Jeannie attributes her strength to her upbringing – her mother always encouraged her to speak her truth and not to let anyone make her feel less than anyone else, “we all put our pants on one leg at a time” was something she frequently heard.  Jeannie truly believes that we are all equal and all have the same opportunities and choices to develop the dash between our birth and death date.  Jeannie’s dash has been full of opportunities as she rarely sees things as obstacles or huge challenges.  She believes we can all learn something from everything, and that life is cumulative, we cannot devalue any types of experience.  

After growing up in a financially challenging environment, being the youngest of six children, Jeannie asked herself, “How do I want to live?” She moved into her adult life knowing that she wasn’t going to allow herself to struggle financially - she would make sure she always made enough money to live comfortably, and she wasn’t afraid to work hard to achieve it. 

Immediately following high school, Jeannie was encouraged to start with a junior college due to her family's financial situation. After graduating with an associate degree, she moved from Los Angeles to San Diego, where she currently resides, to attend San Diego State University, where she completed her bachelor’s degree. 

Jeannie had the mentality that she may not know exactly what she wanted to do when she grew up but knew what she didn’t want.  She did not want to be excluded from opportunities so would do whatever it took to make the process of elimination be her choice.  For example, not having a college degree might exclude her from being considered for a role she was interested in.   

Jeannie worked her way up in the corporate world as a human resources director, earning a six-figure income. Despite her financial achievements, the day came when she found herself trying to scrape up $40 to pay her electric bill. This was a pivotal moment in her life when she was forced to make a tough decision that would change her trajectory. She had found that her spouse had been misusing their finances - now she had to choose between following her long-held beliefs that marriage was “until death do us part,” or move forward on her own to honor the life that she had worked so hard to create for herself. Even though she knew it wasn’t going to be easy, Jeannie decided to pivot.

As a lifetime learner, Jeannie thought that this would be the perfect time to pursue her master’s degree, but due to the financial situation her marriage had left her in, she had to be resourceful to fund her higher education. She went to her boss and asked if the company would be willing to cover the expense.  The reply was, “Nobody has ever asked us for that before. Let me get back to you.” The decision was a positive one, and Jeannie went on to achieve straight A’s to demonstrate her gratitude for the company’s generosity in paying for her continued education.

Professionally, Jeannie recalls a moment that she chose to be completely authentic and true to herself and not compromise her core values - she had finally risen to the level of being a Vice President for the company, making her the youngest person in the boardroom, as well as the only female. She had “arrived” career wise or so she thought at the time.  All her hard work had paid off, but on the day of her first board meeting, the senior-most board member looked at her and said, “I need some coffee.” 

 At this moment, Jeannie had to decide her fate - go get his coffee, which would set her up as his subordinate in the eyes of her fellow board members, or...what she did next - she took his hand, and said, “Come with me - I want to teach you something!” She proceeded to skip out of the boardroom with a man who could make or break her career and showed him how to make his own coffee. The gamble paid off, and he held her in the highest regard from that day forward, often asking her opinion before the team made important decisions and saving her a seat next to him at important business dinners. 

Jeannie was faced with a serious and extremely rare medical condition, according to all medical professionals one of which most do not live through.  Her successful recovery had everything to do with her personal drive to succeed and her solid glass half-full mindset.  She recalls nurses coming into the nine-night hospital room to spend their lunch break just to “soak up some of her positive energy and amazing state of mind”.  

Jeannie’s love for leading and inspiring others made starting her own business the next logical step: “My biggest a-ha moment was when I saw the opportunity to branch out on my own, to leave a steady executive paycheck behind and establish my own firm. It was both exciting and scary, but I put fear in the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt, and stepped on the gas. It's been an amazing ride filled with many adventures, construction potholes, amazing views, unlimited speed limits, thousands of passengers, and a wide-open opportunity for the clear blue sky to shine brightly through the sunroof.”

According to Jeannie’s current clients, she is professionally fun and energetic, one who gets things done and makes whatever it takes happen so they too can shine as the best version of themselves.  

Jeannie is passionate about her love for her family, friends who have become family, and all animals especially the rescue Boxers and her two pond turtles she cares for.  She enjoys all things outdoors including paddle-boarding, gardening, camping, and hiking. She is also passionate about making the world a better place by putting an end to unproductive workplaces and creating environments where all staff members feel seen, heard, and included.

Jeannie has over 30 years of combined experience in positions of human resources generalist, manager, director, executive, inspirational speaker, facilitator, coach, and consultant. She has earned the following:

* Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Chapman University

* Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University

* Senior Professional in Human Resource Management Certification, with the State of California add-on (SPHR-CA) from the Human Resources Certification Institute

* Senior Certified Professional Certificate (SHRM-SCP) from the Society for Human Resource Management

* Certified Professional Coach (CPC) from Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching

* Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) from Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching

* NSight Success Executive Assessment Certified Coach from Meridiem