This week, host Lorie Jones sits down with Deborah Takahara, the extraordinary former broadcast journalist and current public information director for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Deborah candidly shares her journey from overcoming childhood shyness to building a high-profile media career, and ultimately making a bold pivot to prioritize her family and align with her values.
Deborah’s story shines a spotlight on the courage required to redefine success in the face of societal expectations and what it means to lead a values-driven life. She shares how she leveraged her unique skill set to create meaningful impact, balance ambition with fulfillment, and inspire those around her, and the lessons she hopes to pass on to the next generation of fearless females.
This conversation is packed with practical wisdom and heartfelt honesty, perfect for ambitious women looking to craft careers that reflect who they truly are—so, get ready to be inspired by a woman who proves that fearlessness arises from embracing both purpose and change.
Show Highlights:
- Deborah Takahara’s journey from shyness to confident leader. [05:00]
- Rethinking career trade-offs and choosing to prioritize family. [09:13]
- Why finding meaning in work with tangible impacts matters. [11:46]
- The importance of recognizing the need for a change. [12:48]
- How criticism can fuel career-making personality growth. [16:52]
- The importance of seizing chances despite fear or doubt. [22:19]
- Lessons on the value of accuracy and learning from mistakes. [23:25]
- Was the news industry always open to female journalists? [25:29]
- Don’t underestimate the power to change lives with your skills. [26:53]
- Evolving need for women in journalism and law enforcement. [30:07]
Connect with Deboarah through the Douglas County Sheriff’s office at dtakahara@dcsheriff.net
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave a review!
For more information about Lorie Jones, go to https://fearlessfinancialadvisors.com/fearless-females.
00:00.87
Lorie Jones
Good morning, Fearless Females. We are here today with Debra Takahara. She is the Public Information Director for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and I am so excited to get to hear her story.
00:12.64
Lorie Jones
She’s done some amazing things, and I can’t wait for you to hear about it. Thank you so much for joining us, Debra.
00:18.68
Deborah
Well, thank you for having me. I am super excited about this as well. And when you said fearless females, it made me scared for a minute, but I am excited to be here.
00:25.98
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
00:29.09
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I always think of idea of being fearless as being a little bit scared and doing it anyway, because I definitely have I have enough fears for both of us to tell you the truth.
00:38.17
Deborah
I love it. I love it.
00:41.02
Lorie Jones
So my very first question is, I was I’m a reader. I love reading. What is your favorite book?
00:46.97
Deborah
Well, I am not a huge reader, mostly because I just don’t make time to do it. But this past weekend, I actually found myself with nothing to do. My daughter was occupied. My husband was occupied. And I sat down and read my daughter’s middle school book called Wonder.
01:02.13
Deborah
um But other than that, I really like detective novels and nonfiction. And I really like this author by the name of Sue Grafton. She does a series, an alphabet series on different crimes like alibi, burglar,
01:17.38
Deborah
I think C is corpse. um And those are really fascinating to me too.
01:23.19
Lorie Jones
Oh, that’s kind of fun. I’ve been kind of delving into that, like, mystery whodunit sort of things.
01:29.05
Deborah
I love it.
01:29.11
Lorie Jones
um is It’s like a modern-day Nancy Drew, right? I mean, and like
01:34.80
Deborah
And actually it is my everyday life here at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office too. I could just walk down the hall and get the whodunit where were they? And every single day is like that.
01:45.68
Deborah
So I’m kind of living in my own book and novel.
01:48.95
Lorie Jones
in your own book series. That’s interesting.
01:50.46
Deborah
Yeah. I should write a book.
01:53.17
Lorie Jones
i You should. Yes, absolutely. um So tell me a little bit about your journey, Deborah. like How did you get started? did you know you wanted to do this from like a young age? What do you do now?
02:05.27
Lorie Jones
um How did you get to where you are now? Tell me just a little bit about you.
02:09.12
Deborah
It is really a full circle type of story for me to end up where I am now as the public information director for the Sheriff’s Office here in Douglas County. So I’ll start very young.
