The Art of Expression

If you struggle with long-form writing, I recorded it above so that you can be going about your ablutions or chores and listen.🤓

There are also some edits made post-recording and you can find these by scrolling down and finding this emoji: 🔴 and 🔵

What is your relationship to your home city?

I would love this letter to spark curiousity on how the place from where we herald shapes our expression (or lack thereof) in the world.

Liverpool, UK.

I don’t remember any point in my life where I’ve not yearned to be anywhere but here. From childhood I wistfully dreamed of a life elsewhere - mostly deepest, darkest Africa or South America in Missionary work, because as a child I seemed to deem that as my only ticket out of here.

We’d return from wonderful caravan holidays in the beauty that is Anglesey and as we’d hit the Mersey Tunnel, the radio signal would start to sputter and spit and that it was it. That was my signal to feel the weight of the Mersey above on my little shoulders. We’d emerge onto Scotland Road, past the brutalist flats and boarded-up hopes, and I’d ponder, how, of all the places on this beautiful earth did I come to be born in Bootle, Liverpool. And heck, we were super lucky to live opposite a green space - Derby Park.

What fascinates me now is realising that my desperation to flee my home city is likely the very thing that has tethered me here. Because if everything is energy, and I believe it is, then whatever we cling to for dear life - people, relationships, beliefs, jobs, outcomes - we’re often sending out a signal of lack, fear, and resistance.

And what does energy do with that? Mirror it right back. Oh ‘ello, surprise! More of what we don’t want.

So in my wild, frantic yearning for “Anywhere but here,” I suspect I unwittingly tuned myself to the frequency of “Stuck Here.” And ooh baby, did I materialise aaaall of the circumstances that have seen to it I couldn’t leave. Over and over again.

If I chose Liverpool, what did I come here to learn?

Anglesey felt like paradise. With its windswept expanses, a mystical place of myth and moss, its bracken softened by purple heather and its soul, ah the very epitome of salt-kissed, wind-whipped freedom. I’m pretty sure little Suzy remembered something ancient there, something beyond memory, in its landscape. Something, or someone, free.

And Liverpool? It felt constrictive. It was concrete and conflict. And that conflict lived inside me.

It still does.

I often wonder about the energetic imprint of places and how land holds memory, frequency, even trauma. I believe, on some soul level, we choose where we’re born. If that’s true, what did I come here to learn? And what has Liverpool been trying to teach me, all this time - while I’ve been busy trying to eschew it?

Liverpool is alive with spirit and expression. scarred with history. Its light is as bright as its chasms of darkness. It’s fierce and soft. Tender and tough. It knows grief intimately, and it knows how to fight. It’s a beacon of hope and yet also has a whiff of hopelessness (any proud Scousers here, don’t shoot me down, I can explain later). It is, in many ways, a perfect reflection of me. A tale of two Cities, a tale of two halves.

Trying to radiate serenity externally, whilst internally howling

I have a unique relationship with Liverpool because I didn’t just live in it. I knocked on its doors.

Thousands of them.

As a Jehovah’s Witness, I spent decades walking its streets, Bootle, Maghull, Dingle, Crosby, Litherland. Armed with leaflets and a desire to be invisible, smiling through my own disconnection, hoping no one would answer. There’s something surreal about knocking on doors to share “The Truth,” when your whole nervous system is screaming that it isn’t.

Luke Evans captured it perfectly in his memoir Boy from the Valleys:

“Like me, Mam was smartly dressed. As a Jehovah’s Witness you always had to look respectable, because you were representing the religion… We always smelled nice; we smiled a lot and had neat hair. There was a lot of deprivation in the Valleys and when people saw us at their front door, looking so clean and fresh and happy and hopeful, it must have been a powerful draw…Our immaculate appearance seemed to say. Join us, and you could be like this too!

The moment it was time for home, whether, I was 15 or 35, I can’t begin to tell you the exhale of relief I felt. Sometimes, as a young regular pioneer (the name given to those in voluntary full time service) I’d make up appointments that didn’t exist - my whole body in flight mode - I’d flee the neighbourhood we were assigned to, jumping a bus, slipping away with the speed of a bolting horse. I’d sneak home and climb back into bed. Ever exhausted, ever overwhelmed. And then the guilt. The deep shame that I hated it so much.

🔴You might expect stories of abuse or unkindness from knocking on doors all over the city, especially perhaps during the 80s and 90s.

But truthfully? I have very few memories of anything unpleasant in that sense.

There were surreal moments, like I remember being a kid and knocking at a door next to a flat being robbed, one of the men simply put a finger to his lips before vanishing with a washing machine down stone steps. Humour, there was always humour. A soft “not today, love,” or even just curiousity.

