Sophia Partners
Connect with us
Sophia Partners
  • Offerings
    • Upcoming Events
    • Community of Practice
    • CliftonStrengths® 34
    • Transformative Leader Essentials
    • Gallup® Global Strengths Coaching
    • Impact 2026: Transformative Leadership Conference
    • Servant Leadership Learning Community®
    • Youth Leadership Fond du Lac
    • View all
  • Facilitation
    • What’s your leadership strategy?
    • Community Conversations
    • Request Services
    • View all
  • Impact
    • Inspire Ripples
    • Impact Awards
    • Resources
    • Blog
  • About
    • Our Approach
    • Upcoming Events
    • Meet the Team/Board
    • Foundress Message
    • Partners
  • Donate
Connect with us

A Journey of Transformation

06.02.23 Impact Stories

Working professional.

Wife, mother, daughter.

Servant leader.

Kristin Steede is all of these things…and more.

As the AVP of Learning and Development at Verve, a Credit Union, she is dedicated to helping others find their potential.

An enthusiastic servant leader, she is on a mission to open doors by opening minds.

 

Kristin promotes resilience, possibility, and a shared vision of helping others live the authentic life of their choosing.

Using her value of alignment, she models confident vulnerability by sharing stories of her lived and learned experiences that demonstrate growth, humility, and self-awareness.

Facing Adversity:

The catalyst for Kristin’s storytelling began in 2009 when she embarked on a journey of physical transformation by appearing on Season 7 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

Week after week, Kristin competed in a series of physical challenges, along with her mother, in the weight-loss-based reality TV show.

“It was a whirlwind of an experience.”

By week 12, Kristin became the first female to have ever lost 100 lbs while on The Biggest Loser Ranch.

After the show, she shared her story on some of the biggest and brightest stages including an appearance on NBC’s Today Show and on the cover of Life & Style Magazine.

The Journey Continues:

Once the lights were off and the cameras stopped rolling, Kristin’s physical & mental transformation started coming undone.

She remarked: “That’s the thing about the experiences that shape us, they become an unconscious way of being forged in the fires of adversity that have and know no boundaries.”

“We’ve all had experiences in our lives that have shaped us. Some good, some bad. Some extraordinary, some ordinary.”

By overcoming adversity and learning to manage her own well-being, Kristin found a great deal of joy and fulfillment in starting her family and in her work of corporate cultural development.

Cue Servant Leadership:

It was an introduction to the philosophy of servant leadership that would set her off on a different life-changing transformational journey.

“Through the practice of servant leadership, I learned not to minimize the impact of how my experiences have shaped my way of being.”

Through the many ups and downs of her life, she remains thankful for the ripple that started 20 years ago. Her testament is a demonstration of the power and practice of servant leadership.

“My stories are unique to me. YOU have your own stories and experiences that have shaped your way of being. We are all connected in that way, and it is up to us to create a community and a world that honors and appreciates the dignities of all humans.”

 

________________________________________________________

Kristin was the featured speaker for Sophia’s Caring Community Breakfast in October of 2022. To learn more about this event, click here!

Written by Samantha King in Impact Stories
Share this article:

Sophia Partners Shines at Marian Business & Industry Awards

Collaboration.

Connection.

Community.

These values were at the heart of the evening for Sophia Transformative Leadership Partners at the 44th annual Business and Industry Awards Dinner, hosted by Marian University on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. 

On this special night, Sophia Partners was honored with the Community Collaboration Award, recognizing its ongoing commitment to building relationships that strengthen the greater Fond du Lac community.

…

Read more

3 Leadership Lessons from New Book: Just Keep Growing

“Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people,” a Harvard Business Impact article said.

As an award-winning journalist with a background in communications and marketing, Martha Boehm understands the impact of storytelling. 

So she wrote a book…Just Keep Growing: 25 Servant Leadership Lessons! This book is filled with stories to uplift, inspire, teach, and connect people to the power and potential of servant leadership. …

Read more

Board Bios: Meet Stacy Shedivy

In January 2024, Stacy Shedivy joined the Sophia Board of Directors, continuing a journey that began more than 15 years ago when she was first drawn to Sophia Partners’ vision, its commitment to servant leadership, and the supportive community it continues to create.

For Stacy, this organization has shaped far more than her professional approach—it has become a way of life. 

“Regardless of which hat I wear—consultant, volunteer, teacher, coach, or parent—I intentionally seek to serve better,” she reflects. 

The principles of servant leadership, which she once thought of as a leadership style, have become a daily lifestyle. They encourage her to nurture her own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being so she can better serve others. 

…

Read more

Sign up for insights + tools for servant-leaders

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Join us in radically changing the way people learn and practice leadership.

© 2025 Sophia Transformative Leadership Partners

Useful Links

  • Upcoming Events
  • Leadership Programs
  • Request Speaker/Workshop
  • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Community Impact
  • Donate

Get in touch

920.375.1488
Email Us

P.O. Box 1251
Fond du Lac, WI 54936-1251

Register for Impact 2026 - Tickets on Sale Now!
Register ›