A Free 5-Day Family Story Challenge

The One Ancestor Challenge

Five days. One ancestor. Finally, a place to start.

You’ve always meant to write down your family’s story.

You’ve thought about the grandparents who left everything behind.
The villages in Hungary they never saw again. The courage it took to start over.

But where do you even begin?

Start here. Start with one.

Join the Free Challenge

Kick-off: Sunday, January 11 at 2pm, Eastern time on Zoom | Challenge Days: January 12-16

What You’ll Create

In just 5 days, you’ll transform what you already know into a story worth preserving.

Your Story

A beautifully crafted 400-word story about one ancestor’s journey.

Historical Context

Understand the world they lived in – we’ll provide the sources.

A Proven Process

Learn a method you can use again and again for every ancestor.

The Confidence

You’ll realize you CAN do this and you’ll want to keep going.

Fair warning: Once you feel that first spark of connection to their story, once you see how much you already carry from them — you might not want to stop at just one. And that’s exactly why we created this!

How it Works

Each day, complete one simple task that builds toward your complete story.

Choose Your Ancestor

Answer 5 simple questions about one person in your family tree. What do you know for sure? What do you think might be true? What do you wish you knew?

Add Historical Context

We’ll help you discover what was happening in Hungary when they livedbthe history, the village life, the forces that shaped their choices.

Imagine One Moment

Pick one scene from their life and write just 5 sentences. The day they left. The moment they arrived. A decision. A fear. A hope.

Find One Treasure

Choose one photo, document, object, or memory. Look closely. What do you see? What do you know? What do you feel when you look at it?

Write Your Story

Combine everything you’ve gathered into a complete 400-word story you’ll be proud to share with your family.

It’s that simple. And that powerful.

Save My Spot

Kick-off: Sunday, January 11 at 2pm, Eastern time on Zoom | Challenge Days: January 12-16

Is This Challenge Right for You?

This challenge is perfect if you have Hungarian roots and want to finally start preserving your family’s story.

You’ll Love This If You:

  • Feel overwhelmed by the idea of “doing genealogy”
  • Have bits and pieces of information but don’t know what to do with them
  • Keep meaning to write things down before the stories are lost
  • Want to connect your children to their heritage
  • Have just one story you really want to preserve

You Don’t Need:

  • Years of research already done
  • Professional writing skills
  • Hours of free time
  • Perfect records or documentation
  • To know Hungarian history

You just need 30 minutes a day and one ancestor to begin with.

Register for Free

Kick-off: Sunday, January 11 at 2pm, Eastern time on Zoom | Challenge Days: January 12-16

Meet Your Guides

We’re passionate about helping you discover and preserve your Hungarian heritage story.

Liz Szabo Vos
Owner, The Hungarian Store Magyar Marketing

Liz has been helping people connect with their Hungarian heritage for over 15 years through The Hungarian Store, Magyar Living Tours, and The Hungarian Living Podcast. Her own great-grandparents immigrated from Hungary between 1889-1924, and she’s passionate about helping others preserve their family stories.

Réka Bakos
Co-editor, Hungarian Roots & American Dreams and Founder, rootStories

Réka specializes in helping families uncover and preserve their immigration stories. As co-editor of Hungarian Roots & American Dreams and founder of rootStories, she’s guided countless people through the process of transforming family fragments into meaningful narratives.

Questions?

What if I don’t have much information about my ancestors?

Perfect! This challenge is designed for exactly that situation. You’ll be surprised how much you can create from even a few basic facts: a name, a village, an approximate date. We’ll show you how.

What if I’m not a good writer?

You don’t need to be. We’ll guide you step-by-step with specific prompts and examples. By the end, you’ll have a storyband you’ll realize you had it in you all along.

How does the challenge work?

Each morning, starting on Sunday, January 11th (Kick-off day) you’ll receive an email with the link for the live Zoom presentation which happens at 2pm, Eastern time that day. I encourage you to attend this live session if at all possible. It will be only 20 minutes long and there you will be given the assignment for the day.

Shortly after the daily session I will send out a second email with a link to the video replay page and the written assignment.

We encourage you to work on your project a little each day so you are not trying to do all 5 days at once. The tasks are broken down into smaller tasks so you can make progress without being overwhelmed.

 

What if I can’t make the live videos?

No problem! While we think it is best to be there, we know there are work schedules, time zones, and life emergencies to contend with. All the teaching content is provided in recorded videos you can watch anytime. The live sessions are an opportunity to connect and ask questions – helpful but not required.

What if I want to write about more than one ancestor?

Excellent! Start with one for this challenge. Once you complete it, you’ll have the process down and can use it again and again. Many participants find they want to continue – and we’ll share how you can do that.

What happens after the 5 days?

You’ll have your first complete family story and likely the momentum to keep going! We’ll share next steps for deepening your family history journey, including opportunities to continue learning and writing with us.

Your Family’s Story Is Waiting

It’s in the fragments you already know.
The questions you’ve always wondered about.
The courage it took to start over.

It’s already there. We’re just going to help you write it down.

Join the Free Challenge Now