coverstory 03.19 deborah james - westlake malibu lifestyle · shows included , young and the...

52 W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E I M A R C H 2 0 1 9 w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m

Armed with fast wit, engagingly charming, and beautiful to the extent where people experience a visual epiphany when they first lay eyes on Deborah James – these are the world’s first impressions of this genetic masterpiece. When people go on to discover the extent of Deborah’s ac-complishments, they recognize the titanic discipline, determination and work ethic that are the vital components behind her successes. Few people know, though, that the first chapter of Deborah’s life was a tsunami. At three months old she was adopted out to parents whose cir-cumstances were so dire and her home environment so abusively dysfunc-tional that at age 16 she was removed and placed in foster homes for her protection. At age 28, she found her biological parents and a few years later, her biological father committed suicide in one of the most violent ways imaginable.

S T O RY B Y D I A N A A D D I S O N LY L EP H O T O G R A P H Y B Y C U R T I S DA H L

H A I R / M A K E U P : K A T H L E E N H A G A N

C O V E R S T O R Y 0 3 . 1 9

DEBORAH JAMESA Mountainous Journey to a Beautiful Life

Ivory blouse: Ilene’s Boutique. 818-879-5060

55w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 9 I W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E 55

C O V E R S T O R Y D E B O R A H J A M E SW E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E 0 3 . 1 9

You’ll need a cup of coffee to sustain yourself through her Act II résumé: she finished high school in 3 years instead of 4; graduated with a self-funded Double B.A. in Mass Communications; she became a finalist in Miss Teenage America, was Miss Teen Colorado, Miss Colorado, a semi-finalist in the Miss USA pageant; was chosen as a singer and dancer for USA/USO Tour overseas; became the Star Search $100,000 winner in the Spokesmodel category; modeled in several national campaigns including Merle Norman Cosmetics, Vidal Sassoon, Wrangler Jeans, Honda, Dr. Pepper and Mc-Donalds; landed the Cover of Muscle & Fitness Maga-zine. Fill up your coffee cups again. Deborah did multi-ple roles on the decade’s biggest shows including NBC’s Quantum Leap, Passions, Days of Our Lives, Sudden-ly Susan, and Malibu Shores. Other highly-successful shows included Sisters, Young and the Restless, and Melrose Place. Her journalism career took off with En-core Network. Her creative talents took her to Nash-ville where she excelled as a recording artist. Professionally, Deborah found her perfect niche 15 years ago in the event-planning industry. “Bella Vita Events” is her 2018 Award-Winning company that bril-liantly marries her big vision production gift, her off-the-planet organizational skills, and her vast entertainment experience. Beyond that, and having known this special lady intimately well for 20 years, Deborah’s unique dis-tinction really lies in her soul. Her generous heart, sen-sitivity, compassion and empathy make her the wind be-neath a lot of people’s wings – and a friend in a million.

Married to Bob Eubanks, the couple’s greatest accom-plishment is their son, Noah, who, like his parents is multi-talented and way ahead of his time. His trajectory is fast evolving into a fascinating story – proving that the apple is really connected to the magnificent tree. This is Deborah James’ story about overcoming a life that could have rendered her a permanent victim. Instead, she created opportunities that championed her road to success and the Beautiful Life that she has earned – despite a tsunami first chapter.

Q: You were raised in Colorado to adoptive parents. Your childhood was no fairytale. You encountered in-stability and had to face several crises wherein you were forced to make adult decisions. In that sense you were denied a carefree childhood. Describe the chaos.

DEBORAH: Chaos and carefree were interchangeable on any given day. My adoptive dad was married twice and my adoptive mom 3 times, so that made it interesting as to “who” was my parent in those first 10-12 formative years; not to mention the rotating step siblings that came in and out of our lives. Illness and recovery also became a central aspect of my young years. My father had a tragic car wreck that almost took his life when I was 4 years old, and he had numerous spinal surgeries and spent two years at Craig rehabilitation center in Denver, where they said he would never walk again. My mother, at the age of 34 - began to have declining health and was one of the first kidney transplant recipients from the original Dr. Starzel team.

