Hi, I'm Kristen 👋

Systems Strategist. Podcast host. Twin girl mom. And a big believer that meaningful work should leave room for a meaningful life.

I help established service-based business owners build businesses that run professionally without requiring their constant attention.

But I didn't exactly set out to become a Systems Strategist.

In fact, for a long time, I was following a very different plan.

Explore Working Together

I followed the path I thought I was supposed to follow.

College. Career. MBA. The impressive corporate job.

I spent 13 years at Johnson & Johnson working across procurement, marketing and corporate communications. I worked hard. I was good at what I did. And for a long time, I assumed I was building exactly the life I was supposed to want.

Then, in 2018, I was unexpectedly told my role was being eliminated.

I was completely blindsided.

I had been a strong performer. I liked my work. I had done everything I thought I was supposed to do—and suddenly I understood just how little control I actually had over something that occupied such a huge part of my life.

I found another role internally and kept going. But something had shifted.

Over the next several years, my responsibilities continued to expand. By 2020, I was burned out.

And eventually I had to admit that I didn't want to stop doing meaningful work.

I wanted more choice over the role work got to play in my life.

So in 2022, I walked away.

I didn't leave corporate with a perfectly mapped-out business plan or a five-year entrepreneurial vision.

I gave plenty of notice—because of course I did—and two days after I officially left, my entire family got COVID.

Not exactly the fairytale opening scene I'd imagined.

That summer, I slowed down. I spent time with my kids. I got my Peloton workouts in and quietly kept my blue-dot streak alive (#ifykyk).

And when fall came, I had something I hadn't had in a very long time:

A blank slate.

Which was exciting.

And also a little bit terrifying. 😬

The turning point came...

after I interviewed a photographer friend on my podcast.

Her business was growing, and she invited me to help reorganize what was happening behind the scenes.

I loved it.

Looking at how the work moved. Figuring out where things were getting clunky. Creating a clearer process. Finding ways technology could take work off her plate without making the experience feel robotic.

She loved the result.

And then she said something very simple:

People would pay for this.

She was right.

That project set me on the path to becoming a Systems Strategist. And the more business owners I've worked with since, the more I've realized that the skills I built during my corporate career translate surprisingly well to the one-person-business world.

The scale is different.

The need for thoughtful operations isn't.

Corporate polish. Solopreneur practicality.

Today, I help established service-based business owners look at how their businesses actually run—the processes, tools, automations, communication and client experience behind the work.

I understand what excellent business operations can look like because I've worked inside a global organization.

I also understand that you don't have an IT department, an operations team and six people available to maintain the system I recommend.

Neither do I.

So I'm not interested in handing you an enterprise solution squeezed into a one-person business.

I want to understand what's actually creating friction. What you're remembering that you shouldn't have to remember. What you're doing manually because no one ever stopped to question it. What deserves automation—and what deserves to stay human.

Then we build something appropriate for the business you actually have.

Something professional.

Something practical.

Something you'll still be using six months from now.

Because the systems aren't really the point.

I didn't leave corporate so every available hour could eventually belong to my own business instead.

And I don't think that's why most of my clients chose entrepreneurship, either.

Maybe you wanted flexibility around your family. The ability to travel. More control over your schedule. Space to take care of yourself. The freedom to pursue work you genuinely care about.

Whatever your version looks like, the business was supposed to give you more choice, not slowly take it away.

That's what I mean when I talk about building a modern fairytale.

There's no prescribed version.

It's meaningful work and a meaningful life, on your terms.

And I believe the way we build and run our businesses can help protect that choice.

A few things i believe

Business should support the life you want.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Automaton should remove unnecessary work - not remove the human from your business.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Consistency doesn't require intensity.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Build Your Own Fairytale

That bigger conversation about meaningful work, autonomy and choice is also why I host Build Your Own Fairytale, my top 5% globally ranked podcast.

For more than four years, I've been talking with women about the paths they've taken, the choices they've made, the unexpected turns along the way, and the different ways they're building meaningful work and meaningful lives.

I also share my own stories and ideas about business ownership, mental load, systems, consistency, work and life—and everything I'm figuring out along the way.

Because there isn't one right version of the fairytale.

The modern fairytale is one we get to build ourselves.

Listen to Build Your Own Fairytale

And when I'm not thinking about systems...

I'm a Jersey girl (minus the big hair), wife, twin girl mom and cat mom.

I'm a former volleyball player who somehow became a half-marathon finisher. I've kept a Peloton streak alive for more than six years. I love puzzles, books, a good fairytale reference and finding an excuse to turn almost anything into a spreadsheet.

I'm also very serious about building a business that lets me actually be present for all of those parts of my life.

Because that's my version of the fairytale.

Yours gets to look completely different.

Hi, I'm Kristen 👋

Systems Strategist. Podcast host. Twin girl mom. And a big believer that meaningful work should leave room for a meaningful life.

I followed the path I thought I was supposed to follow.

I wanted more choice over the role work got to play in my life.

So in 2022, I walked away.

Turns out, I'd been a systems girl all along.

The turning point came...

Corporate polish. Solopreneur practicality.

Because the systems aren't really the point.

A few things i believe

Business should support the life you want.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Automaton should remove unnecessary work - not remove the human from your business.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Consistency doesn't require intensity.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Build Your Own Fairytale

And when I'm not thinking about systems...

Ready to make your business support yours?

Hi, I'm Kristen 👋

Systems Strategist. Podcast host. Twin girl mom. And a big believer that meaningful work should leave room for a meaningful life.

I followed the path I thought I was supposed to follow.

I wanted more choice over the role work got to play in my life.

So in 2022, I walked away.

Turns out, I'd been a systems girl all along.

The turning point came...

Corporate polish. Solopreneur practicality.

Because the systems aren't really the point.

A few things i believe

Business should support the life you want.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Your 5-star craft deserves a 5-star experience around it.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Automaton should remove unnecessary work - not remove the human from your business.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

The best system isn't necessarily the fanciest; it's the one you'll actually keep using.

Consistency doesn't require intensity.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your mental load is simply decide once.

Build Your Own Fairytale

And when I'm not thinking about systems...

Ready to make your business support yours?

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