Katie Hilborn keynote speaker
- Impact Architect: Weaving Purpose into the Heart of a Future-Ready Workplace
- The Change Compass: Heart-Centric Leading during Times of Change
Katie Hilborn is a 7x award-winning humanitarian, social entrepreneur, and captivating keynote speaker whose transformative work has earned her recognition alongside global icons like the Dalai Lama and Jane Goodall. Renowned for turning adversity into purpose, she has raised millions for her charitable projects and inspired over 100,000 volunteer hours to bring her vision to life.
Born into adversity, Katie was abandoned at birth by a mother battling severe mental illness and adopted into a Chicago family whose legacy shaped her future. At 20, witnessing her birth mother’s passing from multiple sclerosis forced her to confront mortality, privilege, and purpose, igniting a lifelong drive to explore, learn, and create change.
Katie’s remarkable journey—from funding her first project at a primary school in Uganda with her coffeehouse tips, to living among the African Maasai, walking pumas in the Bolivian jungle, and going undercover during the Nepal earthquakes to help dismantle a child-trafficking ring—transforms her keynotes into captivating stories that inspire and energize audiences.
As the founder and CEO of Compass Rose International, an award-winning nonprofit advancing mental wellness and education for teen women, she shares actionable insights, introducing concepts like following the breadcrumbs of intuition to make heart-led decisions that reshape careers, organizations, and lives.
Katie inspires leaders and teams to place purpose at the core of workplace culture, boosting engagement, enhancing productivity, and building resilience. Audiences leave equipped to drive purposeful growth and lasting impact.
She has delivered keynotes at 15+ major events, including the Real Estate Investor Summit, The CE Shop, Northern Illinois University, and the 100th Annual PTA Convention. Some accolades include silver for Nonprofit Leader of the Year at the Anthem Awards and Young Alumni of the Year at her alma mater in 2023, multiple gold and silver Telly Awards for social impact, and Millennial Changemaker of the Year in 2016. Katie has also been featured in New York Magazine, ABC Chicago, NBC Colorado & Company, FoxNews, and more.
With powerful storytelling and proven strategies, Katie inspires audiences to navigate uncertainty with clarity, courage, and purpose. Her keynotes weave humor, humanity, and hope, making her an exceptional choice for conferences, corporate events, and more.
“Katie is a master story weaver—her keynote was truly inspiring. We laughed, we cried, we learned, and we left with a clear plan for our futures.” – Beth McDonald, RE Investors Summit
“Really enjoyed the presentation that Katie provided today to offer inspirations to Real Estate Investors and how they can change the world and her world travels have really painted a picture of how people need help in the world.”
– Travis Spencer, Organizer, Denver Real Estate Investor Success Summit
“Katie was very inspiring and a master storyteller. I really feel like we’re leaving better people with a plan of how to get started in making our dreams come true.”
– Ami Orchard, Colorado PTA President, 100th Annual PTA Convention
CEO of Employee Fanatix, DEI Strategist, Best-selling Author, Forbes Contributor...
