Life is not
black and white.
Neither is change.
By focusing on leadership development, strategic planning, and life planning, I help people and organizations move from where they are to where they want to be.


Read Dr. Jann’s book
Breadcrumb Legacy
How Great Leaders Live a Life Worth Remembering
ORDER NOWORDER ON AMAZON
What I Do
Helping organizations and individuals get from where they are to where they want to be starts by understanding the current picture and then helping develop a destination to guide the way. Similar to a GPS, first you need to know your current location for the GPS to direct you accurately to where you want to go.


What I Do
Helping individuals and organizations get from where they are to where they want to be, we focus on what is possible. By first understanding the current picture, I help develop a destination to guide the way. Similar to a GPS, first you need to know your current location for the GPS to direct you accurately to where you want to go.


Life Planning: Making the Most of the Second Half of Life
Are you in the second half of life and wondering what to do next? Have you just retired, recently become an empty-nester, or has some other life transition left you wondering “what’s next?” You may be wondering which train to take. Life planning may be your answer! My approach helps you leverage your passion and experience while creating a plan so that the rest of life can be the best of life.
About My Site
If you have read my story, you know that in addition to my passion for helping people and organizations though life transition, that I love photography as well. All the photos on the site (except those with me in them) are the result of the passion for capturing moments. You can visit my gallery here.


About My Site
If you have read my story, you know that in addition to my passion for helping organizations and people though life transition, that I love photography as well. All the photos on the site (except those with me in them) are the result of the passion for capturing moments. You can visit my gallery here.





