Kate Gatfield-Jeffries

Instead, she launched Moodi, which has become one of Australasia’s fastest-growing women’s wellness brands.

Designed to support stress, sleep, focus and energy, Moodi’s products are used by one in 25 women in New Zealand, and their Pre + Probiotic Sodas are now stocked in hundreds of supermarkets nationwide. With over 300 percent annual growth and on track to sell millions of cans of Soda in their first year, it’s safe to say her leap of faith has paid off.

The Moodi blend has proven to be a recipe for success, but also represents a “surreal” dream come true.

“I dreamed of becoming a CEO of my own company by 40, and now I’m leading a company at 27,” Gatfield-Jeffries says. “It’s gone beyond what I imagined, in the best possible way.” Now having served millions of their Pre + Probiotic Blends online and with sodas at times outselling legacy brands like Coca-Cola, Moodi is a far cry from the first “scrappy” early years of the company, where she pet-sat full-time, lived on oats and didn’t pay herself for two years.

“That hardship taught me resilience, speed and the value of knowing your business inside out,” she says. “It’s been unconventional, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Moodi has never followed the traditional playbook. Whether it was giving away 50,000 free cans of Pre + Probiotic Soda or launching the world’s first Pavlova protein, Gatfield-Jeffries says she has always prioritised innovation and community. While working hard on the core purpose to redefine women’s wellness, she has also built the brand profitably and independently without investors.

“That combination of grit, creativity and values-led leadership is what I believe sets me, and Moodi, apart,” she says.

Gatfield-Jeffries also credits her time at the University of Auckland as foundational in establishing Moodi.

“Pursuing a double degree in Law and Commerce taught me both strategic thinking and commercial skills,” she says. In 2019, she co-founded the Women in Law Mentoring Programme and led the University of Auckland Women in Business (UAWB) through its first full year of operation. These roles taught her “leadership, community building and driving impact at scale” while also sparking her advocacy for young women in business.

In terms of external recognition, Gatfield-Jeffries has placed second at the Women in Business Conference in Nashville, won the young leaders award at the Women of Influence awards, been named the EY Global Corporate Finance Woman of the Year and is a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. But beyond the accolades, she says reading about the impact that her products have had on women’s lives is the most rewarding part of what she does.

“That emotional connection confirms that we aren’t just building a brand, we are making a real difference,” she says.

All those lives changed, and Gatfield-Jeffries is just getting started.

“My biggest professional goal is to make Moodi the largest women’s mental wellness brand in the Western world by 2030,” she says.

Personally, she wants to continue giving back to her community through grants for female founders, internships and advocacy work. Gatfield-Jeffries says much of her journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of women like Professor Chris Woods, or the inspiration of other female founders who have gone before, such as skincare mogul Emma Lewisham.

“I’m deeply passionate about elevating other women,” she says. “I believe in paying it forward, because I wouldn't be here without those who did the same for me.”