Hi. I'm Deb.
Welcome.
Everything here is inspired by good vibes, fueled by gratitude, and curated with joy. Let your curiosity guide you to what celebrates and supports the best version of you.
I figure at least some people are curious why a woman who is obsessed with wiener dogs and designer vintage would be right here right now stoking the fires of awesomeness.
If that’s you, read on.
If you just want to explore, you can always come back.
No matter what, I’m glad you’re here and hope you find some things that make you feel freaking awesome!
First Act
I put myself through college with part-time jobs and reselling designer and vintage clothes. It was fun and the hard work paid off. I eventually earned that degree and went on to a Ph.D. in behavior. Little did I know that my expertise would someday transform my life on a personal level.
As I was starting my career, I adopted a wiener dog who was the sweetest, most zen puppy ever, Poncho. I thought he might be lonely, so I got another wiener dog named Peaches. They played too much on the first day I had to finally separate them so I could go to sleep! Needless to say, they became BFFs.
Before long, a little wiener dog who was skin and bones moved in for some TLC and joined the pack. Once she was healthier, Baby Madge came out of her shell with her sibs. Eventually, there was a 4th doxie, also a rescue. Jordan was a little nutty, but so freaking gorgeous he could have been a wiener dog supermodel.
I will confess that they had some coordinating outfits, mostly for holidays. Sometimes I would even get a human version so the whole posse looked great. Call me weird. I’m OK with that. We had fun. I loved those tubey beings to the moon and back.
Second Act
I met my soul mate in 2010 and the weens loved him, too, so we made it official. We were a pack! I started traveling more for work around that time and eventually got into travel hacking. To take things up a notch, I started a travel agency just because I’m like that.
If you’ve made it this far, you might have noticed a pattern emerging about me. When I do things, I do them all the way with all my heart. That’s part of who I am as a person and 100% my MO no matter what.
In 2019, as I was trying to wrap my head around a year of heart-breaking loss and grief, my husband was quite literally hit by a truck. He sustained major injuries, including traumatic brain injury.
That was a massive wake-up call. I was terrified and so grateful that he survived. Watching his tenacity in rehab made me love him even more.
Third Act
A few months later, and amid the pandemic, I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease. That meant I needed to make all kinds of changes ASAP. Like big, forever changes.
Talk about a roller coaster.
It was not easy. I wasn’t even positive I knew how to do any of it, but I had to try. Thankfully I had good doctors and lots of love and support.
Even with that safety net, it took everything I knew about resilience, learning, behavior change, and stress to make it. I was able to transform the trauma, tribulations, and grief I’d been experiencing into post-traumatic growth.
Ultimately, my challenges inspired me to see things differently – in a way that focuses on balance, joy and being more present for important things.
Fourth Act
So how was I going to attempt this new balancing act? And, what was it going to mean for me? I’ve re-engineered my life so more time and energy go to well-being and doing more of what I love.
It turns out that helping others feel freaking awesome is a huge – and I mean absolutely ginormous – part of what makes me feel awesome.
So, in keeping with my “well or not at all” MO, I made that a priority. What could be better, really? Now I use my expertise to share insights on behavior and ideas to help others navigate change with grace and feel freaking awesome.
Et voilà, this site was born. And you found it!
Oh, Hey!
Where to Next?
All the places you can find heyitsdeb.com and get in touch.
Ideas for expressing your own unique style.
Tips and tools for self care and well-being
Try mindfulness with my very favorite app or one of sessions I've created.