Deborah Joy Imani Winans was born on September 6th, 1983, in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

She's a daughter to Carvin and Deborah Kerr Winans. Winas earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from Wayne State University and further honed her craft at the Moscow Art Theatre School. She later received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in acting from the California Institute of the Arts.

Winans is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Greenleaf. She is also a member of the renowned Winans family, known for their musical legacy.

Winans began her acting career in 2014 with a role in the independent film Fragile World. That same year, she portrayed her aunt, gospel singer CeCe Winans, in the Lifetime biographical film Whitney, directed by Angela Bassett. She later made her stage debut in the musical Born for This: The BeBe Winans Story.

In 2015, she landed a series regular role in Greenleaf, playing Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee, the youngest daughter in a powerful church family and the Minister of Music. The show, which also starred Lynn Whitfield, Keith David, Merle Dandridge, and Kim Hawthorne, ran for five seasons, concluding in 2020.

Following Greenleaf, Winans starred in several films, including the Lifetime Christmas movie Color of Love (2021) and the drama Don’t Waste Your Pretty, alongside Keri Hilson, Jasmine Burke, and Kaye Singleton. She also played a lead role in the Oprah Winfrey Network holiday film A Sisterly Christmas.

In 2023, she continued her success with a starring role in the romantic drama The Final Say on BET+ and appeared in the third season of the Allblk thriller anthology series Terror Lake Drive.

Winans married Terrence Williams, and in October 2021, they welcomed their first child, a son named Terrence David Williams.