02:21.16
Deborah
um When I was very young, i was um terribly camera shy and really just shy, afraid of people. I would hide behind my mom when we we went to see Santa Claus. I didn’t want my picture taken.
02:33.36
Deborah
And even my preschool picture is me crying because the photographer got tired of trying to make me smile. So he just snapped the photo. and my parents went on to use that as my passport photo.
02:44.56
Deborah
So fast forward all these years of being shy and not wanting to be the in the spotlight or center of attention at all. And I had this epiphany in college that I wanted to be a news reporter.
03:01.49
Deborah
Well, I started as I wanted to be a detective and i spent an internship. I studied criminal justice in college. I spent an internship a summer with the Laguna Beach Police Department out in California with a homicide unit and quickly learned that I was not cut out to investigate homicides.
03:19.27
Deborah
or um view autopsies or dead bodies. So I went back to school and i had met some people in the news business and I studied broadcast journalism and learned how to write and shoot and edit and use a teleprompter and direct newscasts. And we did a college newscast every week out in Orange County, California.
03:43.25
Deborah
And so that’s when I got the bug and I thought this is really what I wanted to do. And my parents to this day are shocked that I wanted to go into being on camera as a journalist because of how I grew up so camera shy.
03:49.04
Lorie Jones
sorry.
03:57.43
Deborah
I think it was a little bit of ah therapy maybe for me do this.
04:01.23
Lorie Jones
so
04:02.05
Deborah
And honestly, even now ah being on a podcast or Talking to people, it’s a little bit terrifying still, but I think that adrenaline um is helpful sometimes.
04:16.52
Deborah
So I spent 28 years in news, chasing um news stories all around the country. I worked in Fort Smith, Arkansas, was my first big break, and I spent five months there.
04:29.44
Deborah
I never knew where Fort Smith, Arkansas was. had to look it up on a map and then drove there and um worked there and then went to Little Rock, Arkansas for a couple of years. That’s when I did a morning show and I anchored from behind the desk.
04:43.94
Deborah
And then i went to San Diego, California. then I spent a couple of months working for NBC network news covering the West Coast. And then I went to Dallas, Texas, and then I came to Denver and I spent 16 and a half years at Fox 31 and channel two in Denver. and they gave me so many great opportunities.
05:05.65
Deborah
I anchored every show, covered so many huge stories, met so many incredible people, and just was truly blessed. But um then I decided that it was time to leave the news business and made the transition to communications. And I spent a year at the U.S. Attorney’s Office here in Colorado and was fascinated by those federal prosecutors that just do, they have an amazing mission and passion for truth and justice and was really blessed to be able to tell their story.
05:39.73
Deborah
And then when Sheriff Darren Weakley was elected, A couple of years ago, he created a new position here at the sheriff’s office for public information director, and he really wanted someone to help elevate their story. And they do such amazing work every single day, literally putting their lives on the line to help public safety and help keep our community safe.
06:02.86
Deborah
And so I thought it was a really good fit because I’m able to use all of my skills from being in TV news to help tell their story. And I live in Douglas County, so it’s just, it made a lot of sense and I’m able to pick my daughter up from school every day.
06:21.00
Lorie Jones
So it sounds like you needed a job that was a little bit more flexible. And that’s how can you change out of like the Fox News over to this?
06:30.93
Deborah
Yeah, so I remember clearly, I was covering a snowstorm in 2022, standing on the side of I-25, watching my daughter do a cheerleading not a competition, but just a performance at a basketball game on Facebook Live.
06:46.28
Deborah
And I thought, what in the world am I doing? i need to be home. i need to be able to experience, you know, what a mom should be. I felt like a really bad parent actually, ah because I was working till 11 o’clock at night and I got to do the morning routine with her, but I was never home for dinner or bedtime or homework. And I just felt like I needed to make that change. And fortunately I was able to make the transition to this side of the world pretty easily.
07:19.05
Deborah
And since then, I’ve known a lot of my fellow journalists that have also made the transition. So I’ve inspired a lot of people to make that jump too.
