In July 2010, Kelly’s real estate company gained recognition and Kelly established herself as the St. Louis area's real estate expert, an unexpected illness threatened what had become her life's passion.

This mysterious illness began shutting down her organs, causing doctors to put Kelly in a medically- induced coma. She remained in a comatose state for weeks. But then, miraculously, Kelly woke up. When she awoke, she was unable to see or walk. She had terrible double vision and her memory was in bad shape. After being out of the ICU for a day, her husband said that he wanted a divorce, and left Kelly to care for their 3-year-old son on her own. Despite the dire circumstances, Kelly battled through extensive therapy and recovered, determined to see past what she had experienced and to focus on what she could make of the future; namely taking care of her son and creating a thriving and unique real estate company.

The Kelly Hager Group boasts an executive leadership team of all women. Kelly views her team mates not only as a collaborative, innovative team, but also as individual entrepreneurs. She empowers them to invest in their careers instead of viewing their positions as just another job. With that inspired management style, Kelly and her team have sold more than $250 million in real estate throughout the St. Louis metro area in less than a decade.

Motivated by her team's achievements, she looks forward to the coming years as her company grows and the housing market continues to improve. Hager has launched her second corporation, Live Team Life, which encompasses international keynote speaking, business performance training and consulting.

Hager's speaking topics include Leadership and Empowerment, Building Business Teams, Team Development, Overcoming Adversity, Entrepreneurial Models, Female Diversity in Leadership, and Maximizing Profitability through Multiple Streams of Revenue. Kelly credits her near-death experience with giving her the clarity to enjoy life, family, her profession and giving back. Her ultimate goal is to improve the lives of others.