Excellence By Design Academy

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“Growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you want to be.”

-John C. Maxwell

"The greatest courageous act that we must all do is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams." ~ Oprah Winfrey

Do you ever feel like you are doing all the ‘right’ things and not seeing the results?

Og Mandino says that “It is those who concentrate on the one thing at a time who advance in the world.”

What are you concentrating on?

We need focus and we need to focus on the right things.

There is no magic formula, however there is a formula.

It's taken alot of trying to get things right, I finally got it...

The gift lies in the journey.

The best gift that a business owner can give their business is the best version of themselves.

And I want to share what I am learning with you.

We talk about all thing's leadership, business, and personal development. We may even throw in a lil’ tech tool help here and there too!

~ Coach Dezi

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From The Blog...

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You Don’t Have to Have It All Together — You Just Have to Begin

July 07, 20253 min read

You Don’t Have to Have It All Together — You Just Have to Begin


You reach a point in life where the hustle no longer hits. Not because you don’t have ambition, but because your soul starts asking better questions.

In your 40s and 50s, there's a shift. You stop performing for proximity. You start prioritizing peace. Every detour, heartbreak, and pivot deepens your well of resilience. And what once looked like chaos? It starts to look like compost — rich, fertile ground for the woman you’re becoming.

I know this because I’ve lived it.

When Silence Speaks Louder Than Support

A few years ago, I hit what I’ll call a divine pause. I had reached the edge of burnout, betrayal, and bottomed-out faith in people I thought would hold me up. I was still showing up, but inside? I was depleted.

motivational quote

And then came a moment — a “If they wanted to, they would” moment. I stopped talking. I got still. And in that stillness, I saw who truly showed up… and who just wanted access.

That silence saved me. Because in it, I stopped centering everyone else’s expectations and started honoring my own vision again.

No More “Good Second Chair”

For much of my career, I was the woman behind the curtain — dependable, competent, capable. The good second chair.

But that role, as noble as it can be, was also keeping me from the seat I was born to claim. When I finally made the shift from supporting their vision to stewarding mine, everything changed. Not overnight. Not without risk. But with deep-rooted integrity.

Messy Still Works

There’s a lie that says you need it all figured out before you start. That you need the perfect brand, polished packages, a viral audience.

But I’ll tell you what I’ve learned working with women entrepreneurs:

You don’t need perfect. You need real.

One of my clients once said, “Dezi, I want to work with you because you know me. You know my business. That means something to me. And you're patient.”

In a world full of noise, people crave to be seen — not scanned. Known — not managed.

That’s what I’ve built through my Creative Tech Concierge membership. Not just another tech training room, but a community of women who value clarity, connection, and a slower, more human rhythm of business.

motivational quote from nelson mandela

Faith, Wisdom, and the Inner Work

God is my Source. Period.

But that doesn’t mean I get to sit back and wait for the promise to arrive at my front door. It means I move differently — led by wisdom, grounded in values, and doing the inner work to make sure my outer world aligns with what I say I believe.

That work doesn’t happen at just another event or in a weekend intensive. It happens when you’re honest about what’s no longer working. When you surrender the mask and choose meaning over momentum.

It’s the Design

If you’re in the thick of a shift right now — questioning everything, feeling like your voice is too quiet, your story too messy, your path too uncertain — I want you to hear me clearly:

You don’t need to have it all together. You just need to honor the pull.

The detours you’ve taken aren’t delays. They’re compost. They’ve been preparing you for the kind of impact only a woman with depth, faith, and lived experience can bring.

So when it gets quiet, lean in. When things feel messy, don’t run. Because compost? That’s where the real growth begins.

faith and businessresilience in leadershipstarting over at 50women in transitionpersonal growth for women
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Desiree Foster-Collins

Hi I'm Coach Dezi aka The #CreativeTechWhisperer. I'm a Business Coach & Mentor to women entrepreneurs. I'm a Certified Leadership Development Trainer, Six Sigma Green Belt & Human Behavior Consultant focused on helping women entrepreneurs & small business owners with building people, process & systems for their businesses. I love God, my 2 amazing kids and all things creative, business and tech.

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About Coach Dezi

Desiree Foster-Collins is the Founder of EBD
Collective Coaching & Consulting. She is a Maxwell Leadership Executive Program Team Member and a Certified Human Behavioral Consultant.

"You can have it all. Just not all at once." - Oprah Winfrey

This is the space where I share my thoughts, my wins, my learns and all things in-between on leading and growing my business.

I also share the parts that others won't - the hard parts of being the woman I desire to be and living out my purpose of helping you to grow your business and change lives. It starts and stops with you!

I'm a Mom to two amazing creative human beings. I love all things leadership, creativity, techy, travel and really good food.

I am a woman of faith and I will share about that too!

Thanks for being here!