Amplify Voices: The Power and Healing Behind Telling Your Story with Deb Shapiro (Episode #107)

Deb ShapiroDr. Lynn Hellerstein of Vision Beyond Sight speaks with Deb Shapiro, Voice Whisperer, Founder of DEBx and the award-winning nonprofit, Amplify Voices, to talk about the power and healing behind discovering your authentic voice and telling your story. “If you have 8 minutes to change the world, what will you say?” It is not just about learning how to speak in front of an audience, it’s owning yourself and your experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly - to tell a clear message that transforms not just you but everyone who hears it. Check out some ways to go from having fear in silence to courage on the stage.

Deb also talks about the vision of DEBx and serendipity of founding Amplify Voices that has changed the lives of women impacted by sex trafficking and sexual violence, the formerly incarcerated, and women touched by breast cancer. Listen to some of these women’s stories that show how one’s message can inspire courage, restore humanity and heal the community.

🔊 Click here and tune in to the show now to explore:

  • DEBx and the serendipity of founding Amplify Voices
  • How to overcome the fear of speaking in front of an audience
  • Visualization and breathing techniques 
  • Being clear in your message and who you are 
  • Deb’s original vision for DEBx
  • Stories of women’s transformation from their experience with sex trafficking, abuse and incarceration
  • Empowering others to own who you are and your story – the good, the bad and the ugly
  • Restoring humanity – seeing the abused and perpetrators sit in the same table to transform the community
  • Work with women with breast cancer and the newest voice – the voice of mental wellness
  • November 22nd DEBx on DEBxtalks.com
  • If you have 8 minutes to change the world, what would you say?

About Deb Shapiro:

"Every voice matters and can make a profound difference in our communities and around the world."

This is the mission of Deb Shapiro, a seasoned speaker advisor, trainer, and coach with over 15 years of experience working with top-tier keynote and motivational speakers.

Deb grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, where she always felt heard and supported by her incredible parents. She assumed this was the norm for everyone, but quickly realized it wasn’t. She also valued her career journey. Deb spent the first 15 years in Human Resources and Training and Development for large corporations, believing that loving one’s job was typical. Recognizing the rarity of her situation, she became dedicated to enhancing joy and productivity in the workplace. Her boundless enthusiasm earned her the nickname “Tigger” among colleagues and friends.

In 2017, Deb founded DEBx, a 90-Day Speaker Development Experience designed to empower emerging speakers to use their voices as powerful instruments of change. Through onstage appearances and professional recordings, DEBx has impacted tens of thousands of individuals.

In 2020, leveraging the success and insights gained from DEBx, Deb established Amplify Voices, an award-winning nonprofit advocacy incubator. Amplify Voices aims to help historically marginalized communities discover, develop, and amplify their voices to effect systemic change.  To date, they have given voice to women impacted by sex trafficking and sexual violence, the formerly incarcerated, and women touched by breast cancer.

Deb is a cum laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Marketing and has also attended Oxford University.  She is a proud daughter, fiancé and friend to many of the best people a gal could ask for.

Connect with Deb Shapiro:

Websites: DEBxTalks | Amplify Voices

Facebook: Deb Shapiro | Amplifying Voices

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube

A night of inspiration at the Tempe Center for the Arts to benefit Amplify Voices

Do you enjoy TED Talks? Then you'll love DEBx Talks! Join us for a captivating series of 8-minute talks by 12 remarkable individuals, sharing their powerful and transformational life lessons for the very first time. These short, impactful presentations will surely inspire and motivate you, offering fresh perspectives, actionable tips and compelling stories that will move you. Bring yourself, bring your friends, bring your curiosity. You will not want to miss out on this extraordinary event!

“When you are clear on your message – who you are and who you want to portray in the world – there’s nothing that can move you. You can have both feet firmly planted on the stage and own every word that you are saying.” – Deb Shapiro

🔊 Click here to play this show now!


Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, Developmental Optometrist, co-owner of Hellerstein & Brenner Vision Center, P.C., award-winning author and international speaker, holds powerful and inspiring conversations with her guests in the areas of health, wellness, education, sports and psychology. They share their inspirational stories of healing and transformation through their vision expansion. Vision Beyond Sight Podcast will help you see with clarity, gain courage and confidence. Welcome to Vision Beyond Sight!

Dr. Lynn’s books are available at Amazon.com and www.lynnhellerstein.com/shop.

Dr. Lynn is available for speaking engagements and consulting. For more information, visit www.lynnhellerstein.com.

To learn more about vision therapy or to find a doctor providing vision therapy in your area, visit COVD.org.

To learn more about vision and the impact in concussion/brain injury, visit Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.

Subscribe to Vision Beyond Sight! New episodes every Wednesday at 9 am MT/10 am CT

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Connect with Dr. Lynn




About Dr. Lynn

A pioneer in vision therapy and developmental optometry, for more than 30 years, Dr. Lynn Hellerstein has helped thousands of children and adults improve their vision and transform their lives — at home, in the classroom, and most recently on the playing field. Her breakthrough methods unlock barriers to learning and “rewire” around brain injuries, and vision perception or processing deficits. But you don’t have to have a vision problem to benefit: her brain training strategies may be the missing magic if you’re an athlete trying to nail a tricky shot or stay cool in competition. If it’s a skill you can visualize, Dr. Hellerstein can help train your eyes — and mind’s eye — on success.

Award-winning and #1 bestselling author, Dr. Lynn has published numerous professional peer reviewed articles, chapters and four books.

See It. Say It. Do It! (2009) - How to see/recognize your goal, declare your intention, and taking action to achieve your vision.

See It. Say It. Do It! Organize It! (2011) - How to create a step by step process to make achieving your goal a reality.

50 Tips To Improve Your Sports Performance (2013) - How to improve your sports performance today by enhancing eye-mind-body coordination skills, achieving the mental edge, and preventing injuries.

Expand Your Vision (2021) - Discover the power of the seeing brain…the creator of your true vision. Gain Clarity, Courage, and Confidence. In this #1 Amazon best-selling innovative newest book, the power of visualizing and believing in the process to break through internal barriers and create new possibilities for achieving your goal is explored. Visualization can be used to increase creativity, to reduce stress and anxiety, and to build confidence in all of the things that they do.