Testimonials
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Debra is a leader of leaders.
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Debra is one of the few people who talks to my highest self. I show up more as myself whenever I talk with her.
{Debra has a rare combination of outstanding emotional intelligence and high business acumen.
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Debra's unusual mix of deep empathy, rich resourcefulness, and sharp analysis delivers the productive partnership smart people need to whack through the messy emotional fog and apply their unique gifts for greatest impact.
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I reached out to Debra because I have a major leadership opportunity at my professional service firm. I needed help to evaluate and frame the opportunity and to make sure the opportunity matches with what I actually want in life. I had worked with Debra many years ago when running my own small business and remembered that she offers a clear and invaluable perspective when things feel very muddled. Debra has a masterful ability to listen to complex situations and dynamics and to distill them to a much more manageable set of questions and issues. During each of our sessions I learned something practical and concrete that I could apply right away, while we also worked together toward the larger goal of defining the leadership opportunity. I often hung up the phone with Debra and immediately called a friend or colleague to say “listen to this great piece of advice that Debra just gave me!” Debra’s business background and her extensive training allowed her to deepen our analysis with prescient questions and to offer a thoughtful and objective perspective. Together we have defined my vision for the leadership opportunity, clarified the potential challenges and what needs to change, and reflected on how to ensure that the situation meets my needs and values and those of my colleagues. I cannot recommend Debra highly enough and I’m enormously grateful for her coaching.
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"I took Debra’s How to Win-Win Any Difficult Conversation Zoom course a couple of months ago and it changed the way I think about and handle conversations I used to want to avoid. Her simple, clear steps break things down so I can get to the heart of what I want out of a conversation, and understand where the other party is coming from too. With her approach I am not distracted by emotion or old patterns that leave things unspoken or unresolved. Instead, I can own my intentions, plan for the greatest good of all and speak in a way that allows me to be heard.”
{Recently I contacted Debra seeking advice to help resolve an emotionally fraught family situation. She was engaging, sympathetic, humorous and insightful. Debra’s gentle warmth and constant support proved invaluable in setting a new tone for our communication and helping us repair our family relationships. What this looked like in practice was a kind of attentive and nuanced diplomacy balancing the emotional currents of several people in the course of multiple conversations that were held both in person and by phone. Throughout, Debra was 100% present, aware of the danger zones and looking for the opportunities for progress, while addressing the special needs of every person with kindness and care.
{Debra happened to be one of my primary support partners during a very crucial time period in my life. I was hitting a rough patch in my relationship, and felt very ungrounded, like my life had flipped upside down. Debra not only was a solid sounding board, she brought a clear perspective to the conversation so that I could find my bearings. She was consistent in her check up calls and never missed a beat when it came to being there during critical moments. Although this went above and beyond her duties as my support buddy, she took on the role of a crisis counselor and made sure I was supported, one way or another. Every single phone call, she was present, positive, and caring; providing insightful feedback and compassion. She delivers her communication with the best interest of the listener in mind. She has exceptional skills in listening and problem solving, and a special and unique way to lead a troubled soul gently towards the light.
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"I enrolled in Debra Woog's How to Win-Win Any Difficult Conversation online course as a gift to myself. This course went beyond my expectations and provided me with information, tools and practice I am now using in my day-to-day life. Debra's expertise, caring, compassion and ability to create community, combined with her content, role-playing and strategy for participants, yielded the perfect mix of theory and practice. One thing Debra said stays with me, “We don’t have to handle difficult conversations alone.” Ahhhh! Reviewing the types of difficult conversations in communities, learning about strategies to succeed, planning the tools to use, maintaining curiosity, and practicing were all so helpful. Highly recommend this course! Thank you, Debra, for your guidance.”
{Recently I contacted Debra seeking advice on an emotionally fraught family situation. Debra was engaging, sympathetic, humorous and insightful. Her gentle warmth and constant support proved invaluable in setting a new tone for our communication and helping us repair our family relationships.
{Before I started working with Debra, I felt depressed, anxious, worried, hopeless. I did not know what I wanted to be doing with my life. I only knew that the things that I’ve been doing are taking a big toll on me. I learned that I have needs and values and skills and interests and qualities. Prior to that, I don’t know that I would have said that I actually had any of those things. Just thinking differently about all of these things has made a big difference. The needs and values tool actually proved to be an extremely important tool to help me understand myself, to the point that I typed it up and posted it on the wall next to my bed! Trust Debra to lead you, guide you, shine the light into the places that you need. Trust me when I tell you that Debra is an outstanding guide.
