Finding hope through grit & gratitude to never give up
Finding hope through grit & gratitude to never give up
3-Time All-American Swimmer
Best-Selling Author
Keynote Speaker
Founder of Extend The Wave
Meet Kimberly -------
Perseverance is a power tool.
Kimberly Stevens has been in the business of keeping hope alive through grit and gratitude in her own life for more than four decades.
Kimberly made her first “gritty” vow at age ten when she decided to “win” in swimming. This singular decision eventually helped her become an All-American in swimming, a Big Ten record holder, national champion,
and University of Iowa Hall of Fame inductee. In addition to winning in the pool, Kimberly has never given up in life despite tragic loss.
Meet Kimberly -------
Perseverance is a power tool.
Kimberly Stevens has been in the business of keeping hope alive through grit and gratitude in her own life for more than four decades.
Kimberly made her first “gritty” vow at age ten when she decided to “win” in swimming. This singular decision eventually helped her become an All-American in swimming, a Big Ten record holder, national champion,
and University of Iowa Hall of Fame inductee. In addition to winning in the pool, Kimberly has never given up in life despite tragic loss.
Best Selling Author, Kimberly-------
We're only one heartbreak away from losing our dreams.
Pain is everywhere in the chaos we call the new normal. Loss can take down even the strongest amongst us.
ALTAR’d introduces us to Kimberly Stevens, a formidable college hall of fame swimmer who believed she could persevere and beat every foe. Her gritty strategy worked until …she was crushed by the death of her first child.
As her broken fairy-tale continued, Kimberly endured the life-threatening illness of her daughter, two divorces, a custody battle, breast cancer, and the loss of her home.
Any one of these circumstances could cause a person to give up hope, and Kimberly almost did. In this honest and raw memoir, Kimberly offers a sincere glimpse into her broken heart and her struggle to find, maintain, and rekindle real, everlasting hope so she could stay in the race of life.
Best Selling Author, Kimberly-------
We're only one heartbreak away from losing our dreams.
Pain is everywhere in the chaos we call the new normal. Loss can take down even the strongest amongst us.
ALTAR’d introduces us to Kimberly Stevens, a formidable college hall of fame swimmer who believed she could persevere and beat every foe. Her gritty strategy worked until …she was crushed by the death of her first child.
As her broken fairy-tale continued, Kimberly endured the life-threatening illness of her daughter, two divorces, a custody battle, breast cancer, and the loss of her home.
Any one of these circumstances could cause a person to give up hope, and Kimberly almost did. In this honest and raw memoir, Kimberly offers a sincere glimpse into her broken heart and her struggle to find, maintain, and rekindle real, everlasting hope so she could stay in the race of life.
"Kimberly's story is truly one of courage and resilience...."
-Craig Beardsley, Olympian, world record holder
Speaker Kimberly-------
The moment between failure & future is pivotal.
What we do in that moment determines everything.
This is the message Kimberly delivers in her presentations. Her ability to connect with her audience through stories and anecdotes of determination, achievement, love and loss inspires her audience to be open to all of the possibilities their life and career has for them. It is when we stop striving to do better and be better that we become vulnerable to the heavy weight of life's difficulties and challenges. Goal setting, mindset, action tracking and consistency are all key factors in getting up and getting through difficult times to persevere, overcome and truly succeed.
Kimberly customizes her message of grit and gratitude to every audience. Her goal is always to deliver a message that not only inspires her audience to act, but provides actionable takeaways they can use to start making positive changes that very same day!
Kimberly speaks to corporations, sales teams, organizations, associations, churches, school groups and sports teams.
Leader Kimberly-------
Extend The Wave
“The Hawkeye Wave” is the greatest tradition in college football. At the end of every first quarter home Iowa football game, 70,000 people including fans, players, coaches, and officials quiet on cue and turn their attention toward the Stead Children’s Hospital which overlooks Kinnick stadium.
In this quiet moment every hand in the stadium extends love and good wishes to pediatric patients and their families who watch the game from their own “press box” high above the stadium.
This kind and quiet moment extends a beacon of hope and inspiration to children and their families offering them a momentary break from the storms they face in the hospital.
After enduring the death of her own young son, Kimberly knows all too well what gestures like this can mean for patients and families. On November 18th 2023, Stevens “extended the wave” to more than 100 families in the AdventHealth For Children’s Hospital in Orlando where Stevens now resides.
Prior to the game, families received gift cards, gifts, t-shirts and game watch packs complete with football watching snacks and a stadium blanket. A tailgate style lunch was served to all children and families.
At the completion of first quarter, children and families experienced the best tradition in college football with a shoutout to Orlando. It was such a boost of hope that inspired everyone involved to never give up, no matter what they face.
In 2024, Extend The Wave is expanding and will take place in 10 cities across America. The goal is to reach more than 1,000 families.
To help support this great event and help it grow to Children's Hospitals everywhere, please use this link or QR code to make a donation.
For more information, visit https://www.extendthewave.org.
Speaker Kimberly-------
The moment between failure & future is pivotal.
What we do in that moment determines everything.
This is the message Kimberly delivers in her presentations. Her ability to connect with her audience through stories and anecdotes of determination, achievement, love and loss inspires her audience to be open to all of the possibilities their life and career has for them. It is when we stop striving to do better and be better that we become vulnerable to the heavy weight of life's difficulties and challenges. Goal setting, mindset, action tracking and consistency are all key factors in getting up and getting through difficult times to persevere, overcome and truly succeed.
