Kristen Hartnagel shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Kristen, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that my joy is MY job! No one can rob me of my joy – unless I let them. So making time for things that fill me up has always been a focus for me. I’m so fortunate to have a creative outlet that allows me to totally cut loose! As one of the lead singers in an all-female rock band called The 6PAK, we get to perform all over West Michigan. We even have a YouTube video with over 3.5 million views! It’s a cover of Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/nSUZ9iYFtdQ?si=obLD5wMkbzBj2Os-
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Kristen Hartnagel, a personal brand strategist, keynote speaker, and singer, and more. At the heart of everything I do is one core belief: you already have magic in you; my job is to help you remember it and share it.
Professionally, I’m a founding member and strategist with Brand Builders Group, where I help visionaries, speakers, authors, and entrepreneurs clarify their message, amplify their influence, and intentionally shape a reputation that attracts the right opportunities. I’ve spent thousands of hours helping people land bestselling books, paid speaking engagements, podcasts, and platforms—but what really lights me up is helping them feel aligned while doing it.
My work lives at the intersection of strategy and spirituality. I help people translate inner knowing into outer impact, turning intuition into language, purpose into positioning, and lived experience into leadership. Clients often come to me successful on paper but quietly restless. Together, we refine not just what they say, but who they’re being when they say it.
Alongside my corporate work, I run Evolve Now, my personal platform, and I’m building a community called the Quantum Collective Joy Lab™. It’s a space devoted to conscious growth, imagination, and joy as a serious strategy for life and leadership. I also host a podcast, speak internationally, as well as sing in The 6PAK because expression matters! Music communicates at the level of the soul, so singing is my way of making joy audible.
My story is shaped by love, loss, and deep curiosity about consciousness. Losing my parents and my sister profoundly changed how I see life and solidified my conviction that everything really is a gift when you know how to work with it. That perspective informs my work, my message, and my mission: helping people stop playing small, trust their inner guidance, and lead with presence, courage, and joy.
If there’s a throughline, it’s this:
When you align who you are on the inside with how you show up in the world, impact becomes exponential.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I had two profound influences that most shaped how I see myself: the relationships I had with my mother and my sister.
My mom taught me curiosity. From a young age, she encouraged me to question everything, kindly, thoughtfully, and without fear. She used to say, “Just because you admire someone doesn’t mean everything they say is true. And just because your dad and I believe something doesn’t make it true either. Even your own thoughts aren’t always true—so stay curious.” That lesson gave me permission to stay open, to resist rigid thinking, and to let life unfold without judgment. It shaped how I lead, how I coach, and how I live.
My sister shaped my heart. We wrote songs together, sang together, and visualized life together – especially as she navigated her journey with cancer. During that time, we anchored into a mantra that became a way of life for us: “Holy Shift! Everything’s a gift.” It wasn’t spiritual bypassing – it was a radical choice to see meaning, growth, and love even in the hardest moments.
Through years of studying A Course in Miracles, I came to understand that perspective shapes reality. I can never see absolute truth because I always bring me with me – I see life through a “Kristen filter.” So when I want to see more clearly, my practice is surrender. I often say, “Show me how to see this from a healed perspective.”
Now, when something triggers me, I see it as a gift, a mirror. If something pushes my buttons, it’s revealing that I have a pushable button and it’s ready to be healed. That reframe has changed everything. Imagine seeing every experience—not as something happening to you, but as an invitation happening for you.
That way of seeing myself and the world continues to guide my work, my relationships, and the way I help others live with more awareness, compassion, and joy.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
As a child, when I was sad, what helped me the most was my imagination and my inner voice.
My sister and I didn’t always get along. She was three and a half years older than me. As an adult, I can see that I disrupted her world – just by being born! As a child, though, it was painful. It felt like she cut me down at every turn. I remember feeling so small – like a mouse in a cage, afraid to stick my head out for fear of being pounced on. It’s human nature, I think, to long for the thing you think you can’t have, and when I was little, all I wanted was her love. Feeling like it was unavailable was crushing.
