Meet Deborah Olivia Farmer

We were lucky to catch up with Deborah Olivia Farmer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Deborah Olivia, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found my purpose the moment I realized that what I had survived, what I had questioned, and what I had prayed through was never just about me. My purpose revealed itself in layers, but the spark began in the mid 90s when I was a young woman working in Chicago media. I signed up to tutor an eight year old girl in foster care for what I thought would be a one year commitment. That year turned into a lifelong bond. She is now thirty four, and still my heart. That experience planted the seed before I even knew I was being prepared. That little girl was the mirror God used to show me that I was called to nurture, to advocate, and to stand in the gap for children who needed love, stability, and someone who would not abandon them.

Purpose kept showing up long before I had the language for it. It was present when I sat in fertility clinics facing news I never expected. It was present when I confronted my own fears, the ones disguised as control, the ones that whispered I had to mother a certain way or it would not count. It was present when God gently pushed me toward adoption and said, This is your path. Trust it. My purpose came into full bloom the moment I held my son Joshua. Everything in my life snapped into place. Every delay made sense. Every closed door became divine protection. Every fear was replaced with clarity. I knew then that motherhood through adoption was not second best, it was ordained. It was the promise that had been waiting on me to say yes.

But purpose did not stop there. Purpose matured when I realized how many women were silently struggling, overwhelmed by misinformation, paralyzed by fear, or carrying shame around wanting to become mothers in a different way. I saw a void in our community. I saw Black women suffering alone, wanting families, but believing adoption was not for them. I saw the silence around foster care and adoption. And I knew I had to be a voice.

Purpose is not one moment. It is a series of divine alignments that push you into the very thing you were born to do. My purpose is to educate. My purpose is to advocate. My purpose is to dismantle fear with truth. My purpose is to make adoption and foster care cool, loving, honorable, and celebrated. My purpose is to show Black women that motherhood is not limited to biology, and that love is the highest calling we will ever answer.

I did not choose this purpose. It chose me. And once it found me, I stopped running from it, and I started walking boldly into it. Today, every speech, every interview, every book, and every family I encourage is a reminder that I am exactly where God intended me to be. My purpose is to turn fear into families, to turn confusion into clarity, and to build a village of love that outlives me.

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?