Kimberly customizes her message of grit and gratitude to every audience. Her goal is always to deliver a message that not only inspires her audience to act, but provides actionable takeaways they can use to start making positive changes that very same day!
Kimberly speaks to corporations, sales teams, organizations, associations, churches, school groups and sports teams.
Leader Kimberly-------
Extend The Wave
“The Hawkeye Wave” is the greatest tradition in college football. At the end of every first quarter home Iowa football game, 70,000 people including fans, players, coaches, and officials quiet on cue and turn their attention toward the Stead Children’s Hospital which overlooks Kinnick stadium.
In this quiet moment every hand in the stadium extends love and good wishes to pediatric patients and their families who watch the game from their own “press box” high above the stadium.
This kind and quiet moment extends a beacon of hope and inspiration to children and their families offering them a momentary break from the storms they face in the hospital.
After enduring the death of her own young son, Kimberly knows all too well what gestures like this can mean for patients and families. On November 18th 2023, Stevens “extended the wave” to more than 100 families in the AdventHealth For Children’s Hospital in Orlando where Stevens now resides.
Prior to the game, families received gift cards, gifts, t-shirts and game watch packs complete with football watching snacks and a stadium blanket. A tailgate style lunch was served to all children and families.
At the completion of first quarter, children and families experienced the best tradition in college football with a shoutout to Orlando. It was such a boost of hope that inspired everyone involved to never give up, no matter what they face.
In 2024, Extend The Wave is expanding and will take place in 10 cities across America. The goal is to reach more than 1,000 families.
To help support this great event and help it grow to Children's Hospitals everywhere, please use this link or QR code to make a donation.
For more information, visit
https://www.extendthewave.org
.
--------- Kimberly's Programs ----------
Consulting
INSURANCE AGENTS
Kimberly mentors and works with insurance agents to help them know and understand the industry from every angle, including the ever-changing laws. Having had children with severe illnesses and being a breast cancer survivor, Kimberly has a unique perspective on the why and how to match the perfect products for each individual need.
INSURANCE TEAMS
Kimberly also works with insurance firms and agent teams. She helps them formulate client profiles and identify new revenue streams by understanding how to best analyze a client's needs and fitting them with the right products. She teaches how important and valuable it is to work with every type of client, regardless of their current situation.
MEDICAL SALES
Kimberly spent 16 years in the medical/pharmaceutical sales industry. Navigating today's healthcare environment can be tricky. Kimberly understands how to add value to customers and how to position yourself as an expert resource and partner. Kimberly helps those in medical sales identify and position themselves for success.
SWIM TEAMS
Mindset is a huge part of success both in and out of the pool. Kimberly does mind strength training for swim teams throughout the U.S. What she finds most interesting is how the training affects a person's ability to overcome and succeed long after their competitive swimming days are over.
FEMALE ATHLETES - SENIORS
For most competitive swimmers, once college is over, so is their swimming career. Navigating a life outside of the pool can be challenging. Kimberly has been there. Today, she helps female athletes, nearing the end of college, to navigate their new life and apply their training to success in their careers and personal lives.
Kimberly is a three-time All-American, a four-time Big Ten champion and is one of only two female swimmers from Iowa to join the Hawkeye Hall of Fame. She still competes in Master’s swimming at the national level and is part of a relay that set a world record in 2009. Kimberly knows what it takes to train and win in the pool.
--------- Kimberly's Programs ----------
Consulting
INSURANCE AGENTS
Kimberly mentors and works with insurance agents to help them know and understand the industry from every angle, including the ever-changing laws. Having had children with severe illnesses and being a breast cancer survivor, Kimberly has a unique perspective on the why and how to match the perfect products for each individual need.
INSURANCE TEAMS
Kimberly also works with insurance firms and agent teams. She helps them formulate client profiles and identify new revenue streams by understanding how to best analyze a client's needs and fitting them with the right products. She teaches how important and valuable it is to work with every type of client, regardless of their current situation.
MEDICAL SALES
Kimberly spent 16 years in the medical/pharmaceutical sales industry. Navigating today's healthcare environment can be tricky. Kimberly understands how to add value to customers and how to position yourself as an expert resource and partner. Kimberly helps those in medical sales identify and position themselves for success.
SWIM TEAMS
Mindset is a huge part of success both in and out of the pool. Kimberly does mind strength training for swim teams throughout the U.S. What she finds most interesting is how the training affects a person's ability to overcome and succeed long after their competitive swimming days are over.
FEMALE ATHLETES - SENIORS
For most competitive swimmers, once college is over, so is their swimming career. Navigating a life outside of the pool can be challenging. Kimberly has been there. Today, she helps female athletes, nearing the end of college, to navigate their new life and apply their training to success in their careers and personal lives.
Kimberly is a three-time All-American, a four-time Big Ten champion and is one of only two female swimmers from Iowa to join the Hawkeye Hall of Fame. She still competes in Master’s swimming at the national level and is part of a relay that set a world record in 2009. Kimberly knows what it takes to train and win in the pool.
----------- Quotes ------------
Words of Wisdom
"No one can “want” your success more than you."
"Own your own successes and failures."
"Sales is the easiest low paying job you’ll ever have and the toughest high paying job you’ll ever have."
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