07:30.73
Lorie Jones
Yeah, that’s that’s really interesting. I know that there’s a lot of moms. I mean, I don’t know a single mom that works that hasn’t had that crisis of what do I do? And, and, and we all have to make that decision, um you know, as to like, where, where’s our value?
07:41.28
Deborah
Yeah.
07:49.76
Lorie Jones
What’s our time? Where’s our energy going to go? And how do we show up? And it’s neat that you were able to make that jump, but still find something that is very fulfilling. In fact, it sounds like this is kind of full circle coming around to what you went to college for, right?
08:05.30
Lorie Jones
Like in the justice system and stuff like that.
08:06.10
Deborah
Right. Yep. Absolutely. And it is ah fascinating every single day. i learn something new every day, which is ah my goal and one of my requirements for, you know, staying in a job. As long as I’m learning and growing, um it’s is good for me.
08:25.03
Deborah
So, yeah, this has just been the perfect fit for me.
08:27.96
Lorie Jones
Just
08:28.19
Deborah
And we have such an amazing agency And I was friends with a lot of the deputies here before I started. And so it was a smooth transition. And it really does feel like a family here.
08:40.68
Deborah
And it’s a tough job. And so to be a part of something where they’re so professional and they’re so dedicated to it, it’s it’s really rewarding and fulfilling to me.
08:53.58
Lorie Jones
Yeah, that’s, and that’s, I think that’s another part that as, as women and pretty much as anyone, like you want to have that piece of you that feels like you’re making a difference, like you’re doing something important in, in the world. And, and I love that you were able to find that using your skillset.
09:11.91
Deborah
Yeah, sometimes think, um you know, I do social media and I talk to the media. I did an interview just over the weekend on firework safety. And sometimes I think, is that enough?
09:23.78
Deborah
and And then once in a while, a crime will come along or something will happen in our community where I have to put some information out and asking for the public’s help.
09:35.61
Deborah
And then we get solid, decent tips that can solve a crime or can help in an investigation. And then i realize that is the value of what I’m doing. And in addition to making our deputies and our sheriff um more personable and transparent to the community so that they have an understanding of what they do.
09:59.24
Deborah
But to make a difference ah in a case is, um Just icing on the cake.
10:06.55
Lorie Jones
Yeah, it is. It’s great. It’s great. What, um, Deborah, what’s the best investment you’ve made in yourself? If you can like kind of look back over your journey and you’re like, oh my gosh, if I hadn’t done that, I just, I don’t think I’d be where I’m at today.
10:20.55
Deborah
Well, I think it is that aha moment that we spoke about, about me deciding that it was okay to make the leap and just take a leap of faith and follow my journey to where I am now. So to leave 28-year career in the news business and…
10:38.73
Deborah
It’s all I really ever knew. It’s, you know, most of my life was chasing news stories and I wasn’t sure that I would be as fulfilled or um find the excitement in work that I did. I mean, i went to the Super Bowl with the Broncos, okay?
10:56.97
Lorie Jones
so
10:57.61
Deborah
I interviewed celebrities. I, um, You know, I covered hurricanes and try to top that. You know, i i don’t know that um back then I thought that I could.
11:11.43
Deborah
So but I knew that taking the leap was um necessary, I guess. And I’ve just been really lucky and really blessed that it turned out the way it did.
11:23.17
Lorie Jones
What gave you the courage to make that change?
11:26.63
Deborah
um I think my kids. So I have a 23-year-old son and a 17-year-old stepdaughter, and then have an 11-year-old daughter. And i just thought, what is best for them?
11:40.45
Deborah
What’s best for them is best for our family. And i also knew i had this really great mentor. His name is Ron Zappolo, and he was a news anchor.
11:51.50
Deborah
in Colorado for 30 years or so. And i got to sit next to him every night for several years reading the news.
11:56.14
Lorie Jones
Huh.
11:59.28
Deborah
And he told me when I was thinking about making the leap that, you know, the news business will always be there and you can always come back to it if it doesn’t work out.
