Debbie Simmons has over twenty-five years
of marketing, advertising, sales, management, and training experience.
She has worked for small family owned companies, larger corporations,
and owned an advertising and consulting firm. 
She
is a certified trainer and teacher.
Her commitment to her own development of spiritual
choice has been combined with professional experiences. To illustrate
this, she's written Business With Spirit. This blend offers
a refreshing and rare view of professional life. You can explore
the positive impact including your spiritual choices into your
workplace can have on your career, your co-workers, and your
company.
Debbie is available for public speaking engagements.
Her presentation is interactive, fun, and thought provoking.
She is a consultant for business of all sizes. She facilitates
company organization sessions that include, but are not limited
to, crisis management, mission statement development, sales training,
internal communication, and product marketing and advertising.
She works with people on their professional goals through prayer
in action. She will help develop common and separated office
prayer groups, management prayer circles, and company wide spiritual
inclusion. Debbie and her 
husband
reside in Cincinnati. They are parents and grandparents. Both
are active in their spiritual home, New Thought Unity Center.
They are interested in nature, herbal medicine, and enjoy travel.
Other interest include Reiki, fitness, a wide variety of spiritual
studies, and Love.For more about her work, other books, to arrange
a speaking engagement, or discuss specific needs for your business,
e-mail her at businesswithspirit@yahoo.com or visit her online
at http://www.businesswithspirit.com
Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow up and
was reading and writing
a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
Debbie Simmons: I grew up in Cleveland Ohio,
I can’t say I had a love of reading or writing, but developed
an interest in true stories. I loved to listen and learned to
talk to people in groups by telling stories they could relate
to. For that reason, the books I enjoyed most were those with
lessons to learn and knowledge to gain. History and non-fiction
interested me most. Early influences were people like Zig Ziglar,
Anthony Robbins, and Wayne Dyer.
Pageonelit.com: Why did you write BUSINESS
WITH SPIRIT? Tell us about this book --- How long did it
take to write?
Debbie Simmons: My passion is training.
I’ve spent most of my 20-year career training in marketing,
advertising, sales, and management. The most enjoyable years
of my career were spent working for a small adult education school.
I designed my own curriculum and as a result had to write my
own textbook. This work gave me a great deal of professional
and personal pleasure, but something was always missing. During
my professional career path I was also on a spiritual search.
This took me into study of most every major religion at one
time or another. I’d been thinking of taking my textbook
and putting into an easy read business book for some time. This
past winter it occurred to me that what was missing from my professional
work was the commitment I have to God, as I understand God.
I decided to blend the two. How long did it take? 20+ years
to learn all I needed. 6 months to put it all on paper.
Pageonelit.com: Where did the title BUSINESS
WITH SPIRIT come from?
Debbie Simmons: The title has a dual meaning.
When I think of something as having “spirit” I think
of excitement, fun, and commitment to the cause. It’s like
the team spirit you feel at a high school football game. I think
business should also be exciting and fun, but from speaking with
people over the years, I find that more dislike their jobs than
enjoy then. The second part of
the meaning is to connect with God in your work place. I didn’t
call it Business With God because God has a different name around
the world depending on which religion you practice. This book
has nothing to do with what religion you’ve chosen, but
has everything to do with bringing the spirit of that choice
to work with you on Monday. People don’t talk about their
God at work. They worship on Sunday and leave their life with
God at church. If you pray for things you need with likeminded
people on Sunday, why can’t you pray for the things your
company needs with like-minded co-workers on Monday. Like-minded
means an understanding of God. You don’t have to practice
the same faith to have the same connection. We are all on a
different path, but we are headed in the same direction.
Pageonelit.com: What has been your feedback
from readers and book reviewers? What do they say to you about
their interpretations of BUSINESS WITH SPIRIT? What do
they like about the book?
Debbie Simmons: I heard several things about
the book people like very much. First, is that I’m not
trying to get anybody to believe the way I do. Religion is a
choice each person makes. What I do encourage is to live your
faith. The next thing I hear most often is that there are practical
suggestions on ways you can start to bring God, as you understand
God, into your work situations. There are things you can do
on your own. There are ways to find like-minded people and bond
with them, regardless of their religious practice, to pray and
support one another. There are bold suggestions for company
managers and owners to help them put God in the CEO seat. Last,
people have told me they love the true stories. Some are funny,
others are sad, but all have things you can learn from them and
apply to your own life.
Pageonelit.com: Tell me about your publishing
experience -- The good, the bad and the ugly ...
Debbie Simmons:My publishing experience
has been good.
Pageonelit.com: Are you working on a follow
up? Or something totally different?
Debbie Simmons: It wasn’t long into
the writing of Business With Spirit that I knew there would be
at least three more books. It will be a series on related topics.
I have titles and content in mind and have just started to put
the next book on paper.
Pageonelit.com: What was the last book you
read?
Debbie Simmons: I read so many! I read
about three books a month, so it’s hard to tell you which
was my last. I’m currently on the second of the Harry Potter
books on the high recommendation of my grandsons. They
tell me, I can’t go see the movie this fall until I finish
the book. The most recent book would have to be How Then Shall
We Live. I read other metaphysical study, health and nutrition
books, and how to books on gardening, fitness, and fun.
