In the days following her husband’s suicide, Suzanne felt like the ground beneath her had disappeared. A friend listened to Suzanne explain her feelings and helped her process the death of her husband. She understood that she would need to surrender herself to the journey of healing. At first, Suzanne slipped into a denial stage. Realizing that would not help her, she began to reach out for help. Suzanne began to work with developmental trauma and wrote, “You Make Your Path By Walking.” It took her four years to be able to revisit her trauma. Suzanne explains the importance of community. At this stage, she realized she was faced with another decision. Would she try to get back to where she was? Or be reborn?

Suzanne Anderson, MA, is the founder of The Mysterial Woman, a psychologist and author of “You Make Your Path by Walking.” Born in Toronto, Canada, Suzanne was pressured to do well in school by her father. A consultant in Canada for 15 years she was hired by IBM to train their corporate teams. She moved to France for seven years and this is where she would meet her first husband. The couple moved to Seattle, Washington and they soon divorced. She met her second husband six months later. David struggled to find his quiet space. He was diagnosed with tinnitus and his business was beginning to collapse, unbeknownst to Suzanne. David confided in his friends that he was contemplating suicide, but they were sworn to secrecy. David sadly took his life, which opened Pandora’s box of a shocking discovery for Suzanne. She faced a choice. Would Suzanne be broken down and defeated, or broken open and transformed?

Nadia Davis is a mom, attorney, victims’ rights advocate, and author of “Home Is Within You.” In Episode 58, The Thrive Stage, she shares what helped her to survive her layered traumas and relapses. “It became about beating the shame of the past,” Nadia stated. 12-step work, kundalini yoga and EMDR are just a few techniques that helped her connect to her safe place. “A Home Within You is a place free from attack thoughts,” Nadia shared. She is a vocal advocate of keeping parents and children together during recovery, and she truly believes that asking for help is the most courageous thing anyone can do.