We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karen Podrasky. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karen below.

Alright, Karen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their revenue to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details

“Blessed to be a blessing,” runs through my mind when an opportunity arises for me to give. Lately, I have had the opportunity to give money AND time to a sweet mama and her little guy who got themselves tangled up in a pretty serious domestic abuse situation.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

It seems that I have had opportunities from the time I entered the workforce at age 19 years old to be around or immersed in event planning, coordination, and production. Of these, wedding celebrations has been my favorite. I have worked for a resort and event venue as one of the set up crew, lead waitstaff, and bartender. I have worked for a handful of floral shops and wedding florists in their studios creating centerpieces and as “boots on the ground” helping with setting up. But my biggest opportunity to gain valuable experience in the wedding planning realm was as an event manager, (a.k.a. venue coordinator) at a very busy venue for nearly 5 years. Through the years I have interacted with people who are willing to share pieces of their heart. Weddings lend themselves to be wonderful environments of joy, but there can be levels of stress or crisis that bubbles just beneath the surface for some.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It is easy to forget to have a fresh perspective on wedding celebrations and events when you’ve worked at them for a while. I have been in or adjacent to the wedding business for over 20 years. I feel confident in my experience approaching speed bumps and challenges. Problem solving has been my thing for a long bit. But, on occasion, I have a bride or groom who see the flow of an event from a new angle. Although there are definitely ways to make things more complicated and difficult, I am learning to settle my knee-jerk reaction to wanting conformity and familiarity, to a listening ear and eyes to perhaps work a new approach. I have had to unlearn the desire to go the familiar route, and learn to say yes to fresh thought processes.

Have you ever had to pivot?

KDP Events has recently had to pivot in our business approach because we’ve been BUSY! We are so blessed to be on the preferred or required vendor list for a dozen or so venues in the Valley and Northern Arizona. Because of the explosion of business in the wedding industry, coupled with education to couples that hiring a wedding planner is an important piece of the vendor puzzle, I have gone to a team approach on events. I laid in bed at night shouldering the weight that I needed to stay well, not get injured, be sure to put my family and mental health behind the committments I had made. I am passionate about well crafted and well planned weddings, but beliving that I was the only one who could do my job, just about killed me. Now, to ensure that my couples receive the very best service and to save my own sanity, I now have a wonderfully trained team of 8-10 associates and lead coordinators who approach weddings with the same delight and professionalism.

Contact Info:

• Website: kdpevents.com
• Instagram: @kdpeventsaz
• Facebook: Karen Dunning Podrasky
• Linkedin: Karen Podrasky

Image Credits
Alyssa Campbell Photography, Daniel Kim Photography, Desert Pine Co., Rachel Leintz Photography