As a leadership coach, speaker, and facilitator, Stephanie Blackburn Freeth curates and co-creates direct experiences with her clients that lead to transformation. She is an intuitive guide who brings energy and warmth to hold the space for deep and lasting change in individual and group settings. The leaders Stephanie supports develop high degrees of self-awareness, lead their teams with authenticity, learn to practice radical candor, and get more done easefully.

Stephanie coaches through Stephanie Freeth Coaching which she founded as Adaptive Alternatives LLC in 2014. She has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and an undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University. Stephanie brings 25 years of experience in executive and team coaching, leadership development, strategic planning, fundraising, and marketing. She has worked with leaders and companies across industries including technology start-ups, manufacturing, non-profits, higher and secondary education, arts and culture, social services, and philanthropy.

Stephanie is a ravenous lifelong learner who draws from a wide range of expertise and experiences including conscious leadership and the Enneagram as well as body-based, trauma-informed practices. She is a certified coach of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, having trained and worked alongside Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman, founders of the Conscious Leadership Group and authors of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. She is also an iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram Accredited Practitioner. 

Stephanie is an alumna of Leadership Detroit XXXIII and co-facilitated the Leadership Development program for Leadership Detroit from 2016-2022. She currently teaches Leadership Development courses based on conscious leadership and the Enneagram at Sonoran University of Health Sciences in Tempe, Arizona.

Stephanie lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She and her husband can often be found on field hockey, ice hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and soccer sidelines cheering for their two children.

Current and past organizational clients include:

• The University of Michigan, Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health 
• The University of Michigan, Department of Health Management and Policy at the School of Public Health 
• The University of Michigan School of Social Work
• The Sam Bernstein Law Firm
• Leadership Detroit/The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Gesher Human Services (formerly JVS Human Services)
• Washtenaw Coordinated Funders
• Xenith LLC
• Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum & Leslie Science and Nature Center
• Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (KECC) – University of Michigan
• Avalon Housing
• Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW)
• Q Ltd
• Father Gabriel Richard Catholic High School
• Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor
• St. Louis Center
• International House Ann Arbor
• The Corner Health Center
• SafeHouse Center
• Michigan Nonprofit Association
• The Treeline Conservancy
• Summers-Knoll School
• Scenic Michigan
• Family Learning Institute and Growing Hope (in partnership with NEW)
• Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MIOCA)
• Addiction Policy Forum
• MotorCities National Heritage Area
• ConnecToledo

Before founding Adaptive Alternatives LLC in 2014, Stephanie was Vice President for Development & Donor Services at the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. She also served as the Director of Strategy and Business Development at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. Stephanie’s fundraising and business development experience spans a number of other roles – including the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the Lake Forest Country Day School and Director of Individual Giving at the Kellogg School of Management. Stephanie’s start-up experience includes marketing and operations with VarsityBooks.com (now eFollett.com) and SingleFeed.com.

Stephanie has served on the Board of Directors for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF), Summers-Knoll School, and in a number of capacities as an alumni volunteer for Princeton University including serving as an At Large member of the Princeton Alumni Council Executive Committee.