Endorsements
2020 Dallas Dressage Club Awards Banquet
“I find Debbie one amazing individual! After receiving my B.S degree in Equestrian Science in 1988, I began my professional career as a coach, trainer, and instructor. My main focus has been teaching riders. I met Debbie last year at a horse show in Tulsa Oklahoma. When I saw her riding Noir, I saw a woman with great courage and passion for the equestrian field.
I then began a journey of my own. In my equestrian profession, I had never come across a rider with blindness disability. Not only does Debbie have courage, she has a mount, Cornet Noir, that was selected by Kai Handt. Noir knows to proceed with caution. He has patience, as if he knows how to help Debbie overcome her disability. Debbie and I spend hours on what the horse is communicating to her. This is done by feel not sight.
When I put a blindfold on with a pin hole of sight and rode Noir, I found the challenge much harder than expected. For example: Where is the horse’s head? Is the horse round? A circle is a much bigger challenge than expected! Is my circle is round? And the feeling of wanting to know where you are in the arena. In addition, there are other factors that come into play when riding a performance horse.
Although there are several challenges to overcome, I find Debbie has shown great courage to work through her challenges. I feel honored to be a small part of her journey.”
— Nicole Wilkinson, Head Instructor, North Texas Equestrian Center
“As the Capital City, we were fortunate to welcome Deborah McAlexander to help bring awareness on living with disabilities. Deborah engaged the audience with stories of how she came to compete as a Para Dressage athlete and the trials and tribulations she encountered along the way. Deborah’s words and music were inspirational and a great example for many in our community. Deborah’s positive attitude helped in her achievements; she never gives up. She inspires so many around the world and continues to overcome adversity. We can all live by Deborah’s encouraging words that ‘All things are possible when one rides by faith, not by sight.’ I would like to personally thank Deborah for giving the City of Jefferson the opportunity to see that ‘Losing eyesight is far less significant than losing Vision Beyond Eyesight.’”
“I was immensely pleased with Deborah McAlexander’s presentation of “Vision Beyond Eyesight”. Deborah’s presentation was informative, well designed but most of all inspirational.
Her program gave insight on overcoming adversity and her material would be useful to any business or club organization needs. Her presentation style was interactive, engaging, and thorough and she was friendly, focused, exceptionally knowledgeable, and relaxed.
It is very apparent that she is very comfortable speaking in front of a group and her extroverted personality is contagious!
I would highly recommend Mrs. McAlexander to any professional group seeking to educate and inspire its members.”
“Ms. Deborah McAlexander presented to the Jefferson City Rotary Club using a multi-media approach to give greater depth to her message. She was animated, fun, and light hearted while conveying the message that “anything is possible.” Our members really enjoyed hearing her inspirational story. Her presentation showcased the concept to never give up on your dreams, no matter what obstacles are in the way. Furthermore, use those obstacles to not only make your dreams happen but strengthen your spirit.
Thank you Deborah!”
“Deborah McAlexander was a smash hit!”
“You were able to craft a presentation that was not only informative and insightful, but also thoroughly engaging. The content and overall quality of your presentation is unmatched.”
“Though I completely understand the extent of Deborah’s visual loss, I am confounded and in awe at how she has managed to succeed in so many areas of life. She is the epitome of the corporal virtues of courage and fortitude perhaps derived from the cardinal virtues of faith and hope. She inspires by example and by her constant positive attitude, never submitting to defeat or despair. Deborah is a living gift to those who know her and to all others who cross her path.”
“Deborah McAlexander is a very gifted and unique person who has the ability to motivate, teach, and entertain all at the same time. She will make you laugh, make you cry, inspire you, make you believe in yourself, and through sharing her own struggles in life, persuade you to believe that anything is possible through hard work and dedication. I cannot imagine any company not choosing this talented and inspiring speaker for their next event.”
“Your presentation, “Vision Beyond Eyesight!” was very dynamic, informative, and interesting, and it held everyone’s attention after our luncheon. I also want to especially thank you for the piano presentations during our reception and the luncheon. It was lovely to hear your repertoire of music selections. Again, Deborah, thank you for speaking and playing piano at the MSAE luncheon!”