By age 16 I had completed all 4 years of high school in 3 years. The years leading up to that were filled with

much pain, living in hospitals and watching two parents disintegrate before my eyes

Deborah faced the metaphoric fork in the road several times in her young life. Her prudent choices not only insured her survival but they expanded her horizons exponentially. No dream was too big or unattainable. Armed with astuteness that belied her age and organiza-tional abilities that should be cloned, Deborah equipped herself with the necessities for her brilliant second Act.


56 w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 9 I W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E 5756 W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E I M A R C H 2 0 1 9 w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m

She would have 18 major operations, transplants, quadru-ple heart bypass, colostomy and reversal by the time I was 20 years old. My second language became BUN, Creatine levels, and I knew my way around every vending machine corner at Colorado General Hospital. The carefree part was all the times I got to spend at my favorite aunt’s house. My Aunt Vivian filled the gaps of my missing childhood pieces. Staying up late, shopping, going to ski at Vail, and talking about boys - she gave me moments of childhood, instead of being the parent when I returned home. At my dad’s, my dear “granny” began to shape and mold me in manners and foundational tools. Washing dishes on a chair at age 4, cook-ing, making cinnamon rolls, Braun swagger sandwiches and warm tomato soup on cold days, helped me fill the gaps that I didn’t know I was missing.

Q: Education was the one critical element of your childhood in which your mother served you well. Even though you didn’t live in a good area, you were bussed in to the ‘Cherry Creek Schools’ wherein you received a first-class education. Describe the stimulation of your multi-cultural school days in which you developed as an artist and as a future leader.

DEBORAH: As a child, I didn’t know what I was missing, until I hit the 5th grade, and started to visit other friends’ homes and started to see how they lived, traveled and had nice things. What you don’t know… you really don’t miss. In reflecting back, there were two things that I think helped to spark my creative drive and passion. I always loved or-ganizing things where I would line up clothes, place books perfectly in order from large to small, paint my room dif-ferent colors or re-arrange the furniture. Then, I loved to write songs, play and dance, and became the director of our neighborhood plays and shows, right down to the lighting and props and sewing costumes. We didn’t have technology to stimulate us, but I loved to be busy with creation. That “sparked” me and made the hours fly by – a welcome relief from the dysfunction that I witnessed around me.

Q: Your mother commented when you were 10 years old that you were destined for California. You loved the ‘Beach Boys’ and everything about California.

DEBORAH: I think the statement, “California bound” was that I always had this gravitation towards Californian idealism - at least what I thought was idealism. I would draw palm trees

and ask to go to the Cherry Creek reservoir, which was our “beach” in Denver. I would buy or wear anything that had any city from California; there was just this deep-rooted calling in-side of me propelling me towards the sunny west coast. Even-tually, I applied to all California schools, and got accepted to Pepperdine, Occidental, and Fashion Institute of LA. Sadly, I couldn’t afford any of those, so I opted to stay in Denver and was accepted to the prestigious Loretta Heights College, the Julliard of the West, which eventually closed due to lack of funds. I transferred to University of Denver.

Q: You realized by the 8th grade that in order to get to col-lege, you had to fund your own way. Your parents were not going to do it for you.

DEBORAH: It wasn’t because they didn’t want to help, but it was obvious that I had two parents on disability who had no additional resources to send me to college, let alone univer-sity. I knew that education was power, and that power can be used to serve others.

Q: Vanity has never been what you are about but you saw the beauty queen pageant route as a viable way to earn money to pave your way through university.

DEBORAH: It started with a magazine ad from “Teen” mag-azine for the Miss Teenage America contest that was based on your essay of “why you want to go to college”. It was about your community involvement. This wasn’t a swimsuit com-petition; it was a question-to-question comparison in which I had to write and define my qualities as valuable contribu-tions to society. I became a finalist from over 70,000 applicants and re-ceived a small scholarship. A “spark” had been ignited and I knew there was something in this journey that whispered possible opportunities to help fund my education.

