Meet Duane.

A Little About
​Myself.

Duane Jourdeans – Elevating Leadership and Performance Through Emotional Intelligence
I’ve spent nearly three decades transforming classrooms, teams, and organizations by blending emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and cutting-edge performance strategies. My passion for crafting impactful, actionable messages began in my early days as a teacher and coach, and it continues to fuel my work today as a professional speaker, consultant, and emotional intelligence expert.

Since the late 1990s, I’ve immersed myself in the fields of performance psychology, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence, with a singular mission: to help individuals and organizations maximize their potential. As a Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner for Genos International, I’ve partnered with leaders in education, business, and professional sports to enhance engagement, well-being, and performance.

My 30+ years in education as a teacher, coach, and counselor have given me a unique perspective on leadership and team dynamics. Whether on the sidelines as a 2x state championship football coach or in the classroom as a high school English teacher, I’ve honed my ability to inspire growth and foster resilience. My journey includes roles as a Positive Coaching Alliance trainer, head football and basketball coach, multi-sport college athlete, and state champion high school athlete.

Together with my incredible wife Heather, we founded Upward Spiral Consulting, where we help leaders and organizations elevate culture, performance, and relationships. From workshops and assessments to keynote presentations, we provide the tools to create lasting, positive change.

When I’m not speaking or consulting, you’ll find me in Minnesota teaching English or spending time with our two amazing sons, Zak and Trey, who not only excel in sports and academics but also tower over both of us.
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Let’s work together to spark an upward spiral of success for your team or organization!
Testimonials
"With Duane’s guidance, we aspire to become a model for best-practice on workplace communication and environment while looking to continue our commitment of fan experience excellence. He is positive, outgoing, and proactive while looking to uncover solutions to help model leadership and create a positive culture in our workplace.”

Jeff Munneke, Vice President of Fan Experience
​Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx
"Duane’s Emotional Intelligence series effectively addressed organizational needs, boosted faculty and staff engagement, and provided practical, inspiring strategies for improvement. His engaging and insightful approach energized the team, making this professional development series among the most rewarding and valuable experiences we've shared."

Michelle Mechtel, Director of Middle School
​Saint Thomas Academy
“Duane’s information was vital in attacking new challenges, so we could keep our front-line staff top-of-mind; their success is our main key to success with our guests. We look forward to continuing our work together.”
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Steve Sawyer, Vice President of Operations
​BEST Crowd Management
"Duane provided our high school athletic department with clear direction to improve our programs. We had multiple sessions with head coaches, coaching staff, players, community members, staff etc. and cultivated a unique "war cry!" to centralize our efforts. Upward Spiral's Emotional Intelligence is just what we need to move the needle in our programs. Thank you, Duane!"

Dylan Johnson, Assistant Principal & Athletic Director
Amery School District—WI
"This was truly a great experience for our members, providing self-awareness and promoting professional growth. I have directly witnessed a new fresh approach, resulting in increased moral and service to our community. Duane provided two impactful sessions for the Baldwin Police Department on self-awareness and leadership development. He tailored his approach to the unique stresses of law enforcement by preparing in advance and seeking insight into our agency and community. Duane was flexible, well-prepared, and delivered material that directly applied. He incorporated feedback from the first session to strengthen the second, provided reference materials, and used real-world examples that resonated with staff. His efforts contributed to meaningful professional growth for both our department and the Baldwin community we serve." 

Kevin Moore, Chief of Police
Baldwin Area Police Department—WI

"Duane is a dynamic speaker with a message that can be applied to anyone personally or professionally. His messages are genuine, thoughtful, and based on research. You will leave with a renewed sense of personal growth and the tools to have a positive impact on your life and the lives of others.  His practical examples of how to connect and engage are truly game changers. Do yourself a favor and bring Duane to your organization. We look forward to having him back very soon."

Kurt Soderberg, Superintendent
Albany School District, WI
"Prior to working with Upward Spiral Consulting, I received comments from staff that our leadership, while on a scene, sometimes shouted directions or yelled at staff. After a couple of sessions, our leadership staff have informed me that they feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to communicate and give instructions on high stress calls. They also feel more confident in their ability to deal with confrontation from the patient, patient's family, or bystanders while on a scene. The complaints from staff have drastically decreased, and while on a scene both leadership and staff are communicating better and working more smoothly to provide patient care. Being a first responder on a high stress scene has many challenges that must be overcome. After working with Upward Spiral Consulting, communication, giving directions, and communicating with people that are confronting our staff are no longer one of them. We are very pleased to have been able to work with Duane, and we recommend him and Upward Spiral Consulting to anyone that wants to improve themselves and their company."

