Jackie King didn’t just write a book, she rewrote the rules of leadership. The Ultimate Other is her powerful and personal blueprint for rebuilding a life after divorce, but more than that, it’s a revolutionary framework for women navigating professional spaces where they’ve always felt a little “other.”
Jackie’s approach is unlike anything you’ve seen in conventional leadership development. At its core is lived experience, not theory. By applying design thinking to the personal, Jackie teaches women to integrate their many identities rather than feel forced to compartmentalise. This is leadership not from a pedestal, but from the trenches of real life, where burnout, caregiving, and invisible labour are daily realities.
“My why is simple,” Jackie says. “I want women to know that their difference is not a deficit. It’s their greatest asset.”
Jackie’s journey is deeply relatable: caring for others, navigating unconscious bias, and shedding the expectations of being the technical expert or ‘doing it all’ to prove her worth. Divorce was her turning point; gritty, raw, and defining. It demanded vulnerability, but also gave her clarity: success wasn’t about climbing ladders, but about impact. It wasn’t about being masculine or feminine; it was about balancing both. And it wasn’t about fitting in anymore; it was about showing up whole.
Today, Jackie supports female professionals who feel lost in their multiple roles, undervalued, or like they don’t belong. Through her coaching and consulting, she helps women and teams embrace vulnerability, empathy, and strategic acumen, all through the lens of design thinking.
And she’s not stopping. With AI on her radar, Jackie envisions automating thought leadership and scaling her impact, while helping organisations embed empathy as a core business practice, not just a buzzword.
“You must know yourself, your triggers, your traumas, your values, before you can lead anyone else. That’s where true leadership begins.”
Jackie’s Wisdom for Purposeful Leadership:
– Redefine success on your own terms
– Let your lived experience shape your leadership
– Lead with empathy, first for yourself
– Your story is your strength, not your shame
– Be brave enough to ask better questions