Empowerment Through Transparency: Framing Life’s Challenges to Elevate Your Business and Your Purpose
How an honest conversation on The Happy Entrepreneur Show reminded me that transparency isn’t a weakness—it’s a calling.
There’s power in being seen.
Not just in your wins. Not just when the camera is on and the smile is polished. But in the in-between. The struggle. The moment you almost quit—but chose not to.
That’s the place where purpose lives.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Che Brown, the host of The Happy Entrepreneur Show, to talk about how life’s challenges have not only shaped my personal growth, but elevated the way I serve through my business. We talked about transparency—real, vulnerable, sometimes uncomfortable transparency—and how it has become the cornerstone of my platform and my purpose.
I wasn’t always comfortable sharing my journey. Like many of us, I was taught to keep it together, to push through, to present the strong face. But life—especially in the last few years—taught me something different. Life taught me that healing and growth don’t come from hiding, they come from framing.
Framing the hard moments. The pivots. The breakdowns that turned into breakthroughs.
What I’ve learned from framing instead of hiding:
Transparency isn’t telling all your business—it’s telling the truth of your becoming.
When you share from a place of healing, you invite others to hope.
Your story can unlock purpose not just for you, but for the people you’re called to serve.
In my headshot business, Detroit City Headshots, I work with professionals from all walks of life. Many of them arrive trying to present an image they think the world wants to see. But what I’ve found is this: the best headshots happen when we drop the performance. When we settle into who we are right now, not who we’re trying to be.
The same is true in life.
We elevate our business and our purpose when we stop trying to outrun our story—and instead embrace it.
To Che Brown—thank you.
Thank you for holding space for this conversation. Thank you for asking the kind of questions that go beyond surface-level success. Your platform is a gift, and it was an honor to share mine with your audience.
For those who’d like to watch the full interview, you can find it here:
Watch the Interview on The Happy Entrepreneur Show
Encouraging Nuggets:
You don’t need to be polished to be powerful.
Your greatest challenge may be your greatest calling in disguise.
Keep showing up—with truth, with faith, and with courage.
With love and strength,
Deb Davis
Empowering and encouraging others, one story at a time.