Meet Debra Weller

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Debra Weller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Debra below.

Debra , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I grew up in a home with a verbally abusive mother and an alcoholic father. As a child, I received love and encouragement from my grandmother, teachers and my best friend’s mom. Even though my mother was explosive at times and shouted belittling words to my brother, sister and I, I was able to retreat to story and music to thwart the negative effects of my parents. I gained confidence in elementary and high school by drawing and performing. When I was fourteen, I went away to church camp. There I took guitar lessons. Upon returning from camp, I bought myself a $17.oo guitar at K-Mart. My best friend and I hired an Elvis Presley impersonator to teach us guitar lessons. Because of my babysitting money earnings, I was able to pay for the lessons. My mother told me I had no musical talent. I proved her wrong by learning to play the guitar, sing and compose my own songs. I started a small business playing at parties. My mother died while I was in my senior year of high school. It was brutal watching her decline with the ravages of stage four breast cancer. My father sunk deeper into alcoholism and my brother became a drug abuser. I decided then and there that I would not be swallowed with grief or succumb to the pit of abuse. I was grateful to have a strong faith to propel me forward to realize I was a young woman of worth and value.
At college I studied art. It can be brutal when the art instructor gives critiques. I persevered and tried to learn from the suggestions. I married at age twenty. We were both so young. At times my husband would attempt to be controlling. I confronted him with newly applied assertive communication skills which I learned in an Assertiveness Training class. I chose to go back to college and finish my art education degree with my infant daughter in tow. I graduated with my degree when my daughter was two years old. When I walked across that stage, I was holding my head proud.
When my daughter was four months old, I met a woman, Lynn Sloane. She offered to babysit my daughter two days a week, while I finished some courses. One day we were chatting. She asked, “ What could we do that would be good education and entertainment for children and families?” We both spoke simultaneously, “ Let’s be storytellers!” From that moment we researched about oral tradition storytelling and created our marketing materials for the Annie Lynn Storytellers. We learned to tell folk tales in tandem fashion. We would practice, trying to build our confidence to perform in public. A preschool hired us and off we went for our first paying gig. It was a success! We received good reviews. Most importantly we loved what we were doing. It blended well with raising our children and provided good part time income . We loved the applause. For twelve years we performed together in New Jersey and Philadelphia until my husband got a job in California and we moved.
When I got settled in California, I started my storytelling business again from scratch. I met other southern California Storytellers and we formed a non profit corporation, The South Coast Storytellers Guild. We coached one another so we could hone our skills. Because of my confidence and high self esteem I performed in libraries, schools, The Getty Museum, trained docents and teachers throughout the state of Californian, in Europe,Vietnam and China. Also during this time I started performing holiday storytelling program as Mrs. Claus.My business was thriving.
I received my Master Degree and began teaching Kindergarten in the Capistrano Unified School District. This I did while raising my children and juggling my full time job and part time performances as a storyteller. I discovered my love for teaching parenting classes and started a side business for the thirty one years that I lived in California. My great joy was coaching children to become storytellers by teaching after school and summer storytelling camps. My confidence transferred to the children and I witnessed their self esteem soaring. I wanted to be an example to my own children, that if you believe in your abilities, develop your talents and have courage to try new things, you can achieve your dreams.
One of my dreams was to be an educational leader in the State of California. In the CUSD District, I applied for a received a Mentor Teacher assignment and began to train the teachers in my district and the Orange County Department of Education. This led me to apply to be on the Board of Directors of the California Kindergarten Association. I served as President for ten years. I gained confidence to speak in front of large groups.
Upon retiring in 2018, My husband and I chose to move to St. Augustine, Florida. Before moving, I contacted The Tale Tellers of St. Augustine and the Florida Storytelling Association to let them know I was coming to the state. When you have strong self esteem and confidence you realize, you can toot your own horn! If you do not call attention to yourself, no one will see you. By the time I moved to Florida, I already had a network of people who could help me get my storytelling work started in Florida.
In 2020 when the Covid Lockdowns started, I took the opportunity to learn about social media marketing, developed a new web site with courses and started posting on Instagram and LinkedIn to promote my business. Through the contacts I made I started performing virtually in India and Europe. I did virtual workshops for early childhood educators for Early Childhood Development Forum. My articles on Storytelling in the Classroom were published in ECDF journals. I also performed on the World Storytelling Cafe, London based program and have been a guests on fifteen podcasts. I wasn’t going to let the pandemic destroy my dreams.
In Feb. 2023, I was invited to be one of five American storytellers to join eighty other international storytellers in Marrakech, Morocco to participate in the week long, Marrakech International Storytelling Festival. We were honored by the King of Morocco and given the red carpet treatment. During the week we paraded in the Souks, performed in the square and at schools and universities. It was a pinnacle of my storytelling work.
Had I not believed in myself and my God given talents, I never would have had the opportunities. Because of my strong self esteem and confidence I said, “Yes!” to receive the experiences and to meet the most incredible people. Self esteem and confidence are intertwined. Once you have a strong self esteem, your confidence gains momentum. Not only do you have to believe in yourself and develop your talents, you need to place yourself in networks of other people who are achieving and realizing goals.
The most important thing about self esteem is that it can be fragile. You have to nurture it by discovering your strengths and give yourself a pep talk every day. I gave up being a perfectionist and berating myself. Instead I made an effort to try my best and to pick myself up after failed moments. It involves self love and being your own best cheerleader.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a Professional Storyteller. I perform storytelling programs at schools, libraries and events. I also teach professional how to use storytelling to strengthen public speaking skills. Another aspect of my storytelling is I perform as Mrs. Sunshine Santa Claus virtually and in person. On my website, https://story-courses.com I teach virtual courses on developing dynamic presentation skills . I offer virtual coaching sessions for people to practice their presentation and to get feedback.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Perseverance is one of the most important qualities which will help to build resilience. When you are hit with struggles or failures, you have a choice, either give up and become a victim or stand tall and recognize mistakes. When we persevere, we push through darkness into the light. Courage is the ability to try something new or to walk into a room of strangers and completely wow the audience. I do that every time I go on stage. Yes, I get butterflies, but if I have practiced and polished my performance, I know I am ready.
Patience is another quality that needs to be nurtured. We have to have patience with ourselves when we are learning new skills or trying to build a business. We will have successes and failures, we will need to trust ourselves and forgive ourselves to move forward.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I turn to Yoga breathing techniques. This helps me to be calm. I also make sure I removed myself from the problem for a while, take a walk, listen to music and then come back with fresh eyes.

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Image Credits
Malcolm Yawn Ink Pip

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