From Fear to Freedom (How Changing Gender Transformed My Life)

In this candid keynote, Kate Madden will share her personal journey of coming out as a transgender woman at the age of 40 after a successful career as an Account Executive at one of the big three insurance companies. Through the course of the hour, Kate will share how this life-changing decision impacted her relationships, parenting, friendships, work and – ultimately – identity. Kate recognized a lack of resources and stories of gender transition for people in their 30s, 40s and 50s and started a YouTube channel to share her experiences of gender transition, parenting while Trans, navigating divorce, dating, work, religion and so on and so on; five years later her videos have been watched more than 200K times and has expanded her social media platform to build an inclusive and supportive community. 

Takeaways:

Kate’s story will demonstrate how embracing authenticity and vulnerability can make you a better person, parent, friend, and co-worker and how others can learn from this to help build a more compassionate and inclusive workplace and society.