Kate (Bryan ’07) Milligan started her college career uncertain about what she would do with her education, but she since has found a niche giving a voice to women and girls who are changing the world.
Through her nonprofit multimedia organization 1 Girl Revolution and The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast, Kate highlights the stories of women such as Lauren Costabile, founder of Hearts of Joy International, which provides heart surgery for children with Down Syndrome in developing countries, and Chacrice Miles, CEO of Transition 1, 2, 3, Inc., which helps women rebuild their lives after domestic abuse.
In addition to the weekly podcast, which currently ranks in the top five percent worldwide, Kate uses social media and film to spread the word about what women are doing to make a difference. She has produced two documentaries: The Girl Inside about five incarcerated women at Chicago’s Cook County Jail and their experience with a course taught by a college professor on “Storytelling as a Healing Art,” and In Tandem about a restaurant in Milwaukee that offers on-the-job training for marginalized people and others in need of an opportunity. Both can be seen on YouTube.
Before starting the podcast in 2018 and forming 1 Girl Revolution the following year, Kate had worked in public relations and media in Ireland, where she also received a master’s degree in public affairs and communications, and in Washington, D.C., where she worked for a public relations firm handling press for pro-life organizations.
But her frustration with the politicized nature of media and what she experienced as an unwillingness to tell inspiring stories about women led her back to her native Michigan, where she decided to do something that would amplify women’s voices and showcase their stories.
When she came across the motto of the city of Detroit, “We hope for better things; it shall arise from the ashes,” Kate thought, “That’s women and girls. They always hope no matter what they’ve been through. They are the most hope-filled and joyful beings, and they always rise from the ashes.”
She started with a podcast and recorded 10 stories. Then, 10 turned to 20, and this past July, she aired her 265th episode. Her hope is that every woman who hears the podcast sees that she has the power to change the world through her life.
As a student at Franciscan, Kate had an interest in media and communications but ended up studying theology. In retrospect, she said, it was the best thing she could have done.
“Theology and my degree and everything else I studied and experienced gave me a strong foundation for everything I’ve accomplished since,” she says.
