Kristine Widtfeldt

I majored in English because I love words: reading, writing, and talking. I had no clue how those skills would translate into a career, and frankly, marketing wasn’t on my radar. I quickly learned nobody would pay me to write poetry, so I did the next best thing: I wrote news headlines. Then TV ads. Then brand strategy at an ad agency. I leaned into the fun jobs and weird assignments no one else took: film critic, fundraiser, on-camera host, event emcee. My hand is perpetually up and volunteering to try the next next thing. It’s (mostly) worked, and led to a variety of CEO, CMO, CXO, and president gigs. I’m passionate about products by women, for women and families, and B2C messaging lights me up. I often say that I’ve exited four companies—two of them profitable, two of them painful, all of them amazing learning experiences. I try to live by the mantra, “You either win or learn…and if you’re lucky, both.” Today, I’m most jazzed about teaching entrepreneurship marketing at BYU, developing GTM strategy for a few cool startups, serving with a non-profit arts org and a VC board. Diet Coke, podcasts, and running are my daily non-negotiables.