Way Out #11: She Left Corporate and Her Marriage To Build The Impossible with Sarah Hartenberger
From Corporate Market Research to Champion of Mothers
There is a specific kind of quiet that only arrives in the dead of winter, during the fragile, isolated weeks of maternity leave. For Sarah Hartenberger, it was a freezing January in Kansas City, and it was in that profound silence that her entire world tilted on its axis.
Before that winter, Sarah had the picture-perfect corporate trajectory. Armed with degrees in communications and Spanish, she was thriving at a market research firm, analyzing human behavior and customer satisfaction data for massive corporations. She adored her job. She fully intended to retire there.
But when she held her newborn son, the illusion of the corporate ladder began to disappear. Returning to work, she suddenly found herself staring at reports and feeling a massive disconnect from the work. "I just remember like almost feeling annoyed at work," she recalls. "Like this doesn't matter. Why is this person complaining about missing ketchup on their burger? Like, go get a ketchup packet." She realized that for her, a job could no longer just be a job; it had to be a passion.
What followed is a heroic masterclass in refusing to accept the status quo, breaking the rules, and completely redesigning a life in pursuit of "delusional happiness".
The Catalyst: Pain and Purpose
Sarah’s pivot was forged in the fire of her own struggles. As a new mother, she faced immense difficulties breastfeeding her son and found herself deeply frustrated by the lack of continuous, quality care available to her.
She wanted to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) to fix the broken system, but there was a massive roadblock: she wasn't a registered nurse. Instead of walking away, she sought out other women who had taken non-traditional paths into the field, proving to herself that it was possible.
The "Nap Time Warrior"
The path to certification was a grueling, five-year journey. Because she didn't have a medical background, Sarah had to go back to the drawing board, taking classes in anatomy, physiology, biology, and nutrition while working and raising toddlers. She became what she calls a "nap time warrior," fiercely studying and taking online tests the moment her kids fell asleep.
At one point, the governing body changed the requirements for clinical hours in a way that would have set her back seven agonizing years. Fortunately, Sarah is not a quitter. She found another path, securing the only known mentorship opportunity in the city. This allowed Sarah to knock out her 500 clinical hours in less than nine months, and she finally sat for her IBCLC exam.'
She wouldn't receive her official results for three agonizing months, but the wait didn't matter, because she already knew what she had accomplished. Walking out of the testing center, Sarah got into her car and immediately took a selfie to capture her profound sense of victory.
"I felt like I had aced it and I was like, remember this feeling, bottle it up," she recalls.
Throughout the long three-month wait, she kept referring back to that specific selfie to remind herself of her own power and how good she felt in that moment.
When naysayers told her that a lactation consultant couldn't make a full-time living in private practice in Kansas City, her response became her ultimate battle cry: "Who made these rules? I'm making new ones".
The Rebirth: Surviving the Storm
Sarah’s professional ascent was mirrored by an intense, painful, and ultimately beautiful personal rebirth.
Following the birth of her colicky second child, Sarah waded through the dark waters of severe postpartum depression and anxiety. Simultaneously, she realized she was profoundly unhappy in her marriage, a truth that manifested as physical stomach aches and daily panic attacks.
This unhappiness wasn't arbitrary; it stemmed from a profound lack of support. Sarah found herself working constantly, balancing her growing business and her home life, and felt her intense efforts to work on herself and the marriage weren't "being met with the same energy" by her partner. Even after directly asking for the support she needed, she realized the dynamic wasn't going to change. Ultimately, she recognized that trying to force the relationship was making everyone miserable, concluding that "a happy mom and a happy dad are better separate for the kids than two unhappy parents together."
Guided by the wisdom of her business coach, who had also navigated life as a single mother and entrepreneur, Sarah made the terrifying choice to leave the safety of her marriage to save herself. It was a massive leap into the absolute unknown. When the fear crept in, she relied on a resilient internal monologue:
"I had to do a lot of reminding myself that it's gonna be okay. Worst case scenario, it all crumbles and you have a degree to fall back on, and you have skills that translate, and you can find a job."
"Divorce is never something that I would have chosen," Sarah reflects, but she credits it as the catalyst that forced her to swim, ultimately transforming her into a completely unrecognizable, deeply empowered version of herself.
The Empire of Care
Today, Sarah isn't just a lactation consultant; she is a visionary healthcare CEO.
She built Nurture Lactation KC from the ground up. What started as a solo mission has blossomed into a thriving clinic that employs an office manager and seven other lactation consultants. She has created a sanctuary not just for mothers, but for her employees, intentionally taking on the heavy burden of business ownership so her consultants can simply focus on the pure joy of helping families.
She is a relentless advocate who goes toe-to-toe with insurance companies, demanding that lactation be covered because "breastfeeding is healthcare." And she dreams of expanding her reach into high schools, OBGYN offices, and pediatric clinics to completely revolutionize women's health education.
For Sarah, true success isn't about traditional corporate titles anymore.
"I'll see people that I used to work with, and they’re vice presidents at blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, that could have been me," Sarah admits. "But then I'm like, wait, Sarah, you own a business. You are all of the roles. You are the owner. You are the CEO. Like that is you."
It is the flexibility to snuggle her kids in the morning, the profound peace of knowing she built a life she doesn't need to escape from, and the reward of watching a struggling mother finally realize her own power.
Sarah's Advice for Wayfinders
If you are standing on the edge of a massive life or career pivot, Sarah offers these three pieces of hard-earned wisdom:
Rebrand Your Definition of Productivity
When you leave the corporate 9-to-5, you have to leave the hustle culture behind with it. Sarah admits this is a constant practice, but she has learned to honor the natural rhythms of her body and brain. "Rest is productive," she insists. Stepping away, taking a break, or simply doing yoga in your living room makes you better at everything else you do.Ask the Question (The Worst They Can Say is No)
When Sarah needed income while transitioning careers, she boldly asked her corporate employer to create a never-before-seen, part-time floating role just for her. They eventually said yes, funding her transition for five years. She credits her own resilient single mother for this life motto: The worst they can say is no. If you don't ask, you're not going to know.Get Quiet and Find Your "Delusional Happiness"
If you don't know what you want to do with your life, you have to stop the noise. Create the space and the quiet to figure out what actually lights you up. Sarah challenges people to choose happiness over traditional success every single time, pushing Wayfinders to build a life where they are "delusionally happy in all aspects.”Combat Anxiety with Gratitude
When Sarah was wading through the dark waters of postpartum anxiety, she discovered a profound truth: "Anxiety and gratitude can't live in your brain at the same time." To pull herself out of the spiral, she began intentionally writing down what she was thankful for—even if it was just a good cup of coffee or a ray of sunshine. Today, she actively builds this "gratitude muscle" with her own children. On the morning drive to school, they practice affirmations and end with their family catchphrase: "Who has it better than us?" The answer? "Nobody!"
Follow Sarah’s Journey
If you want to connect with Sarah, follow her trailblazing business, or just surround yourself with some fierce, rule-breaking energy, here is how you can find her:
Website: nurturelactationkc.com
Instagram & Facebook: @NurtureLactationKC
Email: hello@nurturelactationkc.com
This post is part of the 101 Ways Out series: stories of people who found the courage to exit the status quo and build a life of purpose, freedom, and joy.