Q: Describe your days of Miss Teen Colorado to Miss Colo-rado to being a semi-finalist in Miss USA.

DEBORAH: The next 5 years became a mission to conquer and collect as many contests from talent shows to modeling and academic opportunities – all of which could fund my college dreams. Designing and making dresses, attending voice and dance lessons to define my talents for judges, and countless hours of reading current events, formalizing political views and

carefully-crafted responses for judges’ interviews and essays were the skills I needed to succeed. In-between all that I had to balance school, homework and 2 jobs, as well as fit in those early morning runs to keep in tip-top shape. Over those 5 years, I won, placed in over 50+ pageants from local to international titles – all of which afforded me the opportunity to grow, travel and feed my thirsty desire for an educated future, wherever it would lead me. You might say I was a bit passionate.

Q: You graduated from the University of Denver with a Dou-ble B.A. in Mass Communications and Speech Communica-tions with a minor in Musical Theater. While you were in your second semester, you interned for NBC and so began your multi-faceted ‘performing’ career. You often describe Barba-ra Walters as being the person you most wanted to emulate.

DEBORAH: What I appreciated most about Barbara Walters was that she was a “truth seeker”. She was at the peak of her career interviewing celebrities, heads of state and news-worthy idols – people we all wanted to know more about. I watched the carefully worded yet spontaneous way in which she would ex-tract revealing nuggets from her subjects. Her method was sim-ilar to a scientist of comparison of theory and practicality, or the way a lawyer would prepare a case based on evidence and prec-edent. Her approach to journalism was intriguing. I always had a deep fascination with the mind, and the cross appeal of dig-ging deeply into the way others processed information became a lifelong pursuit. Even though I longed to carve out a path that would take me in front of the camera, I think my deeper pursuit was to be of service. Somewhere between fascination and ser-vice, I had hoped to serve a greater cause in this world.

Q: “Star Search” was a big breakthrough in your career.

DEBORAH: 1989-1990 was a huge discovery year, and foun-dational to the next decade of my performing career. I was representing Colorado at the Miss USA pageant and one of the judges on the panel was from Star Search. After becoming a finalist, she approached me about being on the show. That May, I was invited to sing and dance on the USA/USO tour entertaining our troops in S. Korea, Guam, and Manilla. By August, I was taping episodes for Star Search, slowly advanc-ing week after week to the finals. While we were on break from taping, I was invited to Cambridge, Canada to represent our region in the World Oktoberfest. I had the privilege of landing the title and spent the month tapping kegs in German clubs

singing “Ein Prosit,” and doing the chicken dance more times than I can count. Most importantly, I received another schol-arship to help finance my final year of college. That December, I reported to the “Aquarius” theater off of Sunset Blvd., and won the grand prize of $100,000 that night in the spokesmodel category - a life-changing moment that gave this ramen-eating college student a ticket to Hollyweird!

Q: Your career was on fire in your 20s. You were doing a mul-titude of things including a lucrative career as a catalogue and product endorsement model. Describe those years.

DEBORAH: After Star Search, and DU graduation, I moved as fast as I could to California. I landed in Studio City, in the heart of showbiz, where every table at a restaurant was filled with scripts and people memorizing lines for acting classes, TV shows, and movies. Some were hoping to become a house-hold name, others, feeding the empty hole inside of them to become something or someone. I never saw my name in lights, nor did I need that. Those early years were simply a practical stepping stone to whatever else God had in store for me. Since I had re-tained the biggest agency, William Morris, after winning Star Search, I thought the path was paved, only to find out that I would find myself in waiting room after waiting room audition-ing against gorgeous, talented, tall, busty, perfectly tanned and toned women for each role or modeling job. I never set out to be a model. While I was waiting to ripen up to pursue my journalism career, I fell into modeling instead of wait-ing tables, and quickly found out that it was a business, as much as a show. I found myself juggling a modeling career with Fontaine Models, commercials with KSR, and acting roles with APA and a manager guiding it all. Somedays, no lie, I would have 8-10 outfits on the ground for all the roles and types of auditions that each day necessitated. It became clear that I was an avid multi-tasker and that I was enjoying the speed and energy it took to explore all my show biz tools. Every day was full of lines, driving, changing, smiling, slating… “Hi, I’m Deborah James, 5.’7” (on a good day), and I’m with Fontaine Models. Show the portfolio, take a couple of Polaroids, (yes, they are back now), and wait for my beeper or an-swer machine to “blink” when I walked in after a long day. It didn’t end there. I needed to work out, eat a small dinner and start mem-orizing and lining up clothes again for the next day’s demands. Auditions turned in to jobs and jobs turned in to money where my day rate went from $500 to sometimes $2500 a day. I remember the first day a client signed my voucher for $1500. I sincerely cried; I didn’t think I could ever earn that much, let alone over and over.

