50. Grief, Growth, Grit with Cristina Simmons

How do you turn unimaginable loss into a life of purpose and holistic healing?

Occupational therapist and author Cristina Simmons joins Ian Bowen to share her powerful journey through grief, chronic pain, and parenting a child with autism. In this raw and inspiring conversation, Cristina reveals:

1. The shocking medical diagnosis that followed years of unprocessed grief.

2. How lifting heavy weights became her nervous system therapy.

3. The EAT framework (Educate, Accept, Transform) for overcoming life’s toughest challenges

4. Why she went back to school at 39 to better understand her autistic son.

5. Her "FOOD" method to stop emotional eating (and the surprising link between cravings and emotions).

Key Takeaways:

1. Grief lives in the body. Unprocessed trauma manifested as chronic pain, gut issues, and even a tumor for Cristina.

2. Presume competence. Cristina’s autistic son—once kicked out of multiple schools—now thrives in public high school.

3. Movement is medicine. Weightlifting regulated Cristina’s nervous system when therapy couldn’t.

4. EAT your challenges: Educate yourself, Accept what you can’t control, Transform pain into purpose.

5. FOOD framework: Feel the emotion, Option to shift it, Observe the change, Decide/Deprive wisely.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Losing 3 children to a rare genetic disorder

07:30 - How unprocessed grief destroyed Cristina’s gut health

15:45 - The tumor diagnosis that nearly cost her a leg

22:10 - Working out on a walker: "No excuses" mindset

30:05 - EAT framework: From trauma to occupational therapy

38:20 - Parenting autism: Presuming competence over limitations

45:00 - FOOD method to stop emotional eating

52:15 - Why heavy weights calm sensory overload

 

Connect with Cristina Simmons:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristina-simmons-30850431a/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristinapsimmons/

Email: [e-mail]

 

Connect with Ian Bowen:

Website: https://thepositivepersistence.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ianrbowen/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ianrbowen?lang=en

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PositivePersistence-ch8fk