12:11.38
Deborah
And so I had that in my back pocket that if I needed to, um i think I had built enough of a reputation for myself that I could
12:14.73
Lorie Jones
ah
12:21.90
Deborah
squeeze back in but I honestly have not looked back once. And my friends ask me that a lot. Do you miss it? And, you know, I miss the people and my colleagues that I work with, but I don’t miss the hours or the stress or the deadlines.
12:37.04
Deborah
The news business is really, really hard. And I think it’s probably harder now even in the three years since I left because ah the viewership is down, which means advertising dollars are down, which means they’re not spending as much on quality talent.
12:44.29
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
12:53.11
Deborah
And so everybody’s doing more with less and for less. And ah is it worth it? I know we need good journalists. I know it. And I know we have plenty here in Colorado. But for me, it was just not worth it
13:11.78
Lorie Jones
Was it? Well, I love that you were able to to make that decision and that change. That’s a huge change. And yeah, my first question is always, well, did you, do you miss it? Like what things do you miss from what you were doing before? But it sounds like you’ve kind of come to ah place where you’re centered.
13:29.50
Lorie Jones
And where you can look back and and say, what’s the worst that can happen, right? That’s what you did.
13:34.47
Deborah
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:35.06
Lorie Jones
What’s the worst that can happen? Well, I’ll want to go back. And so, you know, I’ve got the skills to do that. Let’s try it. That’s an educated decision, an educated leap of faith, right?
13:46.53
Deborah
Although now i don’t know if I could go back because they’re having to you to shoot video and edit video and have you know even more technical skills than I had.
13:54.59
Lorie Jones
Oh, wow.
13:58.23
Deborah
i was just a storyteller. i could interview people and and was not the technical expert. So I’m not sure I could pull it off these days.
14:09.26
Lorie Jones
The skill set has changed, has adapted.
14:10.78
Deborah
Yeah, yes.
14:11.85
Lorie Jones
i don’t know. AI, maybe AI could do it for us. We all hope.
14:15.90
Deborah
I am so wary of AI. I don’t know. i don’t trust it.
14:21.20
Lorie Jones
ah your husband There are days.
14:23.06
Deborah
Yeah.
14:24.02
Lorie Jones
what’s um What’s the worst advice someone gives gave you? Can you think of some advice that you’re like, oh my gosh, I’m glad I didn’t take that? Or what if you did take it? What did you learn from it?
14:35.03
Deborah
Well, I had a college, I won’t even call him a professor, I’ll call him a teacher or an instructor. I had a college instructor that told me I would never make it in TV news because I sounded like Minnie Mouse.
14:47.20
Deborah
He thought my voice was too high and too squeaky. And it was. And so i am just stubborn that way, that i I was not going to listen to him. And i went out and paid for my own voice lessons and I worked on it and I studied Ann Curry and Katie Couric and some Diane Sawyer. i would listen to them and mimic them and try to sound like them.
15:14.78
Deborah
And I just, it motivated me to want to prove him wrong. and So ah I think that I was successful at doing that, but my voice still annoys me like this, hearing my voice back. Well, it’s, you know, I think nobody likes to hear their own voice, but for someone to tell you when you’re trying to get into a business where your voice is very important to you, you know, the visuals are great, but you have to have a voice that resonates and people want It doesn’t annoy people, I guess.
15:44.25
Deborah
So for an instructor to say something like that, i felt it was rude, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me. And so 28 years later, and think I’m doing pretty good.
15:58.73
Lorie Jones
yeah i think you’ve I think you’ve proved him wrong for sure.
16:01.87
Deborah
i’m Good. Good.
16:03.92
Lorie Jones
That’s I think that’s interesting what you said, too, because what you did is you you didn’t let it stop you, but you also figured out a way to, you know, taking the coaching, the voice coaching lessons and listening to people who were successful at it and what they did and how they did it.
16:22.35
Lorie Jones
um It’s it’s not just you didn’t not only did you not take it to heart, but you also tried to overcome. I think that’s a really important lesson.
