Kourtney grew up near the Windy City in a small town in Northwest Indiana. She was active in track & field (she was part of the inaugural group when Indiana finally allowed female polevaulters to compete!) show choir, theater, newspaper and everything in between. After high school graduation, she shoved everything that could fit into her bright red '91 Toyota Celica and drove across the country to attend college at UCLA. She met her eventual husband, Justin, and together they co-founded the Justin Turner Foundation, a non-profit, in 2016. The couple married in December 2017. She runs the JTF and hosts a weekly sports/philanthropy podcast called Holding Kourt.

What pushes you to be the best person you can be? 

I'm motivated by change and results. I try to wake up every morning with a list for what I want to accomplish during the day. I also have a mega to do list for things I aim to accomplish in the long term. Whether I'm preparing for a fundraising event or training for the marathon, I love to know exactly what I need to do to reach my goals. When it comes to pushing myself in individual moments, I draw so much from the people I have met through our foundation. I believe it is impossible to give up when you witness how strong some of the children are that are battling the unthinkable, or thinking of the extreme hardships our homeless veterans have to endure on a daily basis. 

 
Advice to your younger self: 

It sounds so cliche but don't sweat the small stuff. I put so much focus and worry into things that simply did not matter in the long run. I allowed other people's thoughts and opinions to carry so much weight so I would say to just keep being you and that's all that matters. 

 
How do you hope to inspire others? 

I hope to show others that you can set goals for yourself and reach them. It is so easy to fall into a routine in your life and think it's too late to try something new, change careers, etc. but we only get one life to live. I am constantly putting myself out there and searching for new things that excite me. I firmly believe that it is never too late for anything.