Meet the Hearts & Backbones of H&BL
Candy and Ryan Pedersen. Eighteen years married, two amazing kiddos, and one shared mission: leading with purpose and intention, side by side, as the heart and backbone for each other and for the people they serve.
Two hearts. One backbone. Hand in hand.
Candy and Ryan have been doing life together for eighteen years. Ryan has been right beside Candy through every step of her entrepreneurial journey, and he's been building business ventures of his own along the way. What they've built isn't two separate paths. It's one journey, walked together.
They're passionate about their faith, their fitness, and serving others as a team. Whether they're on a trail, in the gym, on the mic for Walk It Off, or across the table from a family planning their financial future, they show up the same way: as the heart and backbone for each other.
Together they are a powerhouse couple chasing their dreams and visions, leading with purpose and intention, and inviting others to do the same.
Meet Candy Pedersen
Founder · Leadership Consultant · Speaker · Licensed Financial Professional
Candy is a Wyoming native now rooted in Southeast Idaho. For more than 15 years she has served as a Registered Nurse, and for over a decade she has led teams in corporate settings where the stakes are high and the days are long. She knows what it feels like to be stretched thin, and she knows what it takes to lead well anyway.
Heart & Backbone was born from a simple conviction: the best leaders hold strength and compassion at the same time. They make the hard call and they care deeply about the people it affects.
Today Candy serves organizations through leadership development trainings and speaking, serves families as a licensed financial professional with Revolution Financial Management, and serves her local business community as Community Director for CONNECT Idaho in Pocatello. When she isn't working, you'll find her hiking, camping, and fishing with her family, or at home painting.
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team DISC Consultant
Registered Nurse, 15+ years
Community Director, CONNECT Idaho (Pocatello)
Meet Ryan Pedersen
Licensed Financial Professional · Real Estate Investor · Welder & Fabricator · Business Owner
Ryan has spent his entire career in the trades as a professional welder and fabricator. He knows what it means to build something strong, one bead at a time, and he brings that same steady, hands-on backbone to everything he and Candy build together.
Ryan is a licensed financial professional with Revolution Financial Management, serving families right alongside Candy. Together they're building their real estate investing business through Renatus Real Estate Investing Education, helping others learn to create wealth and income through real estate. He's also Candy's co-host on the Walk It Off podcast.
On top of all that, Ryan owns Pedersen Welding & Repair, and he's bringing Metal Anytime to Pocatello soon.
It all starts at home.
Before Candy ever stood on a stage or sat across a table from a client, she was learning leadership at home with Ryan and their two kids. Every late-night conversation, every mountain trail, and every messy, beautiful season taught the same lesson: strong families are built on purpose.
That is why Heart & Backbone exists. We want leaders who go home with something left to give, and families who feel protected, prepared, and close. When leaders grow, families grow. When families are strong, communities change.
- Faith first. Everything we do is rooted in the goodness of God.
- Family always. We practice at home what we teach on stage.
- People over everything. No leader, team, or family left behind.
Casa Angelina, Guatemala
Leading with love, beyond our own backyard.
Some of the most important leadership lessons we've ever learned didn't happen in a boardroom. They happened on the ground at Casa Angelina, a children's home in Guatemala, where Ryan and Candy serve alongside a team that gives kids a safe place to be loved, protected, and known.
Missions keep our hearts soft and our priorities clear. Serving children who have so little reminds us why we do this work: to build leaders and families who pour out, not just build up.
Strong backbone. Open hands.
Qualified to lead. Certified to serve.
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member, August 2024
DISC Consultant badge and Certified Behavioral Analysis Trainer certificate
Celebrating the journey
Let's talk about what's next.
Whether it is your team, your event, or your family's financial future, the first conversation is on us.