A Journey from Strategyto Empathy
Speaker. Author. Coach. Strategist.Also: global citizen, storyteller, sports fan.The titles don't tell the whole story.
I grew up in New York and I came up as a writer — which means I learned early that the way you say something is as important as what you're saying. That lesson has never stopped being true.
I co-wrote a book with Seth Godin as part of the Impresario project. Built a marketing agency. Sold it. Then became the first Digital Director in Lambda Legal's 46-year history — the oldest LGBTQ legal advocacy organization in the country — where I led the digital strategy during the Kavanaugh SCOTUS confirmation hearings and won a Shorty Award for it. The 3B+ organic impressions came from 20 years of doing real work across platforms, movements, and moments — that was one of them. "Queer leader" stopped being an identity. It became a job description.
Every framework I teach, I've tested. Every story I tell, I've lived. Through The Empathetic Leader and The Empathy Group, I help leaders stop performing and start communicating — which turns out to be a completely different thing.
With Seth Godin
The Impresario project — where it all started.
The People Arethe Prize.
Not the Profit. Eighty-six pages on what it actually means to build a team, hire with integrity, and lead in a way that doesn't require people to leave themselves at the door.
A framework for empathetic leadership — built from two decades of doing it in the real world, not a business school case study.
"Empathy is always the right answer. Kristina's book opens the door to bring it to work."
Live & In Person
On Stage
DMWF Conference
From Discovery to Delight: Crafting Seamless Customer Journeys
CX Conference
Customer experience & strategy
Virtual Keynote
Reaching rooms anywhere in the world
"You know who the pioneers are, don't you? They're the ones up front with the arrows in their backs."
I take the arrows.So you can move forward.
I've been first through the door more times than I can count — building paths where there weren't any, making mistakes so you don't have to, and clearing the way for the leaders coming up behind me. That's not a brand line. It's just what happened.
Off the Clock
The Other Side
Global citizen. Storyteller. Sports fan.
New York
Sports Fan Life
"The professional stuff is what I do. The rest is who I am."
The Journey
How I Got Here
Finding My Voice
Brooklyn College. Served as Sports Editor for The Excelsior—learning that the best stories are the ones people feel.
The Years That Actually Mattered
Co-wrote a book with Seth Godin. Built a marketing agency from scratch. Sold it. Became the first Digital Director in Lambda Legal's 46-year history — leading the #StopKavanaugh campaign during the Kavanaugh hearings, which won a Shorty Award. The 3B+ organic impressions are a career total — that campaign was one piece of it.
Northeastern University
Deepened my understanding of how narratives shape culture and why stories are the real currency of leadership.
50+ Speaking Events
NYSE. LinkedIn. Meta. Out in Tech. Lesbians Who Tech. Wall Street boardrooms and queer tech spaces — both. Every stage taught me the same lesson: people remember how you made them feel.
The Empathetic Leader
Created The Empathetic Leader and founded The Empathy Group. Helping leaders find the stories that connect them to their people.
Background
The Resume Version
Education
- •Brooklyn College
- •Northeastern University
- •Yale University
- •Wilmington University
Stages & Organizations
- •NYSE (Keynote)
- •Out in Tech
- •Lesbians Who Tech
The Work
- •Author, The People Are the Prize, Not the Profit
- •Co-Author with Seth Godin (Impresarios, seths.blog)
- •Creator, The Empathetic Leader
- •Founder, The Empathy Group
- •1 Company Built & Sold
- •First Digital Director, Lambda Legal
- •Shorty Award Winner (11th Annual)
Press & Recognition