When stories feel impossible, the right voice can rewrite what comes next.
We help people turn their hardest chapters into an EPIC after.
Audiences deserve more than motivation—they deserve connection and raw authenticity, because the best events don't end with applause, they begin with transformation. We craft unforgettable stories and keynotes that empower listeners to navigate plot twists with reclaimed purpose..
Meet Your EPIC Speakers
Stacy Gonzales
Co-Founder, Happily EPIC After
"It's Breast Cancer."
Three words.
One diagnosis.
A life forever divided into before...and after.
Those words changed everything I thought I knew about my future 11 years ago. But they also revealed my purpose. Cancer didn't just teach me how to survive—it taught me how to rebuild, lead with resilience, and help others discover what's possible after life's hardest moments.
Today, I'm a keynote speaker, advocate, and co-founder of Happily EPIC After, speaking to audiences ranging from intimate workshops to conferences, fundraisers, galas, and community events with hundreds in attendance. One of the greatest honors of my speaking career was serving as the keynote speaker for the 10th Anniversary Pink Warrior Advocates Gala, celebrating the legacy of my dear friend and the organization's founder, Jen Reynolds. Working alongside Jen, I helped create Pink Warrior Advocates' survivor meetup program, which has grown into three monthly gatherings serving nearly 700 Breast Cancer warriors each year. Four years after losing Jen to Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer, it was an incredible privilege to honor her legacy while helping raise more than $250,000 to continue supporting warriors and their families.
Whether I'm speaking from a stage, leading a workshop, or co-hosting the Plot Twist: Still Alive podcast, my mission is simple: to help people discover that their darkest moments don't define them—what they choose to do after does. As an active member of the LGBTQ+ community, I believe everyone deserves to feel seen, valued, and empowered to embrace their own story.
When I'm not speaking, you'll usually find me traveling, chasing sunrises and sunsets, or finding peace in nature. I believe some of life's greatest healing happens outside our comfort zones, and every adventure is an opportunity to reconnect with who we are.
Every audience is different. Every story is different. But hope has a way of bringing us together. I'd be honored to help your audience find their EPIC After.
Krystal Haefner
Co-Founder, Happily EPIC After
Most people assume I learned to command a room in a boardroom or a hospital. Ironically, I learned it standing on a bar.
Long before keynote stages and podcasts, I was at Coyote Ugly Saloon, traveling the country opening new locations and teaching microphone classes. That high-energy environment is where I truly learned to own my voice. But everyone has an origin story—a plot twist they never saw coming.
Mine arrived when I was only three years old. My parents were told,
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"Your daughter may not make it through the night."
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I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, and my childhood became a blur of spinal taps, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Decades later, the very radiation that saved my life caused Breast Cancer. I faced a diagnosis at 32 as a single mom, and again at 38, just months after getting married with a new baby at home. Surviving cancer three times taught me a vital truth: life doesn't stop handing you plot twists; you just get better at writing the next chapter.
Over the last decade, I’ve served as a nurse, Executive Director, advocate, speaker, and emcee. I’ve helped raise over $3 million for breast cancer warriors and earned the New Braunfels Distinguished Young Leader Award. Through it all, I discovered my greatest purpose wasn't just treating patients—it was helping people rediscover their own strength after life's hardest blows.
Today, as the co-founder of Happily EPIC After and host of the Plot Twist: Still Alive podcast, I speak with raw honesty and a heavy dose of humor. Life’s challenges deserve better than clichés. Whether I’m addressing a corporate team or a room of survivors, my goal is to help people laugh, reconnect, and realize they are so much more than their trauma.
People love to say, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I personally disagree.
What doesn't kill you... makes you F-ING hilarious.
Life is messy, and I choose to lean into it. I’d be honored to help your audience do the same.
Signature Topics & Experiences
• Resilience & Thriving After Adversity
Discovering what's possible after life's hardest chapters and learning how to rewrite your narrative with strength and purpose.
• Breast Cancer Advocacy & Education
Education on the realities of breast cancer advocacy and the empowerment of survivors through shared stories and resources. This includes self exam and self advocacy education.
• Confidence, Identity & Self-Worth
Reconnecting with your true self after life's plot twists. Strategies for building lasting confidence and reclaiming identity.
• Interactive Workshops
A tactical guide to heart-led action, helping teams and individuals unlock the framework for reclaiming their stories and chapters.
• Fundraisers, Galas & Community Events
Inspiring messaging for large scale events, focusing on connection, impact, and collective resilience within the community.
• Customizable Topics & Collaborations
Have your own ideas or themes in mind? We’ll collaborate with you to shape a custom talk or workshop that fits your audience and goals—let’s connect and create something EPIC together.