Jamee D.
Speaker, Coach & Adversity Specialist at JL Speaking & Coaching
Motivational/Self Development
Education: Towson University
Long Beach, CA, USA
Biography
Jamee is a dynamic speaker, coach, and comedian who loves inspiring people. Her journey has been profoundly shaped by personal loss. Inspired by the sudden passing of her childhood best friend, Jamee pursued degrees in psychology and sociology, leading to a career as a counselor in a psychiatric hospital in Maryland. The tragic death of her mother marked a pivotal moment in her life. Embracing change, she left her job, sold her car, and moved to New York City, where she thrived in the performing arts, including stand-up comedy.
In 2021, the loss of her sister to cancer spurred another significant transformation. Having navigated the grief of losing her mother, sister, and best friend, Jamee shifted her focus from performing to public speaking. Drawing on twenty years of stage experience, she launched her own company, using her insights and humor to empower others as she speaks nationally on resiliency and leadership.
Jamee has enhanced her expertise with a certified coaching degree and is currently penning her first book. Since she began speaking on loss and leadership in 2021, she has witnessed an extraordinary, almost indescribable hunger for this message. In just six months, Jamee was sharing this approach on a national stage, helping audiences transform their experiences of loss and adversity into strengths that deepen their leadership, build unbeatable teams, and enrich their lives.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Jamee enjoys traveling with her husband and their golden retriever, and imaginary Downton Abbey staff.
Passion
Empowerment, empowerment. empowerment. I genuinely love being the oracle and vehicle that helps others rise. The first time I stood on stage as a comedian, told a joke, and heard the audience laugh in unison, I had arrived. Now, my power comes from watching audiences connect to my words. What if you could use the lessons from your loss to propel yourself professionally? Survivors owe it to themselves to use the struggles from the lowest point in life, transform them into power, and strive for the highest point in life. There is no better job in life than lifting others. Get to know your inner CEO.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I always get paid for speaking
Topics
Origin Story
I was a lucky little girl. I grew up in the country, surrounded by nature, animals, and dirt. My family had just enough love and dysfunction to make adult life interesting. I have, however, had more experience with untimely tragic deaths in my life than I personally think is necessary. I was thirteen years old when my best friend was killed in a freak accident, twenty-one years old when my mother suddenly died of a heart attack, and fifty-one years old when I held my sister's hand as she lost her battle with cancer. Despite my losses, I remain optimistic. By my early twenties, I had experienced more loss than most people in their fifties. I was ripe for risk. I quit my job, ended my lease, and moved to New York City. I knew no one and loved it! I walked into a teaching theater in downtown Manhattan and, in spirit, never left.
My acting life made me a better person. Playing other people required me to look harder at myself. Stand-up comedy has been a life spent having intimate conversations with large audiences. Standing on stage and making people laugh has been one of the best experiences of my life.
The loss of my sister was my "aha" moment. I have survived the loss of my mother, sister, and best friend. After spending close to forty years navigating grief, it was time to pivot from performer to public speaker. I want to continue my intimate conversation from the stage, empowering others within the parameters of complicated grief. None of us escapes the tragedies of life. There is value in grief; survivors owe it to themselves to use the struggle from the lowest point in life, transform it into power, and strive for the highest point in life.