Kylee McGrane Zarnoch: Changing Hospital Experiences One Princess Dress at a Time

This week Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Kylee McGrane Zarnoch.The two talk about Kylee’s compelling origin story of her nonprofit, the challenges she faced, the importance of community, and her vision for transforming the hospital experience for children. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• The primary mission of A Moment of Magic

• How Kylee McGrain Zarnoch started A Moment of Magic

• When Kylee realized the potential scale and impact of her nonprofit

• Why pediatric healthcare advocacy is important to Kylie

• What A Moment of Magic does to engage college students and volunteers

• How listeners can get involved with A Moment of Magic

• What unexpected challenges and rewards has Kylee experienced in her journey

Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch is a dynamic social entrepreneur, creative leader, and thought leader in pediatric healthcare advocacy and community mobilization. Founded in 2014 in her college dorm room in New York City, Kylee created A Moment of Magic after witnessing how hospitalization affected the quality of life and human spirit of her grandparents during their long-term illnesses. She recognized the profound impact that moments of joy and laughter could have on mental health and well-being, inspiring her to craft experiences that allow children to escape their realities, connect with their communities, and feel the healing power of love and friendship.

Between classes, Kylee rallied passionate college students, creating a coalition of volunteers eager to bring A Moment of Magic to hospitals up and down the East Coast. A twist of fate occurred when a video of their work went viral, reaching over 65 million people globally, transforming A Moment of Magic into a nationwide movement.

As an award-winning Founder and Executive Director, TEDx speaker, and best-selling author, Kylee has led A Moment of Magic to raise over $2 million, partner with 350 hospitals and nonprofits, and mobilize more than 2,000 college student volunteers. Together, they have brought joy and hope to over 150,000 children facing medical challenges.

Kylee’s influence reaches beyond her organization as a committed thought leader in social entrepreneurship, pediatric healthcare, and community engagement. She shares her insights through various platforms and has been recognized by initiatives and awards including as a Clinton Global Initiative Fellow, the Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative, the Aerie Real Changemakers Award, the Sara Blakely Red Backpack Fund Award, and President George H.W. Bush’s Points of Light Award.

Kylee lives in New York City with her husband and fluffy puppy Riggins. She’s probably listening to Taylor Swift right now. Rumor has it, she has never refused a cup of coffee in her life. 

A Moment of Magic:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Website

Express, Create, Heal:

Instagram

Website

Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Tiktok