And that will always stay with me, that Liverpool, even in its hardest chapters (and mine), held space for (or tolerated?) the weird ones. (Still weird, thank God!)🔴

The Paradox (and I ain’t talkin’ about the 90’s club)

I was a child full of innate self-expression, but with no real outlet to pour it. School left me in tears almost daily. I mean, how could it not? The belief system drilled into me that we were to be “no part of the world,” and I took every word to heart.

School became a battleground, every interaction framed as a test from Satan, designed to lure me away from God. No wonder it felt like oil and water. Little Me and the Big, Bad, World. Fitting in was betrayal, true expression dangerous.

And in some ways, Liverpool reflects that same paradox. It pulses with creativity. Look at its music history, humour, defiance, life, but there’s also an undertone, a collective voice whispering, “We’re the poorer North. We’ve been overlooked, underestimated, left behind.”

It’s been a city that in some ways fights to be seen; alive with expression while simultaneously told it’s small, poor, or worse, made to believe it is. There’s a thread of learned hopelessness woven through its soul, when in truth, it’s wild, powerful, and deeply alive.

Just like I was.

And, maybe I’m taking the metaphor a bit far, but I feel Liverpool carries the innocence of a child in its exuberance, and also the wounds of an aged warrior. Same. Naivety, perhaps, but foolishness. Never that.

In Liverpool but never truly of it

I don’t have what you might call the typical memories of a home city. Quadrant Park, The Paradox, Cream, those weren’t landmarks of my youth, just mysterious places other kids talked about in Monday morning gossip. There were no first dates, no drunken kisses in back alleys, no football chants echoing in my bones from its two temples. Nope. I didn’t buy Smash Hits magazine or have a favourite Take That member. There was no college. No bittersweet goodbye for university, or a job, or a lover.

Dang, it would be just a few weeks shy of my 44th birthday before experiencing anything akin to a date. My adolescence played out in Kingdom Halls not on dance floors or behind bike sheds. And while other kids were sneaking out, I was learning how to disappear in plain sight.

“The kids already thought we were freaks,” Luke wrote. “And now we were coming to their house on a Saturday morning! That’s how we were treated, and that’s how we felt. Like freaks, oddities, weirdos.”

Ahh, and yeah, there was that.

That shame of being visibly “other,” and not in a magical, mystical way, but in a way that made you the punchline…it’s a shame that lingers in the nervous system long after you leave the belief system.

The city became my scapegoat

l saw Liverpool as the whole cage of my entrapment. I love its people and yet I blamed the city. Every time there was money in the ole bank account, I left, even if for a few days. Plane, train, huge exhale.

A couple of weeks ago at the end of a trial run for something I’m yearning to grow - Pedals and Presence - we pulled oracle cards. Mine was the Acacia tree - symbol of protection in the harshest conditions. The two lovely souls with me read their cards out. I died inside… Oh God, no, must I read mine out?

It’s message?

“Trust that you being given the support and protection that you crave, even if you are not yet aware of this…”

I felt embarrassed. Because it spoke truth, as my oracle cards always do.

I do crave support and I’ve rarely felt supported by this place, this city called Liverpool. Not in a needy way, I’ll always consider myself a solitary bee before anything else, but in a soul-held way. In a “this place has your back” kind of way.

I’ll never be a Scouser who declares, “Liverpool is the best city in the world la.” That’s just silly. All the beautiful, complex, resilient people, in all the beautiful, complex, resilient cities across this planet, no city has the monopoly on that.

And yet, somthing hit me like a thunderclap to the heart the other day: maybe that’s the work now. Not to flee. But to let this city meet me. Even if it never has.

🔵That bolt came not during some grand revelation, but as I sat on the loo, tears unexpectedly falling after the tragedy that happened last Monday during Liverpool’s FA Cup final celebrations.

A man in a car had driven into the crowd. Celebration turned to chaos in a heartbeat.

And something cracked open in me. A wave of grief, of recognition. And how maybe, just maybe, my being here isn’t a punishment, but a call to be fully present here. Like all true epiphanies, it’s hard to even put into words because it was less a thought and more something felt deep in the marrow.🔵

When your city becomes your mirror

Liverpool is a city of opposites: injustice and rebirth, ecstasy and loss, resistance and fragmentation. There’s an undercurrent of lack and fear that runs in its bones, and sometimes, that fear takes the form of racism.

From the Hillsborough tragedy to the Toxteth riots to its painful legacy of slavery - it holds a collective trauma field.

So do I.

