Truth-telling isn’t rebellious. It’s necessary.
Lifting Voices.
Leading Change.
Living Free.
Why I Do This Work
If you want to know who I am, it’s simple: people matter. It Matters! And I believe one person can spark revolution that can change the world!
Because I lived the gap between the policies written and the people forgotten.
Because I know what it feels like to be invited to the table — and still treated like the entertainment.
Because change isn’t real until the people most impacted by the system are the ones rewriting it.
Because leadership without humanity is just theater.
Because when you strip away the layers of trauma, pain, addiction, ignorance, and systemic failure, every single one of us carries everything we need to evolve — just as I have.
And because we deserve better — not someday, but now.




A little about me...
Why I Care
I don't believe in building better performances.
I believe in building better worlds.
I’ve spent my life inside systems — sometimes changing them, sometimes surviving them, always questioning them.
Along the way, I learned something simple: real change doesn’t happen because we act better.
It happens because we become braver.
Because we unlearn all the things — and all the people — who told us we couldn’t.
And because we finally understand something even simpler: that real freedom begins when we stop playing the character the world taught us to be.
My work exists for the ones who are tired of pretending.
For the leaders who are tired of polishing their edges just to be tolerated.
For the communities who deserve more than permission — they deserve power.
I created The Puppetized Framework™ and my signature trainings to give language, strategy, and liberation to that truth.
Not to perform equity.
Not to rehearse inclusion.
But to tear down the stages built for appearances — and build spaces made for becoming.
More about services/testimonials
"When mind meets
heart
the journey starts" -Janine
"From your voice, I found my own." -Student University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
"Your bravery to speak your truth shaped my career, my advocacy, and my belief that change is possible." - Fellow HIV Advocate
"Ten years ago, I was just a scared intern. Today, I’m a leader in public health — because you showed me what authentic leadership looks like." - Medical Student Creighton University
"I am the advocate I am today because of you. You showed me I didn't have to be afraid" - Fellow HIV Advocate
"As a student, I learned from textbooks. From you, I learned what it means to listen, lead, and create real change." - UNMC Internal Medicine Student
"You made research personal — not abstract. You showed me that lived experience isn’t just data; it’s the foundation for real solutions. The way I connect with my patients today is because of you." - Student UW School of Medicine Spokane Washington
Connect
Unapologetic leadership starts here. “Nothing for us without us. And no one leading us that isn’t us.”
Inspire
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janine@janinebrignola.com
+19568973060
© 2025 Janine Brignola. All original speeches, keynote addresses, trainings, written content, and The Puppetized Framework™ are protected intellectual property.
All rights reserved. No part may be used, adapted, distributed, or reproduced without express written permission.
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The views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of my employer, affiliated organizations, or funders.