Jackie has spent more than a dozen years as a leader in various roles – one of the youngest President/CEO’s of a local chamber of commerce in Michigan, time as an elected member of a local school board, a board member of a local Rotary club, a trustee of a community college foundation, time on various state-wide boards, and more. Although she has numerous awards and has received recognition in her career, that isn’t what pushes Jackie to do the work of her LLC. She knows this is the work she is meant to be doing because of her passion for it. Her experiences have prepared her to excel at helping others develop their leadership. She has developed a passion for leadership and her desire to spend her life dedicated to creating a world with better leaders.
It isn’t just her career and volunteer leadership experiences that have prepared her for this work. Even though Jackie has a long history of being a positive influence on others, the one person she didn’t have a positive influence on was herself. For many years, while building her successful career, Jackie wasn’t building a successful self. Outwardly, others thought she had it all, but inside she was crumbling. For more than 18 years, starting in college, she battled severe clinical depression and an eating disorder. She started down her personal path of recovery, climbing over many large roadblocks along the way, and discovered that her personal experiences, combined with her leadership work, adds a unique and valuable perspective to her work and has led to many of her keynote speaking engagements.
Scholastically, Jackie holds a Master of Arts Degree in Communication from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from Saginaw Valley State University.
Jackie can be described as an engaging person who cares deeply about seeing other people find happiness in their lives and success in their leadership. She has been known to have humorous (weird) ponderings (that are often shared on social media), and presentations that are best described as authentic and energetic. She often describes herself by saying, “I’m just me.” She prides herself in her creativity and has a desire to maintain a healthy balance of fun and seriousness in her life. Although she views everything as an opportunity to learn, when not directly engaged in building her business, she enjoys traveling, biking, yardwork, reading, beach volleyball, paddle boarding, yoga, working out, hiking, swimming, diving, golfing, boating, skiing, spending time with her family and friends, and volunteering.
Jackie’s Journal
Weeks Like This Made Me Vomit
I'm heading into a very busy week. My Monday has meetings at 8:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 1:30, 5:00, and 6:00. The next four days are much of the same. On Sunday evening I could already
Eliminate Stale Status Quo
This if for my event planner friends, my fundraising readers, and anyone who feels stuck when it comes to breathing life into an event. Status quo is not your friend when it comes to planning
You Are the Only One Who Owes You Anything
What is going on?! Why are there so many people who believe they are owed something from this world? Success. Happiness. Money. Stuff. Get over it because no one owes you a single thing, except
Replace Unproductive Thoughts
I’ve met a lot of people due to the nature of my work. I believe most people are good, but sadly there are some people who simply aren’t good people. I used to spend a
Dictate Your Own Life
On August 26, 2015, there was an article on msn.com titled, “The Décor Pieces You’ll Regret Not Owning by 30.” Since I was just a few years older than 30 at that point, my curiosity
Struggling to Call That a Leader
A position does not automatically make you a leader. Having the title, "CEO" or "Boss" or "President" does not necessarily mean you are a leader. There are certain things that I believe people must do