Profile

Marla Simpson is author of the manuscript in progress, Faultless: Mending the Broken Home Inside of Me.  Herself an Adult Child of Divorce (ACOD), Simpson has realized a goal which often eludes other ACODs -- that of learning to live and love authentically. 

In addition to a close examination of her own life, Simpson's work on Faultless has included several years spent researching antidotes to the ills associated with a background of parental divorce.   She is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she received her B.A., and of San Francisco State University , where she received an M.A. in Social Science and was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award for academic excellence.

Among other things, Simpson has been a waitress, an ESL instructor, a marketing manager for an Internet startup, and a risk management analyst.  She has lived abroad in Norway , France , Germany and Japan and has traveled to over 25 different countries.  Her many life experiences add variety to her work and connect her to others of her generation.

She resides in Everett, Washington with her boyfriend, Steve, and their three cats.

Writing - With an intimate and compelling voice, Simpson shares her insight from unraveling the legacy of growing up in a single-parent, divorced home. The following are excerpts from Faultless:

Excerpt 1

Excerpt 2

Excerpt 3

Excerpt 4

Speaking - In a presentation that will surely be both evocative and informative, Simpson is available to discuss the following topics in the context of the Adult Child of Divorce experience:

• Making choices in young adulthood that expand, rather than limit, options for the future
• Grieving childhood losses to make way for joy
• Examining persistent affects of parent/child role reversals
• Learning trust and communication skills
• Breaking out of the mold of the parents' unsuccessful relationship and working toward satisfying partnerships

Testimonials:

"It's a rare and enriching experience to hear Marla speak on the topic of divorce, a subject matter close to her heart. She is able to extrapolate from her life experiences the key issues that are critical to personhood and development. She does so without the fluff.  Her integrity and insight do justice to both the pain and the beauty we experience in our family ties.

She invites us to reflect with her on the larger questions of life this topic brings up. She's not afraid to ask questions that have no obvious answers, which can leave some bewildered.  But  for those who are willing to imagine beyond the given and the established, this approach is vision-building. Marla helps us with that process.

Reading her work or hearing her speak is like taking a walk with a wise friend with whom we long to have a heart-to-heart talk."– Jennifer Chang 

"Marla speaks with a unique combination of power and vulnerability, wit and gravity. I have seen listeners roar with laughter at her humor, and blink back tears at her anecdotes delivered from the heart. She entertains as she teaches, keeping audiences riveted and spellbound." - Mavis Tsai, Ph.D.; Psychologist in Independent Practice; Clinical Instructor, Dept. of Psychology, Univ. of Washington

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