Debra Hester

Creating for a cause. Author, creative, visualist, businesswoman. #empathyforgrief; #movemapping #empathyoversympathy

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

I heard this quote during a panel discussion about making a “reset.”

But it did more than make me think about resetting. It made me reflect.

“Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.”
— Andy Stanley

The words stayed with me long after the discussion ended. So, I looked up the person behind the quote—and then turned the question inward:

As a leader, how well do I listen?

Do I listen to understand—or to respond?

Do people feel comfortable bringing me a different perspective?

Have I created space for people to tell me what I need to hear, not simply what I want to hear?

Sometimes a reset isn't about changing everything around us. Sometimes it begins by reflecting on something within us.

So, my Monday Morning Mindset question for fellow leaders is simple:

How well do you listen—and would the people you lead answer that question the same way you do?

That one may be worth sitting with this week.

Weaving pathways through life’s meaningful transitions.

My Backyard Garden® & MOVE Mapping®

#MondayMindset #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ReflectiveLeadership #Listening #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #MOVEForward

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

There’s nothing like Move-In Day at UAPB! 🦁💛🖤

From welcoming smiles to helping hands, our campus community came together to help our Golden Lions settle in and get ready for the semester ahead.

Welcome home, Golden Lions! #UAPB #UAPBPride #GoldenLions #MoveInDay #HBCU #UAPBStudents

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

From page to presentation.
Look Up Mississippi is headed to the Mississippi River Symposium.

I’m honored to share that my presentation, “Mississippi River Reflections: Reframing Grief, Healing, and Hope Through a Delta Photographic Memoir,” has been selected for the inaugural Mississippi River Symposium, “The Mississippi in American Memory,” at Lakeport Plantation Museum in Lake Village, Arkansas, on October 9.

The presentation draws from my book, Look Up Mississippi, A Photographic Memoir and its photographs, poetry, and reflections inspired by the Mississippi Delta.

There is additional meaning in bringing this work to Lakeport Plantation Museum, a historic Delta place that preserves and interprets complex histories of people, place, enslavement, labor and memory.

For me, this selection represents another step in the journey of connecting creative expression, visual storytelling, grief education and healing, reflection and meaning-making through My Backyard Garden®.

I’m looking forward to sharing more of the story—and some of the images behind it—as we get closer to October.

Mississippi River Symposium: “The Mississippi in American Memory”
October 9, 2026 | Lakeport Plantation Museum | Lake Village, Arkansas

Weaving pathways through life’s meaningful transitions.

#LookUpMississippi #MyBackyardGardenBooks #MississippiRiver #MississippiDelta #GriefAndHealing #VisualStorytelling #PhotographicMemoir #MeaningMaking

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

✨ Honored and grateful. ✨

Thank you, Wordsmiths & Writers, for featuring Faithfully Moving Forward.

This journey has been about much more than a workshop—it's about helping others discover purpose, possibility, and persistence through faith.

Thank you to everyone who's been part of this experience.

Read the Wordsmiths & Writers feature here: https://t.co/fbRAY5dJgL

#FaithfullyMovingForward #MOVEMapping #ArkansasDeltaAuthor #ChristianLeadership #MyBackyardGarden #Purpose #Persistence #Storytelling #HigherEducation #CommunityImpact

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

✨ Faithfully Moving Forward ✨

I'm so grateful to God and to everyone who has joined us for the first two weeks of our Sunday School journey at New St. Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church.

Seeing hearts open, stories shared, and faith strengthened has been an incredible blessing.

💛 There's still time to join us for the final two sessions on Sunday, July 19, and Sunday, July 26, at 10 am at 3319 S Ohio St Pine Bluff, AR 71601.

If you can't attend in person, you can also watch the recordings on my YouTube channel @mothersbackyardenterprises or use the link:
https://t.co/Dj8u7FEJ0c

Let's continue moving forward together with purpose, possibility, persistence, and faith.

🙏 Thank you for walking this journey with me.

#FaithfullyMovingForward #MOVEMapping #ThriveInJuly #BiblicallyBalanced #MyBackyardGarden #ChristianAuthor #ArkansasDeltaAuthor #FaithJourney #Purpose #Hope #Community #YouTube

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Are you ready to move forward with faith, purpose, and hope?
Join us for Faithfully Moving Forward: A MOVE Mapping Journey Through Purpose, Possibility, and Persistence, a four-week Sunday School workshop series at New St. Hurricane MB Church.

Sundays at 10 a.m.
July 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2026
New St. Hurricane MB Church
Pine Bluff, AR

Led by Mary Debra HesterClifton, Founder & Facilitator of MBG MOVE Mapping©, under the leadership of NSH Pastor, Rev. Dr. Derick Easter. Learn more about Mary Debra’s books, podcast, and My Backyard Garden® platform at https://t.co/2eNyvvvRvK.

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

This week, challenge yourself to turn down the volume on self-doubt and turn up the voice of purpose. You don't have to have everything figured out. You don't have to be perfect. You simply have to be willing to take the next step.

Growth rarely begins with certainty—it begins with courage.

As you move through this week, ask yourself:

What would I do if I trusted myself just a little more?

Tend your Garden with Grace 🌱

#MondayMindset #MondayMotivation #DreamBig #TakeAChance #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #MyBackyardGarden #EmpathyForGrief #PurposeDriven

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Feel Good Friday 🌎

For World Environment Day, remember:

You don't have to change the whole world today.

Just be part of the solution. 🌱

Small actions + many people = meaningful change.