Let me tell you this. My life has been a beautiful collision of media magic and divine assignment. I like to say I did not just choose my career. God and destiny teamed up and handed me a microphone, and I have been talking ever since.
I spent more than two decades in Chicago newsrooms segment producing, managing chaos, shaping narratives, and learning how to tell powerful stories in thirty seconds or less. That alone should qualify me for an honorary degree because I love to talk. I have worked with anchors, executives, celebrities, elected officials, community leaders, and a whole lot of interesting personalities. I have been behind the cameras, in front of them, and occasionally telling people to fix the lower third because it was spelled wrong. Media is in my bloodstream.
After years of being the go to woman for messaging, crisis communications, storytelling, and content strategy, I founded Brown Farmer Media Group, a full service communications agency that supports nonprofits, corporate clients, government agencies, and community organizations. We handle everything from media campaigns to PR strategy to event production, and we do it with excellence and flavor. My team is small but mighty and we deliver.
Here is where the twist comes in. While I was thriving in media, God gently pushed me into a deeper calling. He said, Use that same storytelling power to change lives. And that is how the adoption and foster care advocate in me was born.
People often think media and motherhood are two separate lanes. My story made them intersect in the most beautiful way. Once I adopted my son Joshua, a fire lit inside me. I did not see enough Black women talking openly about adoption. I did not see enough information. I did not see enough celebration. I saw stigma, silence, and fear. And as I say in From Fears to Families, fear is just control dressed up in a wig and heels.
So I became the advocate I wish I had in the beginning.
Today, my professional and purpose filled work is rooted in education, empowerment, and storytelling. I speak nationally about adoption, foster care, maternal legacy, and the power of building families through love. I sit on panels, host workshops, give keynote speeches, and contribute to policy conversations. And I do it all while making adoption cool because yes, I am the self proclaimed Certified Captain of the Cool Kids.
What makes my work special?
I merge media with ministry. I merge advocacy with storytelling. I merge journalism with joy. I make complex topics feel human, hopeful, and easy to understand, and I sprinkle humor on top because Black women deserve to laugh even when we are doing heavy work.
What is new and next?
My newest book, From Fears to Families, is out now and already opening hearts and shifting mindsets.
I am expanding my brand into a full adoption empowerment movement that includes workshops, digital trainings, and community support for families.
I am developing a digital platform dedicated to Black adoption stories, education, and empowerment.
I continue to appear on radio, TV, podcasts, and panels to elevate this work and push this mission forward.
At the end of the day, I am a mom who loves her son, a storyteller who loves her people, and a woman who said yes to a purpose bigger than herself.
My brand is simple. Love loudly. Advocate boldly. Educate relentlessly. Celebrate families in every form. And make adoption something we praise, not whisper about.
If you want to learn, grow, laugh, and be inspired, come on in. You are in good company.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three Most Important Qualities, Skills, and Areas of Knowledge
When I look back over my journey in media, motherhood, and advocacy, three qualities rise to the top every time: resilience, communication, and spiritual intuition. These three did not just shape my path. They saved me, stretched me, and set me apart.
1. Resilience
Resilience is the reason I am still standing and thriving. Media will test you. Adoption will test you. Life will test you. And I learned early that you cannot fold every time something breaks your heart or shakes your plans. I had doors close, opportunities disappear, and timelines completely rearranged. Yet every time I got knocked down, I got up with more strategy, more faith, and more fire.
My advice:
Strengthen your resilience by embracing the long game. Everything you want will not show up on your schedule. Show up anyway. Keep going. Keep trying. Do not let temporary setbacks trick you out of permanent blessings.
2. Communication
I built an entire career on communication, but it became even more essential when I stepped into the world of adoption and advocacy. Being able to tell a story with clarity, honesty, humor, and heart is a superpower. It has allowed me to educate, motivate, and shift mindsets around foster care and adoption. It has helped me advocate for children, speak truth to systems, and build community.
My advice:
Learn how to communicate with purpose. Practice writing. Practice speaking. Tell your story. Use your voice even when it shakes. When you learn how to communicate with confidence, you can walk into rooms you never imagined and command them.
3. Spiritual Intuition
My steps have always been guided by something bigger than me. I call it God. I call it discernment. I call it Divine direction. Whatever name you choose, it is the ability to hear what your spirit is saying even when the world is loud. It is the wisdom that told me tutoring that little girl in the 90s was not random. It was the doorway. It is the same wisdom that told me motherhood was coming, even when the path did not look traditional. Spiritual intuition kept me aligned, calm, and grounded when logic tried to scare me out of my blessing.
My late granny always told me: EVERYTHING IS IN DIVINE ORDER.
My advice:
Protect your peace. Build a prayer life. Sit still long enough to listen to what God is trying to tell you. Your intuition will take you places your resume cannot.
Final thought
To anyone early in their journey, do not rush the unfolding. Every delay is development. Every setback has strategy in it. Trust your voice, trust your gift, trust God, and trust that your purpose is already prepared and waiting for you to walk into it.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

The last 12 months have been a masterclass in God’s timing, patience, and trusting the process even when the process does not make sense. I learned that a closed door is not punishment. It is redirection. It is protection. It is God saying, “I have better. Just wait.”

I also realized that the return on what you give does not always come from the people you gave it to. That was a whole revelation. Sometimes your blessing is waiting in a completely different room with completely different people. So you cannot get bitter. You cannot get stuck. You cannot stop sowing. You keep giving because God always handles the return.

This year forced me to slow down and lean deeper into my purpose as an adoption and foster care advocate. I stopped chasing every shiny distraction and focused on the assignment God placed in my heart. I read a book called Traction that reminded me that every opportunity is not your opportunity. Every room is not your room. You need clarity, focus, and discipline to grow anything that matters.

I also learned that collaboration is not just a strategy. It is survival. You cannot change systems, communities, or narratives by yourself. You need partners, allies, and people who share your heart. That is how movements are built. That is how stories get amplified. That is how more children find the families they deserve.

So here is my call to action. Protect your purpose. Do not get distracted by the noise. Do not let comparison steal your confidence. Make room for Divine timing. Say yes to collaboration. And trust that when you walk boldly in purpose, God will always place you exactly where you are meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myjourneytojoshua.com
• Instagram: @FromFearsToFamilies
• Facebook: From Fears To Families
• Linkedin: Deborah Olivia Farmer
• Youtube: From Fears To Families

Image Credits

Deborah Olivia Farmer