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Episode Description

For anyone who has experienced an enmeshed relationship with their mother, who needs or needed to step out of her shadow, or who yearns or yearned to find herself in spite of it, our conversation with Deborah is for you! A vault of family secrets needed prying open here ~ An only child, Deborah Burns grew up in prim 1950s America in the shadow of a her beautiful, unconventional, rule-breaking mother, Dorothy—a red-haired beauty who looked like Rita Hayworth and skirted norms with a style and flare that made her the darling of men and women alike. Married to the son of a renowned Italian family with ties to the underworld, Dorothy fervently eschewed motherhood and domesticity, turning Deborah over to her spinster aunts to raise while she was the star of a vibrant social life. As a child, Deborah revered her charismatic mother, but Dorothy was a woman full of secrets with a troubled past—a mistress of illusion whose love seemed just out of her daughter’s grasp. In vivid, lyrical prose, Saturday’s Child tells the story of Deborah’s eccentric upbringing and her quest in midlife, long after her parents’ death, to uncover the truth about her mother and their complex relationship. No longer under the spell of her maternal goddess, but still caught in a wrenching cycle of love and longing, Deborah must finally confront the reality of her mother’s legacy—and finally claim her own. Drop In with us to experience the pain, the reflections and ultimately the triumph.

Deborah Burns

As a media chief innovation officer turned founder and award-winning author, Deborah Burns’ story has always been about invention and reinvention. She’s lived those two keywords with brands and clients throughout her career, and she’s lived them in a life full of more twists and turns than she can tally. Now Deborah helps businesses and people invent and reinvent their companies, careers, and lives. Her second book—Authorize it! Think Like a Writer to Win at Work & Life—joins her virtual corporate Workshops and online Courses to nurture talent, inspire personal and professional development, and help everyone live up to their potential and have more successful careers. AUTHORIZE IT! blends Deborah’s strategic business expertise with all the creative lessons she learned from the world of storytelling while writing her acclaimed debut memoir, Saturday’s Child. Featured in The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, Refinery29, Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Thrive Global, LA Times, NY Post, Brit + Co, and PopSugar, Deborah’s own evolution spans leading brands like ELLEgirl, Metropolitan Home, ELLE Décor, and ELLE International to founding two brands of her own: media consulting firm DJB Ventures and, after earning her C.P.C. credentials, Skirting the Rules® to help women reinvent.