Debbie Lewis

What many people know about me is that if there’s a stage and a microphone, I’m probably there. I’ve supported over 16,000 entrepreneurs, delivering education to banks, technology giants like META, and educational institutions.

I’ve shared stages with business moguls like Theo Paphitis and royalty like Princess Anne. And you’ll usually spot me floating around in a bold, printed superpower dress.

But what people don’t know is that the night I was handed an award by Amanda Holden as employer of the Year, I went home and cried in my shower tray. Crouched in the bottom of it, sobbing over the financial disaster my business had become.

While my face was in the papers, while people were congratulating me on my success, I was bordering on bankruptcy.

My inbox was filled with emails from staff asking why they hadn’t been paid. Bills were stacking up, and every time the phone rang, my stomach would flip

I had maxed out my credit with the bank—there was nowhere left to borrow from. I spent hours on hold, praying for an extension, frantically searching online for any bank, any lender that would give me the money to keep my business afloat.

The stress was unbearable—a constant throbbing in my head, a tightness in my chest, the feeling that I couldn’t get enough oxygen. And yet, every day, I had to put on the mask. I had to smile, to keep up the illusion that I had it all together, even when I felt like I was losing myself. I didn’t even have the confidence to admit how bad things were.

That’s why I do what I do. Because I know what it’s like to wear the title of leader but feel trapped, unable to show up as yourself. To feel like you have to play a role rather than step into your full potential.

Now, as a keynote speaker, I help leaders level up—not by becoming someone they’re not, but by becoming more of who they truly are.