Debbie

Debbie joined the 1st Step Family Wellness team in May of 2020, and she is thrilled to be here! In 2016, Debbie retired from a school district, not from teaching or life! For 30+ years, Debbie has been a business education teacher at the high school, college, and adult education levels, and upon retiring from her full-time position as the chairperson and teacher of the Business and Financial Management Program; which she designed and developed at North Technical High School.  Debbie returned to continue serving students as a substitute teacher, and during this time, she had the opportunity to sub in the Early Childhood Education program and work with 2 to 5-year-old children along with the high school students in various other business programs.

Debbie’s business career started as a civilian clerk with the Army Reserves, then moved on to various office support positions while she attended college and eventually transitioned to executive assistant positions where she supported and worked side by side with Presidents and Vice Presidents in Public Relations, Human Resources, and Manufacturing. 

As Debbie moved into the education world, she taught communication and business education courses. She earned her master’s degree at Mizzou and then continued taking hundreds of hours of additional courses and workshops to stay abreast of the latest teaching techniques and business concepts. Debbie was very involved with various education organizations at the local and state levels where she served as an officer and chairperson of numerous committees. During this time, Debbie was also doing her other love, musical theater. From the time she was 14, she had been singing at church, in choirs, and performing in theater. This lifestyle of teaching all day, running to professional meetings after school, and then off to rehearsal for the next show, finally caught up with her, and her body said, “no more”! Debbie ended up with some very serious respiratory issues that became life threatening. At this time, she was introduced to the concept of “whole foods” and the effects food has on our brain, body, and overall health. For 20+ years, Debbie has been a Partner with The Juice Plus+ Company, and has shared wellness presentations with various companies, non-profit organizations, and education groups.

Debbie’s quest to be a life-long learner and to share with others what she has experienced, led her to earn her Health Coach Certification through the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute in 2016. In 2017, she took her years of experience in education, business, whole food concepts, and health coaching, and started Decide and Act Wellness which houses her Juice Plus+ business and is giving her a new outlet to provide other forms of wellness education.

Debbie is so excited to be learning from the doctors and staff at 1st Step Family Wellness. Debbie feels this is the perfect environment to share her years of experience in business, teaching, and simply caring for others while at the same time being able to learn and grow in an environment filled with incredible wellness opportunities, but most important, she feels she gets to listen to, talk with, and learn from the friendliest and most family-oriented clients she has ever had the pleasure of working with, and that makes every day happy and healthy for Debbie here at 1st Step Family Wellness!! And to really know who Debbie is, well her business mission statement sums her up pretty well, “To educate and empower myself and others to Grow with Intention, Give with a Servant’s Heart, and Go Make a Difference”!