We recently connected with Deborah Franklin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Deborah, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

One of the biggest risks I took occurred during the pandemic shutdown. During one of my private prayer and meditation times, I felt the familiar nudge to shift from teaching school to counseling. I remember pondering about this about five years ago but tried to silence the voice in my head because I just did not want to return to school again. I also knew that I had a current student loan and did not want to pay for another program with a loan. I love to learn and explore new things, but I was making plans to work abroad again. After teaching school for twenty years, I was content at retiring in this field.
When I could no longer bury the thought of returning to school, I said goodbye to my last employer, and I took a leap of faith and applied to the Veterans Readiness & Employment program. To my surprise I qualified and received 100 percent tuition to return to school with free books, a monthly stipend and a laptop with printer!! I was on my way to receiving my second master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.

I had no idea if things would work out and I often wondered if I was facing a mid-life crisis. I walked away with my last paycheck with meager savings, but I knew in my heart that there was a shift happening in my life and that I could no longer stay in a place of complacency. I wanted to know what was waiting for me on the other side of this risk.

I remember sitting quietly and thinking about how many students I impacted in the school system. This new move was unfamiliar. I loved teaching children and felt anxious about the unknown, but I pressed forward. I walked away from everything that was familiar and decided that it was time to invest in myself and dream bigger. I returned to late night study sessions, research papers and weekly exams! At times I took my work to the park, gym and even sat outside in my car to stay focused. Nothing would get in my way. I sacrificed dinner dates with friends, birthday parties and even out of town vacations!

Now I am left with four classes with internships. What a journey! Something major happened to me while in this graduate program. I made my own mental health and wellness a priority. I learned to say no, developed new coping skills when under stress and learned how my own childhood trauma impacted my life.  I also wrote three books and developed and launched a healing curriculum for my church. I also got hired in my field as a counselor trainee to work in school based mental health. I gave up everything I knew only to get it all back but BIGGER.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the owner of ReachONE Consulting Services. This is a developing business designed to provide professional development support to schools and agencies who desire real solutions that meet the needs of all students. In addition to this service, I provide public speaking services. I also have plans to build a virtual writer’s workshop network to help more people become published authors.

I live to inspire others, and this is felt by all who meet me. People will walk away feeling uplifted and encouraged to do more. My gift came from hardship and loss. I grew up in foster care at age 13, but was given hope, inspiration and encouragement to pursue my dreams. I want other people to know that they can rise above setbacks, tragedy and misfortune and accomplish their goals in life. My aim is to reach one person at a time.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I remember when I lost over 20 family members in the past 3 years. I felt so much pain and deep grief from this loss. There were times when I struggled to complete my daily routine or get out of bed. It seemed like so many died during and after the COVID pandemic. I felt lost and confused but knew I had to hold on to hope. One day I saw a vision to help others cope and process loss. Through my pain, I birthed a book called “Let Go of Grief”.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

The most helpful thing to succeed in any field is to never stop telling yourself, “I can”. These two words are powerful, and it produces life and grit. I have had moments where I thought things were getting too tough, but I never stopped speaking life filled words.

Contact Info:

• Website: reachdeborahfranklin.org