Meet Susan

Susan Denee was raised in a small town in Nebraska. From her earliest memory, she was driven to exceed beyond the norm. At the age of five, she was winning awards for the school coloring contest and by 2nd grade she was winning young author competitions state wide. She always carried good grades and was involved in several sports. Later in life, she had an employee label her as an overachiever! Perhaps this was true from the beginning.

The other side of her story is as a little girl her home and family were impacted by alcoholism. The home was an emotional battleground most days of the week, for her mom was a sick alcoholic. When she went to school every day, she knew her home was different than those of the girls she often played with. Many times a week her mom would pick her up after school and they would spend several hours in the local bar. Her mom was a depressive, except on the occasions in which she would find her esteem through the drink, which would cause a constant and tragic unrest at their home: drunken rages, doors slamming, cruel words. Then, like most alcoholic homes, nothing would be discussed the next day and the cycle would continue.

As she grew into her teen years, her over achievement regarding grades and sports was cut short once she took up drinking. She had her first drink at age 12. She would describe the feeling later as “relief when the drink hit, I had no problems, I was able to forget my home life.” By the time she was 18, she had 5 minor in possessions of alcohol, she drank 2-3 times a week, and was very angry; never withholding her temper or opinion of others if it suited her. She felt her anger was justified, and she became the ultimate victim in all her relationships.

Fast forward after graduation, she had some success professionally thanks to the overachiever at her core. At 22, her work efforts had her promoted as a manager of 65 people for a collection agency in Phoenix, AZ. Her justified anger served that industry well. She married and shortly thereafter her husband and her decided to move to the Seattle area to start anew. She soon became pregnant with their first daughter and began her journey as a mom to both her own child as well as her step-daughter. However, the dream quickly came crashing down. As the days wore on, her husband and her sunk deeper into alcoholism and addiction and, due to that, everything in her life would soon change.

In 2001, her husband attempted to take his life. His attempt awoke the both of them and snapped them back on track. Susan describes her experience as getting “sober through his rock bottom.” However, the drinks and the drugs were just a single symptom to an entire sickness. The work that still laid before her was emotionally grueling and required a willingness she had yet to face. The absence of alcohol and drugs provided her insight into her real desire to live a sober life, for she knew what an alcoholic wife and mother would look like. Her mom gave her the example of what not to do, something she later became extremely grateful for.

Six years into her sobriety, Susan realized that she had to continue to emotionally and spiritually grow. She had begun to take for granted the blessings in her life. By then, she was a mom to two daughters, one step-daughter, and was pregnant with the third daughter. Despite their comeback, her husband and her were on the brink of divorce. Both sober, but neither contributing emotionally or spiritually to their recovery or their marriage. She knew she could only work on her, so she decided to go back to basics in the 12-step recovery program through AA. It changed her life.

Due to this decision, Susan has been blessed to service and help dozens of people in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Her primary help is with women but she has counseled families, spouses, employers, and friends through her journey. She has had women sober up at her home, she has talked them down off their heroin run, she has sat in emergency rooms when they were suicidal, she has also attended their funerals. She has listened while women placed their hurt, their abuse, and their stories into her empathetic and sympathetic hands. She has witnessed courage beyond comprehension. She found her purpose in self-sacrifice to others. She found a relationship with her god and a foundation in spirituality which she applies to all aspects of her life today.

In 2014, the company she had been employed at for 14 years became a challenge to show up for. After a very disappointing opportunity fell through with them, she sank into a work depression, unable to move forward. She was frozen with fear around the stability the income provided not only for her but her family. She became miserable. Then one day, when visiting her family in Nebraska, she heard a YouTube video with Les Brown and Zig Ziglar. Les Brown’s voice boomed across her rental car speakers as she drove on I-80. “People go to work every day miserable,” he said, “yet they do nothing about it!” She knew that was her. Thus came the decision to increase her skill set and maybe, just maybe, all this help and service she had been giving to dozens of people might be meant to help thousands.

You are visiting this site today because of her thoughts that day. She only wishes you stick around if you are in need of guidance and inspiration so you too can rise to your greatest self. No one needs to be miserable. We are not on this great earth to be miserable, be addicts, be suicidal, or be depressed. We are great beings of this universe and we deserve the best. Please read on if you want to take things to the next level. If you are willing to take action, this work will elevate your life, Susan promises.

Today, Susan is remarried (amicably divorced in 2009 from her first spouse) and successfully raising her three daughters and two step-sons. She takes care of her health through daily cardio and work-outs. She mostly eats well! But she still likes her occasional cookie or Dorito. To this day, she is still in constant service to women in recovery, going on 11 years of massive service, 15 years total. She is a corporate trainer, a speaker, and life coach. She remains at that day job as she builds this dream but it is no longer miserable; she was promoted to a new position and now understands that her worth is beyond any paycheck. Every day, she continues to learn and grow for the overall purpose of her life.

If you want an amazing life and you have been hesitant to take the next step, perhaps the time is now. You coming across this today is no mistake. Take full advantage of it. It’s time to invest if you are willing to work for your peace!