Kyra Rènel Hardwick built a reputation as a leader who tells the truth even when it’s hard to hear.
As the CEO of The Kyra Company, she has guided entrepreneurs and organizations across Houston to move beyond chaos and grind culture and toward systems that sustain growth. That work is rooted in her professional expertise and a personal journey that began in Detroit and brought her to Houston, where she has been for the past 16 years.
“I grew up watching people hustle to make ends meet,” Hardwick said. “But I also saw the cost the stress, the burnout, the missed moments. That showed me we need a different model of leadership, one that allows everyone to thrive.”
Her upbringing instilled a sense of resilience that carried her into a 15-year corporate career, where she worked in operations, training and organizational structure. Those years gave her the technical skills to help businesses function more efficiently. Later, a period working with nonprofits showed her the power of community-centered impact.
Her career path shifted dramatically when a corporate restructuring left her without a role. What could have been a setback became a turning point.
“I didn’t want to build someone else’s dream anymore. I wanted to help leaders build their own, with clarity, structure and strategy.”
– Kyra Rènel Hardwick
“I didn’t want to build someone else’s dream anymore,” she said. “I wanted to help leaders build their own, with clarity, structure and strategy.”
That decision gave birth to The Kyra Company, where Hardwick carved out her niche as both strategist and coach. Her approach emphasizes the importance of sustainable systems, a clear departure from the hustle-obsessed culture that many entrepreneurs feel pressured to embrace.
“I’m not here to sugarcoat. If your business lacks structure, if your team is burning out, if you’re chasing growth without a plan,” she said. “I’ll tell you that straight. Because the goal isn’t just growth, it’s healthy growth.”
The approach resonated quickly. When she secured her first six-figure client, it wasn’t just a business milestone but validation that leaders were hungry for a different path.
“That was when I knew I was onto something,” Hardwick said. “People wanted more than just someone to cheer them on. They wanted someone to give them the tools, the structure and the accountability to actually grow.”
For Shaughnna Blackmon, widely known as The Real Insurance Lady, that truth-telling approach has been transformative. Blackmon leads the largest Obamacare-producing agency in the nation, but even with her company’s success, she admits the rapid growth created challenges.
“We were growing organically and making a huge impact, but it was difficult to separate ourselves from that start-up mindset,” Blackmon said. “Kyra has been phenomenal in helping us shift our culture, centralize our systems and bridge the gaps between departments. She brings the glue that connects everything together.”
Blackmon has been in business since the launch of Obamacare in 2010. She said her journey is deeply personal. As an entrepreneur without health insurance, she once delayed critical treatment for a kidney tumor. Becoming her “own first client” showed her the stakes of access and drove her to build a business that now serves communities others often overlook.
“People couldn’t believe we were writing hundreds of policies a week. They assumed we were doing something wrong,” she said. “What Kyra helped us do was formalize and professionalize what we’d already built so people could understand the legitimacy of our growth.”
Stories like Blackmon’s are why Hardwick says her work goes beyond coaching. She sees herself as a partner in helping business owners build capacity and resilience, not just revenue. Houston, with its vibrant and rapidly expanding Black entrepreneurial community, has proven to be fertile ground for her vision.
“People think business is a zero-sum game, but it’s not,” Hardwick said. “There’s enough for everyone. When we collaborate, we don’t just share resources — we multiply impact.”
That belief in collaboration inspired one of her proudest recent accomplishments: The launch of the inaugural Smart CEO Summit at Texas Women’s University. The event brought together founders, CEOs and teams for a day focused on rethinking leadership. With themes like “Collaboration is Capital” and “From Hustle to Flow,” the summit reflected the very principles that Hardwick has lived and taught throughout her career.
For Blackmon, who participated in the event, it was also an opportunity to pour back into others.
“If you’re a smart CEO, you know that being in the room with people as sharp as you is a chance to learn,” she said. “I wanted to deliver a message that could inspire someone else, but I also walked away with the nourishment I needed for the next stage of my journey.”
Houston, with its vibrant and rapidly expanding Black entrepreneurial community, has proven to be fertile ground for Hardwick’s vision. She sees the city as a hub where collaboration, rather than competition, can redefine success.
“Preparedness in business isn’t just about bracing for disasters,” Hardwick said. “It’s about making sure your systems, your people and your mindset are strong enough to adapt no matter what comes.”
Hardwick hopes to expand the summit while continuing to scale The Kyra Company’s impact. But more than growth, her vision centers on legacy and reshaping how leadership is understood for the next generation.
“This is about creating a new culture of leadership,” she said. “We’ve been taught to grind until we burn out, but that’s not sustainable. Flow means building in a way that honors your purpose and your people. That’s the future of leadership.”
