A little about me

Kathryn Minshew (@kmin) is an entrepreneur, author, and investor who has spent over a decade focused on the Future of Work. Kathryn founded The Muse in 2011, a career platform used by over 70 million people to research companies and careers. Under her leadership as CEO, The Muse pioneered the concept of values-based job search and was named one of Fast Company's 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World. Kathryn’s first book, “The New Rules of Work”, was a Wall Street Journal national bestseller. In 2022, Kathryn led The Muse's acquisition of Fairygodboss.com, the largest online career community for women. Kathryn has received numerous honors and awards including:

  • Entrepreneur of the Year Award, One Young World

  • Marie Claire’s The New Guard: America’s 50 Most Influential Women

  • Fortune Founders Forum - 2023

  • EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Finalist - 2018

  • Inc.’s Female Founders 100 List

  • SmartCEO Future 50, Vistage Leadership Legacy Award

  • New York on Tech’s Top Disruptors and Innovators List

  • Mashable 41 Female Founders to Watch

  • New York Business Journal, Women of Influence

  • L'Oreal Top Women in Digital Winner

  • Business Insider Silicon Alley 100 List

  • Business Insider's 30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech - 2013

  • Forbes 30 Under 30 - 2012 & 2011

  • Kathryn and Andy Dunn Speak at FounderMade Innovation Show 2023

  • CNBC

    CNBC Interview 2024

  • BBG Ventures Accelerate Summit 2023

  • Speaking with Jacqueline Novogratz on Innovation, Creativity and the Moral Imagination at Founders Forum 2022

  • Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2023

  • Co-Panelists, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women 2022

  • Fortune Founders Forum 2023

  • Fearless Genius Dinner hosted by Rick Smolan

  • Keynote at EBN's Workplace Strategies Conference, 2022

Bio

Kathryn Minshew is an entrepreneur, author, and investor who has spent over a decade focused on building a more human Future of Work. Kathryn co-founded The Muse in 2011 and pioneered the concept of values-based job search. She led the business as CEO from 2011-2023, and under her leadership The Muse grew from 0 to 70+ million annual users and was named one of Fast Company's 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World. 

In 2022, Kathryn led The Muse's acquisition of Fairygodboss.com, the largest online career community for women. Fairygodboss serves over 10 million women with a supportive community, tactical advice, live and virtual events, and over 50,000 employee reviews on gender equity and womens' experience inside thousands of companies.

Kathryn is an active advisor, angel investor (88% in female founded companies), and an Operating Partner with XFactor Ventures, designed to be the “first check” in female founded companies. She is a frequent advocate for equity in the technology industry, as well as the world writ large.

Kathryn is also a frequent speaker and author on the topics of talent and culture, leadership, entrepreneurship and the future of work. Her first book, “The New Rules of Work” (Crown Business, April 2017), was a Wall Street Journal national bestseller. She has spoken at MIT and Harvard, contributed to Fortune and the Harvard Business Review, and appeared on The TODAY Show and CNN. In addition, Kathryn & The Muse have been named to the Fortune Founders Forum, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, Marie Claire’s The New Guard, SmartCEO's Future50 Visionary CEOs, New York on Tech’s Disruptors and Innovators, Inc.’s 30 Under 35 and Female Founders 100, One Young World’s Entrepreneur of the Year and many more. 

Separately, Kathryn is a Co-Producer of three musicals opening on Broadway in 2024, including SUFFS, based on suffragists and the American women's suffrage movement. She is also an advisor and member of the Founders Council for Trilantic North America, a private equity firm; and an LP in several venture funds including the NYC-based Human Ventures.

Prior to founding The Muse, Kathryn worked on vaccine introduction in Rwanda and Malawi with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and, before that, was at management consultancy McKinsey & Company.

Photo Credit Portrait Madame

Kathryn in the News

'Life is short': Attracting top talent without breaking the bank ->

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR MAGAZINE | by Emily Douglas

THE NEW RULES OF WORK

THE NEW RULES OF WORK

THE NEW RULES OF WORK: THE MODERN PLAYBOOK FOR NAVIGATING YOUR CAREER

In this definitive playbook to the ever-changing workplace, Muse co-founders Kathryn and Alex show how to play the game by the New Rules. Through quick exercises and structured tips, you will learn everything you need to know to find your direction, land a job you love, and succeed in the career you’ve always wanted.

  • “In today’s digital age, finding job listings and endless data about those jobs is easy. What’s difficult is making sense of it all. Here, Muse founders Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew give us the tools we need to navigate the modern job search and align our careers with our true values and passions.”

    ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, Founder & CEO of Thrive Global

  • "The founders of The Muse have written the new blueprint for every stage of your career. These New Rules of Work are not just about job search but also job discovery, which is why I invested in these women and why I’m excited for you to read this book. Get it for yourself or someone who needs to find their path."

    ALEXIS OHANIAN, Co-founder, Reddit

  • “In a world where required skill sets for any given job are constantly changing, today’s career paths look very different compared to ten years ago. The New Rules of Work embraces this new reality, showing how constantly pursuing new experiences, skills, and networks helps us enhance our value in the workplace, expand our career options, and thrive in a world where change is the new norm.”

    SALLIE KRAWCHECK, CEO and Co-founder, Ellevest

  • “The New Rules of Work brilliantly embraces the spirit of perpetual change in today’s workforce, and demonstrates that the journey to success is about thinking for ourselves, rather than following a predetermined path.”

    ERIC RIES, bestselling author of The Lean Startup

  • "Cavoulacos and Minshew have really nailed the new dynamic of passion and purpose at work, while offering invaluable strategies for how best to achieve one's goals. Make sure to have a pack of post-it notes with you to tab pages that really resonate. There will be a lot of them!"

    CATHIE BLACK, former President, Hearst Magazines

  • The Muse is constantly on the cutting edge of trends in the fast-changing world of work. Here, the Muse founders distill all their experience and expertise into an accessible guide that shows us how to navigate the new world of job hunting, career switching, and career advancement, and more—while also providing timeless career lessons and tools we can take with us as we evolve and grow.

    KARA GOLDIN, CEO, Hint Water

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