Kathryn Goetzke, MBA

Kathryn Goetzke is an entrepreneur, strategic consultant, and global depression advocate. She was recently appointed to be a representative at the United Nations for the World Federation for Mental Health. She is the Founder of the International Foundation for Research and Education, iFred, a nonprofit organization dedicated to shining a positive light on mental health and eliminating stigma through prevention, research, and education. She is also the creator and founder of Hopeful Minds, a program to teach hope to kids based on research that hope is a teachable skill, and Hopeful Cities, a marketing plan that operationalizes hope in cities around the world.

Through her strategic consulting, Ms. Goetzke created Hopeful Mindsets, online training programs that teach the “how-to” of hope through interviews with global experts in happiness, hope, and mental health. She is the author of The Biggest Little Book About Hope, and host of The Hope Matrix podcast.

Kathryn overcame her own battles with depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, and addictions through therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and support. She lost her father to suicide at 18 and knows all too well the negative consequences of untreated mental health on both the self and the family system. She has committed her life to helping to support others, not only in the treatment of mental health but in prevention through lifestyle modifications and education.

Kathryn and her work have been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Home, InStyle, Family Living, Scholastic Choices Magazine, and others. She has spoken at the United Nations, the Global Mental Health Movement Conference in Athens and South Africa, at Mental Health Community Associations Conference, The Kennedy Forum, The World Bank, the Scent Marketing Institute, and more. She has been featured on multiple radio and television shows including BBC, WGN Chicago, CBS Chicago, Tasty Trade, and eWomenNetwork. Ms. Goetzke is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and PsychCentral and serves on advisory boards for FundaMentalSDG, Y Mental Health, Women’s Brain Project, and the Global Mental Health Movement.

Ms. Goetzke is the entrepreneur and innovator behind Mood-lites™, a brand that achieved over 35 million dollars in retail sales. In her role as Chief Mood Officer at The Mood Factory, she is committed to getting people into the present moment through her new line of products based on how scents impact moods, and 21 Day courses teaching habits of how to live a positive, engaged, productive life.

Ms. Goetzke began her career with 3M Corporation, where she worked as a Research Manager and moved to IDS to lead communication efforts for rebranding IDS mutual funds to American Express, and served in several capacities in New Products, Marketing, Research, and Project Management. She then moved on to advertising, and then sales, serving as VP of Sales and Marketing for Compass Marketing leading Fortune 5oo company marketing planning and strategies for alternate channels. She then set out to create her own company, The Mood Factory, and has since launched another Strategic Consulting company to help direct global mental health branding and initiatives.

Kathryn has a Master of Business Administration degree in International Marketing Management from the University of St. Thomas, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, International Studies and Biology from Winona State University. She currently resides in Reno, Nevada, where she enjoys hiking, meeting new people, hiking with her pup Yoda, skiing, and solving complex global challenges.