16:32.01
Deborah
I think of my parents just say that I’m stubborn. They just, you can’t tell me no.
16:38.97
Lorie Jones
i
16:39.07
Deborah
You tell me no, I’m going to prove you wrong.
16:41.20
Lorie Jones
I have a daughter just like that, Debra.
16:44.15
Deborah
Hey, it worked out. I know it’s hard as a parent because I think my daughter is the same way, but in the end, I think it will work out.
16:45.40
Lorie Jones
and
16:51.77
Lorie Jones
Oh, gosh, I hope so, because I have to think of a hundred different ways to tell her she can’t do that without actually telling her no.
16:57.47
Deborah
Yeah. Yes. No is a trigger word for me, for sure.
17:03.57
Lorie Jones
ah What about situation that you would do differently? If you could go back over along your journey, is there a situation that stands out where you’re like, oh, I i know now I would handle that so much differently?
17:16.83
Deborah
Yeah, well, I try to tell my kids that i live with no regrets. I try to instill that in them because, you know, want them to make the most of their lives.
17:28.23
Deborah
But on my very last day in the news business, I called my son that morning and on my way to work. And I said, Alex, I have one regret. And he said, Mom, well, let me back up just a minute.
17:40.16
Deborah
um He said, Mom, I don’t know you as anything other than a news reporter. This is all my life I’ve known you as news reporter.
17:44.68
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
17:47.22
Deborah
And so I said, Alex, I have one regret is that I was working too much and i my hours were I was working late at night and I was not home to have dinner with you or help you with your homework or put you to bed.
17:58.96
Deborah
And i would really love to redo that. And he said, mom it’s okay, because ah i turned out okay. And I know how to do my laundry. And I know how to cook for myself. And he’s actually a really good cook.
18:15.99
Deborah
And So he said, it’s fine. So it was really heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. But he’s super independent because I was not around a lot. We did have a lot of other family support.
18:29.10
Deborah
And his dad, obviously, was great. But I really wish that the hours that I was working were more conducive to raising him because I think I missed out a lot.
18:40.28
Lorie Jones
her
18:43.00
Lorie Jones
it It is. It’s really hard to look back and say, um what trade-offs did I make? And um and and
18:53.60
Lorie Jones
I think the important part of that story, though, is that your son was like, you showed me an example of someone who is really successful doing great things. And hey, I’m not any worse for the wearer.
19:05.80
Deborah
you’re going make me cry now.
19:10.21
Deborah
Yeah, he turned out great.
19:10.98
Lorie Jones
i
19:11.51
Deborah
So I’m thankful for that.
19:13.73
Lorie Jones
Yeah, it is. It’s true. And and and just take that with you. like Take that with you into the future because I think that our kids are so much more resilient than we give them credit for.
19:24.25
Deborah
Yeah.
19:24.54
Lorie Jones
and And watching what we’re doing and how successful we are and how happy we are in a lot of ways, you know, they’re they’re giving of themselves so that so that we can show up in the best way possible in our different careers.
19:40.08
Deborah
Yeah. Yeah.
19:41.10
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
19:41.23
Deborah
And it did give me pause that um to take advantage of every moment. And, you know, we got to spend quality time together over the weekend and just to soak that stuff in because life goes by so fast and ah you just want to make the most of it.
20:01.06
Deborah
So.
20:01.32
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. What, if you could go back and talk to yourself when you were just starting out on this journey, 20, 21, 22, somewhere around there, what would you tell you?
20:15.79
Deborah
I would say um just do it. I know that’s a Nike slogan, but there were so many times where I was hesitant about something or didn’t um really want to go for it. And, you know, life, as we talked about, goes by so fast and you sometimes only have one opportunity to do something.
20:38.49
Deborah
um I had a couple of opportunities to work for ah to be a network correspondent. And i had an agent at the time and he really would have liked to have seen me go that route. And part of me wanted to do it, but, you know, with family life and stuff, I figured it wasn’t the best idea.
21:00.62
Deborah
But um yeah, I just, just go for it. Just do it, try it.
