Kirstie Ennis is someone to be admired, but she is too humble to realize the impact she makes on the world at large.
It started with her willingness to serve our country at the age of 17, her drive to find one of the toughest fields in the United States Marine Corps for women and the dedication she put forth to earn the rank of Sergeant.
Unfortunately, Kirstie suffered severe injuries when her helicopter crashed on her second tour in Afghanistan and she was forced into medical retirement due to the physical injuries she sustained. This was where she faced her defining moment, she could succumb to the injuries or she could fight to find her place in the world again. She has been fighting ever since. 

Kirstie found healing in the outdoors through sports and wanted to share that with others. This prompted her to start a nonprofit organization and bring the healing of outdoor recreation and nature to those in need. She found a way to be of service again, she has created a community, to give people hope, and a reason to show up. She has done that through The Kirstie Ennis Foundation.
Through TKEF Kirstie has held 25 recreational clinics bringing snowboarding to women veterans, rock climbing to amputees, mountain biking to amputees and veterans, adaptive off-roading to a childhood cancer survivor, Sit-Ski lessons to paralyzed combat veterans, and the opportunity for many adaptive athletes to climb the highest peaks in South America. Her nonprofit has a 92% IRS rating meaning .92 cents of every dollar donated goes towards the programming. Kirstie is not in it for the money or fame, she is in it to make a difference and give others the tools and resources to use them as therapy. 

Since 2017, Kirstie has committed to her Climbing for a Cause initiative- climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents while raising funds and awareness for charity. She has completed six of the seven peaks and inspires with every step as she has often been the first female above-knee amputee to do it. She has had two attempts on Everest, but has had to turn around for her and her team’s safety. She is vulnerable and open in sharing her experiences to show others that we can all face obstacles and struggle, but ultimately it is about our ability to keep taking the next step.

Kirstie travels all over the country giving motivational talks and is endeared by so many because she is honest, open and her willingness to help anyone that crosses her path shines through. She responds to every person that reaches out to her and leads with doing all she can to create opportunity and healing for everyone she meets. She has won several awards for her humanitarian work such as the Yolanda King Higher Ground Award at the King Center, an award for individuals who carry on the legacy and values of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It isn’t just what she does for others, as admirable as that is, it is what she does for herself that sets the example for so many young women. Since joining the Marine Corps, she has earned several degrees and her doctorate in an effort to better herself. She became a firefighter to apply her knowledge and be of service in her community. Kirstie has competed as a Paralympic snowboarder and previously took fifth in the world in women's snowboard cross and just earned two bronze medals in the Para Snowboard FIS World Cup last month. She sets the bar high for women but is humble in wanting to see other women, other amputees, other veterans standing where she has stood, and doing it better.

You can see her impact on truly anyone that her story finds. The people she has supported have made a difference in their own communities just from the light that Kirstie sparked. She has helped a female veteran create a nonprofit to help veterans in Arizona, others to build businesses all across the country. There is a new adaptive community in Nashville that she inspired because she taught a retired amputee Marine who needed a new purpose: adaptive rock climbing. She has become the hero of many young ladies who have faced adversities by writing handwritten notes of encouragement and support.

She sets the example and many are following in her footsteps, but what is most admirable is that she does it all to make the world a better place, to inspire and show others they have what they need to persevere. That is the light we need to see in this world.

For speaking engagement inquiries visit-https://www.teamwass.com/speaker/kirstie-ennis/