Kate Moreland undertakes well-being venture

Open the door and invest in yourself. That’s one of the first messages displayed on former Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) President Kate Moreland’s website — called Kate Moreland Coaching & Consulting — where she reintroduces herself to individuals and organizations. Ms. Moreland resigned from her position at ICAD officially Jan. 9, announcing the […]

Open the door and invest in yourself. That’s one of the first messages displayed on former Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) President Kate Moreland’s website — called Kate Moreland Coaching & Consulting — where she reintroduces herself to individuals and organizations. Ms. Moreland resigned from her position at ICAD officially Jan. 9, announcing the decision in October the same time ICAD and the Iowa City Area Business Partnership agreed to start the merger process. “I came into this role in January 2020 as the interim president and in March 2020 the world fell apart,” she said. “I was hired on as president in April. So I would say the job I got was not the one I thought I would be doing. “Literally the entire time I was leading was during a crisis,” she continued. “It required a different set of skills because we really had to be creative and resilient.” Experience gained in her career, particularly as a CEO, showed her the stressors entrepreneurs and companies face on a daily basis. Well-being, she realized, is a real issue needing addressed. “Anxiety and depression has skyrocketed over the last few years for all age groups, and there’s a lot of burnout with professionals,” she explained.  According to a December poll from the American Psychiatric Association, nearly two in five adults rated their mental health as fair or poor, as reported by NBC. Leading factors of stress were personal finances, uncertainty, physical and mental health, relationships and job security. Researchers point to the COVID-19 pandemic and global instability as influential factors that affect most people. “People are reevaluating a lot of priorities,” she said, referencing the Great Resignation and quiet quitting. “They’re not feeling fulfilled or purposeful. If stress isn’t something you can manage then you’re walking away. We have to figure out how to put people first.” ICAD, acknowledging these struggles, has sent a wellness newsletter for more than a year to tackle some of the underlying issues through feedback and tips, local events and webinars. Ms. Moreland said she is interested in working directly with “any organization or people” looking for help in achieving their goals while improving their sense of well-being. After practicing law for a decade and then serving in different roles for ICAD since 2014, she sees her career path as unique and worthy of drawing lessons from. The former ICAD president is a Lumia coach and has a certificate in the science of well-being from Yale. She will also continue as a consultant for the Better Together 2030 All In Vision, a collaborative initiative between Johnson County stakeholders that she helped spearhead. “I see well-being as the next frontier that I’m interested in helping our community navigate,” she said. “I don’t profess to know all the answers, but I’m really interested in helping.”