Biography of Dr. Jackie Freiberg

 GUTS! follows the Freibergs' award-winning, national best-seller, NUTS! Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success. NUTS! has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.

Through her speeches Jackie inspires audiences to get GUTSY by sharing first-hand business experiences, insights and strategies. Since the publication of GUTS! & NUTS!, Jackie has become a connoisseur of REALLY COOL companies-nationally admired organizations where people WANT to work and CHOOSE to stay. Jackie is passionate about equipping leaders at all levels with hope, ideas and practical tools to kick-start and re-inspire their journey toward becoming employers of choice!

Jackie's messages are designed around a series of powerful stories about REALLY COOL companies and GUTSY leaders. Her stories are both inspirational and very practical. They are loaded with unconventional, yet successful, business best practices from companies like SAS Institute, USAA, Southwest Airlines, Synovus Financial, Quad/Graphics, Ernst & Young, TD Industries, and other companies, that are admired for business, people strategies, and leadership.

When she's not speaking Jackie spends time inside these COOL companies learning directly from their leaders, employees and clients about what it takes to create an organization that is a magnet for great talent!

Prior to speaking and writing, Jackie served as a coach to executives, managers, and front-line professionals on the results of the firm's organizational and 360-degree leadership assessments. She also served a similar role for the Center for Creative Leadership where she offered upward feedback to executives participating in the five-day Leadership Development Program.

Jackie is co-founder of the Family Business Institute at the University of San Diego where she was one of the creative forces behind the development of practical, research-based educational programs for closely-held family businesses. She also worked with MassMutual Life Insurance Company to design the first-ever CD-ROM training tool for family businesses and provided expert commentary on the complex business and personal issues faced by family businesses today.

Before joining Freibergs.com full-time in 1993, Jackie was manager of Corporate and Professional Programs for the University of San Diego. During her tenure at the University, Jackie founded the Certificate in International Business Program and was director of the Institute for Quality & Productivity. In addition, she taught public speaking and communications courses as an adjunct professor. She received her bachelors degree in communication from the University of New Hampshire, masters degree in speech communication from San Diego State University, and she earned a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of San Diego.

Besides juggling the multiple priorities of speaking and consulting, Jackie is the Freiberg family anchor. She is the chief choreographer coordinating the schedules of three very active children; Taylor Grace, Aubrey, and Dylan. She bikes, runs and plays soccer.