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For the 2nd consecutive year, Bucks Happening has named the Top 10 Movers & Shakers of Bucks County.  Our accomplished judges had their work cut out for them with dozens of inspirational stories submitted by readers.

Now, with the official results in and this year’s Movers & Shakers assembling recently to celebrate, we’re taking a closer look at each winner and sharing their incredible stories.

Meet Krista Sherkey, Founder and President of Streamline6 Communications, which is a boutique public relations, marketing, events and social media agency headquartered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania with creative design offices in San Francisco, California, Washington, DC and Honolulu, Hawaii.

In addition to creating a thriving business, this past June, Mrs. Sherkey and her team provided pro-bono event planning, public relations, and marketing for Animal Lifeline's 2014 Canines on the Catwalk Designer Fashion Show. Krista also takes the time to give back to the local community by serving as the Public Relations and Marketing Chair and active board member for the Doylestown Business and Community Alliance (DBCA).

BH: Where did you attend school? 

KS: I attended high school at Germantown Academy, undergraduate school at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC and graduate school at the George Mason University School of Public Policy in Arlington, VA.

BH: What motivates you every morning? 

KS: Waking up to my two year-old son, Saxby. I am always excited to see what he is going to learn, do or say during that day. He is my sunshine and life has taken on a whole, new meaning for me. I love being a mom.

BH: What would you say is your idea of a perfect day?  

KS: My perfect day is probably everyone else's “normal day.”  My husband is always gone because he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. I'm very proud of him and our family's sacrifices, but the years of his absence has been hard because he is my best friend.  With that said, my perfect day would be to wake up on a sunny Saturday morning, go out for a french toast breakfast, take our son to the playground together, walk down the street to get ice cream holding hands while pushing our son in his Radio Red Flyer, having a Pot Roast dinner as a family and then rent a movie after our son goes to sleep without the fear of another year-long deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq and knowing that my family is finally together.

BH: Who do inspires you?  

KS: My group of girlfriends.  Some single, some working moms, some divorced and other business owners like myself – but we serve as a safety net for each other. My inspiration comes from the amazing people I surround myself with.

BH: How did you decide to go into marketing & communications? And to launch your own business?  

KS: I kind of stumbled upon it actually. During graduate school, I was working in Washington, DC in tax policy and for a well-known think tank.  I've always been a “news junkie” and slowly began moving into financial communications.  When I married my husband, I did not realize how difficult it would be to be an Army wife and maintain employment due to the frequent moves and employer discrimination. It was very hard to find a job when an employer knew you were leaving in two years. So, I took matters into my own hands and launched Streamline6 Communications.  I've never looked back and I'm happy to bring my company home where it will stay.

BH: Which achievement are you most proud of?  

KS: That's a hard one…I think it would be running my agency and balancing that with raising my son. My biggest fear during my pregnancy was: “How am I going to do this?” It's a work in progress, but I'm proud of the way I've handled it so far.

BH: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome? 

KS: I've suffered from depression since my early twenties. With the constant deployments of my husband to war zones, moving and constant unpredictability of the military lifestyle, anxiety started to set in.  Soon, by my husband's second deployment – which was back-to-back to the one previous —  I started having severe panic attacks. I did not understand what was going on. It felt like I was having a heart attack.  In the Army culture and as an officer's wife, to admit you are having these problems is not socially acceptable nor talked about.   Luckily, by moving back home, I've found the help I need. In the process, I've been a source of affirmation for other wives that have told me confidentially that they are suffering from the same symptoms.  I talk about it openly because the stigma needs to be removed. So much focus is placed on helping active duty service members, but the families – and particularly the spouses – have lasting mental and emotional effects of this 13–year war as well.

BH: What is the biggest accomplishment that you’d like to achieve over the next 5 years? 

KS: I would love to grow my agency to an internal team of ten and hopefully have another child. I've learned that achievements are great to keep you motivated, but it is not what defines a person. I've come to realize that life is short and the achievement is learning to appreciate it.

BH: How do you think your friends & coworkers would describe you? 

KS: I think they would say that I'm “Real.” I care deeply about those that are closest to me and would do anything for them.  I wear my heart on my sleeve, tell it like it is (or as I see it), loyal, honest to a fault and I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. My employees call me “Superwoman” and swear that I have a cape hidden in my closet. I laugh when they say this.

BH: Where’s your favorite place to go in Bucks County? 

KS: Peace Valley Park and Lake Galena.  I love it in every season and plan to take my son on Nature Walks soon.

BH: If you could go back in time and talk to yourself ten years ago, what advice would you give?  

KS: Life is not about another college degree for the wall, a job title, who you rub elbows with or materialistic things.  Slow down and appreciate life for the wonder that it is. Surround yourself with people you enjoy and kick the others off the bus. It's okay to give to yourself and not always put others first. Breathe.

BH: Congratulions, Krista!

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