Meet Duane.

A Little About
​Myself.

I discovered my passion for speaking early in my teaching and coaching career. Still today, my desire to craft and share unique, impactful messages has only grown. Since the late 90s, I dove into performance psychology, and shortly after, positive psychology and emotional intelligence. My goal has been to learn, apply, and share as much as possible--I really want to help individuals and organizations maximize their potential.

During my 29+ year career in education, I've served as a teacher, coach, and counselor where I've created and applied impactful research-based strategies in the areas of positivity, well-being, and mental training. In the fall of 2021, I became a certified emotional intelligence practitioner for Genos International. 

My overall journey includes a variety of experiences: professional speaker, inventor, Positive Coaching Alliance trainer, high school English teacher, middle school English teacher, school counselor, head football coach [2x state champion], head basketball coach, 2-sport college athlete [All-Conference], and 3-sport high school athlete [state champion and numerous conference titles]. 

When I'm not speaking and consulting, I teach high school English in Minnesota.

My fantastic wife, Heather, is a high school teacher and is one of the leading ACT Prep gurus in the Midwest. Together we created Upward Spiral Consulting where we offer a number of products and services to help people in multiple ways. We also have two awesome sons, Zak and Trey, who love sports and academics... and they tower over the both of us! 
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 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, Director of Event Services and Hospitality
​Target Center
"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)
"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 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
"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
"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 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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