Kristen Sharma has made a significant difference by inspiring and healing many lives through her companies, college, teachings, singing, and songwriting. She has traveled to more than thirty-five countries as an advocate for body, mind, and spirit education. She was honored as Female Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010 by the governor of Iowa as the woman who made the most significant difference for others in the state.

As an entrepreneur for more than twenty-five years, Kristen has owned eight successful businesses. She founded and directs the East-West School of Integrative Healing Arts and Massage Therapy College, an award-winning school in her native Iowa. She also founded and directs A Massage Oasis, a holistic healing and therapeutic massage program for hospitals, corporations, and university campuses.

In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, she is a wife, mother, singer, songwriter, artist, published author, and international speaker. Kristen is also a Platinum Partner graduate of the Anthony Robbins University Leadership Academy and served as an advisor and consultant to the Deepak Chopra Center for Living in San Diego, California.

Kristen is online at www.kristensharma.com.

For most of my life, I really didn’t understand gender-specific roles. As a child, there were no “girl” chores or “boy” chores in my family; there were just chores that needed to be done. Along with my brother and sister, my parents taught us to work hard, use our gifts, and make a difference. We were encouraged to be leaders, ask questions, and always, always continue to learn. My mission is to inspire myself and others to heal and enlighten the world using our God-given gifts. I have had several businesses over the last twenty-five years, all of which helped or inspired people. I am also a singer and a songwriter and I carry my mission with me in all the work I do.

In 2006, I was hired as a consultant for the design and launch of the Deepak Chopra Center for Living in San Diego, which is a holistic healing and education center. While working on the concept and curriculum for the Center, I felt a natural love for the idea of helping people through healing. On my return to the Midwest, I created my own holistic healing projects in the form of a healing arts college and a corporate massage therapy spa program, A Massage Oasis. I love massage! Many years ago, after fracturing my vertebrae in high school, doctors predicted that I could be in a wheelchair by the age of forty. It was massage that made the difference and now enables me to live an active and busy life that I love.

Now it gives me great satisfaction to see that more than 200 students have a new career through graduating from the East-West School and many continue to work in the field. A Massage Oasis continues to grow and help organizations look after the wellness of their employees and improving morale, attendance, and overall health. The service is extremely popular at all locations, which lets me know that we are making a difference.

I also organize a health and wellness conference called “Be Your Best” and about 95 percent of the attendees are women. It is not intended as a “women’s event,” but I think women have an interest in wanting to be the best they can be, pass it on, and shine the light on others. Many of our staff, students, and clients are women. I’ve learned that women really do create cultures where we work together as a team with compassion, caring, and kindness—“leadership with kindness” is how I like to think of it. Although I’ve found that men are wonderful problem solvers, women tend to want to help people feel great, feel nurtured, and show compassion. Women tend to be natural healers and therapists.

Currently, I am excited to be writing and recording custom songs of inspiration for celebrities and high-profile clients. I am also leading the creation of the theme song for the Global Women Foundation and California Women’s Conference that we hope will reach millions to empower women, raise awareness of the poor conditions for many women across the world, and inspire women and men everywhere to work together to heal the world. The theme for the conference and the song is “Together, we are better.”

We are better together! We need each other—men need women, and women need men. We all have our struggles. People, for the most part, do the best they can for each other with what they have. There’s no better feeling for me than to watch my colleagues, students, staff, faculty, and clients work together, go the extra mile, exceed expectations, make a significant difference for others, and do it with heart for the betterment of the human race.