Hi! I'm Joan!

Welcome to my Shero's Journey...

Hi! I’m Joan Jakel

I’m an Empowerment Instigator – equal parts personal development and mindset coach, attorney, entrepreneur and creative maverick.

I personally don’t think any of us are defined by a single role or title – we’re so much more than that! We’re a powerful combination of the various roles we’ve alchemized over a lifetime.

My entire life has been in the pursuit of what stirs my heart, daring to follow it and having the unstoppable conviction to achieve it. Purpose, passion and values aligned to create my path while audacity nudged my courage to help me excel at taking on big change.

For 25 years, I’ve translated my lessons into trainings as I have coached people to develop the mindset, create the structures, learn the skills and up-level their tools to design a life or business that exceeds their expectations.

Now, I want to teach you how to master these same techniques in your life.

You can start putting life into your years regardless of which decade you are currently exploring. For me, it looked like this:

My 20’s ushered in college and law school and dabbling in entrepreneurship. I came from a family of very modest means which meant I had to pay my own way as I paved it. There were more invaluable lessons than I can count in this decade of self-reliance as I pursued my lifelong dream of becoming an attorney (and a Gonzaga Bulldog – Go Zags!) while clerking for a law firm, waiting tables, and competing in collegiate competitions (even won a couple!).

My 30’s started with manifesting my dream job running the legal department of a corporation. However, the “dream job” was replaced with the deep, soulful call of entrepreneurship. When 9-11 struck (which was my birthday), I was horrified at the loss of lives and the loss of the corresponding dreams that perished with the dreamer. It was a day of reckoning on many levels. It was my time to EMERGE and begin my Shero’s Journey.

With the blink of an eye, I left my safe, lucrative dream job and set up my own business – a law firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs. I had no idea how to start a business, but I knew if I jumped, I’d figure it out on the way down. While everyone else was running from the chaos to safety and security, I ran from security into the unknown and created my own path (cue up “I did it my way!”).

Joan Jakel on a stool leaning forward ready for converation

I jumped into my community, chaired and served on boards and committees, graduated from Tempe Leadership (Class XXI) and won the prestigious Business Woman of the Year awarded by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.

The seed of entrepreneurship was planted and I’ve never looked back. I’ve been nurturing it for 25 years.

In my 40’s I experienced the extremes of a fairy tale marriage that crashed and burned and shattered my heart into a million pieces. It was one of the toughest times of my life with the biggest reward on the other side.

As I went on my Shero’s journey, I lived through the dark night of the soul and emerged with a deeper and clearer connection with myself, my vision and how I could help others navigate their own journeys through life’s challenging transitions.

My 40’s were steeped in personal development, coaching programs, workshops, retreats, and creativity. It was my time to EXPAND. I picked up my life and business and moved from Phoenix to Napa where I also picked up a paintbrush and became an artist.

It was a dream come true to live in my favorite place in the world and to learn new skills to meaningfully tap into my true nature. I immersed myself in countless classes and programs to learn how to combine creativity and personal development while mapping out a new vision.

It led to my first art studio on the Napa River, displaying my work in an art gallery, teaching classes, leading retreats and masterminds while creating new programs designed to guide people to find their unique path.

In fact, I created all the art you’ll find scrolling through my website.

In my sage 50’s, I’ve EVOLVED and learned to holistically and authentically integrate all of the skills, gifts, talents, and wisdom that I’ve learned over my lifetime. I’m no longer the most recent “role of the decade,” rather I’m the container that incorporates all of them to most effectively help those I serve.

As with all Shero Journeys, I returned home to Arizona, no longer the same woman who left a decade earlier. I’ve grown and learned so much about life, who I am in it, and the cause I can be in the world because of it.

I have a deeper understanding and respect for the underpinnings of life.

As a result of my evolution, I know with absolute certainty that life will rise up to support you when you have the courage to follow your true path, face your fears and slay your dragons.

My coaching programs were built from my journey and I take each client on her own journey to Emerge, Expand and Evolve.

Joan Jakel speaking at the Tempe Chamber of Commerce Leadership Speaker Series on the topic of Embracing Change to Lead Transformation

Which Brings Me To You…

People ask me all the time: How do you navigate roles that seem so diverse and appear to have nothing in common, such as being an artist and an attorney?

The answer is easy – it’s not the diversity of the roles, rather it’s the common thread that each role serves. They provide a means to the same end.

They are the avenues of engagement to deliver on my mission:

Guiding people to wholeheartedly step into their lives, tap into their potential and courageously create a life they LOVE.

Are YOU ready to create a life you LOVE?

Let me show you the way – I have SO much to teach you! You can explore my coaching programs by clicking here and schedule a complimentary discovery call with me to begin the process.

Thanks for sharing the journey!