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

Hi Deb, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Certainly, hard work is the main ingredient, but I think it starts with “why” you’ve chosen to work so hard. I mean, who really wants to work? I certainly didn’t expect to. You’ll have to read my book to learn more about that fairy tale of the stay-at-home wife and the social conventions of growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. I didn’t think I’d get to have a career – but I became a vice president of marketing and communication at several Fortune 500 companies. And that happened even with a professional pivot from finance and accounting to marketing and after an extended break from the corporate world.

So, what was my “why?” To make a better life for my three kids. Everything becomes easy if you have a purpose. But I didn’t do it alone. I employed a series of au pairs at home and engaged a diverse team in the workplace to help me – creative people from all over the world. And we established a culture where professionals could generate award-winning work while having fun. We later engaged tens of thousands of employees worldwide in highly successful ways to align their role with the company vision, mission and values. There may have been maracas involved.

Deb, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always believed in rewriting the script of what’s possible. I graduated from Purdue University in three years, then earned an MBA and CPA. By my early 40s, I reclimbed the corporate ladder to become a Fortune 500 vice president after taking off eight years to raise my children. But what I’m most proud of professionally isn’t just a title—it’s the fact that at 60, I went back to school, earned a doctorate, and launched a second act as a college professor. Now, I’m stepping into yet another chapter as an author, fulfilling a creative dream.

This summer, my debut memoir, Forget the Fairy Tale & Find Your Happiness, will be published by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster. It’s already available for pre-order everywhere—from Amazon to Apple Books to your favorite local indie bookstore.

As is summed up on my book website, my life is a tapestry of adventure and achievement, woven from my small-town Indiana roots to business opportunities across the globe. My years as an executive took me rappelling down the Great Wall of China, riding elephants in India, and navigating boardrooms in cities worldwide—all while raising three incredible children. Today, I balance life as a part-time marketing professor (a.k.a. Dr. Miller), an author, and a devoted mom and grandmother.

I live in an enchanted forest outside of Seattle, where the landscaping projects are endless and enjoyable. Hiking is my hobby and I’m on a mission to visit all of the national parks.

You can find out more about my book and upcoming events at ForgetTheFairyTale.NET.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

My passion for tennis led to an unexpected, life-changing adventure. In the summer of 1990, my family helped to host a group of Soviet tennis players and coaches in Indianapolis. Fun fact: two of the nine young players who stayed with us went on to become global tennis sensations—Marat Safin and Anna Kournikova. At just nine years old, they were already dominating 16-year-old American players. At the time, the Cold War had barely thawed, and welcoming Russians into our home felt both thrilling and surreal. We bonded over our shared love of the sport, and the following year, I was invited to visit them in Moscow.

It was like stepping onto another planet. The Soviet Union was in the midst of collapse, and the energy in the city was electric—equal parts uncertainty and possibility. That trip to Moscow became the catalyst for an entirely new career trajectory. It led to a consulting project for Anheuser-Busch, first in financial research, then in marketing. Soon after, I was offered a sports marketing role as the tournament director for a professional women’s tennis event in my hometown. I fell in love with the strategy and creativity of marketing, and when I eventually returned to corporate America, I pivoted my career from finance to global marketing—a move that landed me in the C-suite of several global companies within a few years.

Beyond my own career transformation, my experiences reshaped my children’s lives as well. Exposure to different cultures inspired them to travel internationally, take internships abroad (in China and England), and ultimately, form connections that transcended borders. Today, one holds an MBA from Cambridge, another works for a company headquartered outside the U.S. and two chose life partners whose families originated outside the country.

A simple decision—to open our home to a group of tennis players—ended up opening the world to us. It’s a reminder that the boldest moves, the ones that seem the most uncertain, often lead to the greatest rewards.

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

I think I just answered this above. Both of these two questions were combined into one response.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://forgetthefairytale.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forget_the_fairy_tale/?hl=en#
• Facebook: Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564008742001
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-deb-miller-acc/

Image Credits

Nicole Blumberg – the wedding photos (2) one with my kids and one with me in a shawl