Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deb Goldberg. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Deb thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest risks I ever took occurred in 1991 when I was 34 years old. At the time, I was unhappily married, owned a small jewelry store, and was raising two young children. I felt deeply conflicted. I knew I wanted a divorce, but I was terrified of making a decision that might disrupt my family. I carried tremendous guilt and uncertainty, and I spent a great deal of time praying for guidance about what direction my life should take.

One night, I had a profound dream that changed everything.

In the dream, I saw myself attending college and pursuing a degree in Counseling and Psychology. The experience was so vivid and powerful that I woke up knowing I had received the answer I had been seeking. There was a deep sense of certainty that I cannot fully explain. What stood out most was that my future was clearly being shown to me, and my husband was not part of that vision.

The very next day, I enrolled at The Pennsylvania State University.

Looking back, that may sound impulsive, but it felt anything but impulsive to me. It felt like answering a calling. I had never attended college before, and while I was excited, I was also frightened. I had no idea how I would manage school, family responsibilities, work, and the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Yet I knew I had to trust the guidance I had been given. Not everyone understood my decision. Enrolling in college created additional tension within my marriage, and many people questioned why I would make such a significant life change based on a dream. But something inside me knew this was the path I was meant to follow.

Three months later, I filed for divorce.

What followed was one of the most challenging periods of my life. I attended college full-time, shared custody of my children, and worked three jobs to support myself and my family. There were many moments when I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and uncertain about how I would make it through. Yet despite the obstacles, I remained committed to the path I had chosen.

The risk was not simply enrolling in college. The real risk was continuing forward when life became difficult. It was waking up every day and choosing to believe in a future that I could not yet see. There were no guarantees of success, only a deep inner knowing that I needed to keep moving forward.
Years later, that decision completely transformed the course of my life. I earned my Master’s Degree in Counseling and began working in the Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol field even before completing graduate school. Over time, I built a rewarding career helping individuals heal from addiction, trauma, and emotional pain. I later became a business owner, co-founded a successful private practice, and eventually expanded my work as an Author, Spiritual Teacher, and Coach.

Looking back, I realize that the dream itself was only the beginning. The greater challenge—and the greater gift—was having the courage to take thousands of small steps afterward. Every class, every late-night study session, every difficult decision, and every sacrifice became part of a journey that ultimately led me to a life and career I love.

That experience taught me that faith is not certainty. Faith is taking the next step even when you cannot see the entire path. It was one of the most difficult choices I have ever made, but it was also one of the most transformative. Looking back, I can clearly see that what felt like a risk at the time was actually the doorway to the life I was meant to live.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Deb Goldberg, and I am a retired Licensed Psychotherapist, Spiritual Teacher, Author, and Life Coach. For nearly two decades, I worked in the fields of mental health and substance abuse, helping individuals navigate life’s challenges and find healing. While that work was deeply meaningful, my own life journey ultimately led me down a path I never expected.

Like many people, I entered adulthood carrying the impact of childhood wounds that shaped how I viewed myself and the world. For much of my life, those experiences contributed to feelings of unworthiness, a lack of trust, and a belief that I needed to constantly prove my value. My healing journey transformed those beliefs and ultimately became the foundation of the work I do today.

About twelve years ago, I experienced a profound Spiritual awakening that transformed my understanding of myself, God, and the nature of life itself. At the time, I was carrying the effects of childhood wounds and trauma that had shaped much of my life. What followed was years of extraordinary healing that I experienced as being directly guided by Jesus, God, and the Angelic realm. This healing was not rooted in religion, doctrine, or dogma. Rather, it unfolded through unconditional Divine Love, Spiritual Reparenting, and Divine wisdom that taught me how to see myself through the eyes of the Divine instead of through the lens of fear, shame, separation, and limitation.

As a psychotherapist, I had spent years helping others heal through traditional therapeutic approaches. Yet this experience introduced me to a level of healing that went beyond what I had previously known. It revealed the transformative power of Divine Love and showed me that many of the wounds we carry stem from forgetting who we truly are and believing we are separate from the Source of that Love. The transformation was so profound that it changed not only how I lived, but also the work I felt called to bring into the world.