Tom Boyer
EMS Chief
Baldwin Area EMS—WI
Duane has a well-balanced approach when he delivers his material. He offers insight into a world of humility, success and progress. Students, staff and community members of Lake Holcombe really appreciated having Duane come in and breakdown the correlation between emotional intelligence and athletics."

Todd Senoraske
Athletic Director
Lake Holcombe School District—Wisconsin
"Duane tailored this learning experience for his audience (school superintendents) and made sure the agenda was meaningful. It was impactful for superintendents to connect experiences with leaders they have worked with while considering how they approach their role as leaders."

Jordan Sinz
Agency Administrator
Cooperative Educational Service Agency 10 (CESA 10)—Wisconsin
"Mr. Duane Jourdeans has provided excellent professional learning to hundreds of Nevada educators. He is informative, knowledgeable, kind and exciting. Everyone in attendance at Duane's workshops and sessions are actively engaged because of his energy and expertise." 

Dr. Jeffrey Geihs
Executive Director
Nevada Association of School Administrators (NASA)
"This was a great session. It gave me a fresh perspective and practical ideas to strengthen my team building through Micro Moments. I truly appreciate the time, insight, and knowledge shared."

​Mike Pizzi, Market Leader
​SavATree
"Duane did an excellent job catering the presentation to the needs of our staff and school. The message fit perfectly with what we needed to hear. We are only a week out from having Duane present to our staff, but we have already noticed a difference in the climate and interactions among our school community."

Dr. Brett Wedlund, Executive Director
Nova Classical Academy, MN
"Duane is a very engaging presenter and tailored his presentation to our group of high school students."

Brandon Visger
Dean of Students
Northwood School District
"This 180 assessment was the best I have been a part of. The results were real and had actionable items—that is a huge change of pace. It was a really valuable experience."

Derek Miller, Strategic Account Manager/Power Vertical
2017 Outside Sales Rep of the Year; 2023 Largest % of Account Growth
United Rentals
"Mr. Jourdeans hit on so many of the topics that my staff was concerned about. He made you think, laugh, and want to be positive!"

Traci Davis, Superintendent
​Juda School Distrct, WI​
"Duane is as genuine as they come. He is a highly skilled leader who possess the unique ability to build strong individuals and strengthen teams. As an educator, he is committed to developing leaders in all walks-of-life. I have personally learned a great deal of leadership principles from him, and I attribute a significant amount of personal growth to him. His acumen for developing and delivering impactful content sets him apart from other speakers. Duane is a truly gifted communicator; regardless of the group, topic or setting, he is able to connect and deliver an inspiring message. Whether you are looking for a keynote speaker, a motivational speaker or someone to deliver in depth material, Duane’s versatility lends him to be a top choice for any organization, team, or school."
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Troy Pearson, Engagement Leader
Thrivent
"Duane delivers a very practical message. Our students were fortunate enough to hear his leadership message. As a former player of his, I can attest to Duane living out his message when he coached me and my teammates. I would highly recommend him to educators, coaches, players, and parents!"

Tom Sauve, Principal
Elmwood High School, WI
Attendee Testimonials
"It was such great PD - loved every second of it! "
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"I want all my administrators to know about Duane and bring him to our school. I learned more applicable strategies in today's virtual session than I have in years and years of professional development."
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"Duane's mix of stories, humor, and research-based information not only holds your attention, but also gives you actual tools to make an impact on students." 

"Duane provided an opportunity to engage in a great open dialog that offered perspectives on situations not only with work, but also in family and personal relationships."  
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"Duane has been in the classroom. He gets it. He gets students, and he gets teachers. Our staff definitely got better today."

"A positive message with a variety of examples that made it applicable to our staff in a variety of positions."

"[Duane] made the time fly. It seemed like we were there maybe only half an hour and our time was already up. He made me think about some of the things I do as a leader and gave me ideas on how to change them."

"Duane is one of the best; I'm not blowing smoke. His energy, content, and style is perfect for a variety of audiences."

"Duane was fantastic. Great stories and very relatable with the students."
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​UPWARD SPIRAL Consulting
Roberts, WI 
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