'I Was Terrified': Woman Follows Her Passion For Puzzling To Create Company That Inspires Women

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - An Omaha woman who has dedicated her life to uplifting women is incorporating her passion with her hobby, one puzzle piece at a time.

Lindsey Simmonds has worked around the world overseeing large-scale grants for family planning and reproductive health programs in developing countries. Puzzles brought her peace after a stressful day at work.

"Most of the problems that we solve, you can go left or you can right, you know. There's options. But with puzzles, there's only one solution," she tells CBS affiliate KMTV. "There's a sense of clarity and focus that comes and I just crave it."

Simmonds loves puzzles so much she created her own puzzle company. Wander Puzzle Company launched in January 2020.

"When I first made an order for puzzles, I was terrified," she recalls. "I've never owned a business before in my life."

And just a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced most of the nation in prolonged lockdown.

"I started to get messages from people. 'I need these puzzles right away. I feel so anxious. I have terrible anxiety,'" she remembers. "So the puzzle sales started to go absolutely crazy and in a matter of weeks I was sold out."

Since then, Lindsey has produced 10 different puzzle designs and sold more than 15,000 puzzles. The unique images on the puzzles are all created by international female artists, filled with messages of unity and love.

"I love seeing the moms write in and say 'This is for you daughter, go get em. you're the next generation. you know girl power.' I love that, so i feel really lucky to be on this side to create what i think is inspirational for women."

Simmonds says Wander Puzzle Company donates a portion of all sales to provide seed funding to youth and women-led enterprises in Africa.