Leading With Wisdom:
Sage Advice From 100 Experts
This book is for anyone in a position of influence in an organization, or those who train these individuals. It's also for those who feel they are drowning in information, but starving for wisdom about what behaviors nurture people, organizations, and communities at large. Discussing her research process with these experts, Jann says, "When I asked about leadership they told me about life."
This book helps leaders integrate the best of themselves and their lives into the tasks and roles of leaders.
I would highly recommend Jann to facilitate dialogue or make a keynote presentation – she instantly established a rapport and engaged the audience very effectively!
She spoke from her unique position as a professor and author, who has spent a lot of time focused on reflection, grief, introspection, and all the ways in which we do and don’t talk about legacy.
This was a room full of fundraisers and gift officers, who also talk about legacy. Not only did she cause us all to pause, dialogue, and scribble down insights, but I saw more than a few folks dabbing tears as they discussed and journaled.
As our keynote speaker, Jann E. Freed, PhD, talked about “Conversations About Death and Other Elephants in the Room” for our 30th annual Mid-Iowa Planned Giving Council Fall Conference.
The talk gave insight that death is not an easy conversation for many but having the tools and approach to make it meaningful for the donor can make a difference when discussing estate planning.
Jann is exceptionally knowledgeable, motivational and successfully challenged us to think differently about end-of-life conversations with donors.
Jann is an enthusiastic presenter who brings positive energy to every room she enters. I have especially appreciated panel discussions she’s facilitated with a women’s group where she thoughtfully engaged both the panelists and event participants.
Dr. Jann Freed has a rich background and experiences grounding the insights and analyses she offers. She truly listens and provides actionable suggestions. She will get you unstuck and see the numerous opportunities in every situation. She is the Executive Coach one needs to become their best.
I recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with and collaborating with The wonderful Dr. Jann Freed. My husband and I had been talking a lot about our respective goals and what we wanted to accomplish over the next several years and needed some help figuring out how to put it all together. We reached out to Dr. Freed, a former professor of mine, who I knew had gotten into coaching work since retiring from teaching. Dr. Freed led us through the Strategic Futuring framework, which provided us both with deeper insight around our respective motivation and helped us talk through how to best support each other in achieving our goals. I’m pleased to say that we’ve been able to accomplish many of the things we set out to do over the past year and are looking forward to continuing to check others off of our list. I would highly recommend working with her!
I have had the pleasure of connecting with Jann on many community-supporting initiatives. Most recently, we had Jann speak at the Iowa Downtown Conference to an audience of community organizers from across the state. From discussions about taking care of our career (and life) well-being to leaving a breadcrumb legacy in small ways throughout our lives, Jann’s message rang true with me personally and with our entire audience. She is a dynamic speaker who leads by example and demonstrates her knowledge through her lived experiences.
Wow. I have heard leadership presenters before but Jann is the first who made me think and actually plan to put into motion her ideas and message. At our Downtown Development conference, Jann spoke effectively and passionately about not waiting to make a difference, but beginning our legacy work now and every day. I highly recommend her to motivate your current and future leaders. Jann’s upbeat and charismatic style kept everyone engaged.
Jann facilitated a session on “Building a Community of Inspired Teams” with a large number of our Operations Leadership. She did a great job engaging the audience by drawing from their experience. She was a breath of fresh air – leaving us energized to go out and motivate our teams to higher levels of engagement and productivity.
Jann spoke with deep knowledge of her research and practices in a concise and thoughtful flow. An energetic speaker with strong ownership of her valued wisdom and advice…not to be missed.
I highly recommend Jann Freed’s book, Leading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts. This book clearly identifies eight practices of great leaders, provides clear examples of the practices in action, and includes activities to implement the practices into daily life. This work is truly inspirational.
Jann was easy to communicate with, flexible, and professional. Jann delivered a keynote speach as well as a working session on developing your leadership legacy. The participants of the forum found Jann to be thorough, engaging and an expert at the topic of developing a leadership legacy.
Jann was more than a great guide, she was amazing. Her own openness made the process meaningful and productive. I found myself with the tools to create a better work environment for myself and co-workers, as well as the resources to continue growing long after the process.
Jann’s executive development coaching has been one of the most valuable experiences in my career. She helped me to recognize the importance of making connections and networking in the community to broaden my horizons and identify opportunities to develop myself. Her work with me on identifying my values and creating a vision was especially helpful.
I highly recommend Jann Freed’s book, Leading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts. This book clearly identifies eight practices of great leaders, provides clear examples of the practices in action, and includes activities to implement the practices into daily life. This work is truly inspirational.
Dr. Jann Freed has spoken to our emerging leaders several times, and on each occasion, she brings wisdom, insight, new perspective, and enthusiasm to the concept of leadership. Her approach is informative and engaging, and attendees always leave the classes feeling inspired and confident to take on new opportunities.
Jann’s integrity and expertise quickly engaged the audience; she connected in a very conversational style while challenging us to think deeply about our individual and collective legacies. Jann’s humorous yet profound stories established her as a lifelong learner, teacher, seeker and mentor. She repeatedly credited others for their roles in her journey, especially in writing her several books. The employees’ warm response, fresh ideas and positive feedback capped off the entire experience.
Jann is friendly, approachable, extremely knowledgeable, and best of all quite likeable. I would, without hesitation, and with enthusiasm attend one of her presentations. She continues to inspire me!
Dr. Freed provided our keynote address as well as a break-out session…she provided an informative and relatable presentation.
Jann is an excellent speaker and opened the floor to related questions, providing in-depth answers to all. Many attendees complimented Jann on her presentation and knowledge on the subject matter.
Dr. Freed delivered the perfect keynote address for our group… Inspiring, Encouraging and Insightful!
Dr. Freed offers powerful ways for people to discover and connect with what is most important in their lives. She gave us great examples of how to use this new way of thinking at work and in our own personal lives. I’ve adopted several of her suggestions and feel better about how I can impact our community in ways I hadn’t considered.
Jann Freed is a dynamic speaker and teacher who effectively educates and inspires her audiences and clients– from college kids to C-level executives in corporate and not-for-profit organizations – to think strategically and make purposeful change. Jann’s impressive academic background coupled with her “real-world” strategy experience make her a valuable leader, consultant and speaker. Jann’s Beyond the Money workshop is an absolute must for everyone who wants to be successful in their next phase of life.
Jann Freed is a dynamic speaker and teacher who effectively educates and inspires her audiences and clients– from college kids to C-level executives in corporate and not-for-profit organizations – to think strategically and make purposeful change. Jann’s impressive academic background coupled with her “real-world” strategy experience make her a valuable leader, consultant and speaker.
Jann’s high energy and enthusiasm are outshined only by the depth of her research and command of the topic. She has a passion for learning, so she brings you the most up-to-date and insightful information that you can put immediately into action.
Jann recently presented a highly informative, well received workshop for our Metro Women Connect group entitled Disrupting HR: Thinking Beyond the Money! Jann is an insightful and engaging presenter who enthusiastically shares her knowledge with any group.
Dr. Freed’s presentation to our Legacy Group at SIOR’s recent Fall World Conference was dynamic, thought-provoking, and inspiring. She provided us with helpful questions to consider, and possible roadmaps to follow, as we begin the next chapter in our personal and professional lives.
As a new Leader, Jann’s workshops were very timely for me. She included helpful suggestions and ways to think about leadership that I had not considered. I enjoyed the discussions with other leaders to gain insight on how to deal with constant change in the workplace environment.
Every organization experiences change in order to grow and be successful. This series of workshops is a great opportunity for leaders at all levels to better understand and develop the skills necessary to effectively understand and deal with this change.
With gratitude and excitement, I recommend Dr. Jann Freed as a speaker. Jann gave the most inspiring message about becoming a sage, mentoring, and keeping relevance to senior careers at the Legacy Members meeting at SIOR (Society of Office and Industrial Realtors). Jann helped our group focus on what goals and objectives will be long into our group’s future.
For companies that care about their employees and want to support them at every stage of their career, I encourage you to offer Jann Freed’s Beyond the Money course. We introduced an early retirement program and wanted to fully prepare our team members to make an informed decision in preparation for retirement. Jann’s Beyond The Money course helped our team members think about their retirement from the lens of finding a purpose and leaving a legacy. During the course, Jann provides participants practical tools and resources. Our team members departed encouraged and excited about their future retirement.
Dr. Freed did an excellent job presenting at our AARP volunteer recognition ceremony on ‘Why Purpose is Powerful.’ Her presentation was insightful, and she wove in personal anecdotes making it entertaining as well. I would recommend Dr. Feed to anyone looking to inspire a group and help them identify their purpose at any stage in life.
The session was very well attended with positive feedback from all participants. The employees appreciated the investment the company made in their journey after retirement. We will definitely hold more sessions!
The most compelling message that Dr. Jann delivers is to think about what you want your legacy to be – not at your job but after your job. Over 70% of those team members who attended one of Dr. Jann’s sessions wanted more information, so we’ve scheduled some more in depth sessions later this year.