Connect
To Top

Life and Work with Kristen Wright-Matthews

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Wright-Matthews.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story is one of love, passion, and lots of endurance: love for my family, a passion for giving service to others and the endurance to keep going despite obstacles that stand in my way. Currently, I am a work-at-home mom. I am the Editor and Publisher of Macaroni Kid College Park * East Point * Morrow (www.collegepark.macaronikid.com), in which I publish a website and free weekly e-newsletter to provide informative articles, awareness of educational and entertainment opportunities for families, inspiring stories, and access to local events in my community, and beyond. I recently became a partner of the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club, in which I will be hosting storytelling events all summer long and providing free books for kids five years and under in the communities I serve. Additionally, I will be hosting a series of empowerment events and books signings for older kids, as well.

I took on this role after giving birth to my youngest son at 42 years old, and just wanting to have something productive to do while at home that would also benefit my family. We are basically new to Atlanta and I thought it would be a good way to become acclimated with the city. I love writing as I have worked in the public relations field and did a lot of freelance writing since I was 18 years old.

I got my start working with close friends in high school. I was a party promo girl for a company called 7 Oasis in L.A. throughout high school. After high school, I went to California State University, Northridge where I earned a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations and minored in Sociology. In college, I met and began working with one of my mentors, who was a former VP at Warner Bros. Records, and he started his own company, in which I helped him to work on projects for icons like Gladys Knight and Curtis Mayfield, among others. I did PR throughout college and in my senior year took on an internship-turned job that afforded me the opportunity to assist with projects including the Ice Capades and the Harlem Globetrotters “Bring You the World” tour.

I was in a terrible collision just before my graduation and attended in a wheelchair. That brush with death pushed me even more so to want to do service, which led me to work I feel most proud about, in which I was a part of the Peace Movement in my hometown of Los Angeles back in the mid-1990s. I was the Director of Public Relations for Unity One led by now deceased, Darren “Bo” Taylor for many years who was responsible for forging a cease-fire agreement between warring gang members of the Blood and Crip gangs. This allowed me to work with Hall of Famer Jim Brown and his wife, Monique, and the Amer-I-Can Foundation. I was recognized by Steve Harvey and received an Honorary Angel award on The Steve Harvey Morning Show when it was in Los Angeles. Around that time, I also served as a middle-school teacher at the Catholic school I attended as a child in South Central Los Angeles.

I left L.A. in 2004-ish in search of a slower lifestyle at the age of 30. I have penned magazine cover stories on Anthony Hamilton, Darius Rucker, Angie Stone, and Robin Thicke, among others. In PR I have worked alongside plenty of A-listers, produced plays, and worked with various nonprofit organizations. A couple of years ago I helped to relaunch the duo career of the last two members of The Supremes, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene after their participation in the Grammy-Award winning documentary, Twenty Feet From Stardom.

Three years after moving, I met my soulmate and on May 8th we celebrated nine years of marriage. We have two sons who are my absolute life, CJ, 11, and Kollin, 3. Everything I do is for them, and to teach them about life and being good human beings. In 2013, I experienced a pregnancy loss and my daughter Karsen Angelica, named after my cousin who had recently been killed in a collision with a drunk driver. My son who was only five at the time had trouble coping so I set up a GoFundMe campaign and asked friends and family members across the country to donate money for the cause. We created Blankies 4 My Buddies to help him to replace his feelings of grief and hopelessness with pride as he collected warm and cozy blankets for kids who needed an extra dose of comfort. This year will mark our seventh winter season and the 3rd Annual “Giving Bowl, a 7-on-7 charitable flag football game our family created to feed families and collect blankets for residents in our South Atlanta community during the holidays. With the help of community partners, we have been able to feed in excess of 50 families each year. This year, we are trying to plan three games, including one in Macon and one in Los Angeles.

Additionally, I am part owner of a company called 4LBU, founded by mindfulness expert, author, and former NFL player, Prince Daniels, Jr. (a GaTech grad) based in Southern California. I serve as the Director of Communications for the company and also serve as the interim Executive Director of The 4LBU Foundation. In this capacity, I lead our small team in communications efforts to promote programs that teach mindfulness and meditation to people of all ages, especially youth athletes. I was instrumental in creating the Foundation’s financial literacy program, Mind Your Gold Youth that empowers young people to learn how to make sound decisions about money that they can use now and in the future.

On May 16th, we launched a new program called The Weekly Unwind, a subscription-based service that offers a weekly guided meditation for busy people “who don’t want to take their week into their weekend.” We are very excited about that! It can be found at www.theweeklyunwind.uscreen.io.

These are the three main projects that keep me busy these days, but there are some other projects that stay particularly close to my heart and have for many years.

Has it been a smooth road?
I have had many obstacles along the way. Often times I felt like I had a black cloud over my head, but I know that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest warriors. I am a fighter, a survivor. Through Christ, all things are possible. I am living proof of that. In all that I have been through, sexual assault, pregnancy loss, several times, illness, loss of loved ones, etc. I keep going. My tests have been my testimony and I urge any woman, mother, or anyone for that matter that has a passion for something to keep chasing your goals and taking baby steps if you have to. If something is worth having, it is worth fighting for. If you want to have a baby and you feel like you can’t, it can happen for you. It happened to me when I least expected it. Whatever it is that you want in this life, you can achieve it. I tell my son all the time, if you can believe, you can achieve it but you have to stay focused and you have to work hard. There are still a lot of things I want to accomplish in this life, i.e. publishing the several books I’ve started, among other things. Sometimes you might get off track, as I often get distracted with my family’s needs, but everything does not have to be a race. It’s the journey that will make your success sweeter in the end. Ultimately, I just want to leave a rich legacy for my boys.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I have been known for doing PR and writing. I still do those things, just with focus and purpose now. I do not take on work that I do not believe in. The three main things n my life, publishing Macaroni Kid, working with 4LBU, and my family’s charitable efforts allow me to do what I love and feel passionate about while helping others.

Everything I do at this point must benefit my family unit, and not just me individually. I am proud of the unselfish parent (and person) that I have become. I love helping people and giving of myself. My work in the mindfulness field has helped me with that, and I am exploring ways to take this further. I just want to be a good human being, and I practice this daily. In a world so filled with chaos and hatred, people trying to pull each other down, I think more kindness is needed. I am raising global children who will have a vision for change. That’s what sets me apart from many, is that I just want to live in peace, and I focus on that. Friend, family member, business associate, etc. If you don’t give me peace, I don’t want to have any parts of it.

Who have you been inspired by?
I am inspired by several women, far too many to name, but definitely first and foremost would be my mother, who continues to be an example of what a mother should be. Kind, strong, nurturing, loving, diligent, etc.

I learned from the best, and she learned from the best, her mother, Archange’ Oubre Goins. I come from a legacy of amazing moms. My paternal grandmother, Lydia Sawyer Wright, my husband’s grandmother, Carrie Lee Matthews. All of these women had many children, raised them all, and even after they were gone, maintaining the respect of their children and their communities.

My career inspirations were Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Oprah, Soledad O’Brien, and Christiane Amanpour. I admire Michelle Obama for her ability to go high when people punch her below the belt.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Angie Ravenel (white background only)

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in