Jodi Bondi Norgaard
Author, Speaker, Founder of Go!Go! Sports Girls, Female Empowerment Advocate
MORE THAN
A
DOLL
HOW CREATING A SPORTS DOLL TURNED INTO A FIGHT TO END GENDER STEREOTYPES
About Jodi
Jodi Bondi Norgaard is a keynote speaker, author, entrepreneur, feminist advocate, consultant, and an expert in creating change and breaking gender stereotypes. She is the author of More Than A Doll: How Creating A Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes (Post Hill Press, January 21, 2025), which connects the dots from sexualized dolls, to the subtle damage inflicted on girls’ confidence, to implicit biases we hold about gender, to decisions we make as adults that prevent true gender equity.
Jodi is the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and the creator of the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of dolls, books, and apps for girls encouraging healthy and active play over beauty and body image. She has been breaking gender stereotypes since 2009 when she launched the plush sports dolls built-in specification to a real girl's body. Her inspiration came in 2007 after shopping for a doll with her then 9-year-old daughter and finding a doll with belly-baring clothing, high heels, and make-up, named 'Lovely Lola.' Initially, industry leaders dismissed her product because a sports doll was not mainstream. “Girls want fashion dolls,” she heard, over and over. She was not convinced and knew mainstream ideas never create change. By 2015, she had made significant strides and her product was launched in Walmart stores. In October 2016, the Go! Go! Sports Girls brand was acquired by Jazwares, an established cutting-edge toy company.
As a toy industry thought leader, Jodi was invited by the White House under the Obama administration to participate in conferences on breaking down gender stereotypes in media and toys. She currently serves on the White House Gender Policy Council collaborating on policy as it relates to children’s toys, content, and publishing.
In 2023, she worked with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media on a groundbreaking report, Equal Play? Analyzing Gender Stereotypes, Diversity, and Inclusion in Advertising and Marketing of Toys. She is a DEIB consultant specializing in gender equality and spearheaded and co-chaired the first Toy Association DEIB Committee to expand play.
Jodi is a contributor to Ms. Magazine. She has been featured on national media including The Today Show, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson, Forbes, Upworthy, Parents, Shape, Self, Runner’s World, Advertising Age, Good Housekeeping, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Huffington Post. In 2016, she was named by Women’s Running as one of 20 Women Who Are Changing the Sport of Running and the World.
As a public speaker and TEDx speaker, Jodi presents to corporations, women’s groups, conferences, universities and more. She shares her passion for social impact with audiences and illustrates how strong values can change an industry, even the world. She encourages individuals to think with an innovative and problem solving approach and to persist through adversity.
