Kath Koschel
Founder, The Kindness Factory
Kath Koschel is the founder of Kindness Factory, a global not for profit organisation and movement which inspires ordinary people to do Extraordinary things. A former professional cricketer and Iron Man competitor, Kath has defied all medical prognoses by teaching herself to walk on two separate occasions. Despite facing other serious personal, mental and physical setbacks, her resilience allowed her not only to overcome these challenges, but also see the good in the world when most others couldn’t.
In November 2015, she founded Kindness Factory, with a goal of encouraging and inspiring 1 million acts of kindness. To date, she has raised close to half-a-million dollars for various charity organisations and was the recipient of the 2016 Pride of Australia Medal for showing courage in the face of extreme adversity. In January 2017, Kath was awarded the Young Australian Medal and the people’s choice of Australia award.
Speaker Sessions
4:05 - 5:00 PM
Closing Keynote with Kath Koschel
Kindness in the Face of Adversity: A Journey Beyond Resilience
In her twenties, Kath faced life-altering challenges, including severe injuries that forced her to relearn how to walk, not once but twice—and the profound loss of a loved one. Yet these experiences led her on an extraordinary journey across Australia, relying solely on the kindness of strangers, with no money, food, or water. This life-changing trek inspired her to create the Kindness Factory, a global Not-for-Profit dedicated to fostering kindness and resilience.
In this session, Kath will explore her journey from adversity to purpose, sharing how the Kindness Factory has logged millions of acts of kindness and, through a partnership with Kaplan, developed the Kindness Curriculum. Now embedded in thousands of schools, this curriculum empowers children with the transformative power of kindness. Join us to hear Kath’s powerful story and learn how kindness can shape lives and build resilient communities.