April 27-29, 2026

All Speakers

Dog and cat food research experts who will present at Petfood Forum & Petfood Essentials

Bridget Meadows
Founder and Owner
Bridget Meadows Coaching
Bridget Meadows is a business owner, an emotional support person for a very needy dog and a former-scientist-turned-life-coach. She is passionate about food, music, pets, chosen communities and social justice, and she believes finding the funny in any situation can save our individual and collective sanity. After 20 years in the pet food industry, Meadows pivoted her own career to found Bridget Meadows Coaching, dedicated to helping people find work they enjoy and makes them feel inspired, energized and part of something that’s worth spending their precious time and energy on. She is an expert in change management, risk mitigation and decision making, bringing her background in science and innovation into coaching methods that are both rooted in evidence and lifted by possibility. In short, she loves helping people turn their big worries into bigger plans.
Date/TimeTitle
Wed Apr 29
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Closing session: It’s an experiment! Musings on leadership, creativity and careers
KCCC Halls C-E, Tech Talk stage

“The people who are happiest in their career path treat their careers as an experiment, not an identity.” Within this statement lives a world of possibility to try new things, explore curious questions and continue to grow in a career that brings you joy and fulfillment. Bridget Meadows, owner of Bridget Meadows Coaching and a pet food industry veteran, examines the concept of experimental thinking within a career and how it can powerfully shift your mindset, build your resilience and open up new possibilities for happiness at work.  A panel of professionals who have made such career pivots will share their experiences, including Sarah Andereck, pet account manager, IFF; Brooke Eiler, sales manager, North America, IQI; and Brenda Knapp, director of nutrition, Simmons Pet Food.

Organized by Women in Petfood Leadership, which is sponsored by AFB International, Balchem PetShure, Camlin Fine Sciences, Coperion, Extru-Tech, Heartland-Progan, Kerry, the Peterson Co., Simmons Pet Food, Wenger and Zinpro.