I loved to write songs, play and dance, and became the director of our neighborhood plays and shows, right down to

the lighting and props and sewing costumes

The next 5 years became a mission to conquer and collect as many contests from talent shows to modeling and academic opportunities - all of which could fund my college dreams



w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 9 I W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E 59

I knew this was a brief chapter and I was go-ing to do everything I could to pay off my final student loans, and set a foundation up for my life. By the age of 23 years old, a year out of col-lege, I had purchased a townhome, paid off my school and invested into IRAs and several other European growth funds, and landed several na-tional campaigns for Merle Norman Cosmet-ics, Vidal Sassoon hair, Wrangler Jeans, Tony Lama Boots, and the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. Yes, there was a day when I had a 3-pack! One thing led to another and I started doing more commercials and landed several national campaigns: Miller Beer, Honda, Dr. Pepper and McDonalds became mailbox mon-

ey almost daily. From there, I dove deeper into acting and started training most nights with cold-reading classes, scene study and improv with some of the industry’s best, Roy London, Margie Haberg, Harry Mastrogeorge, Gary Austin with the Groundlings, which led me to multiple roles on some of the decades’ biggest shows, Quantum Leap, Sisters, Roseanne, Step by Step, and several movies like, Where the day takes you, The Astral Factor- 976-Evil, (yes, a horror film), Mistress, with Robert DeNiro, and a slew of other daytime and nighttime TV shows including Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, Passions, Savannah, Malibu Shores, Melrose Place. Finally, in my mid 20s,


58 59

Noah, Bob, Deborah and Lucky


I was officially seasoned – becoming a talking, walking and selling machine. Several companies began to approach me for spokes-person work to endorse their products, and I finally landed a job on the Encore Network doing movie reviews. Finally I had land-ed my future Barbara Walters job, only to spend the next three years selling every infomercial product from “Revostyler,”“True Sleeper,” to “ Yubasaki Pillow”. In one year I had the #3 highest performing infomercials. I was also writing, singing and produc-ing two albums in Nashville. I had a deep affection for the stories that country music told, and found myself partnered with some of the industry’s greats, living part time in Nashville and California - living two lives. I’m still proud of the songs I penned with some of the greats, and I put out a Christian Music CD, “Connection”, mind, body and soul, coupled with a workout series and infomer-cial campaign, now combining all my performing abilities. In my final chapter of music, I released a fiery, country album that had lots of tude and truth, with no doormat songs. I fondly recall those raging song-writing days where the hours just flew by making mu-sic. Good times, and wild stories.

Q: Two weeks before your college graduation, you met Bob Eubanks at the Westlake Hyatt.

DEBORAH: Yes! We were hired to host an event for Make a Wish Foundation.

Q: In fact, you were doing your college thesis on the ‘Influence of the Media’ and you interviewed Dick Clark, Ed Mc Mahon and Bob Eubanks for it. What was it about Bob that struck you?

