Here is Michelle’s Stage Introduction. Feel free to tweak it to fit your event!

Pronunciation of Backes: Back (not your front)-iss

Stage Introduction – Michelle Backes

Our next speaker knows that real leadership starts on the inside.

Michelle Backes is the founder of The Savvy U and a senior certified consultant with the Trust Edge Leadership Institute. She’s a former two-sport college athlete, a longtime WNBA chaplain, and a dynamic speaker who’s trained leaders from organizations like USAA, Bayer, and the National Guard. She’s as comfortable on a corporate stage as she is courtside—coaching leaders to build cultures of clarity, character, and trust.

When she’s not coaching coaches or speaking on stages, Michelle stays connected to what matters most—cheering on her Wisconsin teams, going on imagination trips with young children, or trying to eat clean… until someone offers a banana Laffy Taffy.

Audiences love her for her warmth, wit, and practical playbook—a mix of heart and how-to that helps people strengthen their Inside Game and build teams that last.

Please help me welcome — Michelle Backes.