Today we’d like to introduce you to Debi Ronca.
Hi Debi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was entering into the final stages of being an empty nester. My third child was getting ready to head off to college, and I began to think about what my life would look like when that happened. My last child would be leaving the nest. Seemingly, this role of Motherhood would be coming to a close.
Up to this moment in my life, I have always been active in my community and also my church. I was an active volunteer and led women’s organizations, sang, directed children’s musicals, and even wrote a couple of plays that were performed at my church.
My life was full, but somehow, I knew there were going to be some significant changes that were coming to greet me in the days ahead.
One day, while I was pondering all of this, I received a phone call where I was being offered a career in the fashion industry.
I would fly around the country, learn about fashion, and would be responsible for creating my personal clientele list. I was offered an opportunity to represent a high-end fashion designer who was now creating her own unique company and wanted to open in the Houston market.
As I listened, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. I politely listened to everything but felt that I wasn’t prepared for this type of career, so I declined the offer. This opportunity was fabulous, but all I could really feel was my sense of overwhelm, intimidation, insecurity, and fear. I don’t know how to start a business. How was I supposed to create my own client base? I never wanted to be a salesperson. I was letting my fear dictate my decision to say “no.” This is out of my wheelhouse, and I was coming up with every reason why this was not a good thing for me.
My mindset was telling me I could not do this, and my limiting beliefs were saying you will fail, be rejected and you will not succeed.
When I realized my fear was the driving force and not allowing me to consider what was being offered, I chose to be strong, press through and take the position. I made mistakes along the way, but I did it for 10 years and created a successful business.
After this season, I became a Certified Life Coach and studied Transitions. I came to understand that there is a process to going through a transition. Looking back to when I was deciding to transition from empty nester to fashion consultant, I wish I had someone who understood transitions. Someone to help me process my emotions, why I was feeling the way I was, and help me navigate it in a better and healthier way.
That’s when I became passionate about helping women embrace, grow, and be transformed by the purpose and power of their transitions.
I created a proprietary process called REAL, where I help women:
R – recognize the symptoms that are signaling you that you are in a transition
E – evaluate all of the inner struggles, mindset, and limiting beliefs that are keeping you stuck
A – align and surrender to what is critical to let go of so you can embrace the new
L – live out your next season or a new direction in wholeness and clarity.
I speak about transitions as being the bridges in life that take you from where you currently are, to the next season or direction in your life. Walking across that bridge takes courage, and it is in the middle of the bridge that I call “the messy middle”, that we encounter the inner challenges that want us to doubt, give up, and not move forward to what is waiting for us on the other side of the transition bridge. Transitions will magnify our fears.
I am the host of The Transition Bridge Podcast, which is now ranked in the top 10% Globally.
Each week, I have guests that either share their personal transition stories and how they navigated through the struggles and have ultimately created their own business to help others who have gone through a similar journey. I also have expert guests who come and share their knowledge about issues like trauma, conflict, mindset, and so many other topics that we encounter in times of transition.
I created an 8-module video course called “Your Story’s Changing, Finding Purpose in Life’s Transitions. I created this so people can learn what transitions are, how they impact our lives, and how you can navigate them to a place of wholeness, clarity, and new beginnings.
I am also an International Best-Selling Author with my book, The Family Letter. I have been featured on Podcasts and TV Shows sharing the impact of the simple tool of a letter and how it can create a culture of love, value, and encouragement within your family and significant relationships. I have also spoken at Women’s Events and Business Venues about my book, and it is always received with much enthusiasm, and so many buy my book and create the family letter tradition in their own home. This is also extremely well received by the generation that is in the grandparent season of life. I call them the generation changers, and I encourage them to have a generational mindset to bring change and life to their family and grandchildren.
As a speaker, I am sought out to speak on Transitions and also on my book, The Family Letter.
I have been certified as a Life Coach with John Maxwell, and also with Leader Breakthru out of California.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
With every new achievement comes a measure of obstacles that we are confronted with, and it’s up to us to surround ourselves with people who have gone before us to learn from them, and we also have to be able to learn from our own mistakes so we can grow. I highly recommend that people join Mastermind Groups. I have been in one that has been for over 4 years now, and being in community with like-minded entrepreneurs who have different skill sets to learn from is the best thing you could do for your business.
I believe the struggles always come from our mindset and our limiting beliefs. What is that we believe is difficult that I am being called to do? Why is it that I don’t believe that my thoughts, ideas, etc., have worth and value?
These thoughts hinder us.
Regarding my book, after speaking at a women’s retreat about the power of the spoken blessing and the power of our words, I shared some letters from my family demonstrating how our words impact another person. Afterward, I was approached by someone who said I needed to write a book about this. My limiting belief? Who would want to read a book about letters?
Well, this book, which I thought no one would read, has become an International Best Seller. I always share this story when I speak because our own limiting beliefs will keep us from creating what we are called to create in this world, and we need to break this down, take risks, and allow space for possibility.
