Meet Kirsten Zeigler | CEO & HR Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kirsten Zeigler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kirsten, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was at a place in my career where I had been working in HR for a decade, and couldn’t find the right team. I was consistently working under leaders that were twisting my morals and values, and I was extremely disappointed in how the CEO’s and Founders were treating their employees. After challenging a CEO on their desire to terminate an employee, I was let go and told “it has nothing to do with your performance.” That was an interesting way of saying “They’re just not into you.”

I was fed up and furious and needed to find leaders that wanted to truly create fair, equitable and ENJOYABLE workplaces. This pushed me to go out on my own and start my HR Consulting business. My clients are female founded and led small businesses in a variety of industries, with the commonality of being open to feedback and have the desire to create equitable workplaces.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I went to school for Visual Art, which is a little different than HR. My dream was to be a prop stylist or do window displays. When I graduated college the recession of 2007 just hit and I was forced back into my retail job. I had worked my way up to Assistant Manager and found myself becoming the point person for hiring & interviewing, and employee relations. I love the back office payroll, and managing the team, but had no clue that was an actual career. I moved on to event production and again found myself running the intern program, handling payroll, and managing the office. It wasn’t until my next role at a tech start up, that I realized what Human Resources was, and that I was already doing some of it!

I immediately enrolled in a certificate program at NYU and became the HR Manager of the start up. That was a crash course in all things HR. Tech start ups are notoriously fast and furious, so my 3 years there felt like 10! I hopped around industries and company size quite a bit, looking for the right fit and place I wanted to stay. I really struggled with the leadership teams I was working under. Something that drew me to HR was the equitable, fair and balanced nature of advocating for the employees, while keeping the business needs in mind. A lot of the places I worked just focused on the business, which not only enraged me, but made me feel like I couldn’t successfully do my job. It was extremely difficult to stand up for what you believe is right, while the person going against you is controlling your own success and job. I’ve been asked to terminate pregnant woman (without cause), racially profile candidates (at more than one company!), and ignore employees who were being affected by riots in their neighborhoods.

In having some time away from those situations, I realized how important those moments were in shaping where I am today. By being uncomfortable, I was able to identify what was important to me and really hone in on my own values: authenticity, ethics, and thoughtfulness. In discovering these, I have been on a mission since to work with leaders who not only share my values, but want to create cultures that live by those as well.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in West Orange, NJ so I’m surrounded by amazing small towns and cities, and only 15 miles outside of NYC. My go to places are usually Montclair, NJ and Jersey City, NJ for food, shops and entertainment, while a quick 45 min drive to my hometown Ringwood, NJ lands us in the best state park and botanical gardens for hiking and and wandering.
In Montclair, brunch at Raymonds is a must and then I always swing by Salt Aire Collective to get vintage glasswear or hand tie dyed silk clothing. In Jersey City, Kanibal + Co is my first stop for gifts, house items, clothes and vintage jewelry. Plus the staff are some of the coolest people around. Next, I’ll wander over to LoveLocked to sift through beautiful jewelry and probably come out spending too much money. Dinner at Orale or Frankie is always mandatory!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to shoutout Gabby Borrero and the Next Generation Network, a supportive and welcoming networking community in NJ, who have built me up and provided endless resources.
Additionally, Kristen Scalia, the most badass business owner (checkout her store Kanibal + Co) who has been doing this for over a decade and is the queen of support and collaboration, and Ati Grinspun, the most inspiring coach and mentor. Ati’s Be You Brand program helped me come into my own as a business owner and let my personality shine through in my work.

Website: https://www.kdzhrconsulting.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdz_hrconsulting/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-zeigler-humanresources/

Image Credits
Luke Zeigler and Nev Trinajstic