Hi! I’m Debi.

I’m a Lifestyle Business Design Coach and Strategist for Multi-Passionate Success Rebels, but what I really do is help you confidently take back control of your life and business; create a new reality for yourself and your family; and reach your income, independence and impact goals.​

My wish and vision for the world is peace, possibilities and prosperity… to have a peaceful world where everyone can take advantage of the infinite possibilities that exist and prosper doing work that truly fulfills them and be paid what they deserve for it.

We change the world one person at a time.

I want to start with YOU.

How Do I Do That?

I do it in two basic ways… coaching and consulting.

As a lifestyle business design and success coach, I help you create a lifestyle business that celebrates your talents, values, passions, and purpose and is the very essence of what success means to you.

As a consultant, I offer solutions and strategy for online business and overwhelm.

I believe there’s a Success Rebel inside each and every one of us that believes we can make a living, a life AND a difference… all at the same time.

I believe we each have the power within us to change our own lives, and those of others, for the better… right now.

I believe a new economy is coming into view on the horizon and that Success Rebel entrepreneurs will lead the world’s economic recovery… one small business at a time.

I believe in business as a force for good. (Hat tip to Sir Richard Branson.)

I believe creative, socially conscious entrepreneurs like you and I… NOT governments… will fix the world’s most pressing problems.

I believe we all deserve to earn an honest living and fair wages.

I believe we all deserve to have the time and means to enjoy a fulfilling life.

I believe lifestyle business gives you the flexibility to take back control of your life and create your version of success.

I believe we can transform the way the world does business, back to the days when people, loyalty and integrity mattered, and it wasn’t all about the bottom line.

I own a corporation, but I want to break the old corporate mold. I want to prove to the world that you can run a wildly successful company and still put your employees and customers first. And that, by putting them first, you can actually have a stronger, more sustainable company in the long run. Then use the profits from that company to do great things… for yourself and others.

I think it’s gonna take a woman to do it.

Not a woman who’s trying to keep up with all the corporate males in their expensive suits; or all the egotistical, bullshit-spouting online marketers who want you to believe you can buy a magic formula to make millions without doing real work.

But a woman who isn’t afraid to be herself, bust her ass, buck the status quo and do things her way… even if that means flip-flops are office attire and every day is take your dog to work day. I’m that kind of woman. And THAT is my mission.

I believe that with a system to shorten the learning curve, the necessary resources, and a supportive community of go-getters, we can create change faster. So I’m creating that for you with my Success Rebel MBA™ program, Success </Catalyst> Lab™, and free Success Rebelution Community.

A Little Bit About Me

Since you took the time to find this page, you’d probably like to learn a bit about me (thanks!) so here goes. Let’s have some fun!

And You Might Be Surprised to Know…

My Business in a Nutshell…

I’m the Founder & CEO of Makana Mai Akua, Inc. The name of my company is Hawaiian and, literally translated, means ‘Gift from God.’ I’m a multi-passionate entrepreneur and indulge my many passions as separate divisions of my company. I have a talent for jewelry design; an extraordinary knack for internet research; over 35 years of teaching, coaching and mentoring experience, and an intense heartfelt connection to the Islands of Hawaii.

But Maybe You’re the Curious Type?

Confession… I always read ‘About’ pages. And the longer they are the better. I like learning about people. So, in case you’re just as curious (I knew you were a keeper!), here’s the whole scoop. Fair warning: you might want to grab a cuppa coffee and get comfy.

Why Am I Here and How Did The Success Rebelution Happen?

I’m retired from the medical field and in my second official career. But it didn’t happen by choice. While on a medical leave of absence from my job (as a Radiologic Technologist specialized in Interventional Radiology and CT), I began working with beads and wire as self-imposed occupational therapy… an attempt to regain my fine motor skills and return to caring for my Veterans at the job I loved so much. Unfortunately, that was not to be. I lost my career and was absolutely devastated. I needed to recover, grieve and find a new path… something I never ever expected to have to do. And, not only did I need to start over, I needed to work for myself! Best way to describe that discovery… shock… and sheer terror.

My entire education and background was in medicine. I had no business education at all. Zero. None. The thought of starting my own business never even crossed my mind until it became a necessity… and I had no clue where to begin. But, all that occupational therapy I was doing had produced a whole lot of jewelry! My Mom was wearing it to work and her co-workers and patients loved my designs and were inquiring about them. People were showing an interest in my jewelry and I needed a business, so Designs by Debi was born. Thank God for somehow leading me to discover a talent I otherwise never would’ve found and giving me something I desperately needed at that point in my life… hope.

I decided to test the viability of a handcrafted jewelry business by throwing a home party. After making just under $2,000 in less than 3 hours, I figured it was worth a shot.

I had a lot to learn though. Luckily I’m good at figuring out how things are made and done. (I get that from my Dad.) And, thanks to my parents, I also had an excellent education. So, even though I had no idea what I was doing, I knew I could figure it out. And I did. I’ve essentially gotten myself a customized MBA. All things considered… not bad.

In the process, I found out I was good at internet research… unbelievably crazy good. I’ve learned everything I know about business, accounting, bookkeeping, marketing, branding, jewelry design, digital photography and editing, graphic design, web design, social media and SO many other things I do by researching, reading, then learning by trial and error. And I learn more every day.