#FeelGoodFriday #WorldEnvironmentDay #BePartOfTheSolution #MyBackyardGarden

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Trust Your Wings
"A paper airplane doesn't know exactly where it will land. It simply trusts the wings it was given and the courage of the launch."

This week's Monday Mindset Moment reminds us that none of us fly alone. The lessons, love, and encouragement we receive from others often carry us farther than we realize.

I invite you to listen to Episode #21, Just Fly — A Memorial Reflection, from #empathyforgrief: Break the Silent Struggle With Grief In My Backyard Garden, and reflect on the people whose influence still helps you soar.

Available at https://t.co/qGqZJKcpPU and through most podcast providers. The video version is available on my YouTube Channel: https://t.co/8A7SgdjDNN

Who helped shape your wings?

Peace & Blessings,
Debra Hester

#AuthorLife, #PodcastHost, #Storytelling, #ReflectivePractice, #MemoirWriting, #PoetryCommunity, #MondayMindset, #MondayMotivation, #HealingJourney, #ArkansasAuthors, #Arkansas #UAPB #AState #OKStateAlumni #LeadershipDevelopment

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Monday Mindset Moment ✨
What kind of leader are you becoming?

Some leaders try to save everyone.
Some leaders create confusion and disappear.
And some leaders quietly help others grow. 🌱

What leadership qualities are you working to strengthen this week?

Because leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room…
it’s about creating space for others to rise too.

🌿 Move forward with grace… at your pace.

#MondayMindsetMoment #ServantLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipMindset #MoveForwardWithGrace #EmotionalIntelligence #ProfessionalGrowth #MyBackyardGarden #UAPB #HigherEducation #LeadershipDevelopment #StudentSuccess #GraduateEducation #ArkansasState #OklahomaState #HigherEdLeadership #ProfessionalGrowth

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

This Memorial Day weekend, I’m sharing "Just Fly" — A Memorial Reflection, Episode #21 of Break the Silent Struggle With Grief, Loss and Healing in My Backyard Garden.

A tribute to memory, mentorship, love, and the lasting impact of those we carry with us.

Sometimes, “Just Fly” means allowing memory and legacy to lift us.

🎙️ Now on YouTube: https://t.co/Q1FzQGEqfV
#MemorialDay #JustFly #EmpathyForGrief #MyBackyardGardenBooks

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Monday Mindset Moment:

“Press Autopilot for Routine.
Press Mindfulness for Peace.”

This week, slow down long enough to notice your life.
What feels like disruption may actually be direction.

What will you be mindful of this week?

🎧 Podcast Episode #20: “Turbulence: From Disruption to Direction” now streaming at https://t.co/dS0RTooD56

#MondayMindsetMoment #Mindfulness #EmpathyForGrief #HealingJourney #Podcast #MentalWellness #ChoosePeace #UAPB #OKStateAlumni @ArkansasState @okstate

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

🌿 Feel Good Friday
Even in life’s turbulence…
there are still moments of light.

🎧 Today’s new podcast episode reflects on how turbulence can gently guide us back to direction and purpose.

#empathyforgrief - Break the Silent Struggle With Grief
Episode 20:
🌿 Turbulence: From Disruption to Direction

Listen today, Spotify: https://t.co/SvKjkeWvjW
YouTube: https://t.co/tqSTTnvmDk

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

🌿 Reflection Moment:

What has your turbulence been trying to show you?

Sometimes the moments that interrupt us…
are the very moments meant to redirect us.

🎧 Episode 20 arrives tomorrow, part of Feel Good Friday.
#empathyforgrief: Break the Silent Struggle with Grief Podcast
Video version: https://t.co/hcs0nEC0vL

✨ Have you ever experienced a life “reset” moment?
YES / STILL PROCESSING

#Reflection #BreakTheSilentStruggle #HealingJourney #EmpathyForGrief

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Sometimes disruption arrives quietly…

A moment.
A memory.
A shift you didn’t expect.

But what if turbulence is not only disruption…
✨ what if it’s direction?

🎧 Episode 20 arrives this week on Feel Good Friday.
#empathyforgrief: Break the Silent Struggle with Grief on most podcast providers
Video version: https://t.co/5fcMKZM1jH

#BreakTheSilentStruggle #HealingJourney #EmpathyForGrief

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! And best wishes to all who, like me, are continuing their academic journey and are grateful to complete one more year towards the goal.

Stay Encouraged! TendYourGarden 🌿

#MondayMindsetMoments #MyBackyardGarden #EmpathyForGrief #MoveForwardWithGrace
#AtYourPace #HealingJourney #InnerStrength #SmallStepsBigChange #MindsetShift
#SelfGrowthJourney #PersonalGrowth #IntentionalLiving #GrowthMindset
#BeGenuine #Classof2026 #Graduates #HigherEd

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Three reasons to dance today 💃🏾

It’s Friday.
It’s Friday.
It’s F-R-I-D-A-Y! 😄✨

Let it go & let it glow. 🌿

#FeelGoodFriday #FridayVibes #ChooseJoy #WeekendMood

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

May the 4th be with you…
and the strength within you guide your way.”

#InnerStrength #MindsetShift
#GrowthMindset
#BeGenuine

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Happy Feel Good Friday! Today, release the pressure,
trust your journey,
and move into the weekend with peace. 🌿”

[Debra Hester @mbackyardgarden]

Monday Mindset Moments ✨
3 Small Steps for Big Change:

Replace one unhealthy habit
Learn something new
Practice gratitude

Small steps. Real progress. 🌱

#MondayMindsetMoments #MoveForwardWithGrace #Gratitude #MindsetShift