21:09.08
Lorie Jones
You never know what’s going to happen. You never know what what it’ll turn out like.
21:12.97
Deborah
Yeah, sometimes it’d be great.
21:14.83
Lorie Jones
yeah um What scared you the most um when you started your career or did anything scare you? but You talked about being scared as a little kid, but…
21:27.14
Deborah
Yeah, I think what… And I think for my entire career and for even now, i just want to get it right. Accuracy really matters to me. And I don’t ever want to have to…
21:42.48
Deborah
um you know, take something back or apologize for something. And knock on wood, I’ve been very lucky so far that I’ve gotten things right. And when I was in my first job in Fort Smith, they that’s why you start in a small market so you can kind of make some mistakes and, you know, get it out of your system before you go in front of a bigger audience.
22:05.53
Deborah
um I remember one time I did math wrong and calculated something and um put out some ridiculous number about how much water was being used for something. and um I got it wrong and our viewers made sure I knew that I got it wrong.
22:23.37
Deborah
And after that, I was just very careful and, you know, almost terrified to, you know, put out ah wrong information, and which served me well over the years. I always made sure to double check things and have people double check my my work.
22:41.10
Deborah
um Yeah, because it sometimes lives depend on that, especially my current job. So we aim to get it right.
22:51.29
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah. It’s hard to be 100% all the time. But it it does help to have two or three people that have your back that can look over your stuff and, and um help you get it right and the experience too.
23:04.11
Deborah
Yeah. And I have a team now of public information officers. And I said the same thing, like, let’s not have something go out until we have two sets of eyes on it. Let’s make sure that, you know, we’re spelling counts, accuracy matters.
23:19.11
Deborah
We have to get it right. So we do a pretty good job of that.
23:21.91
Lorie Jones
take Don’t you love those nitpicky people? Like, I love the ones that are like, they can see a comma misplaced from like 20 miles away.
23:29.19
Deborah
Yes. Yes, we need them.
23:33.42
Lorie Jones
Yes.
23:33.90
Deborah
I need them. And I do have a great team.
23:35.02
Lorie Jones
I know.
23:36.18
Deborah
So we look out for each other really well.
23:37.14
Lorie Jones
yeah
23:39.72
Lorie Jones
Any unique challenges because you were a woman throughout your journey, Debra? No.
23:45.35
Deborah
um I say when I first started in TV, it was in the early 90s, and it was kind of a novelty that, you know, it was male-dominated still at that time. And years ago, the main anchor on the news was a male.
24:02.64
Deborah
Fortunately, I came through at a time when it was opening up for ah female newscasters, so i feel my timing was pretty good on that. But I did feel like I had to work harder than my male counterparts.
24:19.78
Deborah
And i was willing to do it. Again, I’m stubborn and I’ll prove you wrong. And I did have some bosses tell me along the way, well, you can’t do that because you’re a female.
24:33.70
Deborah
I’m like, well, you know, it was about working long hours or coming in early or staying late. well, you have a family, you can’t do that. I’m like, well, I have a family, but I can do it.
24:46.14
Deborah
And i made it work. So it wasn’t horrible, but, you know, I took him as challenges. and wasn’t going to let anybody hold me down. Nope.
24:58.04
Lorie Jones
So now we know we know what to do, Deborah. If we ever want you to do something, we just tell you and you can’t, right?
25:02.23
Deborah
You can’t. i Yeah. Yeah. yeah
25:07.80
Lorie Jones
What is the thing that you are most proud of?
25:13.40
Deborah
I would have to say early in my TV news career, i have a cousin who is like my brother. We’re the same age, went to school together, grew up together. ah And he went on to have a very successful career in the Air Force. He was a brigadier general when he retired a few years ago.
25:29.74
Deborah
He told me um to use my platform for good and to do good in the world.
25:36.81
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
25:38.71
Deborah
And I think that I lived up to that and i hope that I make him proud still to this day um because that was really rewarding to me. and I’ll tell you the last story I covered in TV.