I started my business and formed my corporation, Makana Mai Akua, Inc. It’s the parent company for all my business endeavors. Designs by Debi is my handcrafted jewelry business. Because I’m so good at research, I used to offer my services as a freelance Internet Research Specialist. In my spare time, I’ve been working on a website about Hawaii. But spare time is hard to come by, so it’s been many years in the making. And there are 4 more company divisions and a charitable foundation in the works.

Even though I’ve had a 7-division corporation planned from the beginning, coaching & consulting wasn’t part of that plan. So how did it happen? Because people started coming to me for business help, I happily obliged, and more people came… and more… and more. And I enjoy it. A lot.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. I’ve been teaching, coaching and mentoring in one form or another for over 35 years… from teaching CCD to gradeschool kids… to coaching Special Olympians with intellectual and developmental disabilities… to teaching Intraoperative Interventional Radiology to technologists and other medical staff. It happens without me even having to think about it at this point!

I often put aside my own enormous To Do list to help someone with a business question or problem. I just didn’t realize how often I was doing it! I knew I wasn’t going to stop, but I had to stop doing it for free. I made the decision to start a coaching business in the fall of 2011 after suffering a couple of shattering losses which led me to do some honest, deep down, soul searching about what I want, where I’m going, what I do and, most importantly, WHY I do the things I do.

I’ve always known I could thank being a Gemini for not wanting to do the same thing day after day, but there was something very important about me that I didn’t realize… or rather hadn’t fully explored.

My Myers-Briggs® Personality Type is INFJ. I’ve known that for many years, but, until prompted by one of my coaches, never bothered to learn what that meant. I was blown away by what I discovered. And as enlightening as it was for me to finally understand this, it’s even more valuable for YOU to understand, so I wrote a blog post about it.

I realized that helping people is the driving passion behind everything I do… that’s when I’m happiest. It’s probably why I ended up in the medical field. It’s also most likely the reason why 99% of my handcrafted jewelry business is custom designs and memorial jewelry. Through my jewelry, I help people celebrate, express themselves, champion causes, grieve and remember. I love creating jewelry that holds deep meaning for people.

Quite a lot of networking and coaching allowed me to see that there are many who could benefit from help with their online businesses; that the research that comes so easily to me, does not come easily to others; and that many people are being given a whole lot of misinformation. I was already helping people with their businesses using what I learned and used to build my own businesses. I have a wealth of information and knowledge (I’m a voracious learner). No reason to keep it all to myself!

It took me a while to realize this was the coach in me coming out… again. I finally saw the common thread running through most of my life… teaching, training, coaching, mentoring, whatever you choose to call it, I’ve been doing it now, in one form or another, for over 35 years!
• I started teaching CCD to gradeschool kids when I was in junior high.

• I’m a quick learner and quite responsible. So, even in my first job at a dry cleaner at 16 years old, I was training people. I trained new hires and I trained new managers to run our drop stores.

• After college, I started coaching for Special Olympics… soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, and track & field… 2-3 nights a week for many years.

• Within a year of graduating from college and passing my Diagnostic Radiology boards, I was promoted to Clinical Instructor and responsible for the Clinical Education of the CCRI Radiology Students at the hospital, a job that I held for well over 10 years. In addition to their hands-on clinical education, I also gave my own classes at the hospital and I tutored them in college courses they were struggling with. I held Radiation Physics classes at my house every Spring and extra-help sessions for groups of students every semester to help them prepare for their exams. I was able to distill information and teach it in ways that helped them understand it.

• I was asked to sit on the hospital’s Patient Education Committee and to take over Patient & Staff Education for Diagnostic Imaging Service.

• Over time, I passed advanced board certifications in both Cardiovascular Interventional Technology (which includes Angiography, Interventional Radiology and Cardiac Catheterization) and Computed Tomography (CT or “CAT Scan”) and was put in charge of the Interventional Radiology and CT departments. This also included training students, technologists, nurses and resident physicians in these areas.

So I trained and mentored students and staff throughout my entire medical career.

The mentoring bug bit me again when people started asking me for help with their online businesses. Honestly, I’m eternally grateful because doing it again made me realize how much I missed it… and how much a part of me it is. Coaching is deeply personally fulfilling for me.

My coaching business started as Awaken Dreams (originally aWAEHQn dreams, actually) and I worked with Women Artisan Entrepreneurs. Businesses evolve. I’m still following my bliss by coaching and mentoring, but I no longer define my “niche” by what my clients do… artisan, graphic designer, author, etc… but by their values, beliefs, and what they want out of their life and business.

I’m very excited to have you here with me. I hope to walk along side you, get to know you, help you on your journey, celebrate your successes and watch you achieve your dreams!

Much Success,

Wondering What to Do Next?

If you didn’t do it earlier, sign up to my list so you’ll always get the good stuff first (and things that I only share with my Inner Circle of peeps on my list).

Have a look at my Coaching and Consulting pages to see if I can help you.

If you already think I can help you, go ahead and schedule a free Discovery Session so we can chat.

And remember to drop me a line to introduce yourself. Ahhhh you thought I forgot about that didn’t ya. Well I didn’t, so get movin’! 😉