Accomplished author. Internationally sought-after
conference speaker and workshop facilitator.
Serial entrepreneur. Professional
counselor. Success coach to executives. Behavioral
analyst. Organizational culture change specialist.
Rosetta Stone history expert. Corporate trainer. Recipient of numerous awards, citations
and honors. Motivational consultant and mentor to pro
athletes. Multiculturally astute, with travels to 50+
countries. Critical Incident Debriefing coach. Magazine
publisher. Photographer. Passionate about dynamic,
fun-filled excellence. Experiences an on-going love/hate
relationship with technology. Devoted husband and father.
Off-key singer and extremely bad dancer. A life motivated
by curiosity. No Bull. No Hype.
Born in Maine (1954) and raised in a small town (2,000)
in Alberta, Canada, Joel A. Freeman brings a rich reservoir
of personal experience blended with contagious enthusiasm,
clarity and down to earth humor to empower people from
diverse walks of life with improved communication skills and
maximized productivity.
"Dealing With People Who Drive You Crazy!"® is not
only the brand for his company, but also is the title of the
most requested seminar experience... with a book in the
works.
The Freeman Institute® (TFI), of which Dr. Freeman is
CEO/President, is a company with seven main arenas of
expertise:
i. Workshop
/ Seminar / Retreat Facilitation / Keynote Addresses
ii.
Reality-Based Organizational Culture Change
iii.
Executive Success Coaching
/
Critical
Incident Debriefings
iv.
Black
History Presentations /
Diversity
(Diversity Day) & Cultural Awareness
v. Entrepreneurship
/ Business Intelligence and Creativity
vi.
Open
Registration Seminar Events -- example: Hampton
Roads, VA
vii.
The Freeman Institute®
Foundation
Freeman participated in a Pan African Conference (Fall,
2002) addressing tribal warfare, AIDS and conflict
management, with well over 100 African Kings and Queens in
attendance (Benin, West Africa). Dr. Freeman is currently
working on several films including, African Kings: A
Journey Into The Past, Present and Future of African
Kingdoms.
A seasoned, well-traveled veteran, Joel has an impressive
list of satisfied clients ranging from the Prime Minister of
Grenada and senior officials of Barbados to E! Entertainment
Television, Blacks In Government (BIG), NASA, Verizon, FBI,
GE, EMI Music Group, Ikea, NRC, CDC, YPO, National Security
Agency, NIH, Association of International Schools of Africa
(AISA), US Sentencing Commission, Billboard Music Group,
Black Public Relations Society, European Council of
International Schools (ECIS), many pro athletes and
executives around the globe.
Dr. Freeman's most popular seminar/presentation titles:
-------------- The
Curiosity-Driven Life
------------- Connecting
Now With Later
------------ Enhancing Your Emotional Intelligence
-----------
Diversity: The Value of Mutual Respect
---------- All Stressed Out And Nobody To Choke!
--------- A White Man's Journey Into Black History
-------- When Strangling Someone Isn't An Option!
------- Dealing With People Who Drive You Crazy!®
------ If Nobody Loves You, Create The Demand!®
----- Lessons From Blades of Grass in a Concrete Jungle
---- IGNITE (or re-ignite) Your Entrepreneurial Passion!
--- How Your Personality Impacts Your Personal Success!
-- The Mysterious Rosetta Stone: Cracking the Code to Your
Team's Success
- Professional Bloodsuckers: Dealing With the People Who
Drain You of Your Time, Energy and Patience
With well over a half a million copies in print,
Freeman’s seven books and three DVDs have received rave
reviews worldwide, endorsed by notables like Steve Forbes,
Bill Cosby, Julius (Dr. J) Erving, Cathy Hughes, Ben Carson,
Brian Tracy, Joe Frazier, Teri Woods, Ken Blanchard, Rich
DeVos, George Fraser, Pat Williams and Billy Graham -- books
published in 28 foreign translations:
1. RETURN TO GLORY®:
The Powerful Stirring of the Black Man
(book/audio book & film)
2. KINGDOM ZOOLOGY: Dealing With the Wolves, Serpents
and Swine in Your Life
3. LIVING WITH YOUR CONSCIENCE WITHOUT GOING CRAZY
4.
