Catherine (Cathy) Madison was born in Tacoma, Washington, and grew up on military posts in Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Germany, and Japan before graduating from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a journalism degree. She was editor-in-chief of Utne Reader and senior editor at Adweek and Creativity magazines. She has also written for publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Star Tribune, Advertising Age, History Channel Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, and many others.