DEBORAH: Humor, hands down! He approached me with that half smirk and asked if I could help him carry his items to his room. He was such a bachelor. We both had just got out of committed, long relationships and were NOT looking for anything serious. He was charming, good looking and had legs that were amazing! At that time he worked out 5 days a week with a trainer. Intrigued, I asked him if I could interview him for my final paper, and he agreed. We met at Jerry’s Deli in Studio City for what was supposed to be an hour, and it turned in to a ½ day lunch and dinner combo. Something was bigger than us both, and 28 years later, he’s still making me laugh, just about different things now. LOL!

Q: You and Bob dated for almost 10 years before you tied the knot in 1999.

DEBORAH: We both had a lot of baggage. I had a lot of emotion-al healing from childhood issues and didn’t want to get caught up in the classic ‘bad parents so run to a father figure’ stereo-type. My father may have been emotionally absent due to his al-cohol addiction, but he loved me and we always had a good and loving relationship. You can love someone, but sometimes you don’t respect them, or their choices. Bob and I both committed to therapy to work on our issues for a couple of years, so when it was time to get married, we had done the trench work… be-cause marriage WILL throw you some curve balls.

Q: You describe those years as highly productive as both of you supported each other’s successes and became each other’s best cheer leaders.

DEBORAH: We definitely cheered each other on, running wardrobe selections and even running lines back and forth for auditions. Even today, we want the best for each other and have each other’s backs.

Q: You also describe your intimate wedding in Palm Springs – with just 32 guests – as very special.

DEBORAH: Third time was a charm. We had set two previous dates, but had lost 3 parents in a matter of 2 years and post-poned twice. The first would have been close to 200, then 120, and then by the time we walked down the aisle, we had really trimmed our vision from “what was really important to us”. So, the 30 lucky people came to Palm Springs where we spent 3 glorious days playing golf, spa-ing, and eating and drinking with our closest family and friends. Intimate but memorable, the perfect combination for us.

Q: As you rocketed in your career, you soon realized that there was a pattern: you played each assignment through from beginning to end – something that would become a critical bedrock to your career as an Event Planner and the birth of your successful company, “Bella Vita Events”.

DEBORAH: I had dabbled in the event industry back in college and landed a job at the “Bridal Boutique” which groomed me in bridal merchandising, and then it grew to the one-stop-shop for all things bridal. Then, I was recruited to run the “Crystal Rose”, a banquet facility, as a catering manager, learning every-thing from the kitchen to the event logistics. After that, I made it

1989-1990 was a huge discovery year, and foundational to the next decade of my performing career. I was representing Colorado at the Miss USA pageant and one of the judges on

the panel was from Star Search


w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 9 I W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E 63

to LA where I started working as a planner, and landed on several preferred lists. I took a brief hiatus from planning to pursue entertainment, which landed me the NBC pro-duction deal, multiple years in modeling, commercials, TV, Film and music, to direct me back to event planner. The big breakthrough was in my last 16 weeks of preg-nancy. I was put on bed rest, and I started a list of the things that I most enjoyed in life. Then, I did another list of my skills and talents. The common denominator became production; even more personally, I felt like my ministry was calling me back to planning and working intimately with couples to help them solve their wedding mysteries. It was a “spark” moment that I seized, and I

literally started “Bella Vita Events” from my bed, where I pored over bridal material and everything I could lay my hands on. I began surfing the net and enrolled in an on-line bridal certification program and completed IWCA (Independent Wedding Consultants of America). The vision started with the “beautiful life” inside of me and by the time Noah, our son, was born, “Bella Vita Events” was birthed simultaneously.

Q: Bella Vita Events has been enormously success-ful. In 2018 you won “Best Wedding Planner Ventu-ra County” Award. What is behind your company’s great success?


Bob and I met at Jerry’s Deli in Studio City for what was supposed to be an hour, and it turned in to a ½ day lunch and dinner combo. Something was bigger than us both, and 28 years later, he’s still making me laugh,

just about different things now

White boots: Ilene’s Boutique. 818 – 879 -5060White boots: Ilene’s Boutique. 818 – 879 -5060


DEBORAH: That we live our moto - “Be a guest at your event”. We go above and beyond to truly serve our clients and their needs, allowing them to experience the joyful part of planning an event. We become the budget gurus, people pleasers, task masters, and queens of logistics. Also, I utilized my many years of production to run crews and set my vendors up to win. Lastly, pre-production is key… the more work done on the front end, the less probability that you can’t navigate the last-minute changes and unpredictable curve balls that will come your way. In the end, I feel I was called to serve and come alongside people to budget, create and help guide them through this “beautiful life” experience.

