I believe women intuitively know a lot about success.
Welcome here! I’m Susan.
And, you know what? I love that you want to have it all.
After all, it’s your definition of success that matters.
My guess is if you’re here, more of your life is right, than it is wrong, because you’ve designed it that way. Which is perfect, because that tells me you’re my kind of person.
And I hope we know one another a long, long time.
On chasing success...
It was just over five years ago, that my do-er, ultra accomplished, get sh*t done, list-making goddess Self was busy in the thick of the corporate grind.
And it’s still not clear which was the HARDER GIG, but the whole other routine of working out at 5:45 am, showering and then getting my two young boys dressed, fed, all-the-lunches made, pre-prepping dinner, only to get them to school for 8:30 am was also insane, earning me a Starbucks on the way to work.
This younger version of me, a woman who I revere (and one who I also look upon with a ton of compassion), was hyper focused on her Big Goals & Outcomes. Success was The Name of The Game and she played the game hard, and she played it well. BTW - Is there any other way to play it?
Yes, younger me, had checked off all the boxes…The Education, The (handsome-eight-years-younger-than-her) Husband, The Mortgage, The Kids, The Job with The Title, The Salary…
I was self-sufficient AF, and very proud of having my shit together.
Until, I didn’t.
For sure, on the outside I looked The Part, but inside I was exhausted, and felt really disconnected from myself (and my wee kiddos)
I decided to leave The Big Job
to do life different.
But nothing really changed…
I went and set up a whole bunch of cool NEW boxes to check off:
1. The Entrepreneur
2. The Online Business Owner
3. The Work-Whenever-You-Decide-To
4. The Execute-Perfect-Health-Routine
5. The Mom Who Can Drive Her Boys To All Their Activities...
And now I was doing all of these things and just as exhausted!
While I had bravely decided to seek change, and I had set up new goals and roles, what didn’t change were the beliefs underpinning it all; beliefs that told me what success “looks like”.
I was The Poster Girl of Success.
I thought it was enough to bravely seek a different path.
It turns out, it was never about the “job”.
It was about the beliefs I had internalized along the way.
The Real Problem
Let’s start with what is not the problem: your ability to do just about anything you set your mind to. You’re a rockstar. And clever AF.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way (because sometimes when we’re trying to make change we have a tendency to be real hard on ourselves).
The reality is that there are whole number of beliefs fully woven into the fabric of our society and - take it from me - these need to be seen for what they are.
These beliefs are about success and how we should go about making it happen. Like Just Do It, No Pain No Gain, Be Stronger Than Your Excuses, Only The Strong Survive, and my personal favorite:
The key to success is hard work and determination.
Let me clear Brave One, I will, without a doubt be teaching and modeling this to my kids.
But are these the only ingredients that go into success?
These sneaky little ways of working lie beneath the surface of our skin, fuel our efforts, whisper all-the-day-long to keep on going, and to never, ever stop. And they’re stubborn; they don’t wash off in the shower, or go on vacation.
Our beliefs about what’s required for success are baked into our bones. They are deeply embodied and at the heart of our habits and routines.
This is what we’re told is “success”.
With a little work, and a lot of curiosity & compassion we can refresh our values, and update our beliefs about what it means to be successful.
Beliefs that feel true to who you are today.
And ways of working that keep vitality at the forefront.
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY
And of course I found this way, because that’s what women like us do right? Bring our determination to bear and work our butts off to figure things out.
And it isn’t a 10 step program.
It is bespoke and oriented to what you want. In other words, we’ll define Your North Star.
Feeling curious? Great!
My vision is to help you realize a sweeter, more satisfying version of success.
Random Susan Stuff
Boxes I’ve checked off
a.k.a. the street cred stuff
Let’s talk business: MBA, 20 years in corporate (financial sector, manufacturing etc.), VP Human Resources & Organizational Development.
Let’s chat life: B.A. in foods & nutrition, mom of boys, lived and traveled to 30+ countries, fluent in Spanish, loads of life experience re: burnout & exhaustion. Allergies and plant based cooking.
Let’s chat values & all the other important stuff in life: I’m here for it all…my values drive everything I do and why I do what I do. I grew up churched. Work is service, service is work.
Let’s jam about change & transformation & the messy intersection of all of the above: Integral Master Coach, Integrative Enneagram Certified. 15 years + coaching women.
And I’m always available to chat: about food & travel.
So whether you’re here to create success in your whole life, or ensure your work & life are playing nicely together or creating more success inside your work, I’m here to help you realize it.