How a Family Crisis Fueled an Award-Winning Agency: A Story of Ultimate Resilience | Kelly Sundsvold

In 2019, Kelly Sundsvold's life was turned upside down. Her husband, the father of their four children, was struck by a rare spinal infection that left him temporarily paralyzed, with no guarantee he would ever walk again. As the sole provider facing mounting medical debt, she started a graphic design side hustle on nights and weekends just to stay afloat. Then, COVID hit, and her business exploded. In this incredibly inspiring episode of The Salesblaster AI Autonomous Growth Show, Kelly shares her full journey from personal crisis to entrepreneurial triumph. She details how she built Gold Bear Media—now the Best Social Media Marketing Agency of 2025—out of pure necessity, replacing her and her husband's income and eventually building a full family-run agency. We dive into her client-first philosophy, her unique "networking as a service" model, and her powerful advice for anyone in the workforce: "AI isn't coming for your job. The person who knows how to use AI is." Kelly's story is the ultimate testament to the power of building a system to overcome the grind. She was forced by circumstance to create a business that could run while she managed a family crisis.