This is a story I’ve never written on paper before. It’s a story about dreams yet to be realised, it’s a story about overcoming the impossible, but most of all it’s a story about faith, self-belief and never giving up.
In 2016 I was a single mother of three daughters struggling to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. I was a quarter of a million dollars in debt, a burden I had carried for over 8 years. I had debt collectors hounding me daily and no means to pay any of it. I woke up each day with a sick feeling in my stomach and no means of climbing my way out of the swamp, apart from one thing, a deep knowing that this was not going to define me or be how my story ends.
So, I dug deep. Deeper than I ever had before, which was hard because the burnout from years of earthquakes, trauma, home losses, a divorce, and what felt like endless failures had truly taken a toll on me in every way. I had been tested in every way possible and yet, the tests were the secret that kept me going. I knew they were just ‘tests’. So, what do we do when we are being tested? I had a choice to either declare defeat and give up by playing victim to life’s circumstances, or I could choose to rise up and pass the tests by learning from every little and big ‘mistake’ I’d ever made that had led me to that moment. That started by realising there are no mistakes, only opportunities to learn and grow.
I chose to rise up! And that’s when my life changed. I could write an entire book just on this one subject, how I overcame a poverty consciousness, how I rose above fear and why I decided never to quit. The bottom line was I knew that every adversity I had faced and was facing could be something other women one day may be able to relate to, and in seeing me overcome the hell I was in, then maybe I could inspire them to rise from their own ashes and try again. I decided to not lay down my sword in defeat, but to find the last tiny spark of energy I had left and yield that power into changing my belief system so I could manifest a new life. And so, I did.
Within weeks of making the decision to let go of the old me, I had manifested a business partner that could take my message to the world. I became an ‘overnight’ success story, with 20 years of hard work and commitment behind it. And that’s my message here to you who is reading this; there are no ‘overnight success’ stories without a lot of blood, sweat, tears and a defiant commitment and belief in what you are doing. ‘Never quit’ became a motto for me during my many ‘long dark nights of the soul’ and I invite you to make this one of your mottos.
Over the years leading to this moment, I would save some pennies and put them aside so I could take myself off to stay that the Langham hotel in Auckland which was a 2-hour drive away from my home. I couldn’t afford a holiday for many, many years, but I would wait for special offers to come up and go and spend a night there a couple of times a year because they had a beautiful day spa that I could enjoy for free. I couldn’t afford the treatments, but I’d spend hours in the herbal steam room, saunas and pools. I used to walk past the beautiful event rooms and dream to myself, one day I’ll run an event here. I’d visualise, dream and even ‘pretend’ to myself I was staying there on business running a sellout event!
Fast forward to 2017 and TKS had really lifted off. The community was growing daily and the energy was palpable. Something magical had been birthed. So, when women started asking to meet me, it was a natural decision for me to aim high. So, I announced my very first annual Embody the Switch event at the Langham hotel and it sold out within 24 hours with many women travelling across the ditch from Australia to New Zealand to see me.
Walking out onto the stage with women on their feet cheering for me was nothing short of overwhelming, I don’t know how I didn’t pee my knickers! I was NOT a seasoned presenter in those days, in fact, I don’t even know how I got through it, but I did with the help of my friends Cate, Theresa and Deb. It was an out of body experience I’ll never forget. On the second day, a beautiful woman asked me to have a photo with her, and before I knew it there was a line of women from the front of the stage all the way to the back of the room. Women took turns coming up on stage, generally crying with gratitude and then taking beautiful photographs of cuddles, tears and pure joy. I felt deeply humbled and proud of myself for not ever quitting and thankful to God and the universe for giving me the guidance and strength to get there. Despite all the years of criticism from people literally telling me to give up my dreams and get a ‘real job’, I stayed the course due to nothing less than, ‘faith.’
I still believe that if TKS wasn’t born through me, it would have been born through someone else. It’s much bigger than me. I was the soul that put her hand up and said ‘yes, I’ll do it’. I chose to pave the way for other women, but I knew they too would have to rise up in their own lives to do the ‘work’ to transform themselves, the way I transformed my life. And since then, tens of thousands of women have.
I believe we are all one. We are a community and every woman who’s ever been a part of the magic of TKS, has been a part of its co-creation. I’m eternally grateful for each woman who has joined me on this journey, the women who also refused to lay down their swords and not never quit!
And to those of you who are feeling defeated, in many ways I feel your pain, I know your suffering. But I’m here to whisper to you, that if I can do it, so can you. All we need in this world is our own inner determination and self-belief, even when no one else around you believes in you anymore, or you feel like you’ve failed so many times, there’s no point in trying again. I want to lovingly tell you to pull up your socks, to stop dwelling in the past and to let you know that you don’t need others to believe in you, you need you to believe in you!
I’ll never forget the look on my daughter’s face that weekend of the first Embody The Switch event. They knew my business was doing well, but they didn’t know the difference it was making to so many women’s lives. To see them proud of me was worth every bit of hell I’d trampled over to get there. And the icing on the cake for me was learning that my Embody The Switch event was to be the last event at the Langham Hotel in Auckland, as it reopened the next day as the Cordis under a new brand! Bucket list – tick (JUST)!
I hope this inspires you to keep going. Never quit, and never stop believing in yourself despite how defeated you may feel. Your inner guidance will find the strength you need if you ask her to.
“The universe is benevolent, but it wants you to dream a little bigger darling.” – Deborah Murtagh
Love
Deborah xxx
PS: I’m thrilled to invite you to my first online Embody The Switch 2-day annual event. These will be 2 magical days! I’ll be sharing with you my biggest discovery in 30 years as a weight loss coach in the field of weight loss psychology. You don’t want to miss this!
Click here to join: https://membership.ketogenicswitch.com/switch
No Comments