About Harmony Works
My mission is to design spherical systems that support our need for connection and community.
I believe we are made for good, that each one of us has a unique contribution to live into the world. Our human nature is designed for connection and community, but our modern, fast paced world often pulls us in so many directions that it is easy to get disconnected. When we are disconnected we can start to feel isolated and defensive and it is harder to live into our highest selves.
We are stronger together and to get there we need better systems that support connection by helping us see ourselves, others and the world differently. When we see things differently, we behave differently. We exist in dynamic relationship to each other. We are autonomous individuals and interconnected through our relationships and community.
When we bring these dynamics into harmony everyone has what they need as individuals and the integrity of the larger system, whether a family, an organization, or a community, is strengthened.
The model I use to help visualize both our individual needs and our collective needs and relationship is spherical. The sphere is the strongest shape in nature. It has no weak points (e.g. corners), it naturally maintains its shape, and it can expand and contract without losing its integrity (spherical model as metaphor to help shift the way we see ourselves, others and the world) box/sphere metaphor.
Get to Know Kristen
I believe each one of us is a child of God with our own unique gifts to contribute to this world. I started Harmony Works because I want to use my gifts to help organizations through the discernment and planning process to unlock the potential of their people and their organizations so that they can live their contributions in the world. As a systems thinker I intuitively look for the bigger picture and how all the different elements work together because I know that it is in the nuances that our harmony is created.
In my previous career working more than 12 years as a mediator and collaborative lawyer, I often wished that I had met people sooner so that I could help them communicate differently and avoid the road that led them to my office. So, after 2023 gave me a lot of time to reflect, first with a broken ankle, and then breast cancer and multiple surgeries (that was a lot of recovery time to meditate and pray) I made the decision to leave the law and work proactively to help people improve communication, strengthen connections, and build community.
My passion for nonprofits comes from my mother. She was, in her words, “a professional volunteer”. At the age of 37 she learned she had a condition that could cause a fatal aneurism at any time. She was given medication, but beyond that it was a case of cross your fingers, hope and prayer. She lived the next 24 years determined to make a difference while she was on this side of the grass. I share her belief that we are all called to do the good we can when we have the opportunity.