Thanks for reading Suzy Exhales! Subscribe for free and let’s exhale together

I was born into a belief system that suppressed sensitivity, shut down intuition, and told me the world outside was bad. The belief system taught me to be in the world, but absolutely no part of it.

It was never possible to resonate authentically with the place in which I was born, with all of its pride, expression and sense of self. Sometimes I feel ashamed of my timeline. That I only left the religion late 2020. That I’m still fumbling for language, still untangling deeply rooted shame, still learning how to belong, all whilst guiding someone through a meditation, helping another find the courage to give a webinar, or using NLP to gently soften the edges of someone else’s fear.

The irony isn’t lost on me. And yet, what if that is where the gift lies?

“Then I opened my mouth,” Luke Evans writes, “and out came this pure voice… and suddenly I was someone. I had an identity.”

I know that feeling. Not in song, but in story. In exhales. In the unglamorous miracle of still being here, still feeling the abject dilirium of feeling everything so deeply and intensely. In the grit, the tears and the ecstasy of it all.

It’s like I’m reintroducing myself to the world. As me.

I know what it is to have lived every day not for myself, but awaiting Armageddon. It was to have a life paused in a way no one should experience. Very little choice, no career, no dreams, no children, no roadmap, because I believed the end was imminent.

And that pain? That misunderstanding? That’s where my offerings come from. Not polished. But always true and always from a heart wide open.

A Softened Symphony

I heard the fabulous Nancy Rebecca say just recently that when there’s been something like a traffic accident it leaves a residual trauma point, thus making further accidents more likely until a healing is offered to the place.

This made instant sense to me. I see Liverpool in that vein. There are chords of unhealed trauma in this city’s architecture. Grief etched into its bricks, resistance baked into its streets. And maybe that’s why, at times, it continues to attract more.

I carry those same chords in my own body. And often, when I’ve shown up with my voice or courage, I’ve been met with silence. I’ve been trying to belong on my own terms, but the echo of conditional belonging still reverberates. I even went so far as seeking Workaways in 2022, in the hopes of finding something, community, anything, to numb the deafening sound of isolation.

There was no buffer upon leaving. No community to find a soft landing or to network with. It’s been a rebuilding from the absolute ashes.

I know my former community still love me, as I love them but it becomes impossible to integrate the two worlds. Even for those who don’t go in for the whole shunning palaver and greet me, it’s as one member said, almost well-meaningly:

“Well, you are a danger to us now.”

Weirdly, I’m so grateful for it all. So deeply grateful. These have been four or five years of incubation I guess. Often feeling like I’m playing my own tune without the support of an orchestra. Maybe it’s been a tuning-up before the symphony begins?

These lines from Breakfast at Tiffany’s have haunted me for many, many years and it couldn’t be more apt now:

“You call yourself a free spirit, a ‘wild thing,’ and you’re terrified somebody’s gonna stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you’re already in that cage. You built it yourself… Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.”

And maybe that’s the point. Maybe I wasn’t meant to outrun it - but to ride straight through. Ahh the emotion I feel even just writing that tells me it’s my truth.

Golden Threads of Healing

Each Friday night in Liverpool, there’s an eclectic gang of humans on wheels. The Joyriders. Cycling through the city with lights, music, and full-body joy.

I have this theory (back to everything being energy again) that when people feel good - open, alive, free - it spills over. Energy leaves residue. Like runners in the zone who unknowingly shift the air they pass through.

Imagine then, what it does to a city when a caravan of humans ride through it, feeling alive and open like that. I reckon The Joyriders leave trails of magic behind them. Golden threads spun through the streets.🚲🪄💫

Every time I go out on one of those rides, there’s a little healing. I pass streets I used to knock doors on, and I silently send love to the Suzy who once stood there, struggling to feel belonging even within her own community, trying to disappear even in her own skin.

What fascinates me is that I can do those rides alone, playlist on, wind in my hair and still feel free, still feel good. But when I do them with others…

Ahh. There’s a special kind of magic in moving together. In laughing at red lights. In weaving through the city as one beaming, glowing thread. It’s joy, yes, but it’s also a restitching. A quiet mending of something I didn’t know was torn.

May it be from peace

I don’t know what the future holds. In so many ways, I still feel like a square peg in a round hole.

I see myself moving on suddenly, all at once. I hope I’ll finally find the softness my nervous system longs for: a warmer climate, less concrete and more wild flowers.

But when I do leave, oh please, let it be from peace, not pain.

Let it be because I’ve found my footing here first. Not to prove anything. But to stand still long enough to say:

I love you, Liverpool. Even when I didn’t know how to be held by you or felt so abandoned by you... I love you.

Let it be because I’ve found Real Home first - which is always within.

