Back in the early aughts, I had a little blog called “Kristendom” where I wrote about all things absurd and serious, including motherhood, working in higher education, technology, and mental health, among others. While I outgrew that blog, I have never outgrown my love of writing. And so here I am again. But who exactly is Kristen?
Kristen is a writer, a web developer/content strategist, and a mental health / neurodivergence advocate, and her pronouns are she/her/hers. She has been writing her memoir for a few years now, but she promises she’ll finish it someday. You might even get to see parts of it here. She is the partner of a pretty amazing guy, and she is the mom to a spectacularly intelligent and funny teenager (who takes after her). They live in Utah with their two dogs – Margot “Tenney” Tenenbark and Alice “Ali” Cullen and her son’s cat Eliza. She also likes to cross stitch snarky comments, read tarot cards, and occasionally plays the piano.
Kristen has been a web developer for over 10 years, and before that has done most things in higher ed, from being an academic adviser to running a student housing department. After switching to the marketing and communications side of the house, she provided student-related communications during COVID-19 and was even responsible for all the websites at her university for a time. After over 20 years in higher education, she moved onto nonprofit work. She’s currently serving as the director for website and digital projects at Mental Health America, one of the first national mental health nonprofits in the United States.
If you want to dig in a little farther to my primary interests, check out what I’ve been reading, the work I do to advocate on behalf of those with mental health conditions and neurodivergence, or a few of my favorite cross stitch projects.
I’ve Been Reading
When I’m not writing, I’m likely to be reading. In fact, it’s one of the main ways I manage my anxiety and depression. If you’re looking for book recommendations, I’ve probably got something here for you.
I’ve Been Stitching
I’ve been cross stitching since before it was cool, but now that it’s cool, I’m sharing some of my pieces. I do a lot of my own patterns, and I even do custom pieces if you’re looking for the perfect gift.
I’ve Been Advocating
I’ve experienced depression and anxiety for most of my life, and I’ve been writing and speaking about it for the past six years or so. I try to advocate for those with mental illness whenever I can.