One moment stands out vividly. After she told me I’d never be a good singer and criticized the way I looked, I stood crying in front of the mirror—buck teeth, pointy chin, all of it—and said to myself, “Just you wait. You’re going to grow up and be beautiful. And you’re going to sing better than she can.” It wasn’t bravado. It was self-protection. It was hope.
What ultimately helped me was learning to speak life to myself when I felt unseen by others.
Years later, the story healed in the most beautiful way. My sister and I did the work. We became best friends. We wrote songs together, sang together, and performed our original music side by side – something childhood me never could have imagined. We’d even call each other and do what we called “rampages of appreciation,” speaking our dreams out loud as if they’d already happened. It was joyful, playful, and deeply bonding.
Looking back, that early pain taught me something powerful: I always have a choice. I can let my reactions to the way others make me feel run the show, or I can get still, invite that always-available inner voice in, and choose differently. I decide what I let in. Everything has the meaning I assign it. Even the hardest beginnings can transform into the deepest connections.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies in the personal branding industry is the idea that visibility alone creates opportunity. There’s an unspoken promise that if you build the perfect website, automate your emails, post consistently on social media, and “get your brand right,” clients will magically appear.
Those things matter – but they are not the thing.
The truth is, nothing replaces human connection. No algorithm has ever outperformed a genuine relationship.
Many people believe that once the systems are built, they can be passive. What I see instead is incredibly capable, heart-led people hiding behind technology because direct outreach feels uncomfortable. And I get it. But growth has never been passive. Every meaningful expansion requires a little courage.
What I teach is how to find language that feels good, so people can become the catalyst for their own success by leveraging relationships, not avoiding them. The people already in your life are far more powerful than you realize. Everyone who loves you knows someone who at least needs to know what you do. You’re not asking for referrals – you’re asking for introductions. From there, you take responsibility for the conversation, the listening, and the service.
What I believe, though I can’t scientifically prove it, is that intention matters. When your heart is focused on serving rather than protecting yourself from discomfort, things move. Conversations open. Trust accelerates. Doors appear that no funnel could have manufactured.
We feel good when we help others. And when we don’t allow people to help us, by making introductions or opening doors, we actually rob them of that experience. That shift alone changes everything.
At the end of the day, it comes down to how willing you are to be uncomfortable for the sake of service. When your focus moves off “How do I look?” and onto “Who needs me?” nervousness loses its grip. Human connection becomes the strategy – and it always works. One of the founders of Brand Builders Group, Rory Vaden, says, “There is no fear when the mission to serve is clear.”
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
What I understand deeply, and what many people struggle to grasp, is that life isn’t happening to us – it’s responding to us.
Most people believe their circumstances create their inner world. I’ve learned the opposite is far more powerful: the way we interpret our experiences shapes how we feel, how we show up, and ultimately what unfolds next. Meaning isn’t inherent – it’s assigned. And that means we always have more choice than we think.
I also understand that discomfort isn’t a sign you’re doing something wrong – it’s often evidence that something is ready to grow. Triggers aren’t punishments; they’re information. When something pushes our buttons, it’s not an interruption in the journey – it IS the journey, pointing us toward the part of ourselves asking to be seen, softened, or healed.
Another thing I’ve learned is that clarity doesn’t come from thinking harder. It comes from getting quieter. When we stop outsourcing our authority to other people’s opinions, strategies, or expectations and start listening inward, life gets simpler. Not easier, but truer.
And finally, I understand that joy isn’t a reward for having everything figured out. It’s a frequency we can choose now. From that place, better decisions emerge, braver conversations happen, and more aligned opportunities appear.
In short: we are far more powerful, and far more supported, than we’ve been taught to believe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kristenhartnagel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenhartnagel/
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/kristenhartnagel
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/EvolveNowwithKristen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/khartsings
Image Credits
Lisa Shaw: Your Influencer Image
Carson Media
