Cathy Thompson is a Canadian business leader having spent nearly 30 years creating companies from the ground up. She has intimate knowledge and expertise with sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, franchises, and licensing. In addition to her companies, she mentors female business owners on idea incubation, business set up, systems and operations. She infuses creativity, universal laws and business acumen into her speaking, coaching and retreats. Cathy founded Beyond the Classroom in 1998 and has grown the company through a franchising model throughout Ontario. She is also co-founder of Beyond the Studio and Sing it Girls. In addition, Cathy co-hosts The Canadian Music Therapy Podcast, with close to 20,000 downloads since it’s inception in 2021.

In addition to establishing these companies, Cathy worked at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in the provincial support program as a Program Consultant for 15 years. She authored and disseminated an international anti-stigma program to promote understanding and awareness about depression called “Girls Talk”. She also chaired community committees related to suicide prevention, youth mental health and substance use & abuse.

Cathy graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. She completed a post-graduate diploma in Adult Education and continues to take courses to further her education. She volunteers as a member of the Professional Advisory Committee at the Pilon School of Business and regularly mentors students in the Project Management program. She was a finalist for the internationally recognized 2019 RevolutionHER Awards and has been featured in two books about successful female entrepreneurs. In 2022 Cathy launched her own book, The Dandelion: The Secrets to Growing Your Successful Business from the Ground Up.