Research Psychologist
Kelly Kandra Hughes, Ph.D.
Kelly Kandra Hughes earned her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Nine years later, Kelly made radical life changes, including giving away, donating, recycling, and trashing 95% of her belongings. Although she has zero expectations that anyone else should subscribe to her level of minimalism, she is always happy to assist others on their personal growth journeys, particularly with decluttering, goal setting, and behavior change. She is particularly interested in how positive psychology (i.e., the study of human flourishing) can provide insights into Why we have so much waste and what can we do about it?
Her writings on minimalism have been featured on websites such as No Sidebar, Tracking Happiness, UpJourney, and The University of Surrey Centre for Environment and Sustainability. She is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Psychology and Neuroscience Department at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and lives in Lafayette, CO, with her husband.
Professional House and Dog Sitter
Kelly Kandra Hughes, Ph.D.
Even though Kelly’s Ph.D. is in psychology, she thinks it’s hilarious to tell people her Ph.D. stands for “professional house and dog sitter.” Kelly loves animals, especially dogs! From 2016 to 2024, she traveled across the country with her husband to care for other people’s pets and homes. They worked in Alberta, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington. Although they are currently on hiatus from pet and housesitting, Kelly is still crazy about dogs and would love to meet yours some day.
Author
Kelly Kandra
One of Kelly’s lifelong dreams is to be a traditionally published author. She took a big step forward in 2025 when she received an offer of representation from Lori Steel at SteelWorks Literary.
Her middle-grade manuscript, Bird on a Wire, won the Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature in 2023. Past winners include Lynda Mulally Hunt, Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, and Janae Marks.
Her short story Lucky Penny can be read in the Prom Perfect Anthology from Wild Ink Press.