Dr. Deborah S. Howell, a seasoned veteran in healthcare and an advocate for wellness, is the heart and driving force behind Victory in Action. With nearly three decades of clinical experience and a military background, she specializes in empowering healthcare leaders and front-line professionals dealing with high stress and life or career transitions. A licensed physical therapist, trauma-sensitive practitioner, international speaker, best-selling author, advisor, and mentor, Dr. Howell offers heart-focused leadership, emotional resilience training, and expertise in Emotional Muscle Fitness®. Her mission is to revitalize professionals’ passion, guiding them to reclaim personal health and purpose through integrative wellness services and heartfelt support and mentorship. MysticMag chats with Dr. Deborah Howell.
Can you share more about your personal journey from your experience as a healthcare professional to becoming a Medical Health Advisor, Mentor, and advocate for the well-being of healthcare and front-line professionals? What inspired this transition and your mission to support others in the field?
For me, it’s been a journey spanning about three decades—30 years next year—in healthcare, following my time in the military. Early on, I experienced an injury that significantly impacted my career. Initially, I didn’t fully grasp what was happening within the healthcare system. I’ve always leaned towards holistic practices, but when chronic pain persisted for about a year post-injury, it began affecting my work and functionality. I was pushing myself to help others while neglecting my own health, unaware of the cumulative effects. This experience took a toll on every aspect of my life—professionally and personally. It made me reflect on how we value ourselves and allocate time and attention to self-care. The pressures, both internal and external, depleted me, as it does to many in the healthcare workforce. We enter this field with good intentions, yet we find ourselves trapped in a system that lacks resources, pushing us to follow routines without feeling like we’re practicing the effective care we know. The current structure, especially with electronic medical records, divides our attention and energy. It took me a while to recognize that these unconscious stressors were still impacting me. Consciously, I understood the challenge, but unconsciously, I was still carrying a physical and emotional burden that was contributing to a profound level of depletion. This firsthand experience has shaped how I approach patients and clients who are in a similar struggle, trying to navigate their health and work-life balance and relying on me for guidance. It’s driven me to shed light as an advisor and offer support as a mentor and coach, to assist fellow providers in recognizing that our internal state directly reflects how we care. Our presence in healthcare extends beyond words—it’s about being attuned and aware, fostering a deeper understanding that starts within ourselves before we can effectively serve others without losing ourselves in the process of caregiving.
In your journey, you mention experiencing high levels of stress and burnout. Could you provide insights into the challenges and struggles you faced during that period and how you overcame them to achieve a healthier, more sustainable way of life and practice?
During that challenging time, I felt isolated and misunderstood, afraid of the unknown ahead. Seeking help, I found myself hesitant about medication, although it’s often a standard part of care. The frustration and disappointment grew because I sensed my body wasn’t functioning as it should, impacting my enthusiasm and sense of direction. A conflict arose between what I saw, what I received in care, and the way I believed healthcare should be practiced. Initially, I struggled to break free from the frustration and resistance against conforming to the system’s norms. Realizing this internal conflict was draining me, I learned to offer myself more compassion and prioritize self-care. Writing became therapeutic—a means to express, reflect, and break free from stagnancy and confusion. It wasn’t just about publishing a book; it was a way of releasing and realigning my thoughts and emotions, offering a much-needed release and realignment for my well-being.
As the Founder and CEO of Victory in Action LLC, you specialize in Heart-Focused Leadership, Emotional Resiliency, and Health and Wellness. How do these areas intersect, and what approaches do you use to empower healthcare professionals to recharge, regain perspective, and restore their well-being?
Accessing our heart is crucial—it’s about being present to our inner dialogue, tapping into a deep reservoir within us, an inner coherence. This inner space is expansive, warm, and holds immense wisdom. Often, we guard against feeling our emotions, which obstructs our capacity to connect with ourselves authentically. Learning to access our heart space enables us to be genuinely present, vulnerable yet strong, fostering authenticity and sensitivity in our work. We need this openness to thrive rather than just survive amidst the pressures and stressors in healthcare. Sensitivity and empathy are vital for guidance and grace—traits I recognized and embodied at the bedside of my best friend and colleague who I lost suddenly to a health condition she didn’t know she had. This personal experience provided deep insight and highlighted the need to balance expertise with sensitivity, as sometimes our routines desensitize us from the profound emotions present in healthcare scenarios and we become unknowingly detached. Health caregiving has become automated and there are many constraints to contend with. Time to care is a major constraint as there is often insufficient time and a feeling of being rushed or pressured to meet productivity demands. This rush can lead us to dismiss and overlook the fear and concerns that our patients harbor, especially those dealing with life-altering situations and having to figure out how to move on or how to start over. It’s crucial to challenge our beliefs, be open-hearted, and create a space that’s kind, safe, and nurturing—allowing us to listen deeply to fears and concerns, and to provide comfort even amid uncertainty. This open-hearted approach enhances our intuitive ability to receive information and guidance, allowing it to flow through us and inform our care without imposing our will onto others, and without neglecting ourselves and others.
You’ve introduced the concept of Emotional Muscle Fitness®. Could you explain what this methodology entails and how it enhances the ability to manage stress, cope with change, and build emotional capacity and resilience into everyday life for healthcare professionals?
Emotional muscle fitness is about expanding our capacity to care, being tuned-in and present to our needs in the moment and being in alignment with our deepest values. It’s about mindfulness and integrating practiced knowledge into our daily routines and experiences rather than confining it to formal practices. In caregiving roles, empowering patients to trust their intuition and open to their emotions helps enhance healing and recovery. Often, after a major health crisis or life-changing event, long-held emotions may surface, and quick responses are not supportive. It’s important to recognize that not knowing or understanding something isn’t a dead end—it’s about a willingness, an openness to learning, to asking questions and seeking answers, and allowing intuition as well as our knowledge and experience to guide us. Patients need practitioners who are compassionate and have a non-judgmental and caring presence, providers who mindfully acknowledge their health journey while fostering personal self-care. This emotional resilience involves navigating uncertainty, embracing vulnerability as a source of strength, and recognizing how we care for ourselves impacts our ability to care for others. Knowing our craft is vital, but so is the deeper emotional connection and openness we bring to our work.
Healthcare professionals dedicate their time, energy, and attention to providing care to others. How do your services, such as private and group coaching and corporate wellness programs, address the emotional support and resilience training needs of healthcare professionals? What can individuals and organizations expect when they engage with your programs?
I’m in transition and gearing up for a launch as I am expanding my services to include three, six, and twelve-month programs. These programs are highly customized offering private 1:1 and group sessions. It’s essential to create a safe space that allows individuals to share what’s most meaningful to them and where shared learning becomes a key factor—real heart-to-heart conversations, fostering authenticity without barriers. It’s realizing that authenticity begins with genuine self-care and feeling good about ourselves as we are in service to others. Authenticity shapes every interaction, verbal or non-verbal, and creates an energetic exchange. By merging concrete science with heartfelt intangibles, this integrative and experiential approach aims to bridge the gap between factual knowledge and the emotional space where we truly reside—our feelings, thoughts, and beliefs profoundly impact our actions. This model of working with our heart’s intelligence and blending personal and collective lived experiences and interactions with dedicated professionals who want to become the best version of themselves and live a fulfilling life is my path moving forward.
If you would like to find out more about Victory In Action, visit https://victoryinaction.com/
