Episode 046
The Art of Unmasking - One Brushstroke at a Time with Deborah Ann Baker
She was six when the world told her she was wrong – for coloring outside the lines. So she spent decades getting it all right. Until illness forced everything to stop, and her inner artist finally picked up the brush.
What spilled out next? Messy, wild, glorious truth.
Deborah Ann Baker was the model of perfection – a PhD in counseling psychology, the gold medals, the mask that never cracked. Until her body did. A sudden diagnosis brought her life to a halt. No more pushing. No more pretending.
And in that stillness? She met her six-year-old self – the little girl who was once scolded for coloring a tree purple. That memory became the spark that led Deborah back to herself through abstract art, deep healing, and the radical act of saying “no” to the mask and “yes” to her truth.
In this conversation, we talk about: – What creativity can reveal when words fall short – Why your inner perfectionist isn’t the enemy (just outdated) – How to listen for the whisper of your soul when everything feels numb – And why being witnessed – not fixed – is what we really need
Whether you’ve forgotten what you love or feel like you’ve outgrown the life you carefully built… this one’s a compass back to you.
“You don’t need to be fixed. You need to be witnessed.”
Connect witH deborah:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/deborakannbakerart
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/DeborahAnnBakerArt
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/deborahannbaker
- Website:
deborahann-baker.pixels.com
Timestamps:
00:00 – The Purple Tree That Changed Everything
02:00 – Early Perfectionism and the Medal Moment That Didn’t Feel Good
05:00 – When Achievements Fall Flat and the Mask Gets Heavy
09:15 – The PhD, the Burnout, and the Awakening
12:00 – Cancer Cracks Her Open
15:30 – The First Painting After Everything Stopped
18:00 – Creating Without Rules – and Meeting Her True Self
22:30 – Perfectionism, Expression, and Learning to Let Go
26:00 – What Happens When We Drop the Mask
28:50 – Writing the Book That Witnessed Her Healing
33:00 – Little Deborah on the Suitcase – And the Power of Reparenting
36:00 – “They Loved the Mask. Not Me.”
39:00 – Finding Your Authentic Self (Hint: Start Here)
44:00 – You Don’t Need to Be Fixed – You Need to Be Witnessed
46:30 – How Energy Shapes What We Attract
49:00 – The Retreat That Rewrites Your Inner Story
50:20 – Say Yes – Even When You’re Afraid