Lifestyle

Douglas Eugene Noll – A walk through his publications and their achievements made so far

Published

3 years ago

February 7, 2023

Every author has a different story, but they have one thing in common – they all overcome great obstacles and hardships. Plenty of famous writers had impairments yet found enormous success in their lives. It goes without saying that the best art comes out of the worst adversities. When physical and mental activity is hindered by sickness, creative activity thrives. Many renowned authors, writers, and poets bear witness to this decision. One such example is Doulas Eugene Noll. The author of De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less was born with multiple severe impairments.

His calling is to serve humankind, and he does so on numerous levels. He is a best-selling author, educator, and trainer. He is an accomplished mediator. Noll’s job takes him from international work to assisting people in resolving highly vexing interpersonal and ideological problems.

Noll has penned four books, and his latest book De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less, was a best-seller on amazon and was published in four different languages. It also won the Book Excellence Award in 2017. The book teaches the readers how to calm an angry or upset person of any age while remaining centered and calm. In addition, Noll, in his book, has also highlighted ways to calm oneself down swiftly and efficiently. Noll is a lawyer turned peacemaker born near-blind and with club feet. He is the creator of several online courses that teach his innovative de-escalation skills.

It was in the year 2000 that he realized that the courtroom was not where he belonged. As a result, he embarked on a journey as a peacemaker and mediator after leaving a successful trial practice. Noll has stressed in his book what he has implemented in real life. He has taught in some of California’s most violent men’s and women’s prisons with substantial outcomes. Noll held workshops for groups who wished to bring something positive into their communities.

He named that workshop after his book as De-escalation training workshops, where participants learned how to calm an angry person in 90 seconds or less. The training workshop was a perfect way for churches and faith communities to express one’s religious and spiritual beliefs in a practice that brings peace under challenging situations. Throughout ten weeks, the participants begin to master the skills and change their way of looking at the world through the lens of positivity.

In addition to De-Escalate, Noll has published three other books named Peacemaking: practicing at the intersection of law and human conflict, Sex, politics, & religion at the office: the new competitive advantage, and Elusive peace: how modern diplomatic strategies could better resolve world conflicts. Each book brought an impact of its own and earned recognition.

His journey as a lawyer

In 1977, Noll began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable George Hopper before being admitted to the California Bar in December of the same year. As an associate, he joined Fullerton, Lang, Richert & Patch, a Fresno law firm located in Fullerton, in 1978. He tried his first legal case in 1978 and went on to practice law as a civil trial lawyer for the next 22 years, working on over 75 trials.

Douglas Noll contributed to the legal profession by assisting students in achieving success via education and teaching. Throughout his career, he worked as an instructor in various positions at numerous institutes. Noll was a member of the American Institute of Mediation’s core faculty and the Straus Institute’s Professional Skills Development program’s summer faculty.

In a nutshell, Noll’s entire life has seen him reinvent himself taking different routes but with the same vision in mind: To bring peace to the communities. He illustrates that being born with impairments is not our choice, but not allowing them on the way to the top is entirely our choice.

His dedication to disclosing the world through a lens of positivity led him to create Prison in Peace, where he transforms murderers into peacemakers. He stresses that the power of mediation cannot be overlooked. Noll is now an award-winning author, teacher, trainer, and skilled mediator.

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

5 days ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.