In 1998, I became a convicted felon.
“Donna Blevins, you’ve been served,” said the US Marshals as they walked into my real estate office.
As the broker and company owner, I made a human mistake. I failed to catch an oversight on a sales contract, a fatal error in the industry.
I accepted the blame and pleaded guilty to a white-collar felony:
Closed the office
Paid a fine
On probation for a year
During this stressful time, I stumbled upon poker, which became a tool for growing as a human being and reclaiming my self-worth.
When I first picked up cards in my late 40s, I had no idea how to play or what made a winning hand. But I got a wake-up call that happened two years before I lost my company.
I’m in a hand of poker, thinking about the contractor who gave me grief that day and fretting over getting another bid sent out the next day.
Then, I heard a voice, “Only one thing ever exists — the hand you’re in. Past cards are gone. Future cards are never here.”
That moment of mindfulness was pivotal. If it weren’t for poker, I’d be dead today from stress or, worse yet, suicide.
After that awakening, I was serious about learning to play, but there was little to read for beginning poker players.
When I complained to my husband that I wanted something I could understand, he said, “Writing about learning the game as a new player would be good for you and the reader. You’re the fastest learner I've ever known! Just write about it.”
What my hubs really said with love was, “Just shut up and write it!”
As a result, I became a poker journalist and have been since 1998, the year I pleaded guilty to the felony.
Even though I was unskilled as a major tournament player, I won my entry into the most important annual poker tournament — the 2007 World Series of Poker® Main Event Championship.
I parlayed my $216 investment into a $51,000 win and finished as the 4th woman out of 6,400 players.
It was a new experience, and I felt like the world's first female quarterback playing in the Super Bowl!
Why I launched Poker’s Life Lessons
I’ve been dealt crappy cards my whole life (and I played them poorly):
I lost a $500k annual income business (because of my felony conviction)
I became morbidly obese (because I had a six-year pity party)
I had a massive brain stroke (because I ignored self-care)
Poker gave me tools to thrive rather than barely survive.
Regardless of the pure suckiness of the cards life deals you, you have no control over the cards. But you can control your perspective.
Your self-talk shifts your perception, which in turn creates your reality.
The words you choose set yourself up for either success or failure.
This newsletter is about the life lessons I learned in multiple professions.
Others call this process life-balance. It involves strengthening the mind-body-spirit connection without bringing in all the woo-woo stuff.
We rarely fire on all cylinders when we focus on just the outcome, regardless of what we’re “playing” — whether in sales, speaking, coaching, or cards. We choke. Our mental gears lock up, and we stall.
Poker gave me a unique opportunity outside my comfort zone: a playground where I could practice my MindShift QuickShifts (and develop new ones), experiment with risk-taking, and learn the subtlety of reading people.
This newsletter shares what I learned through poker — lessons I didn’t quite grasp until poker saved my life — and stories that go back to childhood.
What to Expect
Poker is a masterclass in calculated risk, resilience, and high-stakes decisions without all the answers.
In poker, every hand presents a choice — a moment to decide based on incomplete information.
Life is no different.
Here's what I learned and what I’ll share with you in the Poker’s Life Lessons newsletter:
#1: Mindfulness
Only one thing ever exists — the cards you have
The past cards are gone
Futures cards are never here
#2: Smarter risk-taking
Make the best decision you can with the information you have
Then, remain unattached to the outcome
#3: Fold more often
Resisting to fold is a game-killer
When you know you have a losing hand, refusing to fold throws good money after bad
#4: Being the detached observer
Be the witness
Finding lessons even in the loss shifts your perspective
Whether at the poker table, in business, or personal growth, Poker's Life Lessons is about putting you in the driver’s seat of your own life, where every decision matters — rather than remaining an unwitting passenger.
Playing your best game comes from a clear, uncluttered view of your true self.
By living with intention and mindfulness rather than reacting.
That sounds like life’s smartest game plan because it is.
I’ll bring more of that to the table through Poker’s Life Lessons, Mama Peggy's wisdom, and my unexpected wit.
I’ll sneak in some on the woo-side in my writing after earning my PhD at 66 in Metaphysical Coaching.
Hmm… Have you heard me mention that I smuggle spirituality to the poker table?
Become a FREE subscriber because I know you’re brave.
Trust that I see your value — rather than your flaws — because you’re a magnificent human experiencing growing pains.
We continually do. Our life mission is to learn, evolve, and be the best we can be.
I’ll help with that as my posts appear in your email inbox.
Become a PAID subscriber and get even more of me.
Each month, I create a safe space on a live Zoom, where I help you find YOUR joy.
This safe space is created with love and acceptance.
Where you’re willing to:
Peel back the layers
Rip off the bandaid
Unpack the baggage
When you choose to sit in the safe seat beside me, I listen, observe, and hear what you’re really saying. I see what you can’t see, and I give uncensored feedback.
This is where you grow and transform — without fear, judgment, blame, or shame.
Transformation doesn’t mean fixing. You aren’t broken — you’re ready to receive and change.
I help you reframe self-talk differently by turning on and tuning into your internal GPS.
Once mental muscles are trained, shifts can happen in one breath or a finger snap.
My joy is helping you transform through MindShifting™ On-Demand, and Poker’s Life Lessons is the platform.
During Group Coaching, you’ll benefit from community support. When you choose, you can listen quietly as a fly on the wall.
Ask me anything, and be prepared to receive.
Consider yourself hugged.
I'm Donna Blevins, the Poker Mindset Coach and MindShift Mechanic, who ripped off my voice muffler and come to you Unmuffled.
By the way, I’m launching this in the middle of my eighth decade, when I can still get the best poker players to fold winning hands.
Let's face it. I don't have a dick, but I got big balls.
Others Talk About Donna
Zig Ziglar: “Donna Blevins is someone we can all look up to. Both professionally and physically!”
"Your words radiate deep compassion and understanding. Witnessing someone who truly holds space for others to grow and transform is inspiring." ~ Vijaya Vardhan on Substack
“Donna helped me change my entire outlook on life. Now I treat losses as wins, as life lessons.” ~ Kenneth
“With Donna, I experienced transformation on the spot!” ~ Anna Pereira, CEO Soul Ventures
"Donna has a unique ability to inspire, sometimes by simply framing a situation differently. It's often just a 2-degree difference in someone's perception of their situation that is ultimately life-changing. Donna makes a difference… both in stature and height, Donna Blevins raises the bar." ~ Kelley O'Hara, while the Director of Marketing at The Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles
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