainbows. There is no neatly packaged ending to our story, just a transition from one phase of life to the next, with beautiful moments scattered randomly in between.

THE REST

Brandon, his wife Michelle and their two children live in Salt Lake City, Utah where there are lots of caves to explore and rocks to climb. In his spare time, Brandon goofs around with his kids, plays the piano, makes cave maps, serves in his church and community, writes books, looks for wild mushrooms and edible wild plants, works on their small yard, makes repairs around the house, dreams of his replacement motorcycle, and goes hiking, caving, and camping with the kids.