<description>&lt;p&gt;What It Really Takes to Keep Going When Life Doesn’t Follow the Plan&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What happens when grief, parenting, leadership, and faith all collide in one life story? In this conversation, I sit down with Debbie Simmons to talk about the moments that shaped her most—and the choices that kept her moving when it would’ve been easier to stop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Debbie’s story doesn’t fit into a neat box. She’s a former engineer, the CEO of Anchor Point, an author, a speaker, and a mother of nine adopted children. Yet what stayed with me most was how honestly she talked about loss, courage, health, family, and the weight of building something meant to serve other people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We get into what it means to take the next step when you don’t have the full picture, how vulnerability can make room for real community, and why grit alone isn’t always enough. Debbie also shares a few hard-earned lessons about boundaries, trust, adoption, and the kind of legacy that starts long before the end of your life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re strong enough for the chapter you’re in, this episode may leave you thinking about that in a whole new way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About the Guest&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Debbie Simmons is the CEO of Anchor Point, a nonprofit leader, author, speaker, wife, mother of nine adopted children, and grandmother of fifteen. Her work centers on trust, healing, leadership, and living with intention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timestamps&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;0:50 - I welcome Debbie Simmons and we begin with the story behind the bio&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;3:27 - Debbie shares the parts of her life that can’t fit into one sentence&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;9:29 - We talk about nonlinear life paths and the value of every chapter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;12:59 - The painful season that became important later&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;18:49 - How Debbie built a nonprofit one step at a time&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;23:08 - Why she sees herself as a builder, not a maintainer&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;41:28 - How adopting nine children changed her understanding of family&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;48:22 - Where she found her limits and what it cost to ignore them&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;56:30 - We discuss risk, uncertainty, and trusting without full clarity&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;73:31 - Debbie explains what legacy means to her now&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Debbie's Resources:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://anchorpoint.us"&gt;anchorpoint.us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://thedebbiesimmons.com/"&gt;https://thedebbiesimmons.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Free book, The Heart of Legacy:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href="http://theheartoflegacy.com"&gt;theheartoflegacy.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If this conversation speaks to you, listen to the full episode and share it with someone who may need the reminder that tomorrow is a fresh start.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;#TheCuriousStoryteller #DebbieSimmons #Legacy #Adoption #FaithAndResilience&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosted by Reid Miles.&lt;br&gt;Conversations unfold naturally — no scripts, no rush.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts&lt;br&gt;🌐 More about the show and past episodes: &lt;a href="https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller"&gt;https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;📩 Guest inquiries &amp;amp; media: Reid@AspergersStudio.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosted on Ausha. See &lt;a href="https://ausha.co/privacy-policy"&gt;ausha.co/privacy-policy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid

The Curious Storyteller: How Do You Keep Going After Loss Debbie Simmons Has an Honest Answer

JUN 22, 202682 MIN
The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

The Curious Storyteller: How Do You Keep Going After Loss Debbie Simmons Has an Honest Answer

JUN 22, 202682 MIN

Description

What It Really Takes to Keep Going When Life Doesn’t Follow the PlanWhat happens when grief, parenting, leadership, and faith all collide in one life story? In this conversation, I sit down with Debbie Simmons to talk about the moments that shaped her most—and the choices that kept her moving when it would’ve been easier to stop.Debbie’s story doesn’t fit into a neat box. She’s a former engineer, the CEO of Anchor Point, an author, a speaker, and a mother of nine adopted children. Yet what stayed with me most was how honestly she talked about loss, courage, health, family, and the weight of building something meant to serve other people.We get into what it means to take the next step when you don’t have the full picture, how vulnerability can make room for real community, and why grit alone isn’t always enough. Debbie also shares a few hard-earned lessons about boundaries, trust, adoption, and the kind of legacy that starts long before the end of your life.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re strong enough for the chapter you’re in, this episode may leave you thinking about that in a whole new way.About the GuestDebbie Simmons is the CEO of Anchor Point, a nonprofit leader, author, speaker, wife, mother of nine adopted children, and grandmother of fifteen. Her work centers on trust, healing, leadership, and living with intention.Timestamps0:50 - I welcome Debbie Simmons and we begin with the story behind the bio3:27 - Debbie shares the parts of her life that can’t fit into one sentence9:29 - We talk about nonlinear life paths and the value of every chapter12:59 - The painful season that became important later18:49 - How Debbie built a nonprofit one step at a time23:08 - Why she sees herself as a builder, not a maintainer41:28 - How adopting nine children changed her understanding of family48:22 - Where she found her limits and what it cost to ignore them56:30 - We discuss risk, uncertainty, and trusting without full clarity73:31 - Debbie explains what legacy means to her nowDebbie's Resources:anchorpoint.ushttps://thedebbiesimmons.com/Free book, The Heart of Legacy:theheartoflegacy.comIf this conversation speaks to you, listen to the full episode and share it with someone who may need the reminder that tomorrow is a fresh start.#TheCuriousStoryteller #DebbieSimmons #Legacy #Adoption #FaithAndResilienceHosted by Reid Miles.Conversations unfold naturally — no scripts, no rush.🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts🌐 More about the show and past episodes: https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller📩 Guest inquiries & media: [email protected] on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.