I would LOVE to hear stories of the relationship with your own home city or town and how it shaped your expression, or if anything here resonated.🙏🏻 I love you!🪄🫶🏻✨

Testimonial: “I’ve delivered many talks and lectures over the years and would consider myself a seasoned speaker and yet Suzy offered tips, tricks and tweeks that really helped me more confidently deliver a webinar to launch a 5 week course. I recommend Suzy and her heart centered, empathic way.” ~ Dr. Kirsten Cloete

The Art of Expression (formerly Unmute Yourself)

As already mentioned I’ve changed the name of the podcast because Unmute Yourself carried - at least in my head anyway - a kind of shouty energy. And that’s just not me.

These conversations are about how we move through fear, shame and self doubt, find safety and the stillness within, so we can offer the fullest expression of our magic - whatever form that might take - out into the world.

With a flourish of the wand 🪄and a doffing of the hat, of course.🎩

Show Notes:

This episode is soul-tickling. Soul-stretching. It has laughter, insight, truth - all of the things. It’s the kind of chat that rearranges you in the best way possible.

I’m joined by the deeply wise, very witty, and ever-generous David Gandelman, one of Insight Timer’s most loved teachers, with over 125k students enrolled in his courses.

David is someone who’s been on the awareness path since he was a wee thing. No robes. No floaty halo. Just years of inner reflection. And, maybe more importantly, the laughing-through-it work, too.

(And let’s be honest, even Eckhart probably grumbles at traffic.)

We talk shame, spiritual ego, creative blockages, the trap of needing to be “all healed” before we’re allowed to create our magic, and what it means to create from presence.

And then something unexpected happens… somewhere in the middle, David turns the tables. The cheeky blighter! 😁 What happens when the one asking the questions suddenly becomes the one answering the questions? Well, let’s just say I had the sweat marks to prove it.🤪

A Few Moments to Anchor Into:

[00:04:11] – What is a conscious creator, anyway?

David breaks it down so beautifully. This isn’t about suddenly becoming a fully fledged unicorn. It’s a spectrum. A lifelong deepening. A dance between doing and being.

[00:06:20] – Stillness isn’t laziness. It’s power.

We talk about the importance of cultivating inner stillness even while moving in the world—something I’m definitely still learning (any other recovering overthinkers out there?).

[00:08:00] – Shame swamps and spiritual spirals.

This bit was very vulnerable. I share about a recent shame spiral that left me questioning if I was cut out for guiding others at all. David’s response helped reframe everything. “What if your soul chose to master shame in this lifetime?” Oof.

[00:17:01] – Judgment vs. discernment.

A powerful reframe. You can call a thing what it is—without shame or blame. You don’t have to stay silent to stay kind.

[00:28:00] – Unicorns, workhorses & the slow path to mastery.

I asked David where strategy ends and energy begins. What followed was a whole riff on creative archetypes and playing the long game.

[00:39:00] – Is it really “adding to the noise”?

David reminds us that we’re not here to speak to everyone—just the ones who are meant to hear us.

Some Gems Worth Writing on Sticky Notes:

* “Maybe you turn into a unicorn after years of being a workhorse.” – David

* “What if your spiral wasn’t a setback… but sacred training?” – David

* “Shame freezes us. Expression is the fire that melts it.”

* “Your job isn’t to reach the whole world—it’s to reach the ones who resonate.” – David

* “If you don’t do anything, I can guarantee what your life will look like in 10 years.” – David

We also chat about:

* Leaving high-control environments (hello, culty past!)

* Why freedom is the true goal—not just money

Links and Things:

* David’s Conscious Creator Podcast: Listen here

* David’s Meditation School & Teacher Training: Explore here

* David’s Sleep Podcast: Drift off here

* Buy David’s book, The Seven Energies of The Soul.

Final Word from Me:

So, whether you’re in a shame spiral, dreaming of more freedom, or just need a reminder that your voice is worth hearing, this one’s for you.

With love and sweaty palms,

Suzy🪄💫

P.S. The quote I wanted to recall was this, by Admiral Richard Byrd:

“Few people during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.”

How can better tap into those wells of strength? Well, meditation is certainly one of the ways and here’s a wee one from yours truly.

Show Notes:

What if the reason your content feels heavy, your launches feel forced, and your voice doesn’t quite land… is because you’re building from someone else’s blueprint? That sure was me until I stumbled upon the magicks that is Rachael.🪄

In this expansive and empowering conversation, I chat with messaging mentor and Human Design expert Rachel Weaver, who has a gift for helping creatives, writers and coaches tap into the truth of their voice, and thus message, from the inside out.

