Meet Deborah Griffiths

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deborah Griffiths a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Deborah, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

One afternoon I found myself waking up and realizing I was in the psyche ward of a hospital having survived an attempt at suicide. My psychiatrist, who I had been seeing for several months prior, came into the room and simply said, “Your environment is making you sick.” I knew what he meant.

I began seeing my psychiatrist about six months prior to the suicide attempt. I realized that I was not happy but couldn’t figure out why. I was married to a man who provided well enough to afford me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom, had three beautiful kids, a nice home in a great neighborhood and the list goes on. I just wasn’t happy.

After several sessions, I began to understand why I wasn’t happy. I was in an abusive marriage. The more I came to terms with this and began to address my thoughts and feelings with my husband, the more depressed I became. While I was prescribed anti-depressant medication, I was spiraling downhill faster that the medication could kick in to help. I was at a point that I believed I was of no use to my kids, my husband, or my family so I thought the best solution was to end my life.

Waking up in the hospital, I realized that God had other plans for me. This was not the first time when I should have been dead as I was in a bad car accident in my early twenties whereas I went through the car windshield, shattering both of my knee caps, requiring three surgeries and a year and a half of learning to walk again.

Now that I knew God wasn’t done with me yet, I put plans in place to leave the marriage, develop skills to enter the job market, put myself back through college earning a bachelors degree, working myself up the proverbial corporate ladder and raising two of my three kids. Note: the oldest child opted to stay with his dad and was subsequently alienated from me.

Twenty five years later, as I was having lunch with a friend who was telling me all about the book he just wrote, I realized that I had a story. I contacted his publisher who, after reading a couple of chapters, told me to write my story. And so I did. About nine months later, “Torched – Burnt By a Gaslighter” was published.

As I was marketing the book, I was very hesitant as I didn’t know how it would be received. The more I opened up, the more other women shared their stories and thanked me for sharing mine with the world. It was through this process that I came into knowing what my purpose is – to help other women who may be leaving toxic relationships, going through a divorce, job change, etc., to show them that you can begin again and have a healthier, happier life. There is always hope and the only thing that holds us back is fear!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

After 30+ years in the homeowners association industry (HOA), I retired last year to focus on my new venture as a life-transition coach. I started my coaching business, called Broken to Boldness, to reflect my life’s journey. Waking up in a psyche ward from a suicide attempt, I was really broken. I had two choices – live or die. I chose life and began to rebuild my life (and my self-esteem) brick by brick.

Rebuilding my life included leaving a 17.5 year abusive marriage, entering the job force after not working during the married years, putting myself through college earning a bachelors degree, climbing the corporate ladder and raising two of my three kids (the oldest chose to stay with his father and was subsequently alienated from me). About two years ago, I wrote my story, “Torched – Burnt By a Gaslighter” which became a bestseller. Hence, I went from broken to bold.

Nowadays, I blog about self-esteem, mindset, change, and domestic abuse. The blogs can be found on my website at www.brokentoboldness.com. Also on my website are the books I have written or collaborated on over the last couple of years. I want to make things easier for women who may be going through these situations and provide hope that they can have a better life.

I am happy to announce a new program that will soon be launched called “Living BOLD – A 4-Step to Transform Your Life and Step Into Your Power.” Clients in this program will be provided tools to be BOLD (Breakthrough It, Own It, Lock It In, and Do It). Courses are being developed as well as a community support group.

Information about my blogs, books and services can be found on my website at www.brokentoboldness.com.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Very simply – my faith, my resilience, and my ability to persevere. Life is not easy and we did not come with an instruction manual. We learn as we go including learning to get up when we fall. My faith has come into play many times when I have felt alone, hopeless, and helpless. God has always taken care of me and provided me with a way to move forward.

Advice: Always remember that when you fall down in life you need to get back up. Look at it as a learning opportunity. Failure, for me, is when you don’t get back up to try again. No matter what is going on in your life, there is always hope and always someone who can help.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Wow! Great question as there are so many impactful things my parents said and did for me. But if I had to say just one thing it would be their example of the lives they led. Both my Mom and Dad gave (financial, time, etc.) what they could to family and friends when they saw someone struggle. They started a painting business when I was very young that help support several families throughout the years with a generous income and ensuring they always had work. My parents grew their business in such a manner that they were considered leaders in that industry. They valued family and ensured my sister and I had the best education, food to eat, clothes to wear and a roof over our heads. But most of all, it was about the love they had for me and the sacrifices they made to ensure I had a better life.

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Image Credits

The photos were taken from my phone or by me.

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