Today, my work centers on helping people heal the emotional, Spiritual, and psychological wounds that keep them from experiencing peace, joy, self-worth, and a deep connection with the Divine. Many of the individuals I work with struggle with feelings of unworthiness, abandonment, fear, self-doubt, grief, trauma, or a sense that something is missing in their lives. Others are seeking a deeper Spiritual connection, greater purpose, or clarity about the next chapter of their journey.
What sets my work apart is the integration of professional therapeutic experience with Spiritually guided wisdom. My approach is non-denominational, heart-centered, and deeply compassionate. Rather than focusing solely on symptoms or circumstances, I help people uncover and heal the core beliefs that create suffering—especially the belief that they are somehow separate from God, Love, or their own Divine nature.

I believe every person carries within them a Divine spark and an inner wisdom that can guide them toward healing, purpose, peace, and joy. My role is not to tell people what to believe, but rather to help them reconnect with the truth, wisdom, and guidance already present within their own hearts.

I am the author of several spiritually focused books, including: Intuition, A Divinely Ordered Life, Creating a Life Worth Living, and the children’s book God’s Miracle Garden. The teachings within these books emerged through what I experience as direct Divine communication received during years of prayer, meditation, and Spiritual communion. Much of the material came through conversations and teachings that I received from Jesus, while other portions came through guidance I experienced from God and the Angelic realm. While some may describe this process differently, for me it has been an ongoing relationship with Divine wisdom that continues to guide my life and work.

Through my writing, coaching, video podcasting, and speaking, I share messages of unconditional Love, Spiritual awakening, healing, and personal transformation. My greatest desire is to help people remember who they truly are beyond the stories, wounds, fears, and limitations that have shaped their lives.

What I am most proud of is not the books I have written or the titles I have held, but the lives I have witnessed transform when people remember their inherent worth, reconnect with the Divine, and begin to live from a place of Love rather than fear. There is nothing more rewarding than watching someone move from self-judgment to self-acceptance, from suffering to peace, and from feeling disconnected to experiencing a living relationship with the Divine.

If there is one thing I want people to know about me and my work, it is that healing is possible, no matter where you begin. We are not broken, and we do not need to become someone else to be worthy of Love. The wisdom, guidance, and connection we seek already live within us. My mission is simply to help people remember that truth and learn how to live from it every day.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my life and career occurred about sixteen years ago when I was working as a psychotherapist in an outpatient mental health clinic affiliated with a hospital. Due to financial difficulties, the hospital announced that it was planning to close the clinic. We served approximately 1,000 clients in a rural community, and there were very few alternative providers available for therapy and psychiatric services. My colleagues and I were devastated, not only because our jobs were at risk, but because we knew many of our clients would struggle to find care elsewhere.

At the time, I worked closely with a psychiatrist, Dr. Sheth. We shared a deep commitment to our clients and did everything we could to try to keep the clinic open. When it became clear that the closure was inevitable, Dr. Sheth approached me with an idea that would change the course of my life.
He said, “If they close the clinic, why don’t we open our own practice?”

I was both thrilled and terrified.

Owning my own practice had always been a dream, but dreams often feel very different when they suddenly become reality. Despite my fears, I knew this was an opportunity I could not ignore. More importantly, it would provide continuity of care for the clients who already trusted us. Dr. Sheth believed in me long before I fully believed in myself. He offered financial support to help us get started and trusted me to build the operational side of the practice. What followed was one of the steepest learning curves of my professional life.

I found myself creating systems and processes I had never imagined I would be responsible for. I set up the office, trained administrative staff, wrote job descriptions, learned new software systems, coordinated electronic billing, integrated insurance carriers into the billing platform, managed accounts payable and receivable, established banking relationships, hired vendors, and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the business. At times, the responsibility felt overwhelming.

Ironically, I discovered that many of the skills I thought had little value in my life became essential to our success. As a teenager, my mother insisted that I take business courses instead of the classes I wanted. I learned typing, shorthand, bookkeeping, accounting, and office procedures. For years I resented those decisions, believing they had limited my options. Yet decades later, I found myself drawing on every one of those skills while building our practice from the ground up. What I once viewed as a limitation turned out to be preparation.

The practice grew into a thriving and successful business. However, success brought another challenge. I was managing the business, overseeing operations, and maintaining a full client caseload. I worked all day, then continued working most evenings at home. Eventually, I realized I had become the bottleneck.
That realization required another pivot.