This episode is a balm for the burnt-out entrepreneur, the over-trained, the soulful creator who’s tired of chasing formulas and ready to speak from their energetic core. Together, we explore the shift from hustle to resonance, from pressure to presence, and from overthinking to aligned expression.

If you’ve ever doubted your voice or felt like you’re doing it all “right” but it still doesn’t feel right…this conversation will feel like a deep breath of ‘Ahhh finally.’

What we explore:

* Why traditional marketing advice can mute your unique voice (start at 06:15)

* The throat center in Human Design—and how knowing whether it’s defined or undefined changes everything about how you speak and sell (11:45)

* The difference between urgency vs. resonance in your content (32:15)

* Rachel’s take on why messy action beats massive action—and how joy is the real GPS (20:15)

* How your Mercury gate reveals the energy behind your message (28:15)

* The power of listening before speaking—and why your messaging isn’t just about what you say (13:15)

Quote Highlights:

“Your undefined throat is not a flaw—it’s a channel for divine timing.”

— Rachel Weaver

“Resonant offers don’t come from panic. They come from purpose.”

— Rachel Weaver

“If you’re forcing your content to beat the algorithm, you lose heart really quickly.”

— Suzy

Resources & Links:

* Rachel’s Custom Messaging Report: Authentic Messaging Unfiltered

* Connect with Rachel on Instagram: @iamrachaelweaver

Unmute Yourself is the podcast where fear meets freedom, stories meet soul, and your voice finally gets the mic it deserves.

If you love this episode, please leave a review, share it with a fellow wild-hearted creator, and subscribe so you never miss the magic.

Rooted in Truth, Free in Spirit – A Conversation with John who goes by the name of Zudlow.

This week on Unmute Yourself, I have the absolute joy of talking with the soulful, intrepid, and wildly creative John—also known as Zudlow. He’s multi-lingual, a writer, artist, world-traveler, boat-washer, English teacher, tour guide and he’ll drop everything at the chance to enjoy life… honestly, he’s living proof that we’re allowed to be more than one thing.

“Redefine yourself often. You don't have to stay stuck in the story of who you are just because it's what other people are comfortable with. Follow what feels right, shed your old layers, and embrace the meaningful things that make you feel alive.”

Cory Allen

We dive into creativity, place, fear, the radical freedom in reinventing yourself, sacred space, and why play is essential to expression. This conversation is packed with truth, laughter, vulnerability, and lots of “me too” moments.

Whether you’re seeking inspiration to take a leap, reinventing yourself, or just want a heart-to-heart about being human—this one’s for you.

Connect with Zudlow’s Magick:

Writing and Art

Follow on Instagram

Forthcoming Substack - Let’s show some support and get John over to Substack!

Memorable Bits:

Sometimes bravery isn’t about strength—it’s just about not thinking too hard about what might go wrong.

You don’t have to get it perfect on the first try. No one’s watching. This space belongs to you.

All the characters I play—they’re all me. And also, none of them are.

I realised I had to stop hiding one part of myself, because it was leaking into everything else.

As soon as you label something, the magic leaves. That’s a tree. Done. But what if you watched how it moved?

Fear and excitement feel the same in the body. It’s just a question of how we frame it.

There is no self-made man. Everything I’ve created has been a collaboration with life.

The play is the productivity. That’s where the magic lives.

I have a novel no one will ever read. It’s chaos. It’s joy. It’s mine.

What We Talk About (sorry folks no time stamps this week!)

• Living beyond the ordinary:

John shares what drew him away from his safe beginnings in Maine and how the energy of place can shape our sleep, creativity, and sense of self.

• Travel as a mindset:

John opens up about living and working around the world, from Taiwan to Alaska, and reframing abundance beyond bank accounts.

• Rejection as redirection:

A literary agent’s “no” pushed John into a decade of life experience that deepened his writing in ways a course never could.

• Creating without permission:

Why claiming “I am an artist” matters, even when you’re not in a gallery—and how messy, unfiltered creation fuels real magic.

• Perfectionism, religion & letting it be messy:

We unpack how early belief systems can impact our relationship with creativity, failure, and freedom—and why chaos might be the real birthplace of creation.

• The sacredness of play:

From journaling rituals with incense to wild collaging sessions, we talk about creating for the joy of it—not for approval.

• Ego, identity & becoming:

Can we try on different selves like costumes? How do we stay genuine while evolving—and what does it mean to be “real”?

• Coming out, softening in:

John reflects on how living more openly led to deeper authenticity, vulnerability, and connection.

• Rewriting the script:

Why not change your walk, your laugh, your life? A celebration of play, possibility, and writing our own story.

