Way out #11: She Left Corporate and Her Marriage to Build the Impossible With Sarah Hartenberger

What do you do when you're frustrated by a broken system? If you're Sarah Hartenberger, you spend five years becoming the expert who fixes it. Sarah came from the world of corporate market research — working with global brands, climbing the ladder — until the birth of her son revealed a gap in postpartum care she couldn't unsee. Struggling to breastfeed and feeling failed by the resources available to her, she made a decision: she was going to become the support she wished she'd had. Getting there wasn't simple. Sarah didn't have a healthcare background — just degrees in communications and Spanish and a drive that, as she puts it, makes people want to get out of her way. She took anatomy, physiology, biology, and nutrition courses from scratch. She negotiated a part-time role at her old marketing job to fund the transition. She clocked over 1,000 clinical hours. And when the governing body changed the certification pathway mid-journey and threatened to set her back seven years, she found another way. Then her marriage ended — and rather than retreat to the safety of corporate, she went all-in on her business. Today, Nurture Lactation KC is a team of 7 IBCLCs serving families across Kansas City, operating in-network with major insurance providers, and fighting publicly for lactation care to be recognized — and covered — as the essential healthcare it is. In This EpisodeThe "nap time warrior" years: how Sarah built her certification while working part-time and raising a toddlerWhy she negotiated a flexible role at her old company, and what her mom's advice had to do with itSink or swim: going full-time in her business after her divorceThe moment she realized she "likes to go against the grain" in her 30sFighting insurance companies to enforce what the ACA already requiresWhy she caps her own income, and why that's actually a power move"Who made these rules? I'm making new ones."What lights her up: seeing moms recognize their own power Connect with SarahInstagram: @NurtureLactationKCWebsite: nurturelactationkc.comEmail: [email protected] Find 101 Ways OutWebsite: 101waysout.com