We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Morgan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, how do you think about risk?
As silly as it is, I often quote Sam’s dad from the movie Transformer’s when he says. “No risk. No reward”. I think risks are very key to success. My wife and I moved into a newly built home in Fort Worth prior to coming to rural Texas. We had barely been in the house a year, and I just scored a job I had been applying for for three years, so moving did not make sense. Going from Fort Worth to a town of 3,000 was a BIG risk, and hey, it worked out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started out wanting to be a youth minister. My degree has nothing to do with Human Resources or Hospital Administration. I have a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Youth Ministry. Why am I not in Youth Ministry? Well, initially it was because churches just weren’t hiring. Now, it is because I realize I was meant to have a role mentoring and growing a group of adults in a hospital during the craziest pandemic we’ve seen in modern times.

When you do not have the experience, certifications, or education, you jump on any job. I started in HR in 2010 as an on-site staffing manager in Arlington making minimum wage. I didn’t have enough money for rent, so I moved back home with my grandparents. I knew I was going to have to be the best employee I could be in order to go any higher, especially being behind in experience and education. I stayed diligent, knew what my goal was, and kept my eye on the potential future I saw myself in.

During the last 11 years, I have learned that nothing is given to you. You can’t charm your way to success. You can’t “fake it until you make it”. You need to choose a path and stick to it, understanding that sometimes there will be longer routes and pit stops, but no shortcuts.

I feel like I want my brand to be one where the word “Empathy” is attached. I feel like in this day and age, Human Resources isn’t as black and white as it used to be. I believe there are black and white lines, but there is also a big line of gray. That gray line has the word EMPATHY across it. Without empathy, you can’t truly be a successful resource to humans.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a lover of food and tv shows. I am a BIG lover of Travel Food Shows. Anytime I go somewhere, I have to look up a series that has an episode of the food scene in a particular city. If it is New York, I am going to go to the best coffee and pastry shops in the city. If it is Texas, we are going to every BBQ spot we can find.

Since I am a part of rural Texas now, I will choose that. My perfect weekend would be going down straight from Plano down through rural Texas and ending up in Austin. I chose this path because I know it is going to have the two Bs. Brew (Coffee) and Brisket.

You see, both have a big following in both areas and both bring people together. In the hospital world and in the HR world, I have met two of my very best friends in coffee shops and their families are now lifelong friends with my family. People open up in a coffee shop. Dates happen business proposals, life changing ideas. They all happen in a coffee shop.

Next, I would take my friend to another B. The Barber Shop. I find that stopping in a barbershop in rural Texas is an experience like no other. Next to the barista, the barbershop has become an everyday therapist and storyteller. When you go to a small barbershop, you see what the people in that town are really like and learn the history.

Along the way, we would hit a couple of BBQ joints. The next spot I am going to hit is Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas. They have an 86 year old pitmaster who is one of the strongest women I have ever heard. The line starts at 10 pm at night and the joint opens the next morning at 8 am. You talk about getting to know people, hearing their stories, and making new friends? That is the place. We would talk to the pitmaster, learn a little more about their technique, and take that knowledge back home.

That is my perfect weekend with a best friend. Brew, Barber, and Brisket.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shout out to my wife, best friend, biggest supporter, and my closest confidant, Hannah Morgan. Prior to knowing what I wanted to do, she was the support and bread winner. Without her years of top notch work, we would not be where we are.

Other: I do not use social media anymore. I love it, but am 2 years clean from it.

Image Credits
Image of family goes to Starla Doud Photography

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