The DL on Deedre

Do you know that sound flip-flops make when you walk? I invented that. You’re welcome.

I also suck the air out of light bulbs for fun.

If you laughed at that, then you passed the first test, and we could be friends.

Here’s the deal: I craft conversation starters from weird facts. For instance, cockroach milk packs four times the protein of cow’s milk. How do you milk a cockroach?

I know what you are thinking: Cockroaches don’t have milk. They have a secretion – but that is a word I do not recommend using when meeting people for the first time. It tends to give them the ick. It’s right up there with that word that begins with an M and rhymes with hoist.

Questions like the cockroach one above work so much better than “What do you do for a living?” or “What do you do for fun?” or “Tell me about yourself.” Boring questions yield boring results. You get what you give.

I have asked that cockroach question to thousands of people. They gag, giggle, and then produce hilarious answers that people remember long after the conversation ends. New ideas bubble up as people discuss creating an event like a wine festival for the milk or inventing contraptions like a salad spinner to collect the bug juice. Suddenly, strangers have inside jokes.

So, how did all this cockroach talk come about?

I’m a former corporate executive who left a 20-year career in insurance to give my life more meaning. I loved my job, team, and customers, and I was proud of the results we produced, but I began to feel stuck, bored, depressed, and burned out. I was done wasting my life in soul-sucking meetings, rehashing the same old stuff with other people who didn’t value my contributions and didn’t get me—or worse, didn’t even like me.

I was chugging a daily bitter cocktail, which was shaken by my middle-aged ennui, strained by my late-in-life ADHD diagnosis, and served on the rocks with a garnish of “cougar puberty” fluctuating hormones. That beverage caused a massive hangover with no end or cure in sight.

(There is more to the story, which I share on stages and in my upcoming book.)

Just like asking interesting questions creates better connections, you get what you give in life. I realized that to have a more interesting life, I needed to be more interesting, too.

So, I made some changes.

I changed my life by founding The Interesting Conversations Company® and The Big Fat Tip®, trying new things, developing new skills & creating unique products & services. My activities attracted brilliant and talented people who opened doors for me. Many became dear friends and mentors. I’m so grateful to have met them and for their support.

I realized that my 20 years in corporate America gave me a treasure trove of experience, making me a powerful speaker and communication coach with plenty to share.

I’ve spoken at hundreds of huge conferences, led sales and marketing teams, mentored emerging leaders, crafted national training programs, networked with execs at 800+ organizations, helped build billion-dollar business plans for GEICO, and battled the stubborn human resistance to change.

Then came my leap into solo entrepreneurship—hustling to launch products and keynotes for in-person events just before COVID-19 shut down in-person gatherings worldwide. That twist pushed me to pivot into hosting virtual game shows to keep the lights on.

I‘m on a MISSION to:
🌎 Help you stand out in the world – so you attract more opportunities in your life and business.
🤔 Teach you to think creatively and solve problems like a pro.
😂 Make you laugh. Laughter reduces stress and relieves pain. Plus, laughing together helps build trust.
❤️ Help you build stronger bonds with others. Relationships make the world go ’round. All opportunities come from people!

Are you feeling lost, stuck, or just plain overwhelmed? I get it. I’ve been stuck in a vat of peanut butter, too.

If you’re ready to get unstuck, I’m here to help you break free.