Goizane Esain Mullin

Creative strategy
RBI Marketing

Age: 39

Partner: Ryan Mullin

Why she’s a Forty: As a graphic design business owner and collaborative partner with RBI Marketing, she offers her passion for art and creativity through design strategy for clients while advocating for animals, human rights and diversity through various volunteer efforts. During her time at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, she launched, developed, expanded and managed Pets for Life, a community outreach program that was a proactive effort to keep pets outside of the shelter system. Goizane’s work and efforts challenged and inspired many and created the foundation for the ARL’s modern-day Animal Services and outreach program. Thousands of owned pets are spayed or neutered and have received vaccination, veterinary care and pet supplies, all to improve their health and quality of life. Her leadership was recognized by the Humane Society of the United States through the Community Award for her work done Des Moines. 

She is a volunteer for the Warren Morrow Latin Music Festival, the first Latin music festival in Des Moines that celebrates Hispanic music and culture. She helped broaden the festival from an inside music event of 200 people to a day festival with almost 700 people in attendance, 10 vendors and more than 20 Latin music bands from all over the country and world. In 2019 the festival brought world-renowned and Grammy-nominated accordionist Celso Pina.

What are your goals in your role at your company?

To help small to medium-sized business owners who lack design expertise and resources create a visual identity or marketing campaigns that engage their target customers and produce results. To create intentional designs that are strategic, creative and inclusive and elevate our client’s work and the community. To work with organizations with purpose/services/products that make the community better.

What are your goals for your community involvement?

Art: One of my goals is to promote my art outside of Iowa to get art installation commissions in the Midwest. Music: As a festival organizer and music lover, I’d like to continue to bring music diversity to Des Moines. Community: To utilize my experience and skills to elevate the community throughout my work and volunteerism.

What's your biggest passion, and why?

Art: It’s a creative outlet. I like highlighting/celebrating the design, lines and patterns of our day-to-day architecture and environment. It makes me experience life with a different perspective. 

Music: It’s lively. It makes you want to dance. It brings people together.

Human behavior: I love to understand human behavior, what motivates people, how people’s upbringings and culture can affect their behavior and choices.

What is it that drives you?

My motto is “be the change you want to see in the world” and to “leave places better than you found them.” I like learning, feeling useful and putting my experience into practice. I like helping clients and people succeed and see them reach their goals. I like to support our community by providing services, experiences or solutions to issues and efforts that can improve the quality of life.

What are your future aspirations?

To use my creativity and wide range of expertise to work on projects that elevate our community. Bring more diversity and inclusion in all professional and volunteer work I do. Educate myself and be part of efforts in the community that will bring equality and equity to minority groups in our community.

Three hobbies: Making art; learning bass guitar; studying human behavior; spending time with friends; volunteering at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s community outreach program, planning the annual gala as a member of the Iowa Arts Council, or serving on the Cultural and Entertainment District Advisory Council; producing Iowa’s first Latin American music festival, the Warren Morrow Latin Music Festival. 

Fun fact: I was born in San Sebastian, Spain (Basque Country), and lived in Venezuela and Colombia before moving to Denver and then Des Moines. Because of moving so much when I was little and knowing some of the slang and words used in each country, I tend to have more of a newscaster's Spanish – more neutral and without tons of slang. Goizane is Basque and it means the beginning of the day, the dawn. Basque is one the oldest languages in the world with no connection to Romance languages 

ONE word: Multifaceted.

What is your wish for the Central Iowa business community?

I would like to see more diversity and inclusion efforts within the business world in Des Moines – staffing-wise, but also in our communications/targeted efforts so everyone feels included and part of the community. After my work at the ARL, I learned that our underserved community, elders and minorities are suffering in Des Moines. We as leaders have to work to provide solutions and offer opportunities for these groups to succeed.

Anything else you haven't addressed that people must know about you? 

I'm married to Ryan Mullin, the gallery manager at Moberg Gallery for the last 12 years. He is also a musician and band director for Parranderos Latin Combo, a Latin band from Des Moines that has been playing festivals and private and public events for more than 10 years. 

I have my own business as a graphic designer (Goizane.com) and I also partner with RBI Marketing (rbimktg.com) as a design strategist. At RBI, we are three managing partners who serve as independent consultants, providing focused services in our respective areas of expertise. We are working with the United Way of Central Iowa on their Powered by Purpose effort, which is designed to help increase the well-being index in Central Iowa residents. Purpose is one of the health components believed to help increase well-being and life expectancy. 

I’m also an artist represented by Moberg Gallery with art installations at Ruan, Principal, Merchants Bonding, Mercy West Clinic and others.