{You have, for lack of a better way to say it, a hardcore, evidence-based business background that I, as a lawyer, am really attracted to. You have that combined with all of your expertise in mindset stuff. You just care so much that I could not resist that combination to work with you. My business is about two and a half years old. In some ways, it still feels like a startup. One of the many tools that you gave us just let us so easily plug in all of the factors that we need to see if we’re on track with our money. That one tool took a lot of stress off me. Thank you!
{With Debra, I have a person who I can really talk to about my own problems – all facets of them and my struggles – and who can be a sounding board and not afraid to tell me if I may be doing something she sees as off. Not that I cannot talk to my friends, but I don’t want to burden them too much.
{Debra, in a short time frame and with great sensitivity and compassion, was able to assist me in clarifying the action steps I needed to take to get unstuck.
{I have really enjoyed connecting with you. One thing I have really learned is that I need verbal coaching. I spend so much of my time researching, reading, and writing, which is completely isolating. I need to talk to people — on the phone or in person. Ten minutes on the phone with you, even five, is completely transformational!
{I was preparing to leave a job after 9 years. I felt that everything was up for discussion – my industry, my role, the hours I worked, etc. I knew I needed guidance to navigate my next steps. Debra was my first call. With her background and experience, she had the tools and insights to get me where I needed to go, wherever that might be. The concept of the Unique Definition of Success, the process for articulating it, and the development of systems to achieve it is the most obvious benefit of Debra’s coaching. It gave me the ability to articulate my skills, interests, and passions. Beyond that, I have better clarity about what is important to me in life, how I want to live my life, and how I want to apply my skills. I am better equipped to align how I spend my time with what goals I hope to achieve. I have articulated a personal mission, which gives me a sense of purpose whether I am working, volunteering, taking care of my house and family, or focusing on being a parent, spouse, or daughter. I have answered the question of what I want to be doing professionally at this moment, and I have learned how to be comfortable with the fact that the answer will change over time. A valuable tool from Debra’s services is the network and community, which she leverages to help her clients connect and grow. Whether it was a specific introduction to help me explore a particular topic or opportunity, or participation in Debra’s learning community, I have learned a great deal from and been inspired by everyone I have met through Debra. And, because I care deeply about my friends, and want to see them happy, and want the world to benefit from their gifts, I recommend they contact Debra. Overall, I am living much more intentionally and purposefully, and while I am not yet exactly where I want to be, I am well-equipped with the tools to keep me moving on the right path.
{A 10-minute conversation with you was the most clarifying experience I’ve had lately. I was so excited to share your website with my two best friends today.
{From the beginning of our work together, Debra has consistently held up a mirror for me to bring into clear focus the higher vision of the path I have chosen. With all the different hats I wear, Debra is skilled at helping me prioritize the action steps that will keep me on track. It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed by the big picture, and she helps me break it down into bite size pieces, so I stay focused and keep my energy in balance. I look forward to my calls with Debra, as she holds a safe space for me to authentically share my inner experiences.
{You are a great listener. You are great at fully understanding situations, from all sides and offering possible solutions in a non-threatening and encouraging way. You are my "go to" person when it comes to seeking advice, understanding and support. In comparison to others - you understand situations easily and you are non-judgmental. You are calming. You are approachable. You are sympathetic and empathetic. You are very knowledgeable from a business perspective as well as in terms of interpersonal relations. You have experienced a variety of experiences in your own life - in business and personally - that give you a great perspective from which to address the situations and experiences of others.
{I turn to you for clarity, clarification, quick thinking, wisdom and compassion. Your business education, leadership experience and administrative prowess impress the heck out of me.
{Debra is known for helping to distill the essential components of what’s going on in the middle of a chaotic crisis. She can help to boil things down to the logical next steps and figure out what to do next. Lots of other people try to graft on what’s important to them rather than take the time to figure out what YOUR goals are. Debra takes the time to listen and figure out what your skill set is, what the skills of those around you might be and how to use those to help. You leave the interaction feeling competent, organized, and a sense of direction. When I’m feeling overwhelmed and I don’t know what to do, the first thing I do is think to call Debra. She helps me take stock of what’s going on around me and I can say without a doubt that after our conversation I always feel like I have a plan of what to do next. Sometimes it’s all about what to do next.
