Kim Bode
CEO and Founder
Kim Bode brings 20+ years of experience as the owner of communications and learning company 8THIRTYFOUR. Her work has earned recognition as a Forbes Top 200 PR Firm (the only Michigan firm on the list), Crain's Grand Rapids Top Leader in DEI, Michigan’s Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year, Michigan’s 50 Companies to Watch, PRSA JEDI Communicator of the Year, among others.
A sought-after speaker, Bode has taken the stage at the Women in Defense National Conference, Small Business Association's ChallengeHER, American Marketing Association, HubZone National Conference, Michigan Manufacturing Association Workforce Solutions Summit, Michigan Celebrates Small Business Summit, Failure Lab, and more.
Her community involvement spans advocacy, policy, and nonprofit leadership. She serves on the board of the Small Business Association of Michigan, including its Legislative Action Council and Leadership Council Advisory Committee, and has held advisory roles with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and Michigan Women in Defense. She’s also the founder of the Small Biz 4 Equality Annual Scholarship at Grand Valley State University, reflecting her long-standing commitment to small business advocacy and the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Bode’s work has been published in Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, HuffPost, Scary Mommy, Thrive, and more. She hosts the Happy Hour Hustle podcast, writes at BodeSpeaks – both pair best with Cabernet on ice – and is fiercely passionate about personal branding, real-world survival skills, and finding comfort in the uncomfortable (a mantra she believes in so deeply, she has it tattooed on her arm).
When she speaks, facilitates, or gives a keynote, it comes from 20 years of small business ownership, colliding with her ADHD, love of a good f-bomb, trauma she’s survived, stories lived, the spectacular failures and lessons collected, and the absolute hijinks of nine rescue dogs (and a husband).
Connect with Kim: www.bodespeaks.com
