Jaclyn Leibl-Cote didn’t walk directly into the corner office of her family’s business. Before joining Collette, she was required to spend three years building experience elsewhere. She then worked throughout the company, from answering customer-service calls and guiding tours to product development and global strategy.

That frontline experience became essential when the pandemic brought worldwide travel to a sudden halt. Collette went from approximately 700 employees to just 64 by July 2020. Jaclyn explains the painful decisions involved, how an established crisis-management team responded and why rebuilding the organization gave her the opportunity to modernize a 108-year-old company.

She and Joey Pinz also explore responsible travel, family-business succession, employee culture and the challenge of being fully present as both a CEO and mother. Jaclyn shares why travelers should approach other cultures with respect and curiosity—and how travel can create more peace than division.

🌟 Top 3 Highlights:

🧭 Why Jaclyn had to earn her position inside the family business

🌪️ How Collette survived the complete shutdown of global travel

🌍 Why meaningful travel should support communities and challenge bias