{Debra helped my neighbor and me negotiate a difficult situation when we were evicted from our Bay Area homes. I think of her as a guru. She’s strategic, but not at the expense of people. She’s resourceful at finding information or vetting an idea. She’s got solid business sense. She can draw someone out and then help them find good words to convey what they mean, describe themselves, or communicate. She’s honest and trustworthy; even though my upstairs neighbor didn't know her she was skilled at talking to him and our landlord’s lawyer. She seeks efficient paths to the solution and avoids wasted or unnecessary effort. Her work is information-based more than some others I know; she has content expertise, negotiations skills and is not intimidated in the legal domain. She can figure out the back story/politics of any situation and navigate appropriately. She’s a pleasure to work with. People feel listened to, able to take action, and able to count on her to get done what she says she will or communicate/re-negotiate otherwise if needed. She’s willing to put others’ interests above or outside her own. I trusted her to speak for me and my neighbor, and ultimately, she helped create a mutually beneficial payment model that we all felt comfortable with. If someone is in crisis, they need someone reliable, who keeps their word, is compassionate, will cut through the muck to figure out what is essential and what is not essential to get done, will be honest and communicate well throughout the process/keep you updated, and always drive to next steps. She’s likely to say, "Have you considered...?" or "How could you get that information?", etc. And respect their wholeness - not take things off their plate because they are not capable, but because they are immensely capable and need a thought partner, a calmer-in-chief, and someone who can share the plate to advance their efforts. That's how I picture Debra in this role, and why it's such an easy sell when I refer her.
{Debra is known for being a compassionate, empathetic listener with a familiarity with resources to help in difficult situations like divorce, medical or mental health or emergency situations. She helps people believe they can get through a crisis with support (and not destroy themselves in the process of helping a family member in crisis). Others can listen (with various degrees of judgement) but Debra has an ability to go beyond listening non-judgmentally, into helping a person make short-term and long-term plans to cope with a situation while respecting their values and figuring out what it looks like to take care of themselves too. She has an ability to pinpoint the next step in the midst of a whole lot of drama and help someone be brave enough to make that next call/appointment/decision. Also she is good with following up, and striking a balance with respecting someone’s boundaries. I couldn’t have gotten through my divorce and my child’s psychiatric emergency without her, and when it became more of a chronic condition than an emergency she was able to help me figure out ways to make that bearable too, and get me to take my version of self-care seriously when no one else ever had. She is amazing and I am so lucky that she came into my life.
{Debra brought a unique combination of natural and time-honed talent to her work with me. First and foremost, she was incredibly compassionate. She was willing to roll up her sleeves and go into the proverbial trenches with me as my primary support and guide. She is an exceptional listener who actively mines for action steps. Her no nonsense know-how in setting priorities, resourcing strategies, and moving me toward relief of what I could only describe as overwhelming stress made her invaluable. She has demonstrated time and again that she draws on deep wisdom to do what few can.
{Not long ago, Debra Woog - who is a premier crisis navigation partner - reached out to me to share about some dear friends of hers, of many years standing, who were going through a crisis in their sibling relationship. Given what she does so well, Debra knew where they both wanted to get to in terms of a relationship that really worked for them and was no longer in crisis, and began to look at what was best going to get them there. She reached out to me - based on knowing me for several years - to ask if I’d be willing to help them heal their old relationship and start them on the road to a new one that worked better for them both. It only took me a second to realize that I wanted Debra to be there, partnering with me in what I knew would be a very powerful experience to which she’d bring an enormous amount of heart, skill, perceptiveness, courage, and straight talk. She brought all that and more, proving to be one of the best co-leaders I’ve had the pleasure of working with. The fact that she knew the two so well also made it a particularly powerful healing. From figuring out what these two needed to how to best get the right solution to being there all the way, Debra proved that she’s a gifted partner in helping people get through and past a crisis. I couldn’t recommend Debra more highly.
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I'm always overjoyed having conversations with you, Debra.