She has appeared on or at:

Gathering of Games
Compference
Inc. 5000 Conference
Valley Industrial Association
Des Plaines Chamber
HR Source
Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Summit
Human Resources Today
National Retail Federation
Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)
The Leadership Podcast
Flourishing Together Podcast
Making Chips Podcast
Growing with Purpose Podcast
Technori Podcast
Do Nothing Podcast
Business as “Un”usual Livestream

Actionable, relevant, practical, and just the right amount of caffeinated.

Kathy Steele doesn’t just inspire—she energizes. Known for her dynamic delivery and candid, no-fluff style, she breaks down complex growth challenges into clear, usable ideas. As host of Business as “Un” usual, her live series with growth-focused leaders, she brings fresh insights straight from the business front lines.

Whether she’s on a main stage or in a more intimate setting, Kathy meets audiences where they are—and then challenges them to think bigger, move faster, and execute smarter.

Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenmsteele/
Website: https://www.redcaffeine.com/
Livestream: https://www.redcaffeine.com/business-as-unusual/#register-section

General Bio:

Kathy Steele doesn’t just talk about growth—she’s built her career on helping companies figure out why they’re stuck… and what to do about it.

As CEO of Red Caffeine, Kathy works with mid-market companies to turn ambition into action, building strategies that drive revenue, strengthen brands, and increase business value beyond the balance sheet. From aligning sales and marketing to launching new offerings and leveraging AI to scale performance, her work sits at the intersection of strategy and execution.

She’s helped companies navigate everything from “we’ve plateaued” to “we’re ready to scale,” guiding leadership teams through the messy middle of growth with clarity, structure, and a little push when they need it most. Her team is known for building systems that actually work, not just strategies that look good on paper.

With more than 30 years of experience, Kathy brings a real-world perspective (and a few battle scars) to every stage. She’s been featured at the Inc. 5000 Conference, Women in Manufacturing Summit, and industry association events across the country.

She’ll leave your audience with more than ideas—they’ll walk away with a clearer path forward and the momentum to actually do something about it.

Recent Speaking Events:

• Schaumburg Business Association/CDAM
  • Topic: The Growth Playbook for Mid-Market Leaders (Sector)
  • SBA
  • CDAM
• CPIA Leadership Conference
  • Topic: Growth is a Choice Presentation and Leadership Panel
  • CPIA – Growth Strategies for Ambitious Leaders
• Association for Corporate Growth: Panels
  • Strategic Growth Through M&A: Insights for Mid-Market Leaders
  • ACG Chicago Corp Event
  • Innovation, Risk, and M&A in Manufacturing AND Distribution
  • ACG – Manufacturing Event 3.6.24
• Valley Industrial Association:
  • Narrative Transforming CRM into a Revenue Generation System: Retention, Relationships, and Lead Development in Manufacturing
  • Transforming Your Sales Performance with Insights in Your CRM
  • Narrative: The New Era of Sales Empowerment
  • Red Caffeine – The New Era of Sales: Empower Your Team with AI
  • VIA – Red Caffeine – VIA Marketing Lunch & Learn – Innovative Marketing for Manufacturers: Tips & Trends
  • Differentiate AND Dominate: Create Market Differentiation with an Integrated Marketing
• Business as “Un” usual LIVESTREAM

Women in Manufacturing Virtual Learning Series:

• VLS – Employer Branding – Employer Branding: The “Secret Ingredient” in Your Talent Plan
• WiM VLS – Attracting, Engaging, and Retaining Top Talent

Women in Manufacturing Summit:

• Creating a Winning Talent Strategy – Wim Summit 2021

Great Game of Business Conference – Capitalism Reimagined:

• 2019 Gathering of the Games Presentation

Compference:

• Un”comp”licating Comp

Presentations:

• Building a Business Worth Buying (M&A Readiness to maximize value at exit)
• Unlocking Value Post-Acquisition: Turning Assets into Advantage (Maximizing value post acquisition)
• Building for What’s Next: Creating a Valuable, Scalable, AND Saleable Business – 1-Hour Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders 
• The Growth Playbook: 5 Strategic Shifts to Future-Proof Your Brand, Sales, and Customer Experience – 1-Hour Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Sales Management, and Sales Teams
• 9 Ways to Grow + Real Strategies from Real Business Leaders – Panel Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Sales Management, and Sales Teams
• Transforming Your Sales Performance with Insights in Your CRM – 1-Hour Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Sales Management, and Sales Teams
• Unlocking Mid-Market Potential: A Systems-Driven Approach to Go-to-Market – 1-Hour Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Sales Management, and Sales Teams
• The Multiplier Effect: How Non-Financial Assets Boost Your Business Valuation
  • For Family-Owned Businesses, Entrepreneurs
• The New Era of Sales: Empower Your Team with AI – 45 Minute Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Sales and Marketing Managers
• Business Reboot & Your (Employer) Brand – 2-Hour Workshop
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & HR Management
• Investor, Innovator, Efficiency Expert – What Growth Approach Fits Your Company? – 45 Minute Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs
• What Does Success Look Like? Use Visioning to Inspire Business Outcomes – Presentation or Workshop
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs
• Brand Archetypes: Be Memorable in the Minds of Your Customers – Presentation or Workshop
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Marketing Professionals 
• Creating a Winning Talent Strategy – Building a Brand Employees Want to Work For – 45 Minute Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & HR Management
• What is your PayBrand Story? – 45 Minute Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & HR Management
• What now? Employer brands in the new normal – 45 Minute Presentation
  • For C-Suite Business Leaders & HR Management

About Red Caffeine:

Red Caffeine is a Growth Consultancy whose mission is to build badass brands clients want to work with, and employees want to work for.

They develop and execute Grow-to-Market™ plans for ambitious companies wanting to build their business valuation. Using a proven methodology, they create and execute strategies focused on your most significant growth opportunities. 

The RC service offering includes a fractional service team led by a senior marketing executive that enables a business to scale rapidly without hiring a wide range of full-time staff members to advance a growth plan. 

Best known for their work on:

• Brand Exposure – Grow market share, launch a product, or enter a new vertical
• Revenue Generation Systems – Developing a scalable sales process to align integrated marketing to sales goals 
• Digital Transformation – Digital consulting and custom software to automate manual processes, integrate systems, and innovate for market differentiation
• Employer Branding – Defining, empowering, and amplifying purpose-driven cultures with brand assets and campaigns that improve recruiting and employee engagement