Jackie Simmons, the Director of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society, joins Heather in this week’s episode.  Jackie shares her story that drives her passion to make teen suicide a thing of the past.  She also discusses the impact we can have just by having simple conversations with our "Power 20" that can help teens and adults alike to start thinking differently about their lives. 

About Our Guest:

TEDx speaker, Radio Show Host, International Best-selling Author, Resilience Master, and co-founder of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society, Jackie Simmons is best known for her mission to “Wake Up The World.” 

In 1995, blindsided by her 14-year-old daughter’s suicide attempt, Jackie entered a world of depression, addictions, medical mysteries, and deadly silences. 

The journey into the world of mental health services and cultural taboos left Jackie feeling lost and alone.  

“OK” on the outside, with “really, I’m fine,” her most frequent response to inquiries about how she was doing. Jackie hid her deep, psychic wounds from the world behind a façade of frantic entrepreneurial activity.

Then on August 3, 2019, Jackie’s now 37-year-old daughter, broke the silence. Jackie wasn’t ready. She calls August 3, 2019 the day her “purpose tapped her on the shoulder.” 

Please join Jackie on her mission to make teen suicide a thing of the past. You may never know whose life you’ll save. www.TeenSuicidePreventionSociety.com 

The Teen Suicide Prevention Society is a registered 501c3 – to make a donation visit: www.TeenSuicidePrevnetionSociety.org"

Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Become a private client

Attend Friday Reflection LIVE on Substack - guided journaling and Q&A

Invite me to speak at your workshop or event

Receive a free excerpt and reflection guide from my book, Parenting with Pride.

Share More Human. More Kind. Please subscribe, rate, and review!

Connect [email protected]

Watch on YouTube

Listen to *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!

At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ+ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and foster courageous, compassionate connection.

If you’re in the thick of parenting, allyship, or pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heart-warming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.

Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in—I see you. And I’m so glad you’re part of this journey.

More Human. More Kind. formerly Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen is a safe and supportive space where a mom and mental health advocate offers guidance on parenting with empathy, inclusion, love, and open-minded allyship, fostering growth, healing, connection, and empowerment within the LGBTQ community while addressing grief, boundaries, education, diversity, human rights, social justice, and the power of human kindness through a lens of ally support and community engagement.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policy
Blubrry - https://create.blubrry.com/resources/about-blubrry/privacy-policy