We were lucky to catch up with Debbie Weiss recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Debbie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I want people to think of me as a woman who had the courage and tenacity to stop using her circumstances as an excuse and transformed her life one small step at a time. She then found her purpose and passion helping others do the same. She was someone who even in the face of adversity kept going and didn’t let anything stop her. She is proof that you have the power to change your life at any time.

Debbie, 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?

For most of my life, my set of beliefs was fairly consistent with my upbringing and life experience. Certainly, all of us are shaped by the people, places, and circumstances of our lives. I was not one to ever question those beliefs. I just assumed they were correct and to be quite honest, I never really gave it any thought.

My life changed forever the day after I graduated from high school when my Dad had a massive stroke. He survived and I was his primary caregiver for the next 30 years. This was the beginning of me taking care of everyone else at the expense of myself.

I was and still am a “fixer” and a “problem solver”. I have a strong desire to be the one to help, however, I sacrificed my own well-being in the process.

My belief was “it is what it is”. It’s not like I have a choice.

My life has always been about doing everything for everyone else without giving much consideration to my own needs and wants. I would hear what other people were doing and often be jealous and think, “that must be nice, but I can’t do that”. Anyone who offered a suggestion, I always had a reason why “I can’t do it”. Other people can, but I can’t.

Until I turned 50 and realized that this is it. This is my one and only life and I don’t want to look back years from now with regret for the things I haven’t done.

Maybe I can try something new.

Maybe I can put myself first.

Maybe I can take control of my future.

I am now the best selling author of the memoir “On second thought,…maybe i can” as well as a co- author in the Amazon best seller collaborative book “Heart Whispers”.

In addition, I am a Canfield Certified Trainer in the Success Principles, an entrepreneur running both an insurance agency and my online store, “A Sprinkle of Hearts”, host of the “maybe I can” podcast, inspirational speaker, family caregiver and mother.

I have overcome my own limiting beliefs and fears allowing me to begin to live my best life and my life’s passion is to help and inspire others to do the same.

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

I originally started a business called the “Caregiver Support Squad”. The goal was to help family caregivers learn to prioritize their self-care. I paid someone to set up a beautiful website and lead magnet. I was paying a business coach and paid for two different caregiver certifications. For a year, all I did was spend money without earning a penny. I then started doing some free one on one coaching which was a requirement for my certification and found I didn’t like it.

I was going through my own caregiving difficulties at the time and when I had my sessions with other caregivers, instead of wanting to discuss how to fit self-care into their lives, they wanted to tell me their difficulties. I got off these calls feeling very heavy and unhappy. I didn’t want a business that left me feeling so drained.

It was a very difficult decision since I had invested so much time and money and had nothing to show for it. In the end, I pulled the plug and pivoted. I had to rebrand and create a new website and social media profiles. I wound up writing my memoir and discovered that I actually enjoyed writing and speaking.

A brand new world has opened up to me and I love it!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I started, I didn’t even have a personal Instagram or TikTok account. I just used Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family. Early on, I had to learn how to create posts using Canva and how to schedule them on both Facebook and Instagram. Doing this did start to build my audience from zero, but I knew I had to start doing videos.

I was so incredibly nervous about it. I questioned what I should be wearing, where should I film and what the heck do I talk about. I would write scripts and then write an outline on an index card so I could nonchalantly glance at the card while talking. It was exhausting and I hated it.

One day while walking my dog in the morning with no makeup on, I decided I wanted to tell my audience something so I pulled out my phone and hit record. It was so much easier, more authentic and natural. Most mornings, I would record and my audience began to grow. People would comment how they felt like they were on a walk with me and Yogi (my maltipoo).

I was posting the videos on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To my surprise, one of the videos went viral on TikTok and got 3.7 million views. In a week, I gained 55,000 followers on TikTok. It was absolutely crazy and so exciting!

I learned that people want to know the real you. They want authenticity, not the overproduced video. Now, I don’t give a thought to what I look like and I share the raw truth about myself and my life and people respond.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.debbierweiss.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie.r.weiss/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbierweiss
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbieweiss/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@debbierweiss
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@debbierweiss

Image Credits
Laura Billingham