I had always struggled to ask for help. I believed I needed to do everything myself and found it difficult to trust others with responsibilities that mattered to me. Eventually, I reached a point where I knew something had to change. I spoke honestly with Dr. Sheth and admitted that I was overwhelmed. With his support, I began hiring people to take over many of the tasks I had been carrying alone.

Learning to delegate was one of the most important leadership lessons of my career. Letting go of control allowed both the practice and myself to thrive.
Looking back, I can see that building that practice taught me far more than how to run a business. It taught me adaptability, perseverance, leadership, and trust. It taught me that I was capable of learning skills I never imagined I would master. It also showed me that many of the experiences we initially view as setbacks are often preparing us for opportunities we cannot yet see.

One of the most meaningful lessons came from realizing that many of the skills I relied upon to build the practice had been acquired decades earlier. What I once viewed as a limitation turned out to be preparation. That realization changed how I view challenges, disappointments, and unexpected detours. Often, what seems irrelevant or difficult in one season of life becomes exactly what we need in another.

Today, when I encounter uncertainty or unexpected change, I remember that experience. It reminds me that growth often requires us to step beyond what feels comfortable and trust our ability to learn, adapt, and rise to new challenges.

Looking back, I realize that every major turning point in my life began with uncertainty. Each required me to step beyond what felt safe and trust a path I could not yet see. Those moments taught me that sometimes the greatest opportunities arrive disguised as endings.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

While training, education, and continuing professional development are certainly important, I believe the most valuable factor in succeeding as a therapist, coach, psychiatrist, nurse, or any helping professional is a commitment to your own personal growth and healing. Most mental health professionals are required to complete continuing education credits each year to maintain their licenses. We spend years learning theories, interventions, diagnoses, and treatment approaches. Yet there is very little emphasis on the ongoing inner work required to truly understand ourselves—our beliefs, fears, emotional wounds, behavioral patterns, biases, triggers, and unresolved trauma. In my experience, these aspects of ourselves inevitably influence how we show up with our clients.

In graduate school, we learn concepts such as transference and countertransference, but I believe the deeper work begins after formal education ends. It requires a willingness to continually look inward, question our assumptions, and understand what drives our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. One of the most important lessons I learned throughout my career is that I could only help clients as deeply as I was willing to go within myself. The deeper I engaged in my own healing and self-discovery, the more capable I became of helping others navigate theirs. Over time, I came to see that many of the struggles my clients brought into the therapy room often reflected aspects of my own journey—inviting me to learn, grow, and heal alongside them.

Over time, I also came to recognize that while life circumstances certainly impact us, true empowerment comes from understanding our relationship to our own thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and choices. Many people unknowingly give away their power by believing that others are responsible for how they feel. Learning personal responsibility—not blame, but responsibility—can be profoundly liberating and transformative.

I also believe that lasting healing requires some form of connection to an inner source of wisdom. Techniques, theories, and interventions are valuable, but they are not enough by themselves. Many people know what they should do and still struggle to create meaningful change. Real transformation often occurs when individuals develop a relationship with the deeper wisdom that exists within them.

For me, that connection is rooted in God and ongoing communion with the Divine. Others may describe it as their Higher Self, inner guidance, intuition, or inner knowing. Regardless of the language used, I believe there is a deeper wisdom available to all of us. The challenge is that many people have never been taught how to access it, trust it, or cultivate a relationship with it.

The most effective helping professionals I have known are not simply those with the most credentials. They are the ones who remain students of themselves. They are willing to examine their own fears, challenge their own limitations, continue growing, and remain humble enough to learn throughout their lives.
Ultimately, I believe our ability to guide others is directly related to our willingness to continue evolving ourselves. The more deeply we understand who we are, the more effectively we can help others discover who they are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.debbiengoldberg.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldberg.deb/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deb.goldberg.73/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-n-goldberg-144a56102/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO5MMPb0aEpa4TckGl1g2Og
• Other: https://tinyurl.com/uhj3pjb2
  God’s Miracle Garden https://amzn.to/3TMyG7n
  Intuition – The Voice of God https://amzn.to/3O6GkbD A Divinely Ordered Life book series