Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch Speaker Biography
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), Leadership Expert, Founder of Educational Achievement Services, Inspirational Keynote Speaker & Bestselling Author
Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch is one of America’s most inspiring leadership speakers, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, bestselling author, and nationally recognized expert on leadership, resilience, and personal transformation. Rising from humble beginnings in a small barrio on the Texas-Mexico border to become one of the highest-ranking Hispanic women in the U.S. Army, she has dedicated her life to developing leaders of character, courage, and purpose. Through her compelling personal story and decades of leadership experience, Kickbusch empowers audiences to overcome obstacles, embrace change, and leave a lasting legacy.
Keynote Speaker Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch at a Glance
- Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and one of the highest-ranking Hispanic women to serve in the U.S. Army’s Combat Support Field.
- Founder and President of Educational Achievement Services, Inc., a leadership development organization that has inspired more than one million students, parents, educators, and professionals.
- Bestselling author and internationally recognized leadership expert whose work focuses on resilience, personal accountability, courageous leadership, and building a legacy of service.
- Trusted keynote speaker for Fortune 500 companies, healthcare organizations, government agencies, military organizations, educational institutions, and leadership conferences worldwide.
From Humble Beginnings to National Leadership
Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch’s remarkable journey began in a small barrio in Laredo, Texas, where she was raised by hardworking immigrant parents who instilled in her the values of faith, perseverance, family, and service. Growing up amid poverty, discrimination, and limited educational opportunities, she learned that true wealth comes not from material possessions but from character, integrity, and determination. Those early life experiences became the foundation of her leadership philosophy and continue to inspire audiences facing adversity, uncertainty, and change.
Trailblazing Military Leader
After earning her degree from Hardin-Simmons University, Consuelo Kickbusch was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, where she served with distinction for 22 years. Throughout her military career, she consistently broke barriers, ultimately becoming one of the highest-ranking Hispanic women in the Combat Support Field. In recognition of her outstanding leadership, she was selected from more than 26,000 officers to assume a prestigious command that placed her on the path toward promotion to general officer. Instead, she chose to retire in 1996 to honor her mother’s final wish—to return home and dedicate her life to serving families, students, and communities through leadership and education.
Founder of Educational Achievement Services
Following her military retirement, Kickbusch founded Educational Achievement Services, Inc. (EAS), a leadership and human development organization dedicated to preparing future generations of leaders. Since its founding, EAS has impacted more than one million children, parents, educators, and professionals across the United States through leadership development, mentoring, and motivational programs. Her work emphasizes personal responsibility, character development, resilience, and the belief that every individual has the ability to create meaningful change within their families, workplaces, schools, and communities.
Leadership Expert and Inspirational Speaker
For decades, Consuelo Kickbusch has inspired audiences around the world with keynote presentations that combine powerful storytelling, practical leadership lessons, and genuine compassion. Drawing upon her military leadership, life experiences, and work developing future leaders, she teaches audiences how to lead with courage, embrace personal accountability, and thrive during periods of uncertainty and change. Her dynamic presentations have inspired leaders in corporations, healthcare systems, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, military organizations, and government agencies throughout the United States and internationally.
Champion for Youth and Community Leadership
One of Consuelo’s greatest passions is investing in young people and strengthening families. Through Educational Achievement Services and countless mentoring initiatives, she has devoted her post-military career to helping students discover their potential while equipping parents and educators to become stronger leaders themselves. Her message transcends generations and cultures by emphasizing timeless values of service, responsibility, perseverance, respect, and lifelong learning. Whether addressing students or senior executives, she challenges audiences to live intentionally and build a legacy that positively impacts others.
Why Organizations Book Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch
Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch delivers unforgettable keynote presentations that combine extraordinary personal experiences with practical leadership principles that resonate across every industry. Her authenticity, military leadership experience, and inspiring life story motivate audiences to embrace change, strengthen resilience, lead with integrity, and achieve excellence both personally and professionally. Her presentations are ideal for corporate leadership meetings, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, military events, nonprofit organizations, women’s leadership conferences, and multicultural leadership programs seeking an inspiring speaker who empowers individuals to lead with courage, purpose, and lasting impact.
Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch Speaking Topics
Living a Legacy
Are you living your legacy? A legacy is not just something a person leaves behind after they die; rather it is the way in which they live their life. Through an interactive and introspective presentation, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch guides participants through their vision of the future and the goals that they want to accomplish for themselves and for their community. She inspires and challenges participants to become living legends in their professional and personal lives. Her unique emotional style of delivery that has the audiences rolling with laughter, attempting to hold back tears and inevitably on their feet in a standing ovation. Through humor and hard-hitting facts she encourages participants to be servant leaders at work and in their community. Participants learn to live their legacy by leading with their soul.
Going Forward Without Forgetting — Avanzando Y No Olvidando
This keynote focuses on reflecting on ones traditions and values of times past and their importance in our development and growth today. Appreciation of diverse cultures and their contributions to today’s society is emphasized. We can “go forward without forgetting” what a rich heritage our cultures offer, and apply under-appreciated ethics and values to today’s world. The issues of self-esteem and leadership styles are presented in a context in which the past is melded with the present, and offers alternatives we can use in our personal development that will enhance our leadership styles. This is especially relevant to professionals going into the 21st century with a renewed spirit to meet new challenges, pursue higher educational opportunities, and to cherish the joys of living in today’s world!
Servant Leadership: A New Call To Duty
Leadership is not about you. Leadership is about serving. This keynote addresses the philosophy of servant leadership and one’s call to duty. Using her life as an example, from barely surviving in the barrio of Laredo, Texas to receiving an award from the President at the White House, Consuelo serves her audience by challenging them to look inwards and rise to the call of action. In this presentation, Consuelo stresses the importance of Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! The audience will not leave without hearing the message that “leadership” is not just a framed, wall decoration, but it is an action that one must take for the betterment of his community and the generation to follow. Her lectures on Servant Leadership move audiences to standing ovations, and move people to serve.
Valuing Diversity
This keynote provides participants with the different dimensions of diversity in today’s environment. Learning to accommodate cultural differences is important for managers and employees in order to be successful in the work environment. Moreover, it is important in parenting and education as well. Aspects of cultural differences, strengths and challenges will be examined and examples will be provided. LTC Kickbusch will provide her personal story of challenges and triumphs as a child of the “barrio” who succeeded in spite of many cultural, social and educational obstacles. She gently guides her audience to a better understanding of cultural differences and similarities, as she emphasizes that appreciation of diverse cultures and their contributions to today’s society is a very important element of team-building and team-work, which makes for a successful, productive work environment. LTC Kickbusch will provide insights on yet another necessity for successful professional development and personal growth. This introspective keynote will force participants to look inward at themselves, their work environments, and communities and motivate them to take action.
Courageous Leadership
Leadership traditionally is a lonely and complex job to accomplish. Leaders and educators are expected to be the ones with the answers while taking charge of morale and team support. How then does courage play a unique role in leadership especially during a time of crisis? Consuelo’s journey has been a lifetime of Courageous Leadership beginning when she left her traditional home where she was raised in an Immigrant Mexican home to becoming the highest ranking Latina in combat support field in the US Army; and then later starting a small business company without any outside income all while facing discrimination. Through her humor, reflection, and utilizing her story telling gift, Consuelo shares her wisdom and Servant Leadership framework. Every participant will walk away with another “tool “for their Leadership Toolkit and some perspective on how Courageous Leadership can get you through the storm. Her favorite words are, “This Too Shall Pass.”
N.O.P.A.L.I.T.O.S.
LTC Kickbusch will provide her personal story of challenges and triumphs as a child of the “barrio” who succeeded in spite of many cultural, social, and educational obstacles. This keynote will challenge audience members to self-reflect and shift perspectives using the cornerstones represented in N.O.P.A.L.I.T.O.S. Strategies will be modeled and discussed through the lens of engaging and immersing parents and students into a successful learning environment and the development of positive lifelong Social-Emotional skills and habits.
Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch Books
