Karen Bartlett

About Karen Bartlett

Karen Bartlett was put on this planet to help others, to inspire authenticity and growth in everyone she meets. An entrepreneur, educator, coach, and force for social change, Karen brings over 25 years of experience as a social activist to bear as a partner at the Kite+Dart Group. Activism is at the heart of everything Karen does. At every stage of her life, she has followed this hunger for social change by helping others reframe old ways of thinking to find new angles of attack in the fight against systemic oppression. At Kite+Dart, she coaches entrepreneurial activists through the ups-and-downs of running a small business, giving them the tools and guidance to build impact-driven enterprises that are aligned with their commitments and their authentic self. The result is a tribe of radically empowered business owners ready to live out their passions and create a better future in the process. Karen also founded Ascension Energetics, where she works with education and social impact leaders to decrease occupational stress and reconnect with their passion and purpose so they can lead with intention and clarity. Karen set out on a mission to inspire like-minded souls to reassess their relationship with their work and to guide them on their journey to rediscover joy and fulfillment, and now she has helped hundreds of people become stronger leaders, smarter educators, and unstoppable social activists. Through Kite+Dart and Ascension Energetics, Karen is helping inspire a new generation of socially-minded visionaries. I have over 25 years of combined experience in the education, business and nonprofit worlds, and have dedicated myself to serving and empowering others based on a passion for making a difference in the world. However, in my constant state of giving, I have repeatedly found myself overwhelmed, stressed out and with very little left to give. As a lifelong learner, this provided me with the perfect opportunity to grow and find a better, more sustainable way to contribute. I found that way through Energy Leadership and Core Energy Coaching. I founded Ascension Energetics and now teach and coach those in service-based industries on how to decrease stress and take action with even more intention and clarity so they can sustain, and even increase, the impact they are having. I work with my clients in both one-on-one and group programs where they become empowered to show up as the most inspired and inspiring leaders of themselves and others.

Experience

1. Small Business Director

   Center For Community Wealth

   Oct 2022 — Present · Denver, CO, US

   At Center for Community Wealth Building, we envision a people-owned, inclusive, and sustainable Metro Denver economy that fosters prosperous and resilient communities, free from racism and injustice.Our mission is to transform the Metro Denver economy so that it centers the economic success of all the region’s residents, especially those who do not benefit from the current system.We do this through three primary strategies:1. Supporting the development of democratically owned and operated workplaces, particularly worker cooperatives2. Supporting the launch, development, and success of small businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly those who have traditionally been excluded from access to the resources they need to thrive3. Helping large public and private institutions to shift their spending policies and practices to include more small locally owned businesses, particularly those owned by people of color and members of other traditionally excluded groups.

Education

• iPEC Coaching

  Certification

  2016 — 2017

• California State University-Dominguez Hills

  Credential

  1996 — 1998

• University of Colorado Boulder

  Bachelor of Arts - BA

  1989 — 1994

• University of Colorado Boulder

  Certificate

  1992 — 1994