DeAnne Aussem
DeAnne Aussem is a leadership expert, professional coach and speaker. She has decades of experience helping leaders, teams, and organizations around the world thrive by cultivating confidence, emotional intelligence, teamwork, resilience, and a deep sense of “enoughness.” In every role—whether driving strategy, delivering award winning experiential learning events or coaching tens of thousands of leaders globally—her purpose has remained the same: helping humans thrive, from the boardroom to everyday life.
With the Mac and Friends series, DeAnne brings this lifelong work into a new and deeply meaningful space: children’s storytelling. Her mission is to translate the same tools she uses with executives—mindset shifts, emotional awareness, strengths-based growth, and self-compassion—into accessible lessons young readers can absorb and apply. Each story is crafted not only to entertain, but to gently coach children as they navigate big feelings, build resilience, and learn to celebrate who they already are.
The inspiration behind the series is rooted in love. When DeAnne’s beloved bulldog, Mac, passed away in 2025, she chose to honor his unwavering joy, acceptance, and boundless heart by bringing his spirit to life on the page. Every character in the series is inspired by one of DeAnne’s own rescue animals, making the stories deeply personal and filled with authentic warmth, personality, and soul.
A hallmark of the series is the Coaching Corner—a unique differentiator that offers practical, research-backed tools to help families talk about feelings, confidence, and connection in everyday life. This feature directly links DeAnne’s deep coaching expertise to the emotional development of young readers while also supporting the adults, teachers, and caregivers who guide them.
As part of the mission behind Mac and Friends, DeAnne also incorporates a meaningful give-back commitment, donating a portion of all proceeds to animal charities and rescue organizations dedicated to helping furry friends find their forever homes. This creates a full-circle legacy of love—honoring Mac’s memory while supporting animals in need.
DeAnne is the founder of ThriveWell Partners; a Certified Chief Happiness Officer; mindfulness instructor; lifestyle medicine coach; and advocate for whole-person well-being. When she isn’t writing or coaching, she’s traveling the world, recharging in the mountains or by the ocean, or spending time with her family and the real-life rescue animals who continue to inspire her characters.
