Story & Lesson Highlights with Jacqueline Dunn of Germany

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jacqueline Dunn. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Jacqueline, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’d say I’ve been doing both, and that’s exactly where the magic happens!

From the outside, it might have looked like I was wandering… jumping from corporate to copywriting to coaching, even completely reinventing myself in my 50s. But here’s what I’ve learned… I wasn’t lost. I was following my own North Star, which has always been freedom. Financial freedom, time freedom, and the freedom to wake up anywhere in the world and say, “This is my office today.”

The plot twists like health scares, toxic relationships, losses that knocked the wind out of me weren’t detours from my path. They were the path. Each one stripped away another layer of what I thought I “should” be doing and brought me closer to what I was meant to be doing. It’s like life was saying, “Not that way, this way,” until I finally listened.

That’s how I ended up here, with the most fulfilling work of my life: helping other women realize they’re not behind schedule, they’re not too late, and they haven’t missed their moment. They’re actually right on time for the next chapter that’s going to be their best one yet.

So am I walking a path or wandering? I’d say I’ve been wandering with fierce intention.

Every so-called misstep was actually a perfect step on the path that was always mine to walk, and now I get to help other women find theirs.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jackie Dunn, (DUNN Coaching) and I coach women over 50 who are ready to rewrite their story.

After surviving two toxic marriages, losing both my parents, and riding the wild wave of perimenopause, I had a moment of clarity… I refuse to spend the rest of my life in survival mode. I wanted something different. I wanted freedom.

Financial freedom. Time freedom.

So I did what seemed crazy at the time.

I left my safe corporate job. Dove into copywriting. Eventually found my way to coaching women how to build businesses that actually align with their souls.

Here’s what makes my approach different… I don’t just throw business strategies at you and hope something sticks. I weave together digital skills, AI tools, and the mindset shifts that change everything.

Because let’s be honest. At this stage of life, it’s not just about the money.

It’s about reclaiming who you really are underneath all those years of putting everyone else first.

Right now, I’m putting together my FAB Cohort. A 12-week live program where women over 50 get the confidence, clarity, and digital skills they need to start a business that fits their real life.

We’re right on time.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Growing up, I thought my job was to keep everyone happy and never cause trouble.

Stay quiet, be agreeable, don’t rock the boat… and maybe then I’d be loved and safe.

Turns out, silencing yourself costs way too much.

Now I believe the complete opposite.
My voice matters.
My choices matter.
My freedom is what makes me valuable, not how small I can make myself to fit into someone else’s comfort zone.

I don’t need to shrink anymore. I get to take up space. Make bold moves. Build a life that actually feels right for me.

And that’s exactly what I want other women to discover too. We don’t have to play small anymore. We don’t have to live by someone else’s script.

We get to write our own.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I used to think failure meant I wasn’t cut out for something.

When my two toxic marriages imploded or my businesses crashed and burned, I saw it as proof that I had screwed up beyond repair.

And trust me, I failed hard. My scrapbooking design and teaching business? Dead in the water. My copywriting business? ChatGPT basically ate my lunch.

But after getting knocked down repeatedly, I started seeing failure differently. It’s not the end of the story. It’s just really expensive feedback.

Every time something fell apart, it forced me to get clearer on what I actually wanted. And stronger in how I showed up. Those failures I once wanted to hide under a rock? They’ve become the foundation for the life and business I’m building now.

Because I always got back up. Always pivoted to something that matched my skills and experience better. Always moved toward what lit me up instead of what I thought I “should” be doing.

The failures weren’t the problem. Staying down would have been.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version is me, but it is not all of me. What people see is the confident coach who helps women start again in midlife. That’s real.

But there is also the part of me that still second guesses an idea, or wonders if anyone actually cares what I just posted on Instagram.

The difference now is that I don’t take those parts so seriously anymore. I laugh at them, learn from them, and keep going. The women I work with are not looking for perfect, they are looking for someone real.

So yes, the public version is me, but the full story comes with bloopers, coffee stains, and plenty of trial and error. 😉

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I didn’t wait for permission to live.

That I turned pain and setbacks into fuel, and showed women that midlife is not the end of the story, it is the best chapter. I want to be remembered as someone who helped others believe in themselves again, who made them laugh when life felt heavy, and who proved that freedom and joy are still possible no matter your age.

And if they also say I was the woman who never missed a chance to dance, I’ll take that too.

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