February 20, 2026

When Success Feels Heavy: The Architecture of Trust That Holds

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When Success Feels Heavy: The Architecture of Trust That Holds

Guest: Debbie Simmons, Legacy Architect, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author Host: Julie Riga

What is your life really built on, and will it hold when pressure hits? In this powerful episode, Julie sits down with Debbie Simmons, founder of the multimillion-dollar nonprofit Anchor Point and creator of the Architecture of Trust. Debbie shares how she turned a breaking point into a blueprint, why hustle and control eventually crack, and how high-capacity leaders can rebuild on a foundation that truly holds.

When Success Feels Heavy: The Architecture of Trust That Holds

About This Episode

Julie sits down with Debbie Simmons, a legacy architect, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Anchor Point, a multimillion-dollar nonprofit based in Houston, Texas. Debbie created the Architecture of Trust to help high-capacity leaders rebuild their foundations when success starts to feel heavy. After walking through profound loss and leadership pressure, she turned her breaking point into a blueprint and today equips CEOs and founders to lead with trust that holds, not hustle that burns out.

About Debbie Simmons

Debbie is the founder of Anchor Point, a multimillion-dollar nonprofit giving families hope for over 15 years through medical care, case management, a maternity home, therapeutic camps, and recovery ministry. She is the bestselling author of The Heart of Legacy and creator of the Success to Significance seminar, which helps purpose-driven leaders move from external achievement to internal alignment and lasting impact.

Fun Fact: Debbie's favorite food is cheesecake, plain with a good graham cracker crust. As she says, "it's not my friend!"

The Three Ingredients for Trust-Based Leadership Success

1. Know What You Are Trusting Stop and honestly identify the default patterns you reach for under pressure. For most entrepreneurs and executives, it is hustle, control, silence, urgency, or self-reliance. Debbie's core principle: if you can name it, you can tame it. Reflect on what you actually did the last time the pressure hit and you will discover what your foundation is truly built on.

2. Be Brave Enough to Shift Courage and fear feel identical. The only difference is that the courageous person acts anyway. Once you identify the pattern, make your best plan, take the leap, and tweak as you go. Leadership growth is a journey of iteration, humility, and intentional living that rewards those who stay the course.

3. Invite Accountability and Build Community Name the pattern you are working on and share it with a trusted coach, mentor, spouse, or friend. Growth accelerates in community and stalls in isolation. When someone safe can call you back to your values and your vision, transformation happens faster. This is self-leadership in action.

Key Takeaways for Leaders

The systems that got you here will not take you to your next level
Trust is structural, not emotional. Build systems and teams that hold even when you are not at 100%
Moving from success to significance requires inner alignment, not just outward achievement
Courage is a daily choice. Do it, tweak it, and do it again