“If you have not had the pleasure to meet Deborah, you are certainly in for a treat. Our members were completely wowed at the quality of her musical talent in playing the piano. She went over so big that I have asked her to play for our event next year, and I hope she will return to play for us for many years to follow. Deborah not only plays incredibly; she also gave an inspirational speech to over one hundred of our members. The association members are still contacting me to say that what Deborah had to say truly inspired how the view this vast equine industry. It is my hope that you will consider meeting and getting to know Deborah very soon. She has made such a large difference in our world that it would be a shame to keep her to ourselves. Invite her to play her beautiful music and to speak to your group in the future. You will be glad you did!”
From Ivan Turner - Entrepreneur, Speaker, Zig Ziglar Certified Legacy Trainer & Author of “I Broke The Code, So Can You!:
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ― Henry David Thoreau.
“People are always looking for ways to overcome adversity. After all, as human beings we all face challenges in our personal lives and careers. It’s at this most difficult time in one’s life that a decision has to be made. You can capitulate to your hardship and choose to live life in the shadows of failure and pain, or you can break free from the bondage of your adversity and live life to its fullest with an abundance of success and prosperity.
My friend Deborah McAlexander is no different. In fact, she was dealt a challenging hand at the young age of 25 when she lost her eyesight. Deborah could have easily chosen to succumb to the adversity, but instead she chose to rise to the top and live life to the fullest. Even being legally blind, she saw far beyond her adversity and is now sharing her message of hope, fortitude and love of life with others.
Deborah’s high energy presentations are one of a kind. Through the serenity of music she shares with others how to build the foundations of success and happiness. Her story is one well worth experiencing.
I highly encourage meeting planners, associations, business owners and houses of worship to invite Deborah McAlexander to speak to their groups for wisdom and inspiration.”
From Karen J. Larvick, Professor Emerita: Eastern Illinois University; University of Missouri:
I have known Deborah since 2001, when she was my graduate student in piano pedagogy classes at the University of Missouri. Even then, her presence in classes made her a unique example of determination and achievement for other students.
As I got to know Deborah better, I realized how much she had overcome to restructure her whole life after receiving the devastating news of blindness in her early twenties.
After receiving her Masters of Music degree, Deborah pursued new and higher standards for students in her piano studio. Her investment in eight high quality keyboards in addition to her grand piano, the group lessons and the excellent student audition preparations along with outstanding recitals gave her studio a wonderful reputation in the community. She also took a leadership role on several projects for the regional music teachers’ organization, MMAMTA, giving freely of her time and expertise to provide good community exposure and successful audition experiences to hundreds of students.
Deborah led a complex life for many years, pursuing a busy professional life and caring for her husband, whose health after retirement became increasingly fragile. Yet she continued to offer her talents, including regular performances in the Governor’s mansion and professional presentations for various local and regional organizations. Many people were inspired by her accomplishments and “can do” attitude in spite of the serious challenges in her life.
Following her husband’s death in 2017, Deborah took time to reevaluate her life’s direction. Perhaps she ultimately made one of her most challenging decisions when she began training for the 2020 Para Olympics. Even though she had again been riding horses for about ten years (a feat in itself!), the decision surprised, even shocked her friends and supporters. She gave up her home, her teaching studio, her pets, her whole lifestyle, to move to a small town in Texas, where she lives in a rented room and spends long days in strenuous training with horses--all this at the age of 66.
Those who know Deborah have witnessed her achievements in, around, and though adversity. Her positive, God-centered spirit is unstoppable. She does not give up; she encourages and inspires other to do what they can do and must do, to reach heights that they did not expect to achieve. She is a gift to all of us.
“Deborah McAlexander gave a brilliant presentation that combined and compared learning how to ride a horse to learning how to live life in general. She gave a great performance on the piano and showed videos of her showing a beautiful American Saddlebred horse. This was all the more impressive because she is legally blind! Deborah’s courage and positive attitude is an inspiration beyond belief. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to see her presentation. You will be glad to know that there are people like Deborah in this world, and that she has the ability to share her story in a manner that will help others to be more like her.”
“Please allow me to commend Deborah McAlexander to you as you plan your next special event or concert. Deborah has an inspiring story to tell. She has been legally blind for many years. The fact that she can see at all is amazing. She is a wonderful pianist and horse woman. She combines the two through live piano performance and video presentation weaving in her story of faith. She adapts her presentation to fit the occasion. I highly recommend her.”
“Deborah McAlexander’s powerfully effective presentation reaches those who could only be reached by someone like Deborah who has faced challenges and overcome them. She is not only a great motivational speaker and gifted pianist, but a shining example of what we can do if we are determined to make the most out of our lives.”