Social media was a struggle for me, so I finally decided to focus on my strengths and hire someone to take over where I am not strong, so I hired a social media manager for my platforms.
Technology can be a challenge for a new entrepreneur. So much to learn, but it’s a great time to embrace and develop a growth mindset and allow yourself to be stretched, to create and improve. A great sense of accomplishment. What you can do, do it well. What becomes a deterrent delegate to someone who thrives in that particular arena.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sequoia Transition Life Coaching. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
As a coach who specializes in the transitions of life, better described as the new seasons and directions of life, I find it so fulfilling to help others embrace, grow, and be transformed as they learn about the power and purpose of the transition they are experiencing in life.
Our lives are a story of transitions. Always closing one chapter and opening another. I help women turn those pages and understand what needs to be left behind and how to embrace the new thing in their life. So many women keep reading the same chapter in their lives and never move on to turn the page, close the chapter, and step into the new season. It takes courage to step out, patience as you wait for the new thing to unfold, and perseverance to work through the emotional and inner challenges that transition magnify in us as we navigate through the journey.
People are surprised at the variety of transitions in life, and the most difficult to go through are the transitions of loss.
The loss of a loved one, the loss of your health, your career, your marriage, etc. These are the transitions in life that we do not ask for nor do we see coming. We are blindsided by them. They are unwanted and unwelcome, but they happen.
Every transition will come with a measure of uncertainty, fear, and a lot of critical decisions that need to be made.
We also experience internal transitions, where we are being transformed within because of what we are experiencing externally.
That is why I created a proprietary process called REAL to help women and my clients navigate their transitions intentionally and purposefully.
Through my proprietary process called REAL, I help women:
R – recognize the symptoms that are usually indicators that they are navigating a transition or about to enter into the initial phase of one. Attached to these symptoms are emotions that are steering our reactions and our ability to make good decisions.
E – evaluate their inner challenges like fear, insecurity, doubt, confusion, mindset, limiting beliefs, heart wounds, etc. These, even when they already exist within us, become magnified in times of transition. When confronted with change, even if the change is desired, there will always be either a mindset, a limiting belief, or a wound of life that will surface.
A – Align – this is a time of surrender, but not in weakness, but in strength, A time of letting go of what was discovered in the Evaluation phase about yourself. There are things, emotions, relationships, etc., that are to be left behind and not move forward with you into your next season or direction in life.
L – Live out your new season or direction in wholeness and clarity. Action steps are created, new habits are formed, and you are now coming from a place of wholeness in your heart, soul, and mind and have the clarity to move forward in strength.
My strengths are being a great listener with my clients. I am known for being able to hear the story behind the story when my clients share their struggles with me. One client shared that what they see as an obstacle, I can see as a stepping stone to get them back into the race that they are called to run and complete it with joy and purpose and fulfill their potential.
I am recognized as being compassionate, but along with compassion, my clients know I will bring them out of the place where they are stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed. My greatest joy is when I see the light bulb go off, and they begin to recognize where and why they are stuck. It’s so transforming. It becomes an AHA moment for them. Now, there is a new path to walk on, and my highest goal and my role in their life is to get them across that Transition Bridge to the other side so they can walk out their new season in wholeness, clarity, and purpose.
I am also known for my Podcast, The Transition Bridge Podcast, which is ranked in the top 10% globally. It has been so well received, and I have a waiting list of people who want to come on and be a guest. My audience loves it and is impacted by the transition stories my guests share and it is also a learning experience as I bring on expert guests to cover and discuss topics like trauma, conflict, etc.
I am also known for my book, The Family Letter, International Best Seller. I am asked to speak about my book at women’s events, business platforms, and faith-based events.
I offer free 30-minute clarity calls to anyone who feels they are in a season of transition, feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and needing guidance for the next step in their life. If you are asking yourself, “What’s next’, or ‘Where do I go from here?” I want to help you!
I offer custom-tailored coaching packages that are created for you specifically for what you are facing or experiencing in life.
Everyone is different. Everyone deserves a unique approach to their coaching experience. Everyone will know that they are being seen, heard, and valued as an individual when they become one of my coaching clients.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
We moved to Texas back in 1984 for a short-term job assignment for my husband. After one year, we both thought we want to stay. We love it here.
We were fortunate and blessed that we were given the opportunity with his job to stay and have been here for 40 years.
Love the weather… I know it sounds strange, but we prefer the warmth, even the heat, over being in long, cold winters with snow.
The people are the best part. So friendly and warm, and have hearts to reach out and engage with you.
The Theatre/Arts and Museum District is fabulous. Amazing talent comes to Houston for the Theatre, and we are so blessed to have the Medical Center right here in our city that we can just drive to. People come from all around the world for medical treatment here, and we are just a drive away from getting the best medical care one could hope for.
Least favorite – the traffic. It needs a solution soon as our city is growing and growing each year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.debironca.com
- Instagram: @debironca
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/debironca
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SSJFXBD