When Life Isn't Fair:
Making Sense Out of Suffering
5. A White Man's Journey Into Black History® --
(2-hour DVD)
6. Professional Bloodsuckers: Dealing With the People Who
Drain You of Your Time,
Energy and Patience --
(26-minute video VHS)
7. Dealing With People Who Drive You Crazy!®
(4-hour
VHS album)
8. If Nobody Loves You, Create The Demand®
-
(book/workbook/audio book combination)
9. The Moment -- Want to participate?
For 19 wonderful seasons Freeman served as veteran
mentor/chaplain for NBA’s Washington Bullets / Wizards
('79-'98). Quite a number of pro athletes from basketball
and hockey to football and baseball have consulted with him
on a variety of personal and professional matters. He has
served as mentor to Sports World ('98-'04), an organization
with 13-15 ex-pro athletes who speak to close to a million
young people every year. Freeman is a Diplomate member of
the International Sports Professionals Association (ISPA).
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World,
Dr. Freeman holds a master of science degree in the field of
counseling from Loyola College (Baltimore) and also a Ph.D.
in the same discipline. A number of his Ancient Egyptian
photographs have been published by McGraw-Hill, Teaching and
Learning, Rosh Gadol (Israeli science magazine for
kids), Nelson Educational, the Pharaoh's Curse video
game and utilized in countless educational settings.
As a State of Maryland Board certified professional
counselor
(inactive)
and behavioral analyst, he specializes in equipping
individuals with the tools to create proactive, motivated
personal and business environments. His initiatives in
government agencies, the corporate world, small businesses,
and nonprofit organizations have received exceptional
evaluations and references because of his articulate,
entertaining, and thought-provoking style of communication.
Dr. Freeman is the Founder of The Freeman Institute®
Foundation. -- Funds are being raised to donate a copy of a
number of resources, including the Return To Glory
film (and other resources) to prisons, jails, juvenile
detention facilities and schools in America. Recently the
award-wining film was translated into French, Portuguese and
Spanish. This translation work will permit the Foundation
to donate copies of the DVD across Africa, parts of Europe
and South America and the Caribbean. Future plans include
utilizing The Freeman Institute® Black History Collection to
set up Black History galleries in many major cities across
America and also in selected cities internationally.
Dr. Freeman has been the recipient of numerous awards,
citations, and honors. An example of one is the Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. "We Share The Dream" Award, with
Baltimore Mayor as keynote speaker and the Maryland Governor
as another honoree at the oldest annual MLK awards dinner
event (est. 1988) in the Baltimore/Washington region.
Dr. Freeman is a popular speaker on the topic of Black
History, speaking at Blacks In Government, NASA, Department
of Justice, NIH, Verizon, ICE, Frostburg State University,
Walter Reed Medical Center, AISA (Association of
International Schools of Africa), FBI, ASALH (Assoc. for the
Study of African American Life & History), Baltimore City
Community College, Los Alamos National Laboratory and many
other organizations around the world. On certain occasions,
Freeman will bring 20-30 pieces of the TFI Black History
Collection when invited to speak on the intriguing
topic, "A White
Man's Journey Into Black History"®. Freeman collects and
studies vintage handwritten letters and first edition books,
especially from the 16th-19th centuries. He's a big fan of
primary source material.
In 1980, Dr. Freeman initiated the idea for The
Shepherd’s Guide, a comprehensive directory of
values-centered businesses in Baltimore. Today, under the
guidance of Doug Scheidt (owner and president), 3.5 million
copies of The Shepherd’s Guide are distributed
annually. With more than 30,000 advertisers represented, the
directories are now available for free in 125 different
cities across the U.S.A., Canada and Puerto Rico. For a
number of years Dr. Freeman served as business mentor and
chaplain to the franchisees of The Shepherd’s Guide.
Ever the educational entrepreneur, Dr. Freeman has
developed a number of models of the famous Rosetta
Stone, including a
stunning full-size, museum-quality 3-D replica, a "lost wax"
fine art bronze, a 3-D digital holographic image, etc. Dr.
Freeman officially launched the Rosetta Stone replica
project at the Library of Congress (DC) with his popular presentation, "The
Mysterious Rosetta Stone."
As the Editor-in-Chief of the 32-page everyday matters®
magazine, Freeman has developed a unique model designed
to strengthen families by addressing felt-need issues like
child rearing, emotional intelligence, dealing with aging
parent, cyberbullying, etc. -- along with compelling
interviews with such notables as Dr. Ben Carson. The goal is
to create regional distribution pockets with this free
magazine throughout North America and the rest of the
English-speaking world.
Dr. Freeman is the host of "The Entrepreneurial
Connection" -- a set of 72 free radio 5-minute programs
being picked up by radio networks around the world. As a
member of the Association for the Promotion of Campus
Activities (APCA) Dr. Freeman loves doing presentations on
college campuses on various topics: the entrepreneurial
journey, leadership, multicultural competency, emotional
intelligence in corporate life, and more.