25:54.53
Deborah
One of my last stories was a little boy named Forrest from Highlands Ranch and he needed ah kidney and he had needed a kidney since he was about two years old and When I met him, he was nine.
26:08.00
Deborah
And he just wanted to walk like the other kids at school. And he wanted to run. And, you know, he was in the hospital so much. So he needed a kidney. So we told his story. And he was sitting there with his mom. And she said, we just have to be positive.
26:22.74
Deborah
Or no, she said, um She was given the description of what he needed and it was be positive. And he looked up to her and he goes, be positive. Get it? We have to be positive.
26:31.67
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
26:33.11
Deborah
And his smile and everything about him was just adorable. So he made this connection with the community um, um I checked in with them a couple weeks later and they said that there was actually a waiting list of people who wanted to donate their kidneys or a kidney to Forrest.
26:51.69
Deborah
And so they were getting tested and um going along the process. And then my very last day on the news, um his mom called me and she said she didn’t know I was leaving the news business.
27:04.98
Deborah
And she said, Deb, it’s my birthday today. And um so I said, happy birthday. And she said, well, the doctor called and she said they didn’t find a match for Forrest.
27:16.67
Deborah
And I go, oh, she said they found the perfect match. And so i’m like, mic drop, I’m out of here.
27:20.69
Lorie Jones
Hmm.
27:23.30
Deborah
and don’t need to tell another story. I helped find ah little boy, a kidney that he desperately needed. And um to this day, I’ll see him at events and he’s walking and running with his classmates and just the happiest boy in the world. And so to make a difference in the world, and that was just one story, but I was very, very proud of that.
27:46.94
Deborah
And, you know, being able to use my platform for good.
27:53.22
Lorie Jones
Oh, that’s so important. I think that’s such a a really important thing to remember is that as we go out and we do these, you know, these jobs and these professions and these careers and these callings that really feed our soul, like we’re making a difference in people’s lives. We truly are making a difference. And that’s, it’s so important to remember um why we do what we do and make sure that we do that. I love that. Thank you, Deborah, for sharing.
28:20.27
Deborah
You’re welcome. You’re welcome.
28:22.88
Lorie Jones
What, um any advice for a young lady who’s kind of starting down the path that you are already so successful at that could help her be you one day?
28:34.34
Deborah
I would say they tell you no, do it. um There are so many opportunities, even though the news business is changing so much. um Like I said earlier, we do need good quality journalists that are going to ask tough questions and pursue the truth and, you know, try to make a difference in the world.
28:56.03
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
28:56.20
Deborah
So i would say follow your heart. And even if it’s not as a news reporter, if it’s a communication specialist or really anything that you want to do, is…
29:09.29
Deborah
now is the time to seize that opportunity. I think there are lots of opportunities for females. You know, in the law enforcement world, we are looking to recruit ah really good quality females.
29:22.86
Deborah
A lot of agencies have that as their mission, and we certainly do here. um because the world needs us and we come at it at a, with a different perspective and a different lens.
29:37.47
Deborah
And i think it takes all of us. And so i would encourage anybody to just follow your heart and your dream and, work hard. I mean, I put in hours and I work hard, but,
29:52.48
Deborah
above all, love what you do, because then it’s not work. It’s not even a career. It’s just fun, and you get paid to do it. So I would highly encourage you to find something that you really enjoy.
30:00.74
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
30:05.62
Lorie Jones
A calling, huh?
30:08.12
Deborah
Definitely, yeah.
30:10.12
Lorie Jones
Well, Deborah, thank you so much for your time today. If we have a listener that wants to ask some questions or pick your brain, how do they get ahold of you?
30:17.99
Deborah
Sure, you can reach me at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. My email is dtakahara, T-A-K-A-H-A-R-A, t a k a h a r a at dc-sheriff.net.
30:30.67
Lorie Jones
Well, perfect. Thank you so much for your time today and spending this time and just sharing your journey. And um it’s it’s really been inspiring and helps me to want to make a difference where I stand too.
30:43.04
Deborah
Thank you for having me and thank you for what you’re doing. It does inspire lot.