Q: Your deep faith has been an interesting journey.

DEBORAH: By age 16 I had completed all 4 years of high school in 3 years. The years leading up to that were filled with much pain, living in hospitals and watching two parents disintegrate before my eyes, with their extreme health issues. My brother turned to drugs; I turned to God. I was hungry for truth and someone or something to fill the huge gap of hurt inside of me. I was drawn to the light - most importantly, the truth. I attended a Church of God service during a summer revival that stirred something inside of me. I re-dedicated my life to my creator, my councilor, my provider, my healer, my restorer, and most importantly, my savior. Saved by grace, not works, my life-long journey began to reveal that Jer 29:11 became my living anthem. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. My quest continues daily, to seek direction that “he” has for my life and the exceptional privilege it is to pray and seek for others to enlighten and fulfill their needs. With continued curiosity about the human mind and behavior, deep into my entertainment career, I had a profound calling to go to Israel with my church and Jack Hayford from Church on the Way. I spent two glorious weeks seeking truth from my cre-ator and walking in the steps of Christ from the Seas of Galilee, to Jerusalem to Jericho, and finally being re-baptized in the Jordan River where John the Baptist in the bible baptized Christ. It was definitely a turning point in my life. I returned home, thirsty for more, and enrolled in the Kings Seminary where I began night school to obtain my Master’s Degree in Divinity. I dove deeply into biblical history, exhortation, gene-alogy, geography, but most importantly, it fed my appetite for un-derstanding myself and others, and it restored my hope and peace in humanity. It gave me a heightened appreciation that we all have a story. I didn’t have the opportunity to finish my degree in biblical

counseling, but I feel like I’ve earned a doctorate in the business I’m in now. Every day is a puzzle as I take people’s pocketbooks and hearts and design dreams that fit their emotional and physical needs. That’s my calling when I design an event. I have the privilege of working and walking alongside people to guide them through a process that helps them to address and sharpen many life skills as a couple before they walk down the marital aisle. From budgeting, design choices, family dysfunction and etiquette, addressing many of the daily life skills they will encounter becomes my opportunity to apply all my counseling from a divine and spirit-led perspective.

Q: Describe the great joy and fulfillment that your cherished son, Noah, has brought into your life.

DEBORAH: Do we have all day? Each day I count as a divine privilege to be his mama. He’s definitely an amazing combi-nation of both my husband and myself from the deep voice, to the crazy color-coding in his closet that he inherited from me. He has a unique group of qualities that continue to un-fold each day as he matures, a glimmer of what he will do to make this world a better place than he found it. Motherhood is truly the hardest, yet the most rewarding, joyful job EVER. There truly is no manual, and he has revealed my worst fears and my deepest joys, and I cherish the ride we’re on together.

Q: What are the crucial aspects about life that Noah has taught you – and continues to teach you?

DEBORAH: To be present - each and every moment; that or-der is good, but sometimes you need to break the rules. He mirrors my greatest insecurities, yet instills in me unstoppa-ble strength. He has made me a better person, wife, friend, daughter, and event producer. The love of my husband and Noah are truly the “wind beneath my wings”.

Q: You’ve traveled a great deal with Noah and in 2018, mom and son embarked on their first African Safari trip.