Freeman has been quoted or written about in many
articles and periodicals including: Washington Times,
Maryland
Gazette,
Loyola Magazine,
Diversity, Inc., JobWeek,
Nation News (Barbados), Atlanta Constitution-Journal, New
York Times, York Daily Record, Washington Post, Baltimore
Sun, The Guardian (Nigeria), NBA News and many others.
Dr. Freeman has special interest in the archaeology,
history and geography of the land of Israel and surrounding
countries in the Middle East. His depth of knowledge of that
region of the world permits him to function periodically as
a guide for groups traveling to that area.
A student of human behavior, Joel gets great delight out
of watching "the lights go on" as people of all shapes,
sizes, and colors increase the quality of their
understanding about themselves and others.
Dr. Freeman is a man with a big heart and of varied interests...with a number
of arenas of expertise. Some have called him a renaissance
man. To the casual observer it may seem that he is scattered
all over the place with many projects. Ten miles wide,
three inches deep. His close friends know that he has a
strategic purpose for everything he does. In fact there are no more than two degrees
of separation between any two projects that have inspired his
passion...and execution.
Freeman
is a bulldog with a smile. He only starts projects that
are worth finishing. And then he finishes them...even if it
takes longer than previously anticipated -- inspiring others
to take advantage of the developed resources. He has said, "I
love working on big ideas and once I have purposed to take on
a project, I am willing to hear ten thousand
no's to hear that one yes." As a social
entrepreneur, Freeman believes in doing good while
doing well. Freeman goes on to state, "And it's
also a lot of fun accomplishing, with God's help, what
others have said couldn't be done."
Utilizing the multiplication principle, his
whole purpose and motivation is to reach millions in
this generation with win/win, high-impact, relevant
resources and educational/inspirational projects that
are multicultural-friendly, easy to duplicate, and are
economically sustainable.
A number of years ago, Joel promised his children that
when they reach 15 each one could go anywhere in the world
with him. Feel free to read about these trips and view some
pictures. Freeman says, No matter where I travel, the
human experience is similar and familiar. Parents want their
children to receive a good education and marry a fine match.
People of all nations yearn for the same things: economic
independence, safety, housing, basic human rights and a
greater purpose for their lives."
| TRAVELS: Dr.
Freeman has traveled to 50+ countries around the world.
Here are the top international travel experiences of
Freeman's life so far (in no particular order): 1. Great Pyramid at the Giza Plaza in Cairo and Fort
Rashid (where Rosetta Stone was found by Lt. Pierre
Bouchard) 2. Three-day safari at the Masai Mara Game
Preserve in Western Kenya -- unbelievable
experience! (twice) 3. Northeast Thailand.
4.
Montrose Jazz Festival, Switzerland. 5. Paul's
Prison and Catacombs in Rome, Italy...plus
Venice, Naples, Pisa and Turin. 6. Hiking
throughout the Qumran Caves and ruins of
Jericho, and then swimming (floating) in the
Dead Sea, Israel. 7. Red Square, Moscow.
8.
Berlin Wall, Germany. 9. Budapest, Hungary.
10. Pyramids of Mexico. 11. "Fire-n-Ice" Iceland and
the Blue Lagoon. 12. Beaches of Barbados.
13. David Livingstone's home site, Botswana.
14. Badagry (Nigeria) slave port and also slave
ports in Benin, Ghana, Togo, Mombasa (Kenya) and
other similar sites. 15. DMZ, South Korea. 16. Scuba
diving off the Great Barrier Reef, Australia -- Ayer's
Rock and other sites in the Land of Oz. 17. Isle
of Krk, Yugoslavia. 18. Around the coast of Northern Ireland.
19. Majdanek
Nazi Concentration Camp in Lublin, Poland. 20. Gliding through the jungle on a
zip line, Belize. 21. Panning for gold in northern Maine. 22. Beaches of Dominican Republic. 23. Sifting
through some of the archaeological debris at the Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation in Israel. 24.
Fishing for salmon in Alaska & British Columbia,
or fishing for northern pike in Alberta...or
just plain fishing.
25. Banging drums on a lazy summer Sunday
afternoon in the Woodstock, NY town square with
about 50 others...some old time hippies. 26. Hanging out with the family at home. 27.
Much more... |
After
65 years of marriage, Dr. Freeman's parents (Katherine, 90 and
Arthur, 91) passed from this life into eternity only 33 days apart (in early
2009). Joel has cobbled together a tribute site to honor them
both. You are about to
meet two incredible people. Joel, his brother (Steve)
and two sisters (Nancy and Beth) have pledged to continue the
legacy of their parents with integrity, generosity,
perseverance and with extravagant gratitude to God.
Of added interest, Freeman's grandfather (on his
mother's side), Gerhard Schroeder, was the Volost Secretary
of the White Army during the Russian Revolution.
