 Goddard was born in Paris in 1979 along with her twin sister, Lucy Kalanithi, widow of neurosurgeon and author, Paul Kalanithi.Goddard grew up in France, England, and Michigan before graduating from the University of Michigan in 2001.Following her graduation, Goddard moved to New York City and worked at Cosmopolitan Magazine before launching the magazine Bene, which she ran from 2005 to 2007.