Jacqueline Kelm “The Joy Engineer”

Helping people design and build the life of their dreams, transforming the way the world understands happiness.

Appreciative Living, LLC 

Jackie Kelm founded Appreciative Living, LLC to help people transform their work and life using the principles of Appreciative Inquiry. Through books, training programs, coaching, and other offerings, she has helped thousands of people become more engaged on the job and happier in personal life. In 2006 she conducted a national joy study, which was the topic of her second book, The Joy of Appreciative Living: Your 28 Day Plan to Greater Happiness Using the Principles of Appreciative Inquiry. Her work has been embraced by organizations such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, The Duke Integrative Medical Center, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Her work is global, with certified facilitators running Appreciative Living Learning Circles around the world in nine countries.

Jackie’s undergraduate degree is in mechanical engineering, and her MBA is from Case Western Reserve University where she studied Appreciative inquiry with David Cooperrider. She worked with AI as a consulting manager in a large firm in the Leadership & Organization Change Group before starting her own business. Her first book was published in 2005 titled Appreciative Living: The Principles of Appreciative Inquiry in Personal Life. Jackie has been published in several magazines and books and been a guest on a variety of radio shows. She is often described as bright, engaging, and “down-to-earth.” She enjoys cooking, painting, and going to the beach with her husband and two children in Charleston, South Carolina.