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Debra Peppers        

Educator, Media Personality, Author

Debra D. Peppers Ph.D., is an educator, motivational speaker, television and radio host, and author. She retired from teaching English, speech, and drama in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was inducted into the National Teachers' Hall of Fame. Peppers has also been honored as an outstanding alumni at Webster University, where she is on the adjunct faculty in the Master’s program.

Dr. Peppers hosted the daily three-hour radio talk show, "Talk from the Heart," from 1996 to 2006, which featured uplifting Christian topics. She currently hosts the TV program "The Outreach Connection" on WTJR, which celebrated its 200th episode in February 2011. Previously, she hosted a weekly TV segment called "Shakin' the Salt with Dr. Peppers." Peppers has appeared as a guest on CNN, C-Span, and Fox News, enhancing her profile as a media personality.

As an author, Peppers has contributed to over 20 publications, including titles such as "Living Your Dreams," "God Allows U-Turns," "A Father’s Embrace," "Best Practices," and has been featured in five editions of "Chicken Soup for the Soul." Her extensive experience in media also includes writing a monthly column for a St. Louis newspaper and hosting the radio program "Talk From The Heart With Dr. Debra Peppers."

A member of the National Speakers’ Association, Peppers has traveled extensively, speaking in all 50 states and over 60 countries. Her presentations, known for their humor and practical application, often include personal anecdotes from her own life, such as overcoming a 100-pound weight loss and her journey from high school dropout to Ph.D. holder. She consistently receives invitations to speak at various events due to her engaging style and the originality of her presentations.

Speech Topics

Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones

If you are looking for a high-energy, humorous keynote speaker or presenter for your next event, Dr. Peppers is your choice. Debra mixes wit with wisdom tailored especially for your group, for she “does her homework” in advance. She devotes herself to finding the specific needs and intentions of each particular group and incorporates stories, quotes and research specifically relevant for your audience, some of it contributed by audience members themselves beforehand. Sponsors as well as the audience love how Debra brings a timely relevant message of overcoming obstacles, wrapped in fun and passion. Interacting with the audience comes easily for her as a ten year radio and television host. Dr. Peppers has a knack for spontaneity and will have your participants both laughing and yet deeply moved and inspired as she shares “her story “ of former high school dropout to Hall of Famer Teacher, TV and radio personality. She has the audience both laughing and crying with the precision of a 20 year member of the National Speakers Association and now International Speakers Association. Because of her expertise in the area of humor, inspiration and motivation, Debra is often invited back year after year as every presentation is an original!

Health/Wellness

All of us sometime feel like our lives are chaotic and out of control. But we cannot properly function when we are constantly overwhelmed and overextended. Dr. Peppers compares our hectic lives to a balancing act as she shares practical information for much needed relief. Whether you’re a stay at home mom managing a household, a career person balancing work and family, Debra presents keys that will help you learn to dissect your time and as you value experiences, and find time to live with more joy, vitality and peace in the midst of a chaotic world. Debra will provide you with the keys to reduce stress and find greater balance in your complicated, stressful life. Most of us are more able to help our friends and family than we are ourselves and need to bring ourselves back into the equation. Even when we think we have no time, me must begin to attend to our forgotten needs and longings. Dr. Peppers teaches we must balance our responsibilities to others with responsibility to ourselves, obligations with enjoyment, work with play, and activity with rest. The audience is inspired to reduce stress, restore sanity, and find greater balance and fulfillment in everyday life.

Leadership

Like it or not, each of us is called to be a leader in some capacity-in the home, the workplace, or the community. If leaders are "born" that way why do so many who achieve leadership status seem the most unlikely? Most great leaders have several traits in common: and most are acquired not innate. In this motivational presentation Debra teaches the audience how to play upon their strengths, find their niche, and develop the style of leadership best suited to them. From an office worker to the president of a company, from a teacher leading a classroom to the superintendent leading a district, the measure of one's success as a leader, is not in what you get others to do but how well you can lead them to do it. Dr. Peppers encourages the audience to realize that the particular leadership role we each hold, is both a responsibility and an exciting opportunity to encourage others by example as we all achieve a higher degree of success!

Communication

We often hear the saying, “ It’s not what you say but how you say it.” Dr. Peppers demonstrates in this program that both are important! In today’s society it is more crucial than ever to develop plans to be proactive rather than reactive in any interaction with others, whether in the workplace, at home or in the community. Dr. Peppers teaches the audience have strategies for remaining professional and calm, while responding with confidence. She also shares how to establish positive relationships, to de-personalize and redirect conversation when needed. In our fast paced and highly technical world, Debra emphasizes that both written and oral communication must be addressed. She stresses the importance of. both verbal and non-verbal communication “do’s and don’ts” in the areas of tone, body language, facial expression and gestures. We all have areas of communication where we can improve and in today’s society it is crucial we learn to integrate them both personally and professionally.

Stress Management

In this fast-paced society, in which we live, everyone needs practical tools and guidelines for getting or keeping the momentum going. Dr. Peppers has the right prescription by incorporating both research and humor, while leaving the audience with real guidelines for personal as well as professional application. Learning how our physiological and intellectual responses are often dictated by our emotions, we learn to realize the enormous amount of time and energy we spend on the petty things that don't really matter. Dr. Peppers incorporates the "urgent vs. the important", rekindling enthusiasm, and practical tools for not internalizing situations. Most content, peaceful, joyous people have several traits in common, and most are acquired not innate. The audience will learn how to play upon their strengths, find their niche, and develop the style best suited to them to enjoy where they are on the way to where they’re going!

Motivation/Humor/Keynote

If you are looking for a high-energy keynote speaker or emcee for your next event, Dr. Peppers is your choice. Debra brings humor and wisdom tailored especially for your group as she “does her homework” in advance . She devotes herself to finding the specific needs and intentions of each particular group and incorporates stories, quotes and research specifically relevant for your audience. Debra brings fun and passion as she loves to interact with the audience, often speaking with several members in advance in order to incorporate their story during the program. As a ten year radio and television host, Dr. Peppers has a knack for spontaneity and interaction with the audience. She will have your participants both laughing and yet deeply moved and inspired as she shares “her story “ and those of others as well . One of her unique abilities is writing hilarious poetry specifically for the group addressed and weaving it in at the perfect time! Because of her expertise in the area of humor, inspiration and motivation, Debra is often invited back year after year by many groups and organizations as every presentation is an original!

Books

News

Keynote speaker motivates teachers
The only thing we really know that works in schools, Debra Peppers says, is to help people one at a time. “How many of you had a teacher that believed in you?” Peppers asked. “I did.”...
From High School Dropout To Missouri-Recognized Top Educator
Dr. Debra Peppers was a high-school dropout and troubled youth who overcame the many obstacles in her path to achieve tremendous success as a teacher. She earned a doctorate, induction into the Teacher Hall of Fame, and eventually taught on the masters level...

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