Bio:

Steve Fredlund is an award-winning keynote speaker, two-time TEDx presenter, and bestselling author of Do the Unright Thing: Memoir of a People Pleaser. With more than three decades of experience as an actuary, executive leader, entrepreneur, and nonprofit founder, Steve brings a rare combination of analytical rigor, real-world leadership experience, and engaging storytelling to the stage.

Steve’s perspective was shaped by an unexpected chapter in his journey, leading humanitarian efforts in East Africa. Working in environments defined by limited resources, constant uncertainty, and high stakes, he discovered a powerful truth about leadership: progress doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from how leaders show up, how they make decisions, and how they move forward together when the path isn’t clear.

Today, Steve helps leaders and organizations navigate rapid change, build engagement when work feels heavier, and make strong decisions with limited information. Through his practical frameworks and story-driven keynotes, drawing on lessons from African safaris, high-stakes decision environments, and decades of leadership, Steve equips audiences to keep moving forward with confidence, purpose, and momentum.

Known for his warmth, laugh-out-loud humor, and ability to make complex ideas practical and relatable, Steve has inspired audiences across Fortune 500 companies, associations, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and global leadership conferences. When he’s not on stage, he enjoys disc golf, poker, and continuing to believe that this might finally be Minnesota’s year.

Speaking Topics:

EMBRACE THE ADVENTURE: How to Keep Moving Forward When the Path Isn’t Clear (All-Staff)
In a world where change keeps accelerating and clarity rarely comes first, it is easy to feel stuck between wanting to move forward and not knowing how. In this uplifting, story-driven keynote, Steve “Safari Dude” Fredlund reframes uncertainty as part of the adventure, not a problem to eliminate. Using powerful safari stories and real-world leadership insight, he introduces The Safari Way Roadmap, a practical framework for choosing your experience, surrounding yourself with the right people, and taking the bold, unconventional action that creates momentum when certainty is missing.

EMBRACE THE ADVENTURE: How to Keep Leading Forward When the Path Isn’t Clear (Leaders)
In a world where change keeps accelerating and clarity rarely comes first, leaders can feel stuck between wanting to move forward and not knowing how. In this uplifting, story-driven keynote, Steve “Safari Dude” Fredlund reframes uncertainty as part of the adventure, not a problem to eliminate. Using powerful safari stories and real-world leadership insight, he introduces The Safari Way Roadmap, a practical framework for choosing your experience, surrounding yourself with the right people, and taking the bold, unconventional action that creates momentum when certainty is missing.

THE COURAGE ADVANTAGE: How Today’s Best Leaders Drive Productivity, Engagement and Retention
High engagement isn’t gone, but the old ways of trying to drive it are. In this practical and human-centered keynote, Steve Fredlund shows leaders how engagement is earned through everyday leadership behavior, not managed through pressure or programs. Built around The Courage Advantage™ framework (Be Real, Connect, Grow) this session gives leaders simple, immediately usable actions that strengthen trust, ownership, and performance, even when teams are stretched and uncertainty is high.

ALL-IN: How Top Poker Players Make High-Pressure Decisions with Limited Information
Today’s leaders must make critical decisions faster, with less information, and under constant pressure. In this engaging and highly relatable keynote, Steve Fredlund uses lessons from championship-level poker to show how top performers make strong, confident decisions without certainty. Through powerful stories and practical decision frameworks, leaders learn how to cut through noise, manage emotional pressure, evaluate competing signals, and commit to a clear course of action when the right answer isn’t obvious.