Karen was three years old when she first set foot on the stage. Her mother put her there in just the way she had been by her mother, Karen's grandmother.  (There's definitely a story there!)

Luckily, Karen took to it rather well and learned to love the sound of applause. After more performing and several years in child beauty pageants, Karen won the title of Little Miss Denver County at the age of nine. (There's another story there!) She has been examining the issues of individualism, free will and "symbolism over substance" ever since.

“Gutspah” is a word Karen has coined and trademarked to mean “good chutzpah.” She uses it to train and entertain audiences in the art of open and honest communication with the themes of guts, authenticity and know-how. 

Karen has made hundreds of presentations for audiences as small as twenty and as large as several thousand. Against the backdrop of hilarious stories about her childhood and her stage mother—“Ethel Merman on steroids”—she entertains and inspires audiences to live with Gutspah. She also teaches practically applied principles of intelligent truth-telling and illustrates the ways in which we are all susceptible to “hype” and social pressure. Her presentations are tailored for groups as diverse as corporate executives; non-profit and health care organizations; adult education seminars; high school and college conferences; and social, religious, and community meetup groups.                    

Karen received her Masters’ Degree from Columbia University and has practiced in a variety of non-profit and corporate settings. She has been an assertiveness trainer and public speaking coach for a Manhattan communications firm and has taught communications and public speaking at the New School for Social Research, Parsons School of Design in New York, New Jersey’s Montclair State College, and Fairleigh Dickenson University, among others. 

Karen has extensive experience as a talk radio host, broadcaster and voice-over artist. As a performer, she has appeared in television and film, toured the country in musical comedies, entertained on cruise ships and numerous variety venues. She lends her operatic voice to a variety of fundraisers and community events and has sung the National Anthem for many, including the New Jersey Nets. 

            
                                                   
                                                 
For keynotes, training & FUN, clickto contact Karen!