In Business Blast Podcast episode #556, host Tyler Wagner interviews success coach and bestselling author Debbie Dickerson. Debbie shares a vivid personal story about her 12‑year‑old son’s exhausting yet determined performance in a baseball tournament, using it to illustrate the power of determination and doing whatever it takes to achieve a goal. She emphasizes that there is no "magical fairy dust" – success requires hard work and a coach who pushes beyond expectations. Her core business advice centers on integrity, arguing that consistent ethical behavior builds trust and long‑term monetary payoff. When asked about happiness, Debbie states that it is a conscious choice, independent of circumstances. She cites Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree as the most impactful book, highlighting the joy of giving, and shares her favorite quote: “A goal without action is just a wish,” underscoring the necessity of execution. The episode concludes with her contact information – website coachdebid.com, LinkedIn, and Instagram – and a brief sponsor plug for Authors Unite and Anchor.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Debbie Dickerson with us. She is a success coach and best-selling author that coaches badass individuals and businesses that have the desire to become more badass. So welcome to the show.
Thank you so much, thank you for having me.
Of course. Well, we'll jump into the first question, Debbie. The first one I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying value What's the valuable message?
When my oldest son was 12 years old, he played on a baseball team. We were in a tournament, and it was knockout day. And we had to win 5 games in a row, which seemed totally unlikely, right? He was catcher. And we started the first game at 8 in the morning, and one after another, we continued winning. Game 5, my son is just physically exhausted. It's the championship game. It's 11 o'clock at night, and he had caught 43 innings that day, which is crazy. And so he's sitting behind the plate in his catcher's position, and I see that he has tears just coming down his face. And, you know, I'm watching him, and I'm just like, oh my gosh, you know, that's That's crazy. Maybe, you know, maybe the coach is going to pull him. So right then the coach noticed as well, called a timeout and brought my son, you know, aside. And I'm just— I'm watching my child and his face is just full of determination and he's just, you know, wiping the tears away and he just shakes his head no. And the coach knew, you know, he just knew no way in the world he's going to sit down. You know, it's like 8th inning. Championship game, he's already caught the whole day. And so, uh, so, okay, so 9th inning comes around and we were up by 1. Last, last, uh, batter comes up, pops the ball, uh, straight up. My son threw his mask off, totally ate dirt, and came up with the ball. So, uh, it was just like, it was unbelievable to me. And it was, it was like one of those super proud mom moments. But the message that stuck with me is determination, trust feelings every day of the week. And when you want something bad enough, you're gonna do it, whatever that means, however you have to do it, you're gonna do it. And so that was the one that stuck out to me.
Love it.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Awesome.
The next one I have for you is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
That there is no magical fairy dust. There's no coach that can make you achieve what you want to achieve if you're not willing to put the work in. That being said, the way I see it is behind every champion, there's a coach that pushed them beyond what their own expectations and their own visions for their life is.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
Integrity. Do the right thing always. There, there's so many times in business as well as life that you're faced with a situation that could financially or socially benefit you if you would just compromise your damn values just a little bit, but it's never worth it. Acting with consistent integrity may not make you the most popular, but it'll make you the most consistent and trustworthy which eventually will monetarily pay out.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I wouldn't give my younger self any advice because the heartache that I went through, the mistakes, the crazy high ambition that I had, and putting my foot in my mouth time and time again, that's what molded me into the person that than I am today. I'm confident, I'm blunt, I have empathy for people, and it made me the effective coach that I am.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Choice. Happiness can never be tied to a circumstance. And to me, my advice to everybody is it's simply a choice. It's one that everybody can make. Life happens and sometimes it totally sucks, but you can either choose to wallow or you can choose to be happy. And the question that I get asked is, well, that's easier said than done. But it isn't. It's exactly when you make the choice, you choose to be happy, period.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Okay, so I hem and hawed over this, but this is just— this is the fact. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Okay, okay, I've read grown-up books, many of them. I've even written some, but this is the book that made the biggest impact with me, you know, from me reading it as a child to reading it to my kids. It's, it puts into perspective that giving, it's exactly what life's about, and then finding the joy in doing so.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
A goal without action is just a wish. This quote sums up so much. There's a huge difference between a wish and an actual goal. And the answer is action. If you want to actually achieve something, if you like, if you want to achieve your goals, you act upon it. If you don't, you don't act upon it, and then you simply have a wish.
Yes. Love it. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find and connect with you online?
So my website is coachdebid.com. And on LinkedIn, I'm very active on LinkedIn under Debbie Dickerson. Instagram, Coach Debbie D. Perfect.
Thanks again.
Awesome. Thank you so much.
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