Jackie Michel was born in New York City and grew up in Flushing, NY. After attending Oberlin College, and graduating with a Master’s Degree from Simmons School of Social Work in Boston, she has had an exciting and varied career as a psychotherapist, executive coach, consultant and trainer.

No matter where she has been – Boston, Houston or New York – in her office with individuals or families, the executive office with business and not-for-profit leaders, consulting with teachers, psychotherapists, or entrepreneurs, the issue of parenting is always humming in the background. All the insight and wisdom she has gained from so many has inspired her down to earth approach.

In addition, her breadth of experience as a mother of two, grandmother of six and volunteer has contributed to her optimistic, realistic approach to writing about parenting.

As a volunteer in the early days of The Hunger Project, she started the committee in Houston, and created unique programs involving hundreds of people. In New York, she was a Rotary Youth Exchange Host mother and served as the Japan Country Contact on the Rotary District Youth Exchange Committee. Later, she co-created Breakthrough Central New York in Utica, NY and now serves as a volunteer for the Onondaga Earth Corps in Syracuse, NY.

Her husband, Peter Michel is a nationally known sculptor with public art work in Upstate, NY, Springfield, Mass, Urbana. Ill, Houston, Dallas and Washington, D.C.