Big Love all and ooh have you subscribed for April yet? For just £11.11 I’ll be popping up three times weekly with short videos on all things public speaking…

Subscribe here to help me create my dream life of freedom and travel, whilst I help you deliver that kick ass speech (or simply be that bit more dynamic in your every day communication).🪄

Unmute Yourself - Chapter 11

💫✨Unmute Yourself is a podcast about breaking through fear, finding our voice, and sharing our magic with the world. It’s for those who have spent too long holding back—whether from self-doubt, past conditioning, or the fear of being truly seen.

💫✨Through candid conversations with inspiring creators, we explore the courage it takes to express oneself fully, to be authentic, and the power of showing up—even when it’s scary.

✨💫 It’s not just about speaking—it’s about stepping into your truth, embracing your unique brilliance, and finally sharing your magic.🪄

This week’s conversation is pithy, punchy, and impactful.

We’re joined by the fabulously sassy Sonya Rose, a powerhouse coach who helps midlife women stop settling, rediscover their spark, and create a life they truly love. We talk about how fear can show up in midlife, why it keeps us stuck, and how we can move past it to create the life we desire.

Have you ever felt like time is running out? Worried about making the wrong decision? Struggled with the fear of judgment? Then this conversation will resonate deeply.

It is perfectly timed for the Spring Equinox, which is a truly wonderful time to set our intentions and dream BIG!

Where to Connect with Sonya:

Find her on 📲 Instagram: @SonyaRoseCoaching, LinkedIn and Facebook.

💬 DM her for support and coaching inquiries!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

⏳[02:30] Introducing Sonya Rose: Who she works with and why she’s so passionate about helping women reclaim their spark after 50.

🫥[03:45] What is Fear, Really? Sonya explains why fear is hardwired into us, how it shows up in midlife, and why it often means something matters.

⏳[06:50] Midlife-Specific Fears: Fear of running out of time, fear of regret, fear of judgment, and the fear of not knowing what you want.

🔥[10:20] Identity Shifts & Reconnecting with Self: The loss of old roles and learning to rediscover what lights you up.

🔦[12:05] Fear of Shining Too Bright: Why women often dim their light—and why that needs to change.

🦋[13:25] Midlife as Metamorphosis: How the chrysalis phase invites deep transformation.

💡[15:00] A Personal Story from Sonya: How fear kept her stuck in a job that made her ill—and how she turned her life around by facing it head-on.

🫁[19:10] The Body Knows First: The power of noticing bodily signals—and how Suzy learned the nervous system is often ahead of the mind.

🕊[20:30] Knowing Your Values: Why values are key to clarity—and how they evolve through the decades.

[22:10] Four Ways to Start Moving Through Fear Today:

1. Stop waiting to feel ready – action builds confidence.

2. Reframe fear – fear means you’re about to grow.

3. Shrink the task – take one small step today.

4. Ask “what if it works?” – stretch your mindset toward possibility.

🔄[26:00] Fear Creates the “Stuck Cycle”: Why waiting for fear to go away only makes your world smaller—and how regret, not failure, is the real risk.

🌠[28:00] The Biggest Lie Fear Tells Us: That staying still is safe—it’s just familiar. The life you want is on the other side of fear.

💪🏽[29:30] Build the Courage Muscle: Sonya shares a playful practice for gradually expanding your comfort zone.

🙌🏻[31:10] Support Other Women’s Light: A final reflection from Suzy about cheering on women who are letting themselves be seen—and what that nudge of jealousy might actually be inviting you into.

Quotes to Remember:

⭐ “Fear means I’m about to grow.”

⭐ “The biggest lie fear tells you is that staying in the same place is safe. But is it really? Or is it just familiar?”

⭐ “You don’t have to wait to feel ready—confidence comes from action.”

⭐ ““People will judge you either way—so you may as well do what makes you happy.”

“The real risk isn’t failure. It’s regret.”

⸻

Subscribe on Substack for April’s public speaking series (just £11.11 for the month!)

This episode is full of powerful mindset shifts, inspiring stories, and practical tools for moving past fear. If you loved it, please share it with a friend, leave a comment or a wee ❤️. It really does go a long way.

It’s your time. Take the first step today.

Unmute Yourself - Chapter 10

💫✨Unmute Yourself is a podcast about breaking through fear, finding our voice, and sharing our magic with the world. It’s for those who have spent too long holding back—whether from self-doubt, past conditioning, or the fear of being truly seen.

💫✨Through candid conversations with inspiring creators, we explore the courage it takes to express oneself fully, to be authentic, and the power of showing up—even when it’s scary.

