A licensed marriage and family therapist with years of clinical experience, Deborah speaks to both general and Christian audiences with ease, delivering a powerful, positive message of hope and change, particularly to women struggling to maintain their faith and integrity in these difficult times.

Deborah is not afraid to tackle the tough questions in life. Her no-nonsense Southern style and humorous messages are softened by a big heart that truly loves people, no matter who they are. Her delivery is fast-paced, polished and professional, but also warm, compassionate, and down-to-earth.

Married more than 40 years and the mother of two adult children herself, Deborah is honest and transparent about her own mistakes, struggles, and family issues. Her audience trusts her because they know she truly understands their pain and suffering. She has been there herself!

In private practice near Raleigh, NC. she is the author of two books, the most recent being Stupid About Men: 10 Rules for Getting Romance Right (Simon and Schuster/Howard Books, 2009). Don't let the title mislead you. Every woman needs to hear the message no matter how smart they've been about romance and marriage. Deborah is an expert on marriage, dating, and family relationships and understands that even the best of relationships go through dark times. Not only has she has been quoted in nationally known magazines for women, she has appeared on several syndicated television programs such as Daytime in Tampa, Florida and Fox Atlanta (Atlanta, Georgia). She has been interviewed by over sixty radio show hosts in the US and Canada in the last few years and was interviewed in print on AOL Canada's dating and relationship blog, Love and Blueberries. She is frequently called by radio hosts to comment on breaking news in high-profile scandals and divorces.

In addition to her own speaking ministry, she and colleague, Vonda Skelton, have created SCW Productions, and travel together as a team to deliver their comedic dramatic monologues, The Story of a Woman's Life, their side-splitting take on life, love, and all things female.

However, in addition to her more lighthearted speaking topics and keynote addresses, Deborah teaches lay counseling techniques to Christians in the church and other ministries. She loves sharing stories about her adventures as a certified critical incident/corporate crisis specialist. Whether the story is about living on a dredge boat in the Mississippi after Katrina, working with staff after the Virginia Tech massacres, being on-site to counsel victims in the midst of a hostage crisis, and regularly responding to murders, suicides, accidents, and other serious events in the workplace, she manages to inspire hope, especially in the tragedies of our lives. Often called to train workers in companies across the nation, in the summer of 2010 she taught a day-long conference on counseling techniques and community disaster response to forty UMC pastors in El Salvadore, and has been invited to teach in two UMC locations in Sri Lanka.

Faith & Religion, Motivational,