The Dental Mediator Kim Harms

She has served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a clinical dentist with her late husband Jim in Farmington MN, a school board Chair, President of an international women’s organization,  Vice Chair of the Union Gospel Mission Board, the first woman President of the Minnesota Dental Association, and a National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association (21 years).

After 30 years in clinical practice, Dr. Harms lost her ability to practice dentistry due to nerve damage in her “drilling fingers”.

This event prompted an unexpected pivot in her career path. She recalibrated. Then she became a grief counselor, a civil mediator, a death doula, a life coach, an award-winning, best-selling author, and international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict, and legacy planning.

 Dr. Harms has appeared on national media platforms including The Today Show, CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, and NPR. Her insights have also been featured in outlets such as BuzzFeed, USA Today, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and The Latin Post.  
 
Having also experienced devastating personal losses—including the suicides of both her beautiful mother and brilliant son, followed by the death of her beloved husband from a broken heart—Kim now devotes her life to walking alongside others in pain. She leads faith-based widow support groups and coaches Baby Boomers through the rocky terrain of life’s fourth quarter, guiding them toward healing, hope, meaning, and purpose. Her passion is helping others overcome heartache, change, and build a life worth living—a life of laughter, legacy, and love.

Dr. Harms honors the life of her book-loving son, Eric, who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, by co-founding 65 Eric Harms Memorial Libraries through Books for Africa, spreading knowledge and hope across Rwanda. These libraries—found in primary schools, secondary schools, churches, universities, national institutions, medical and dental schools, and even four complete new law libraries—stand as a testament to Eric’s passion for learning and love for the rule of law. In the process, she formed lifelong friendships and often says she has learned a great deal about resilience from her Rwandan friends, calling them “the best grief counselors in the world.”

Dr. Harms holds many titles, but the ones closest to her heart are “Mom” to her two remarkable daughters and “Grandma” to her six precious, delightful grandchildren. Splitting her time between Kansas City and Minneapolis, she embraces every opportunity to savor the laughter, love, and unforgettable moments with all six of them—because, in the end, it’s family that defines her richest legacy.