This post is part of a weekly feature called the Passion Series…enjoy!

You know those stories you hear about people who are thrown into bad situations, only to turn those situations completely around? That’s the kind of passion we have here tonight. And I’m so happy to share her story with you.

Debbi Barnes was unexpectedly laid off in her late forties. That was the bad situation. But I’m starting to learn that it’s the bad situations that somehow fuel beautifully new and adventurous situations, and that’s exactly what happened to Deb. I’ll let her tell the story.

Has blogging helped you in any emotional or creative way?

I’ve always been a creative person with a passion for writing, but never really took the skill any further than what was needed in my twenty plus career as executive administrator and certainly never had plans of blogging. When I was unexpectedly laid off at 48 years of age, my life took a dark turn with the prospect of being happy and financially secure again all but impossible. Several months prior to the layoff, my cat had a litter of kittens and I was sharing funny emails about their growth process on a weekly basis to my friends and family who encouraged me to write a book about the experience. Close to losing my house and my bank account all but empty, as the weeks of unemployment turned to months, my creativity was all but gone and the thought of writing a sweet and cheerful book was the last thing on my mind.

After an epiphany moment as a result of watching the Ellen DeGeneres Show and some invaluable life lessons learned from my feline family, I was able to pull myself out of my depression and found the strength to write that book, but now, rather than a cute story about the kittens, it was more of an inspirational piece about just how incredible the human-feline bond is and the special journey I shared with them. They opened my eyes to allowing the ordinary in my life to become extraordinary and it was a liberating moment for me. I became consumed with writing about what I cared so much about, my cats, and that is how/why I became a blogger.

Has blogging daily/weekly helped you achieve any personal goals?

When I first began blogging I was somewhat naive to the severe problem of cat overpopulation on the streets and in shelters (over 70 million homeless cats in the U.S. alone). My book was about my own experience with my cat who had kittens because I didn’t realize I could have her spayed before she was a year old. I accepted full responsibility for the kittens and love them very much, but as a result of blogging and social networking in a circle of cat peers, I soon realized that not everyone had the ability to give an unplanned litter of kittens a good home and it became my passion and purpose to educate people on the importance of spay/neuter as not only a safe and humane means of reducing cat overpopulation, but as a procedure that helps to ensure your cat live a longer, happier, and healthy life.

As a result of this personal goal, I have become an award winning blogger and have raised thousands of dollars and awareness for shelters worldwide. I also freelance for Cat Fancy Magazine and Catster.com and have become Secretary for the nonprofit Organization, Pawsitively Humane, of Miami.   

Does the ritual of daily/weekly blogging give you motivation to pursue things you are passionate about?

Because I have become such a strong voice in the world of cat advocacy, I am constantly looking for new ways to motivate and educate people about cat advocacy issues and I wake up each and every day with that goal in mind. Blogging is extremely important to me, but I have found a day job since my layoff, so my time is limited. I have to schedule my time for blogging as best as possible, but I also have to be flexible in order to be relevant. The most important aspect of it is the give and take that I get from my readers – their support inspires me to be a better blogger because I know that I am helping to make the world a better place for our feline friends.

It’s safe to say that Deb was thrown into a situation where she was literally forced to discover her passion, and nothing but good came from it. She also reminds me of my mom (who shares the same name) in a few cool ways: she enjoys writing about her pets, and I’m inclined to believe she also enjoys sewing/decorating. I laughed out loud at a blog post that started with, “When you need an idea for a blog post, I highly recommend you reupholster your dining room chairs.”

While more of a dog fan myself, her blog, the Zee and Zoey Chronicle Connection, has seriously made me reconsider my attitude towards cats. (The entire internet has, actually). Her blog design is insanely creative and ‘cat chic’, and her posts are incredibly attention grabbing. Not to mention all the work she has done with her own cat boutique on Zazzle.com, and all the effort she has put into making her first book happen.

I tell you, the things we can accomplish when the fire is lit.

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This post is part of a series on bloggers who have found direction or passion through blogging. If you would like to be featured in the Passion Series, please contact me through this form with responses to the above questions, and share your passions. Thanks!

See all Passion Series posts >>

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Monique Muro

Monique is an exceedingly happy human from LA. She runs the blog A Novel Quest, and writes. A lot.

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