[7] Earning the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Coaching in 2016,[12] the year prior MSNBC named her one of "11 women's rights activists you should know.
"[13] She has served as an executive producer on films such as Unrest,[14] The Hunting Ground,[15] The House of Tomorrow,[16] Columbus,[17] Love the Sinner,[18] and Lucky.
As a teenager[21] in the 1960s she worked as a teen disc jockey[7] for the Buffalo radio station WYSL-FM, using the name Karin Kelly.
[24][22] She started her writing career with the Buffalo Courier-Express,[23] and after her time as a DJ with WYSL she worked briefly with the Buffalo-based stations WGR-TV and WKBW-TV.
[3] Beyond her television appearances, she hosted a daily talk-radio program[7] on WLAC-AM,[21][24] the "Ruth Ann Leach Show,"[25] and worked as an op-ed columnist[7] for the Nashville Banner for seventeen years.
[24] After retiring from her career in journalism, Harnisch became chair of More Than Money, a national nonprofit helping the wealthy invest in philanthropy.
[7] With a philanthropic focus on projects promoting gender equity, diversity,[7] racial equality,[28] "social innovation,"[7] and "sustainable" journalism,[29][7] one of the foundation's first grants was to a local Nashville chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
Also that month Harnisch hosted a workshop with Feminist.com and launched #NotJustAStat, an online campaign featuring celebrities such as Lena Dunham and Gloria Feldt.
[11][15] Also working with the filmmakers of Hot Girls Wanted,[4] she was executive producer of the 2017 films The House of Tomorrow,[16] Unrest,[14] Columbus,[17] Love the Sinner,[18] and Lucky.
[40] Harnisch has been or remains involved with organizations related to philanthropy, women's rights, journalism, and professional coaching.