On a Personal Note

Reclaiming your confidence and rebuilding your life is something I know a lot about.  My learning started through personal experience when I quit my day job at age 36 and travel the world with my husband Stuart. 

Then Stuart was killed suddenly in a road accident in Poland. I was thrust into a slow, confusing, painful, personal transformation.  Everything changed for me, in ways that I absolutely did not want.  I had to find a new home, a new job, a new country. 

My transformation process took me back to university, out to a hidden-away farmhouse and back overseas. I talked with many other young widows, people wanting to change career paths, businesses needing to align their teams around a shared goal and teenagers struggling to find their path.

I discovered that when you step into your courage to start exploring, there are so many opportunities around you - there’s always so much more we can try, fail at and absolutely love doing.  I’ve ventured into another wonderful marriage and a fulfilling career supporting organisations and individuals to maximise their own growth opportunities. 

support with

Grief and loss

Deb’s intention is to change the way we think about grief so it is less fearful, more appreciated and easier to deal with in our society.  She does this by demystifying the feelings and behaviours surrounding grief and encouraging people to talk openly about what grief is really like.

Loss affects us all differently and sometimes in ways we didn’t expect, whether it’s the death of loved one or loss of a pet, a job, your health or your grown up kids moving out.

Meet Deb for a coffee to talk about what’s happening for you and what to do next. You’re not crazy and you can find a way through this. You just need someone to listen, be kind and help you make sense of your new world.

 
 

Grief, Loss and Transformation

Tailored Sessions

Deb knows grief.  She has been studying, working with and supporting people who are dealing with grief across Queensland for more than 10 years and launched Deb Rae Solutions in 2013.   She has also been a young widow for 12 years.

That’s what makes Deb different.  Her insights into the world of a grieving person are honest, raw and sometimes painfully funny. Deb empowers people to understand both the universal and individual nature of grief and how we can integrate loss into a future fulfilling life.

  • Topics include:  

    • Understanding the grieving process and common reactions

    • Dealing with grief at difficult times (Christmas, anniversaries, etc)

    • Supporting family and friends through loss

    • Supporting staff members, clients and customers when they are grieving

    • Working through grief to peace

    • Supporting grieving children, adolescents and people with a disability

    • Grief in families and communities

    • Topics are tailored to meet the audience’s specific needs.

    • Sessions may be 2 hours to 2 days in length, with 2 - 25 participants.

    • All workshops are interactive, challenging, practical and fun.

    • Workshops are focused on identifying and building on your existing strengths and resources.

    • You will be challenged and supported to take action in a safe, supportive environment.

    • Costs depend on your preferred length and format of workshop.

WATTLE

  • WATTLE (Women Acting Together Through Loss to Empowerment) is a support group for young widows in the Mackay (Qld, Australia) region.

  • The group meets on the last Thursday of each month for dinner (at a different venue each month).

  • ‘Young’ is defined to be as young as you feel.

  • 'Widows’ includes wives, girlfriends, de-facto partners, same-sex partners, etc.

  • The group's intention is to share, empower each other and have fun in a safe, non-judgemental environment.

  • The group is not based on any religious faith and does not have any particular agenda.

  • Deb will personally meet you for a coffee first so you can find out more and feel more comfortable.

 

What Others Say

"I don't know how I would have gotten through the early days (after my husband's death) and the following years without the help of Deb.  I found being in her company very comforting and reassuring.  I have watched Deb grow in the last 10 years into someone who is able to truly understand the grief process and has a genuine desire to help others who are experiencing the same journey."

Jodi Falt, Young Widow

"Deb Rae has been a great inspiration and role model for me.  She has worked tirelessly to provide support to women in need.   I am truly grateful for her strength, empathy and support during a difficult time in my life, the death of my husband.  Deb’s tireless effort to bring the WATTLE (Women Acting Together Through Loss to Empowerment) project to life here in Mackay has delivered a much needed medium that can help women through support, information and friendship.  All the women in the WATTLE group have supported each other using the strategies learned from Deb."

Sharon Ridgeway, Young Widow and WATTLE member, Nebo, Qld

“I congratulate Deb Rae on her work and thank her for her courage, her insight, her wit, her empathy, her generosity of spirit, her vision for this book, and most of all, her strength.”

Sharon A Schoneveld, BSW, GCert T&D, JP (Qual), Clinical Social Worker, Mackay, Qld.