KEYNOTE SPEAKER · VISIBILITY MENTOR · COMMUNITY BUILDER
I was theÂ
Strong Girl.
A keynote for high-achieving women who hold everything together for everyone else — and have never once asked for help.
This talk moves rooms from armor to authenticity.
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"You don't balance it all alone.
You need a village."
Kim Lenar-Ehrhardt — I Was the Strong Girl
"The most capable women in the room are often the most isolated ones — and that is the trap."
THE SIGNATURE KEYNOTE
The Strong Girl Trap
She is the woman who never cancels, never complains, and never — under any circumstances — admits she needs help. You probably know her. You may be her.
In this keynote, Kim draws on her journey from running a German newsroom — where they called her "the general" — to moving continents, hitting a wall of isolation, and eventually building The Hyve: the community she wished had existed.
The strong girl identity feels like strength. It is actually armor. And underneath it is a woman who has been managing everyone else's emotions instead of living her own life.
This talk breaks that pattern. It gives audiences language for what they've been feeling, a framework for asking for help, and permission to build the village they've been quietly craving.
BOOK THIS KEYNOTEAUDIENCES WALK AWAY WITH
- Language for the patterns that have kept them isolated
- The Strong Girl Audit — a self-reflection tool they can use immediately
- A framework for asking for help without feeling like they're failing
- Clarity on what their "village" looks like and how to build it
- Permission to be seen — imperfectly and honestly
BEST SUITED FOR
- Women's conferences and leadership summits
- Female founder events and retreats
- Corporate women's ERGs and executive forums
- Entrepreneurship and business growth events
- Wellness and burnout recovery programs
WHATÂ THIS KEYNOTE DOES
The shift your audience
will feel in the room
01
Armor to Authenticity
Women leave understanding that the polished, "I've got it all handled" version of themselves is costing them more than it's protecting them.
Signature Keynote
02
Isolation to Village
From quietly wondering if they're the only one struggling — to understanding that building a real support system is not weakness. It's strategy.
03
Hiding to Visibility
Visibility is not vanity. It is leadership. Audiences leave with a different relationship to being seen — in business, on camera, and in their communities.
ALL SPEAKING TOPICS
Four talks.
One through-line.
01
The Strong Girl Trap
The signature keynote. The trap of self-sufficiency, the cost of armor, and how high-achieving women can finally ask for help — and build the village they've been craving.
Signature Keynote
02
Visibility Is Not Vanity
Why hiding is the most expensive thing ambitious women do — and how to show up consistently, on camera and off, without performing a version of yourself you don't recognize.
Visibility · Personal Brand
01
Build Your Village
From mean-girl culture to real community — the story behind The Hyve and the principles that help ambitious women create belonging without competition.
Community · Leadership
02
AI Without Apology
For female founders who feel behind on technology and ashamed to admit it. A practical, human, judgment-free guide to using AI as a confidence tool — not a replacement for your voice.
AI · Founder Tools
Members
ABOUT KIM
She was the general.
Then she burned out.
Then she built a movement.
In Germany, they called Kim "the general." She ran newsrooms, made the hard calls under pressure, and was known for never showing weakness and never asking for help.
Then she moved to the United States, walked into a world of mean-girl dynamics and professional isolation, and had a reckoning. The identity that had made her successful in Germany was quietly destroying her in America.
So she built the community she wished had existed — The Hyve Hamptons, now home to 200+ female founders on the East End. And she started telling the story she had spent years trying not to tell.
- Former executive producer and news director in German media
- Founder, The Hyve Hamptons — 200+ member community for female founders
- Visibility mentor and on-camera coach for women entrepreneurs
- Built businesses in two countries, across two cultures
- Based in Sag Harbor, Hamptons, NY
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"Kim is a pleasure to work with. I would recommend her to anybody in need of professional media training."
RAMI SOWAN · DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY MANAGER, ZALANDO
"Kim is a pleasure to work with. I would recommend her to anybody in need of professional media training."
RAMI SOWAN · DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY MANAGER, ZALANDO
"Kim is a pleasure to work with. I would recommend her to anybody in need of professional media training."
RAMI SOWAN · DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY MANAGER, ZALANDO
"Kim is a pleasure to work with. I would recommend her to anybody in need of professional media training."
RAMI SOWAN · DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY MANAGER, ZALANDO
BOOK KIM TO SPEAK
Let's bring this
to your audience.
Whether you're planning a women's conference, a corporate leadership event, a founder summit, or an intimate retreat — this talk meets your audience exactly where they are.
Fill in the form and Kim's team will follow up within 48 hours to explore fit and availability.
- Women's conferences and leadership summits
- Female founder events and retreats
- Corporate women's ERGs and executive programs
- Workshops and half-day intensives
- Podcast and media appearances
Speaking Inquiry
Tell Kim about your event — she reads every inquiry personally.
Kim personally reviews all speaking inquiries and responds within 48 hours.