DEBORAH: We have shown many parts of this great world to Noah, and he has seen extreme poverty and simplicity, to over-the-top decadence. There was something so primal and raw about Africa - being one with nature and observing animals in their natural habitat, exactly how God intended it. Those early morning hours when nature begins to stir and animals thirst and hunt for their meal, is such a thrill to observe. The late-

I felt like my ministry was calling me back to planning and working intimately with couples to help them solve their wedding mysteries. It was a “spark” moment that I seized,

and I literally started “Bella Vita Events”


66 W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E I M A R C H 2 0 1 9 w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m w m l i f e s t y l e . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 9 I W E S T L A K E M A L I B U L I F E S T Y L E 67

night trekking of lions in mating with infrared lights made us feel like we were complete “observers,” like a fly on the wall watching how they live with no concern of humans nearby. Everything from the food, the people we were with, and the tour directors all left an impression on my heart. Madikwe and Maritaba Game Reserves delivered the highest standards of guest comfort, and of course the animal experiences and stories that we captured on film and in our hearts will forever remain one of my favorite all-time life experiences.

Q: What do you most want for Noah in life as he becomes a fully-fledged man?

DEBORAH: FAITH, COMPASSION, AND PASSION. He is so gifted with many talents and I truly believe what he will do in the world, he will POUR himself into. He doesn’t know how to do any-thing less than 150%; wonder where he gets that from? I would pray for balance in his work and home life, and that he allows him-self to be open to wherever God leads him. I want him to experi-ence life FULLY and PRESENTLY every day. Happiness is what I want most for him, but I also know that his greatest growth spurts in life will come through adversity. My daily phrase to him is - “Be a light”. That’s all I want for him; the rest will unfold and lead him.

Q: Favorite food?

DEBORAH: Macaroni & Cheese or all things pasta…

Q: Favorite movie of all time?

DEBORAH: Forrest Gump. It came at a time that spoke to truth and hope for me, and it takes me back to a time that reminds me that all things are possible. Not to mention, you laugh and cry and can’t help but feel for the character and it’s always a good reminder that “life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get”.

Q: Favorite memory of Noah as a baby?

DEBORAH: First year! When he could pull himself up on the sliding glass door and every day say “outside” and “doggggie”. Also, when he would be in his Johnny jumper in the door-way in his little doggie outfit with his ears flying in the wind … up and down to the song, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”. Pure delight!

Q: The ultimate indulgence day for you is…

DEBORAH: Waking up after 7am, spending a long time reading my devotions to calibrate my day, and then crawling back in bed with a second cup of java to read the big stack of magazines and catalogues that have been piling up while watching a fun chick flick. Then, taking a walk with my love bug Lucky, and either spending time with my family cooking together and then settling in to a snuggle time to watch movies, or heading to my favorite local getaway, the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa for a day of pool time, Jacuzzi, massage and falling asleep by the fire.

Q: Your family recently swam with the Bahamian pigs. How did that tickle you?

DEBORAH: I have always had a fascination with pigs growing up so I researched and found this gem in the Bahamian keys called Exuma. The Grand Isle resort is this boutique jewel in the middle of the ocean that hosts a small string of condo style hotel rooms that surround emerald bay. 30 nautical miles away is an entire island of pigs that love to be fed loaves of bread by the visitors. The wonder-ful experience of hanging with the pigs will forever be marked as one of those satisfying and delightful memories in my life.

Q: Person you admire?

DEBORAH: Oprah Winfrey. I have always admired her for the resilient way she has taken her core values, and re-in-vented herself multiple times - each time stretching herself beyond her comfort zone. I have admired her footprints to seek “truth” in all you do and to take what God has given you and find your talents and give them back. With maturity you realize you’re such a small part of the world and that there is a higher purpose: to make a difference in the people you touch and to leave this planet, community and your circle of influence a better place than you found it. If I can be half the person she is, I feel I would have been enlightened and would make a difference on this earth.

Q: Consistent motto in life that has always steered you in the right direction?

DEBORAH: Pablo Picasso said it well…“The meaning of life is to discover our gifts, the purpose of life is to give them away”

Order is good, but sometimes you need to break the rules. Noah mirrors my greatest insecurities, yet instills in me unstoppable strength. He has made me a better person,

wife, friend, daughter, and event producer


Ivory blouse: Ilene’s Boutique. 818-879-5060

coverstory 03.19 deborah james - westlake malibu lifestyle · shows included , young and the...

Documents