Kristen Harootunian's childhood was marked by significant trauma. When she was in 6th grade, her mother — who had struggled with addiction — attempted and completed suicide. Left to navigate her grief alone, Kristen buried her pain and built walls around herself.

As she grew older, she turned to alcohol, drugs, and self-harm to cope. At one point, she believed she wouldn't live past 18. Through numerous treatment efforts, she finally accepted help — attending long-term residential treatment and then a recovery high school to finish her education.

Kristen went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications from Penn State University — and was honored to deliver the commencement address at her own graduation.

Since 2016, Kristen has proudly served as a Young Adult Speaker with Minding Your Mind, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health education, completing 700+ presentations that have reached over 100,000 individuals across schools, colleges, and communities nationwide. She is now more than 10+ years sober.

As an independent speaker, Kristen brings that same evidence-informed storytelling to corporate wellness programs, athletic departments, and conferences — helping organizations reduce stigma, build psychologically safe cultures, and equip teams with practical tools for mental wellness. She has also partnered with Spirence to develop corporate training video content on emotional wellness and mental health in high-performance environments.

Kristen currently serves as Education Alliance Specialist at La Salle University through Caron Treatment Centers, delivering mental wellness and resilience programming to student athletes. She has been featured in the La Salle Collegian, Telegraph Herald, The Lincoln Center's TLC Connections podcast, Agnes Irwin School Magazine, and more.