What if your "professional" client process is actually causing emotional harm? In this powerful episode, Debbie confronts the wedding industry about the systems and language that exclude LGBTQ+ couples, overwhelm neurodivergent clients, and ignore the trauma that many people bring to their wedding day. She shares real stories of couples who felt unwelcome from the very first inquiry form, and challenges wedding pros to move beyond performative inclusion to actually inclusive practices. This isn't about being politically correct—it's about recognizing that love shows up in many forms, and our businesses should be safe spaces for all of them. If you work in weddings, this episode will change how you serve every couple who trusts you with their story.

Can we talk about the lie that you have to go fast to be successful?

Debbie gets real about why slow-burn launching is actually the smartest strategy for anxious creatives who are tired of the crash-and-burn cycle. She shares her own story of spending three weeks perfecting a launch that never saw the light of day, and how she learned to build anticipation over two months instead of panic over two weeks.

This episode will challenge everything you think you know about launching, momentum, and what it means to be "behind." Spoiler alert: You're not behind. You're just using a strategy that wasn't designed for your brilliant, anxious brain.

The Slow Burn Launch Map: Link

Bozoma Saint John's The Urgent Life cracked Debbie wide open—not because it's about ambition, but because it's about love, loss, and the choices we make when we realize tomorrow isn't promised.

In this vulnerable CEO Study Session, Debbie shares how both she and Bozoma learned the hard way that most of us don't ask "What am I doing with my life?" until everything falls apart. This episode explores the brutal but beautiful truth that grief can become your greatest teacher about what actually matters.

We're talking about the difference between building for approval and building for peace, and why sometimes the most urgent thing you can do is slow down enough to get real about what you actually want.

Key Takeaways:

• Grief and loss can be powerful catalysts for reassessing what truly matters in your business and life
• Most entrepreneurs stay busy optimizing everything except whether their work actually serves them
• The difference between building for applause vs. building for your own peace of mind
• How to identify when you're running on autopilot versus operating with intention
• Why "awareness without action is just expensive therapy"
• The importance of asking hard questions before life forces you to through crisis
• How to shift from survival mode to strategic thinking in your business

Questions to Reflect On:

• What are you chasing that doesn't even feel like you anymore?
• What have you been putting on the back burner waiting for things to "calm down"?
• What's the ONE system in your business that would let you breathe instead of holding your breath?

Resources Mentioned:

• Freebie: 5 Essentials Steps for the Overwhelmed CEO
• Panic to Presence: A CEO Self-Check
• Bozoma Saint John's The Urgent Life

Connect with Debbie:

• Instagram: @its.debbiej
• Website: www.itsdebbiej.com
• Email: debbie@itsdebbiej.com