Jodee Blanco Bio

The Voice of America’s Bullied and author of the seminal New York Times bestseller Please Stop Laughing at Me… One Woman’s Inspirational Story

Jodee Blanco is the author of the seminal New York Times bestseller Please Stop Laughing at Me…, and she is the founder of INJJA (It’s NOT Just Joking Around!), the first survivor-led anti-bullying program in the country. One of the earliest voices of the anti-bullying movement, Jodee has been working inside the American school system for over twenty-five years and has implemented INJJA in hundreds of schools, impacting thousands of lives.

School administrators regularly turn to her as their go-to expert because she focuses on the human element of bullying at all ages, incorporating the matrix of students, educators and parents into each aspect of her program, and offers a realistic, practical plan of action for improving school culture.

Jodee is the author of a series of books for one of the largest educational associations in the country and has keynoted many national conferences. Organizations that have brought Jodee in to speak include The United States Department of Interior, United States Department of Justice, The National Catholic Educational Association, The American School Counselor’s Association, The Washington School Counselor’s Association, AccuTrain, The Kentucky Association of School Administrators, The Illinois Association of School Boards, The West Virginia Department of Health,  dozens of private school consortiums and dioceses and numerous universities.

On the international front, the governments of Curacao, Guam, Guatemala, Trinidad/Tobago, and the Aboriginal schools of Canada have all flown Jodee in to implement her program in their countries, and her work has been published in multiple languages including Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and others.

She has worked with Loyola University and Notre Dame mentoring principals on communication best practices and is a communications consultant for school districts and educational associations on parent relations and crisis management. Prior to her tenure in the school system, she owned a PR/communications firm and helped corporate CEOs, Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes and other public figures express themselves with grace under pressure. She has lectured on leadership at Northwestern University and taught at The University of Chicago and her alma mater New York University.

In addition to her memoir, Jodee has authored twelve other books that include a second New York Times bestseller (Both of Us), a debut novel that was a New York Times “New and Noteworthy Selection” (I, John Kennedy Toole), and an award-winning self-help book all of which explored bullying in the home and within families. The latter, entitled The Evolving Woman was recognized by former President (and then senator) Joe Biden for its contribution to domestic violence awareness.

A tireless advocate for the shunned and forgotten, Jodee’s rare understanding of the human component of bullying at all ages comes from a deep personal place. From fifth grade through the end of high school, she was rejected and tormented by her peers simply for being different, and she knows firsthand the long-term consequences. As an adult, she decided to go public with her story and transform pain into purpose.

A sought-after keynote speaker and seminar presenter, Jodee is redefining the scope of possibilities for curbing suffering in our schools, corporations, and communities worldwide.

Jodee has bylined for CNN.com, The Huff Post, and she is a frequent expert for broadcast and cable networks on bullying-related stories.  She has been featured on CBS Evening News https://vimeo.com/412809658?fl=pl&fe=sh, in USA Today and in hundreds of news outlets across the country.

Jodee splits her time between Chicago and South Padre Island Texas. For more information on how to bring her in to speak at your next event, please contact jodee@jodeeblanco.com.