Debra studied acting at the nationally-acclaimed Piven Theatre Workshop with such talents as John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and Jeremy Piven. Her vocal training began at the Northwestern University vocal department while still attending high school. She declined an opera scholarship to Oberlin Conservatory in order to study musical theatre at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM.)

She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and received a Masters of Fine Arts in musical theatre from San Diego State University, where she graduated Phi Kappa Phi as a Marion Ross Scholar.

Debra has performed in regional theatres and cabaret clubs across the country, most frequently in Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, and South Florida. In Professionally Speaking at the Off-Broadway, The Miami Herald hailed her “a comic sparkplug.”   Her role in Triumph of Love won a KPBS-TV Patté award. Her one-woman show My Nights With George, Kurt & Cole, (co-written and directed by comic genius, Phil Johnson) was featured at various venues throughout Southern California and won Best New Play and Best Actress at the 2003 San Diego Actors Festival, and the San Diego Playbill Billie Award for Best Actress in a musical.

She took hiatus from performing to explore the “other side of the table.” As a talent manager and at Creative Artists Agency, under world-famous super-agent Michael Ovitz, she helped to guide the careers of such actors as Donald Sutherland, Patrick Dempsey, Halle Berry, Alyssa Milano, and Antonio Banderas.  Having been yelled at by some of the most powerful players in Hollywood, she decided that performing was just as difficult, but a lot more fun.

Debra is a Certified Bulletproof Human Potential Coach, studying in a year-long program with the Bulletproof Certified Coach Training Program with Dave Asprey & Dr. Mark Atkinson. As a coach, Debra specializes in helping actors & creative types find a healthy lifestyle balance while maintaining an exciting, satisfying creative career (it can be done!)

She co-hosted The Upgraded Woman Podcast with Lane Kennedy found on iTunes and UpgradedWoman.com. Debra travels the country speaking and working with young actors to learn healthy habits to set them on a course for a long, healthy career as as Resilient Actor!

Her book,  The Resilient Actor: How to Kick Ass in the Business (Without it Kicking Your Ass) is available on Amazon and Audible

Debra is very excited to announce that as of 2020 her companion to her book, The Resilient Actor: Workbook and Planner is now available of Amazon.