✨💫 It’s not just about speaking—it’s about stepping into your truth, embracing your unique brilliance, and finally sharing your magic.🪄

Fancy a cuppa and a natter with a Cambridge-educated theoretical physicist turned oil industry pro turned personal development sage? Oh, I’ve got you. Expect laughs, wisdom, and the kind of insights that make you go, huh… why has no one told me this before?

Episode Overview

Substack is unlocking community, collaboration, and connection in a way that social media just well,… hasn’t. A few weeks ago, Anand Rao and I grabbed a cuppa over Zoom, and this conversation naturally unfolded—finishing with a golden morsel from our first chat (be sure to watch until the end!).

In this thought-provoking conversation, I speak with Anand Rao about the deep yearning for authenticity, the tension between structure and flow, and how we can release resistance to natural change rather than forcing transformation. Anand offers deep insights on the interplay between freedom and acceptance, the role of social conditioning in holding us back, and why our business journey can be a profound spiritual path.

Anand also shares powerful emotional regulation tools, the wisdom and softness of yin-based change, and how to navigate personal development with more elegance and ease.

If you’re ready to unmute your voice and share your magic—minus the burnout, force, or fear—this episode is for you. And if this conversation has sparked something in you (which, let’s be honest, how could it not?), Anand’s Free Saturday Coaching Club is the perfect next step. Details are on his Substack, and trust me, it’s brimming with wisdom!

Connect with Anand Rao:

• Substack: Developmental Mastery

• Website: developmentalmastery.com

Powerful Quotes from This Episode

“Sometimes we need the structured clarity of cognitive understanding, while other moments call for the fluid wisdom of bodily awareness. The art lies in knowing how to move between these approaches seamlessly.” – Anand Rao

“If you engage with your business as a spiritual path, nothing is out of place. Everything—every resistance, every challenge—is part of your growth.”

“We don’t need to fight with ourselves to change. Leaning back and listening to our system allows for natural transformation in a way that feels whole.”

Key Themes & Topics

Authenticity in the Modern World

• (00:01:04) Why is authenticity such a big theme right now?

• (00:02:24) The crisis of meaning and the rise of AI

• (00:03:21) The cultural shift from institutions to individual expression

• (00:04:37) What does freedom really mean and radical acceptance

Navigating Personal Development & Change

• (00:05:50) The “Leave, Change, Accept” model of life transformation

• (00:07:35) The universal desire to express oneself freely

• (00:08:10) Everyone has a unique story – the James Joyce perspective

• (00:09:29) Breaking free from social conditioning

• (00:10:53) The dance between cognitive understanding and embodied wisdom

Emotional Regulation & Working With Resistance

• (00:12:08) Why freedom without structure doesn’t work

• (00:12:52) How to build supportive structures without rigidity

• (00:18:05) Using emotional resistance as a path to growth

• (00:20:28) Practical emotional regulation techniques (e.g., havening, bilateral stimulation, self-touch for grounding)

• (00:22:01) Releasing resistance before releasing the feeling

• (00:24:11) The illusion of barriers: how our mind constructs obstacles

• (00:27:30) Small, elegant change vs. forced transformation

Entrepreneurship as a Spiritual Path

• (00:15:37) Why is it so hard to put our magic into the world?

• (00:16:17) The British “stop showing off” mindset vs. American confidence

• (00:18:21) Growth comes from engaging with obstacles, not avoiding them

• (00:32:03) Letting go of numbers & coming back to joy

• (00:36:10) The starfish story: focusing on impact over metrics

• (00:38:38) The importance of detaching from outcomes

Books & Thinkers Referenced:

• John Vervaeke – The Crisis of Meaning

• Jiddu Krishnamurti – Thought as a Dead Construct

• The Leave, Change, Accept model

Connect with Suzy:

• Follow Suzy on Substack

• Work with Suzy

Unmute Yourself - Chapter 9

💫✨Unmute Yourself is my podcast about breaking through fear, finding your voice, and sharing your magic with the world. It’s for those who have spent too long holding back—whether from self-doubt, past conditioning, or the fear of being truly seen.

💫✨Through candid conversations with inspiring creators, we explore the courage it takes to express oneself fully, to be authentic, and the power of showing up—even when it’s scary.

✨💫 It’s not just about speaking—it’s about stepping into your truth, embracing your unique brilliance, and finally sharing your magic.🪄

💃OOoh do I have a juicy conversation for you today! I was as as giddy as a giddy kipper to speak to Allysha Lavino this week. I adore everything she writes and I’m loving tapping into her “magic, mystery&mayhem” as a paid subscriber.

And I’m truly inspired by writers and creators who, despite having a large email list, choose to build their Substack audience organically from scratch. That’s exactly what Allysha has done and she is clearly winning at it!

