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Grief can stop you in your tracks—or it can become the ground where purpose takes root. We welcome Debbie Simmons, a “legacy architect” whose life moved from devastating loss to intentional impact, as she shares how she traded the unanswerable why for the empowering how and designed a life that serves families for generations.

Debbie tells the story of losing her quadruplets at 26 weeks and the two questions that reshaped everything: how do I survive, and later, how do I thrive. That shift led to adopting nine children from sibling groups and learning trauma-informed parenting the hard, human way. She explains why a child in crisis isn’t the problem but is having a problem, and how our calm presence becomes the medicine that nervous systems seek. Along the way, we talk about the unsung kindness that holds families together—meals on the porch, an hour of respite, and a foster family who prepared kids to trust new parents on day one.

We also dig into leadership. As founder and CEO of Anchor Point, Debbie builds a culture where extreme grace meets clear accountability. Assumptions are challenged, curiosity leads hard conversations, and the default posture is we are for each other. She walks us through Anchor Point’s ecosystem—medical clinic support for unexpected pregnancy, case management, parenting education, a maternity home for homeless moms, and therapeutic camps for adoptive families—showing how practical tools and stable relationships lift the tide of parenting across a community.

If you’re navigating loss, adoption, team dynamics, or the desire to build something that lasts, this conversation offers a blueprint: lead yourself first, ask better questions, accept help, and keep taking the next best step. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs hope today, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories of grace at work.

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The world feels sharper than it used to. Conversations cut faster. Systems feel colder. And many good people feel tempted to harden—not because they don’t care, but because they’re tired.

In this final bonus episode of The Kindness Matters Podcast, Mike shares why staying soft in a harsh world is not weakness—it’s courage. Drawing from his new book, Still Changing A World: Small Acts of Kindness That Make a Big Difference, he explores how we can protect our humanity without burning out, disappearing, or becoming bitter.

This episode is about boundaries instead of walls, rest instead of retreat, and why small, everyday acts of kindness matter more—not less—when big systems feel broken.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why the urge to harden your heart is often about exhaustion, not lack of compassion
• The difference between boundaries and emotional walls
• How staying “soft and strong” helps you remain human without self-erasure
• Why small acts create real change, even when they don’t go viral
• How to keep showing up with kindness without carrying the weight of fixing everything

Featured readings from the book:

• “When You’re Tempted to Harden Your Heart”
• “Small Acts Matter More When Big Systems Feel Broken”

Key takeaway:

You are not responsible for fixing the whole world.
You are responsible for how you show up in the part of it you touch.

Kindness doesn’t require perfection, consensus, or constant output. It requires presence, boundaries, and the courage to stay human—especially when the world makes that hard.

Resources & Links:

• Still Changing A World: Small Acts of Kindness That Make a Big Difference by Mike Rathbun
  (Available wherever books are sold — link in show notes)

If this episode resonated:

• Share it with someone who feels tired but hasn’t given up
• Leave a review to help others find the show
• Or do one small act of kindness today—those still count

Thank you for listening.
Thank you for caring.
And thank you for staying soft in a sharp world.

If you would like to purchase this book in either Kindle format or Paperback you can do that here.

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In this bonus episode of the Kindness Matters podcast, host Mike Rathbun dives into one of the core ideas from his book Still Changing a World: Small Acts Of Kindness That Make A Big Difference; kindness is not neutral—it is courageous.

He explores why neutrality is passive while kindness is an active, often costly choice that can require comfort, convenience, and even approval. Mike reads a powerful section from the book that unpacks how kindness asks us to stay human in dehumanizing moments, choose compassion over convenience, hold boundaries without cruelty, and interrupt harm even when it’s uncomfortable.

Speaking directly to those who feel tired, overwhelmed, or tempted to go quiet, he offers validation and hope, reminding listeners that they don’t have to be loud to be brave or fix everything to matter. This episode is an invitation to keep showing up as yourself, consistently, even when the emotional cost feels high.

Who This Episode Is For

• Anyone who cares deeply but feels emotionally worn down by division and harshness.
• People who don’t want to match the cruelty they see but aren’t sure how to stay open.​
• Listeners wondering if their quiet, consistent kindness still makes a difference.

• Grab the book on Amazon (available in either Kindle or Paperback format).

Take the Next Step
If this episode spoke to you, consider sharing it—or the book—with someone who is tired but hasn’t given up yet. Let it be a reminder that choosing kindness, again and again, is one of the bravest things we can do.

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