Life is the aspect of existence that processes, evaluates, reacts, evolves, and acts through growth. We all can recall as kids we felt that we will have our lives all planned out and everything will be so perfect, but oh those trials and tribulations had other plans. If things were meant to be easy, how would we learn to be strong and overcome the odds?
Millions of women have been blessed enough to still be alive or are still sane after the events they have been through. Simone Adrianne is one of them. We are fortunate enough to be a chosen platform where she can share her story and inspire others. It takes a lot of heart to be so open about your past. We’re glad she did!
1. What was life like when you first found out you were going to be a teen mom?
I was 16 years old when I found out I was pregnant. I was the captain of the cheer-leading squad and a part of every organization on my high school campus, so I was devastated when I found out that I was pregnant. I was not sure how this was going to fit into my life. I suffered from depression, anxiety, and the fear of being judged by my peers at that time, so ultimately, we relocated from my hometown of Beaumont, Texas, to Houston, Texas.
2. After losing your child’s father to a tragedy at just seven months pregnant, Why did you feel you needed to rush into getting a father figure for your baby instead of just giving yourself time to heal?
My insecurities fueled the need for having to rush into a relationship. It all stemmed from my daddy issues growing up. My father was not emotionally present in my life due to drug addiction, and me living through not having a father perpetuated a lot of the feelings about needing to have someone in my life to help me raise my son. Mind you, I found out my son’s father died when I was seven months pregnant. I did not enter into a serious relationship where my son was involved until he was two years old. Hence, there was a time where I was single, but I still remember thinking about how I need to have someone in my life because I don’t want to do this alone.
3. You said you finally settled down at 22 with whom you thought was the one, what made him different from the previous relationships?
At 22, I got engaged. We had dated for three years prior, and the thing that made him different was his willingness to be present. At the time, I thought his devotion and availability and commitment to the relationship were all very positive traits. Most guys I had come in contact with before him were young and were not looking for anything serious or taking on the responsibility of a child. He was never afraid of that, so even though he wasn’t sure of what the role would require, it did not scare him away. That was the main reason why I entered into and continued the relationship.
4. When did you notice signs of abuse and when did you decide to leave him?
The signs of abuse were present from early on in the relationship. I remember being at his grandmother’s home one evening and he and his mother got into a verbal disagreement, by the end of the argument it had turned physical, and he shoved his mother into the wall. That alone should have let me know there was an issue but I was naive and I ignored every red flag and convinced myself that he would never do that to me. When the abuse started to shift in my direction, that is when I realized it was never going to get any better, and when his hands were around my neck. As I was balled up on the floor in the fetal position trying to protect myself from him kicking me, that is when I knew I needed to leave. Progressively the abuse always was a little bit worse than the time before, it continued to get worse over the years I knew that it would come down to my life being on the line, so I had to flee.
5. How did this abusive relationship affect your son? How is he doing up to this moment? Any counseling or therapy?
The abusive relationship affected my son for several years after. It triggered him to have a very protective attitude in regards to me and be very closed off towards strangers. In some of the conversations that we would have, he would tell me that he didn’t trust my decision making because I had made such a wrong choice in the previous relationship that hurt me, but I knew his feelings were valid. My son’s trust had broken, and anybody that I dated from the age of 6 until the age of 14 it was tough (he only saw me date one other person in this time frame). I offered counseling and therapy on multiple occasions I sought out male counselors and opened up the dialogue to have the conversations with my son in various instances so that way he could know that it was safe to express himself and what he was feeling. Still, every time I would pursue the counseling, he would decline and state that he didn’t need it. At this point, he is living a happy, healthy, and whole life. I do not see any displays of aggression or something for me to be concerned about; because of the education and the time that I have taken to heal myself, I will continuously make that available to my son, who is now 17. I don’t believe personal development, counseling, coaching or therapy is for a limited time frame. I think it is a consistent, ongoing, and a lifetime process. Although he has declined counseling, as he transitions into becoming a young adult and then into an adult if it is something that he needs, I will encourage him to get help. I will also provide him with the tools and resources to navigate whatever struggles or obstacles he may come up against because of that experience.
6. Can you tell us the move(s) you made to make sure that you were going to create a safe environment and financial stability for you and your son?
I was in undergraduate school when me and my abuser were dating. I was approached by a classmate (the fraudster) one day after class who introduced me to the health care business. My relationship finally ended in 2010 due to the domestic abuse, shortly after the relationship ended I was indicted on the health care fraud charges because of the referrals that the fraudster provided to my company.
7. As time passed and you are putting in work with this new found opportunity, what was it that made you feel that something wasn’t right?
I worked with “the fraudster” for only two months and quickly started to notice that things were not right. Patients would call and complain and then there was the situation with the daughter of a patient that stated that her mother had not seen the doctor that was listed on the order for the medical equipment in over 2 years was a huge red flag. Although we tried to correct the problem by returning the money to the insurance companies that had paid out the claim, there was not enough money to do that for every single patient. The biggest mistake that I made was not calling every single company and being a whistle blower. I should have told them what I had gotten myself into with the fraudster, but fear of the unknown made me try to run from the problem.
8. How long was it before this scam finally caught up with you all and the law got involved?
Was referred fraudulent patients for two months totaling about 40 patients.
The company then went out of business six months later from trying to pay back all of the bad claims. Seven months from there, the FBI started an investigation.
9. Can you tell us what it was like fighting for your life?
It was hard. The two years that I was fighting the US government for my freedom, I remember being depressed a lot, isolating myself from family and friends. I was embarrassed and even thought of committing suicide. I was dealing with the uncertainty of my future and it was tough, but I now know anything is possible. If I was able to make it through that then I know I can overcome anything. I don’t look like what I have been through.
10. How much time did you have to serve?
13 months
11. What type of transformation did you have while having to serve your time?
During that time I l really learned what having faith was all about. All my life I had been told to have faith. But it is one thing to hear it; it’s something totally different to have to depend on something that you cannot see. Also I learned that not everything in your life happens to you, something happens for you. If it wasn’t for the case and the sentence I definitely wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today and I love empowering women and teaching them the tools necessary to also transform their own life. After I completed the 13 months in the federal prison camp and served all of the required time of the sentence I returned to school and enrolled at The University of Houston and obtained my MBA in International Business.
12. What was the most valuable lesson that you learned from your younger life that you can apply to your life now that you are older?
Most valuable lesson is to always do your own due diligence. I fact check everybody and everything.
If this story doesn’t empower you, then let us know what does? For more information on the lovely Ms. Simone Adrianne, please be sure to visit simoneadrianne.com. Last but definitely not least show your support by following her social media handles: @simone_adrianne and @overcoming_her8, a program created to empower the ambitious woman on “HER” journey to greatness! For a good read, Simone’s newly released book “ Refusing to Quit” is now available on both Amazon and her personal website.
Journalist: Helen Bohanna