About Kim

About Kim Peterson – Trauma-Informed

Leadership Brand & WHOLE YOU™ Life Coach

Keynote Speaker | Author | Corporate Trainer | Leadership Brand Coach | Emotional Intelligence & Resilience Expert

I’m Kim Peterson—keynote speaker, corporate trainer, veteran wardrobe stylist, and

trauma-informed Leadership Brand & WHOLE YOU Life Coach.

For 25 years, I’ve helped leaders at every level move from fear to freedom
by developing authentic confidence, resilience, and executive presence.

More than titles, I bring earned wisdom as a multi-trauma overcomer.

My work isn’t theory—it’s lived, healed, and refined

to equip clients with integrity, reliability, and compassion.

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My Story

I was adopted at six weeks old into a middle-class Caucasian family. My world changed dramatically at eight years old when I was abandoned by my family as I knew it and spent the next eight years with my single mom, living as a latchkey kid in condemned housing.

Even in those uncertain years, a thread of leadership was always present. I was elected junior high vice president, served as a camp counselor, and became a “natural helper” to peers—mentoring others even while navigating my own challenges.

As a teen, I often felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Teased and bullied, I sometimes wanted to hide and even silently wrestled with thoughts of ending my pain. Clothing became my first step toward confidence. When I began to dress for my shape and celebrate my colors, I carried myself differently—and people treated me differently too.

That seed grew into a passion. At Central Washington University, I had aspirations of law and psychology before discerning a calling to build a people-centered business around a key transformation in my life: becoming comfortable and at home in my own skin.

In 2000, while facing homelessness after leaving a domestic-violence first marriage,
I founded Uniquely Savvy, Inc. with one conviction:

“You are fearfully and wonderfully made—worthy of being known and celebrated.”

This is a woman who’s walked through fire—and now helps others rise.

What started with wardrobe styling expanded into a full integration of life coaching, personal branding, and leadership development. My life began to change when I challenged the lies and self-limiting beliefs that once defined my story—and chose to champion the truth instead. I took radical responsibility and accountability for my life and became a victor and overcomer, creating a sustainable, purpose-driven life I love.

Now I equip clients across two paths of transformation—the LIVE Track for personal healing and self-leadership, and the LEAD Track for professional growth and authentic, influential leadership—because whether we lead ourselves, our families, or organizations, leadership begins within.

Key Shifts That Shaped My WHOLE YOU Coaching

Since 2020, our world has been tested like never before. Those years reshaped my conviction and fueled my commitment to expand WHOLE YOU Life Coaching. I became a student of myself and the times we live in, and discerned that resilience, WHOLE YOU healing, and H.O.P.E.™ are survival necessities. Four perspective shifts shaped my signature body of work:

• Discernment: Learning to discern the times, people’s needs, and my own.
  
  
• Mental Health: Protecting my mental health at all costs—and choosing forgiveness as a healing tool.
  
  
• Grit & Perseverance: To withstand rapid change, grit is non-negotiable. Endurance sports became my training ground for resilience, healthy habits, and self-discipline.
  
  
• Authenticity: As Dr. Gabor Maté said, “Authenticity is a survival necessity.” It’s the root of healing, resilience, and belonging.
  
  

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These experiences birthed the frameworks I use today—Leading with Love & Kindness™ and the H.O.P.E. Strategy:
Healing → Overcoming → Possibilities → Expectancy—moving people from fear to freedom through self-leadership first. They’re the bridge between healing and high-impact leadership.

Neuroscience shows that hope isn’t wishful thinking—it’s a cognitive strategy. Practicing the H.O.P.E. Strategy helps retrain the brain away from fear and survival and toward clarity, resilience, and new possibilities.

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Mission & Movement

The past five years brought deep loss and transformation—fifteen lives gone too soon, my sister’s victory over breast cancer, and my niece’s suicide. These experiences deepened my empathy, strengthened my faith, and renewed my mission to help others heal, rise, and lead whole.

We live in a fast-paced, ever-evolving world. Today, burnout and chronic stress affect 77% of professionals, costing billions in healthcare and eroding well-being. We cannot compartmentalize or self-medicate our pain away. We are integrated beings—mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Healing and wholeness must come first if we want to lead others with vision, courage, and trust.

That’s why my mission is clear:

Equip the WHOLE YOU through self-leadership first—so you’re empowered to move from fear to freedom, to heal, rise, and lead change, not just adapt with confidence, courage, resilience, and purpose.

At the heart of this mission is Leading with Love & Kindness and the WHOLE YOU Self-Leadership First™ + H.O.P.E. Strategy. Together, they create the bridge between healing and high-impact leadership—for executives, emerging leaders, and the rising generation of girls and women.

As a Keynote Speaker and Corporate Trainer, I bring these insights to conferences, offsites, and leadership teams—translating WHOLE YOU coaching into practical, high-impact experiences.

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Life, Love & Leadership Beyond Coaching

I’m married to my college sweetheart, Kelly, and we recently moved from Seattle, WA to Queen Creek, AZ. Together we love pickleball, traveling, and raising our rescue dog Einstein the Wonderdog—Uniquely Savvy’s Ambassador of Healing and H.O.P.E. In my free time, I enjoy dancing, karaoke, photography, and exploring new places with curiosity. I also participate in endurance sports to strengthen my WHOLE YOU health and resilience. Serving leaders nationwide and virtually, with roots in Seattle and Queen Creek.

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