Speaking

KATHERINE GOLDSTEIN is on a mission to make workplaces & society more equitable for moms & caregivers.

She's held leadership positions in New York media companies as an editor and digital strategist at HuffPost, Slate and Conde Nast. As a Harvard Nieman Journalism fellow, she turned her eye toward the social and economic forces that make motherhood in America so difficult.

Her research and reporting is supported by The Ford Foundation, The Better Life Lab at New America, and The Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

She's been an instructor at The Harvard Extension School and her work has been republished in Oxford University Press college textbooks.

The ideas she brings to her speeches on gender equity & moms and caregivers at work have been published in the NYTimes, TIME, WashPost, Vox, the Guardian and more.

Katherine is also the creator of The Double Shift podcast, a storytelling show about challenging the status quo of motherhood, which ranked in the top 2% of downloads for all podcasts. She writes a fast-growing weekly newsletter with an over 50% open rate, and has created a community of over 500 paying members, which is a laboratory for moms interested in social change.

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"RTI International hosted Katherine for a two-part presentation in honor of Women's Equality Day. Her keynote presentation was universally well-received, with one attendee saying that "every slide and discussion point resonated" with them. she also attracted record turnout for the interactive workshop which followed one week later. One attendee noted that they "felt safe enough to share information about their experience," and another said that the workshop "addressed underlying, unresolved trauma that working caregivers have from balancing busy professional lives with caregiving responsibilities." We loved having Katherine join us and would recommend her as a speaker to any organization ready to discuss the reality of being a caregiver in America -- and how to make it better!" - Monica Dongre, RTI International

Her speaking includes thought provoking keynotes and workshops for all-company gatherings, corporate leadership and management groups, and ERGs.

Signature Keynote: Why Gender Equality Isn’t Just a Women’s Issue

Bosses. Managers. Workers. Wives. Husbands. Partners. Parents. Adult children. Siblings. Caregivers. Boomers. GenXers. Millennials. Gen Zers. All of these groups have something to gain from greater gender equality in our homes, in our workplaces and in society. This keynote gives a lively overview of gender equity progress leading up to the pandemic, and how COVID revealed how fragile some of society’s advancements really were. Weaving personal narrative with news events and social science research, this keynote rallies participants to a renewed commitment about how important gender equality is and how it can benefit everyone. While this talk focuses on data from the US, international examples and perspectives will also be included. Audiences leave with concrete ideas for action in how to be part of the solution and along with greater tools for allyship.

Signature Interactive workshop: Our Job to Care: Bold ideas and Concrete Solutions for Moms & Caregivers at Work

For decades, too many workplaces were stuck with antiquated ideas of who an “ideal worker” was that did not fit our diverse 21st century workforce. As COVID broke the US’ already anemic care infrastructure, mothers, caregivers and managers have realized that “back to normal” no longer works for anyone. Weaving personal narrative, research and reporting the workshop provides a blueprint for how employees can effectively advocate for positive change at their companies. This session fosters camaraderie and connection over the unique pandemic difficulties caregivers have faced and will spark further discussions on creating a workplace that works better for everyone.

Additional Speaking Topics include:

  • Reach your Gender Equity Goals: Understanding new realities for managers and leaders
  • Moms Can't Do it All: Why personal problems need systemic solutions
  • Thinking Past the Perks: Supporting visionary corporate culture with measurable results

Katherine was invited to speak at one of our Moms at Work events. She was excellent! There is no one else I know who is able to speak to the intersection of motherhood and work as well (and I run an org called Moms at Work.) In our circles Katherine is a legend, a voice for working parents and I highly recommend her as a speaker, panelist or expert on your project. -Allison Venditti

Past speaking and consulting clients include: