Gale Wilkinson

Hello! My name is Gale. I’m a dog mom and a lover of all animals. I wrote a book on pet loss grief after my Samson passed away on May 18, 2024. I had always known the day would come, but I was not prepared for how difficult it was to lose him and then pick up the pieces of my life once he was gone. He was light and love, and I know he’d want me to share our story to help the millions of pet parents who go through their own heartbreaking losses every year.

My professional background is in finance, strategy, and marketing. I have worked at Nielsen in new product consulting and Orbitz in strategy and data. More recently, I started two venture capital firms - IrishAngels and VITALIZE Venture Capital - where I’ve helped hundreds of people invest in early stage startups. I hold degrees from Notre Dame (undergrad) and Chicago Booth (business school).

I’m an amateur animal communicator and very active in dog rescue. I’ve helped 16 dogs so far on their journeys to a better life, many of which I fostered through Chicagoland Lab Rescue (the organization where I adopted Samson in 2017). I currently live in Chicago and Nashville with my husband and two dogs, Murphy and Lark.