Fiksal founder, Dr. Krista Anderson joined UVU's Halladay Lecture Series to share profound insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and rebuilding through resilience.
Utah Valley University was honored to welcome Dr. Krista Andersen, founder of Fiksal,
mediator, leadership scholar, and two-time cancer survivor, as the featured guest
for this week’s Reed and Christine Halladay Lecture Series.
Her lecture, titled “Fiksal as a Fix All: Building, Breaking, and Beginning Again,” offered an honest and inspiring look at resilience, alignment, and authenticity in
the entrepreneurial journey. Drawing from her experiences as a founder, mediator,
and mother of five, Dr. Andersen reflected on the power of rebuilding both professionally
and personally after life’s greatest challenges. 
Dr. Andersen shared her founder journey with openness and vulnerability.
“I had an idea, executed, paused… restarted enthusiastically, misfired, started over, doubting myself… restarted again, then cancer again, so I burned it all down and rebuilt.”
Her story showed that growth rarely follows a straight path. Each cycle of building,
pausing, and beginning again taught her to trust her instincts, redefine success,
and stay aligned with her values.
When Dr. Andersen first launched Fiksal, she partnered with a developer whose values did not align with her own. That experience became a pivotal lesson: choose alignment over ability.
Dr. Andersen shared several key takeaways for founders and collaborators:
During this time, Dr. Andersen completed her doctorate in leadership while raising five children and undergoing cancer treatment. After pausing for two years, she returned to Fiksal with renewed focus, a mentor, and a clearer sense of purpose.
Dr. Andersen spoke about the importance of meaningful networking and authentic relationships.
“Be in the room where your next opportunity lives,” she advised. “People can’t support you if they don’t know you exist.”
She also shared lessons learned about trust and discernment:
Years after surviving breast cancer, Dr. Andersen was diagnosed with bone cancer earlier this year. She shared how her intuition had been signaling that something was wrong long before her diagnosis, reinforcing the importance of listening to one’s inner wisdom.
“Your body and your instincts will tell you what you need to know,” she said. “You just have to be willing to listen.”
Her experience emphasized her belief that resilience is not only a trait but a skill developed through both professional and personal challenges.
Through Fiksal, Dr. Andersen develops enterprise tools that help organizations communicate with clarity and intention, reducing misunderstandings and promoting healthy collaboration in the workplace.
She concluded with several guiding principles:
Her phrase “Burn it all down” captured her philosophy of letting go of what no longer adds value and rebuilding with clarity and purpose.
“No expectations, only agreements. Expectations leave you disappointed; agreements create understanding.”
Her message encouraged the UVU community to lead with integrity, trust their intuition, and find strength in starting over.
The Woodbury School of Business extends its gratitude to Dr. Krista Andersen for sharing
her time, wisdom, and experience with our students.
Want to catch every insight from this year’s Halladay Lecture Series?
Watch Dr. Krista Andersen's full lecture below.
