There are episodes I record and enjoy.

And then there are the ones where the conversation keeps echoing days later.

My interview with Deborah Deras was one of those.

When she first came on Entrepreneurs Gone Wild, we talked about burnout, intuition, nervous system regulation, and the dangerous myth that hustle equals worth.

But what most of you don’t know is that after we hit “stop” on that recording, something else started.

Her book.

“Your Ego Is Not Your Amigo.”

And I had the absolute joy of serving as her book doula. Which, yes, is exactly as intense and sacred as it sounds.

I got to witness the transformation from inspired downloads to structured chapters. From voice notes and messy brilliance to a clear, grounded 21-day journey that helps you separate ego noise from intuitive guidance.

Here’s what I’ll tell you plainly.

This is not a hype book. It’s not hustle disguised as spirituality. It’s not productivity wrapped in prettier language.

It’s a practical, grounded guide for high achievers who are tired of being driven by anxiety, urgency, and the voice that never shuts up.

If you’ve ever felt:

This book will meet you right there.

I’m linking to it below. Full transparency, it is an affiliate link, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase through it. I’m completely comfortable with that because I stand behind this work fully. I’ve been inside the manuscript. I’ve seen the transformation it creates.

If you’re building something meaningful and don’t want burnout to be the cost, this is worth your time.

Grab your copy here.

Now let’s talk about the woman behind it.

The paddleboard drifts. The water is glassy. Birds call from somewhere just out of frame.

Deborah Deras is flat on her back in Shavasana, floating.

And this is where million dollar ideas show up.

Not in a Slack channel.
Not during a 12 hour grind.
Not while proving anything to anyone.

Stillness first… and then clarity.

That order matters.

Deborah didn’t grow up planning to dismantle hustle culture. She lived it. Hard.

By her mid-20s, she was so depleted she landed in the hospital with adrenal burnout. Panic attacks. Sleepless nights. Cortisol flooding her system. A body that had finally had enough.

The cause wasn’t laziness. It was devotion.

Devotion to the idea that worth is earned through effort. That success requires suffering. That rest is something you earn later. Maybe.

Her father, an immigrant who had built a remarkable life from nothing, looked at her hospital bed and said the sentences that rewired everything.

“You don’t have to prove anything. I love you as you are.”

That was the crack in the story.

Everything else followed.

Deborah calls it what it is: Addiction.

Not the bungee-jumping kind. The socially rewarded kind. Constant motion. Endless productivity. Activity mistaken for value.

Entrepreneurship makes this worse. When you are the CEO, CMO, COO, and customer support, there is no closing bell. No one tells you to stop.

So you don’t.

Until your nervous system revolts.

Deborah’s work now sits at the intersection of performance, neuroscience, intuition, and restraint. She works with corporate teams, entrepreneurs, educators, and high achievers who look successful on paper and feel wrecked inside.

Her message is blunt.

Peak performance does not come from pushing harder. It comes from regulating your nervous system.

One of Deborah’s most repeated lines lands because it’s uncomfortable.

“Your ego is not your amigo.”

The ego loves urgency. It thrives on fear. It keeps you busy so you never have to be still long enough to hear anything else.

Intuition works differently.

It does not shout, or panic… and it sure doesn’t rush.

You hear it when the noise stops.

For Deborah, that happens on the water. Paddleboard yoga during the pandemic became her portal. No gyms. No crowds. Just breath, balance, and ocean rhythm.

Lying on a board at sunset, heart syncing with the water, solutions arrived fully formed.

Go virtual.
Teach online.
Build partnerships with colleges.

That single practice reshaped her entire business model.

Barefoot income.
No airports.
More life.

Western business culture worships effort. Deborah teaches energy.

The nervous system has two modes. Fight or flight. Rest and digest.

You cannot innovate while panicked.
You cannot lead while flooded with cortisol.
And you definitely cannot make strategic decisions while your body thinks it is under attack.

This is not mindset foo-foo. It is biology.

Deborah schedules self-care before anything else. Meditation. Movement. Breathwork. Time outside. It goes on the calendar first or it does not happen.

Her rule is simple: Three priorities per day. Three projects at a time.

Everything else is ego noise.

Deborah is not anti-technology. She is anti-misuse.

She teaches organizations’ leaders how to use AI to reclaim time safely, not to just fill it. Client notes that once took 30 minutes now take 30 seconds. Speaking outlines created in minutes. Slide decks built in hours instead of weekends. But always coming back to the human’s discernment, never forfeiting it.

That time goes back to life.

Walks.
Yoga.
Time with her father.

She recently sold an AI curriculum to Santa Barbara City College and is expanding access to practical AI education that actually serves humans instead of enslaving them.

Efficiency with intention, not productivity theater.

When people work with Deborah, unexpected things happen.

Burnout lifts.
Voices return.
Confidence stabilizes.

Sometimes, people get married.

Literally.

Deborah has officiated eight weddings for former clients who stopped pushing and started aligning. When the nervous system calms, opportunity becomes visible. Relationships improve. Magnetism replaces force.

This is the part hustle culture never mentions.

Alignment is profitable.
Peace is strategic.
Rest is not the enemy. And you don’t have to earn it.

Deborah Deras is not asking you to stop working.

She is asking you to stop bleeding.

To recognize that exhaustion is not a badge. That adrenaline is not leadership. That the voice telling you to hurry is not wisdom.

The ideas you are chasing will meet you when you slow down.

Often on the water.
Sometimes on a walk.
Always in stillness.

If you are done proving, pushing, and performing your way into burnout, Deborah Deras offers coaching, speaking, and practical tools for success with ease and grace.

Connect with her at https://deborahderas.com and start listening to the quieter voice that already knows the way.

Here’s a conversation you’ll want to hear:

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