Turning Unimaginable Loss into a Mission to Save Lives with Katie and Dawn Simmons

Katie and Dawn Simmons are a mother and daughter from South Louisiana who turned unimaginable loss into a mission to save lives. After losing three members of their family, Lindy, Christopher, and Kamryn Simmons, to an impaired driver in 2021, they founded Simmons 3, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing impaired driving and encouraging young people to make life-giving decisions.Together, Katie and Dawn travel across Louisiana and throughout the country sharing their family’s story with students, athletes, medical professionals, and communities. Their presentations focus not only on the dangers of impaired driving but also on personal responsibility, character, and the power each person has to shape their own future.What began as a grieving family searching for purpose has grown into a mission that has reached tens of thousands of students and community members. Through school presentations, community partnerships, and advocacy efforts, Simmons 3 continues working to ensure that Lindy, Christopher, and Kamryn’s legacy lives on by helping others choose a different path.Katie and Dawn believe that even in the darkest circumstances, purpose can rise from pain. Their work today is rooted in one simple hope: that by sharing their story, another family might be spared the heartbreak they carry.www.simmons3.comFacebook: Katie Joy DeRouen, Dawn Hebert Simmons, Simmons 3Instagram: katiederouenThis podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder. Her latest book, How to Survive Survival: A Guide for Turning Life’s Hardest Moments Into Meaningful Contribution for the World was released in 2025.  Jessica is also the author of Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six, published in 2014, which became a New York Times Bestseller. Jessica is the founder of Soul Speak Press, a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on stories from women who have been through something, now they know something and can teach us something.When she’s not writing or speaking, Jessica is traveling the world with her Swedish husband and two “half Vikings.” She aims to lead a life shaped by curiosity, culture, and a deep appreciation for the resilience of the human spirit.