By Marci Narum
Deb Seminary wears a necklace that holds a gold anchor pendant suspended inside a flat, round, silver charm. Etched on the charm: 81° 50’ W and 26°19’ N.

“It’s the latitude and longitude of a place in Florida I’ve been to several times,” Deb says. “I don’t know if it’s being so close to water, but that’s where I feel anchored the most; where I feel closest to God. It’s very peaceful and healing.”

That anchored feeling isn’t new to Deb, though. In fact, she says Inspired Woman magazine was a source of strength—a ministry for her. She was the magazine’s second editor, overseeing it for eight years when she took over in 2007.

“God found His way into every single issue. I never went looking. It was after the second or third issue I said, ‘Wow, He called me to do this.’

“I think the survivor issues touched me the most. I knew many of those women but didn’t know what they had overcome. They were so brave to tell their stories. And while we will never know how many people they touched, the response those women got from friends and people they had never met was incredible. It was a way to let others know they weren’t experiencing something alone and not to give up—others had survived and they could, too.”

Deb says it’s not hard to find an ‘inspired woman.’

“Every woman is inspiring. We just may not have heard her story yet. I would be having a conversation with someone, and all of a sudden I would think, ‘they need to be in the magazine!’ That happened a lot over the years.”

Deb is grateful for the people she met and worked with while she was editor. She worked most closely with Kitty Perry, who was the magazine’s graphic designer from 2002 until 2015.

Kitty says, “I enjoyed being creative and I really enjoyed working with the editors. Kim Jondahl had a good creative eye, so she would let me know what she had in mind for the layout as she wrote the articles.

“When Deb came along, it was a completely different personality to work with, but I loved working with her. She knows what she likes and doesn’t like! There is no waffling. And I liked that. It sped things up.”

Deb laughs, “I think she appreciated the fact that I was honest with her.”

Kitty now lives in Camp Verde, Arizona and has seen the new version of Inspired Woman magazine online. She says Deb helped the magazine gain exposure through its online presence,  social media, and community events.

During her time with the magazine, Deb launched, “Girl’s Night Out.” The vendor and fashion show fundraiser has raised more than $10,000 for local non-profits. She also used the magazine to promote “Keep Bismarck Beautiful,” a city-wide cleanup day.

Deb plans to continue both events, and get involved with more local causes. She recently became an empty-nester and has a bit more time for volunteering.

“I should probably say ‘no’ to volunteering a little more often, but I am inspired to make Bismarck a better place to live.”

Maybe that’s because it’s also a place Deb Seminary feels anchored.   

Click here to see more photos of Deb, taken by Photos by Jacy.