Jill Schulman

Jill Schulman is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, keynote speaker, and challenge-seeker with a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology (Science of Happiness and Well-Being) from the University of Pennsylvania. For over two decades, she has combined the latest scientific research with real-world experience to help people embrace courage, push limits, and create lives of meaning and impact.

Jill is a former U.S. Marine Corps Officer, leadership development expert, and founder of Breakthrough Leadership Group. She has dedicated her career to studying the science of bravery, resilience, and peak performance, drawing on disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science. Her work merges the academic rigor of research with practical tools that help individuals and teams increase their performance, resilience, and well-being. Her book, The Bravery Effect, is the culmination of years of exploration, offering evidence-based strategies for increasing bravery by developing a courageous mindset, taking bold actions, and building brave relationships.

Translation: Jill helps people do hard things—and love it.

Jill believes bravery is the foundation of a life well-lived, which means doing things that scare the heck out of us—every day. Growth only happens outside the comfort zone, so…embrace the suck. Her motto is “Courage over regret,” and she’s passionate about empowering others to create the life they truly want and stop letting fear hold them back.

Jill brings a unique blend of grit and curiosity to everything she does. Whether it’s translating groundbreaking research into actionable steps or tackling life’s challenges head-on, she believes joy and discipline go hand in hand. The world needs more grit, less fluff, and a lot fewer excuses. Start with the hard stuff first—it’s always the way to go. Outside of work, Jill can be found hiking the trails of Southern California, laughing over dinner with her husband of 20+ years and their two amazing daughters, or attempting to out-squat yesterday’s workout at the gym. When she’s not pushing limits, she’s reading Stoic philosophy, diving into the latest research, or plotting her next bold challenge.