Why? because she is MAGICKS! And Allysha wants us all to remember our bloomin’ magic.

If you’ve ever felt the pull of something bigger - like a whisper from the past urging you to step into your power - this episode is for you.

What does it mean to remember our magic?

In this episode, the beauteous visionary author and hereditary seer Allysha Lavino takes us on a journey into the unseen realms - where science meets mystery and where ancient wisdom reconnects us to the magic we’ve always known.

Allysha shares how her work bridges rigorous research with spiritual exploration, offering grounded, repeatable practices that deepen our connection to the invisible world. From her decade-long mentorship with Henry Lincoln, co-author of Holy Blood, Holy Grail (which was the inspiration behind the Da Vinci Code), to her work in helping others connect to their own magic, Allysha invites us to rediscover the profound intelligence woven through our reality.

I could listen to her aaall day!

We explore:

💫🪄The physics of the invisible and how magic is simply what exists beyond our current scientific tools.

💫🪄How breathwork (like the Hawaiian ‘Ha’ breath) can unlock deeper interconnection.

💫🪄Embodiment and why many of us struggle to fully inhabit our bodies.

💫🪄Dissociation, trauma, and the process of calling our soul home.

💫🪄The role of intuition, talking to trees, and remembering the language of the natural world.

Quotable Moments

On Magic & the Invisible:

“When I talk about magic, I am actually talking about the physics of the invisible world…We’re having a conversation about love happening in the brain waves—something beyond what we are able measure.”

(00:01:28)

• On the Breath of Life:

“The first practice I teach is a simple breathing technique—I call it the ha. It’s about breathing in through the nose, down into the belly, and exhaling with that resonant ‘ah’ sound.”

(00:08:43 – 00:09:13)

• On the Seat of the Soul:

“In a lot of indigenous traditions, they say that the belly is the seat of the soul.”

(00:15:35 – 00:15:40)

• On Surrender:

“What if you’re not failing to surrender? What if you are already surrendered and just don’t like how it feels?”

(00:27:35 – 00:27:55)

• On Being a Heretic:

“Heretic is an ancient Greek word—it means one who is able to choose.”

(00:46:42 – 00:46:47)

Key Takeaways

• Magic as the Invisible Physics:

Allysha redefines magic as the part of our reality that lies beyond what science can measure—where love, intuition, and the unseen interconnections of life reside.

• Embodiment & Connection:

Our bodies are not just physical vessels but intricate conduits of energy. Simple practices like the “ha” breathing technique (inhale through the nose, let the belly expand, and exhale with an “ah”) help you feel and connect with the universe around you.

• Healing Through Reconnection:

Trauma and modern distractions often cause us to become disassociated. Reclaiming our energy starts with reconnecting to the body—acknowledging that the belly is the seat of the soul and inviting your “team” of inner guardians to help bring you back home.

• The Journey of Surrender:

Surrender is not about failure—it’s about embracing our current state, even when it feels uncomfortable. Recognizing that sometimes being “stuck” is part of the process of integration that can open us up to receiving and healing.

• Embodying Abundance:

By realigning our relationship with money—recognizing it as a loving, energetic force—spiritual people can thrive financially, supporting not just themselves but the communities and causes they care about.

• Becoming a Heretic:

Allysha explains that being a “heretic” means choosing our own path and reclaiming our voice. Every small step in shifting our thought patterns creates a “super highway” for embodying our true magic.

Connect with Allysha:

Allysha Lavino - Subscribe to Allysha’s beautiful Substack Publication

Author, Adventurer and Modern Mystic - do check out Allysha’s website here

Instagram

Buy Allysha’s book - The Heretic

Buy Sarah McCrum’s, Love Money - Money Loves You

Listen now, and remember: Your voice holds magic. It’s time to unmute yourself.

Unmute Yourself - Chapter 8

💫✨Unmute Yourself is my podcast about breaking through fear, finding your voice, and sharing your magic with the world. It’s for those who have spent too long holding back—whether from self-doubt, past conditioning, or the fear of being truly seen.

💫✨Through candid conversations with inspiring creators, we explore the courage it takes to express oneself fully, to be authentic, and the power of showing up—even when it’s scary.

✨💫 It’s not just about speaking—it’s about stepping into your truth, embracing your unique brilliance, and finally sharing your magic.🪄

About Dr. Kirsten Cloete

Dr Kirsten Cloete is a Mind-Body wellness expert with a passion for helping people identify and release their subconscious blocks, so they can truly thrive both personally and professionally. Kirsten’s background in Chiropractic, Craniofascial Dynamics and Emotional Freedom Technique has given her a unique vantage point from which she is able empower her clients to reach their full potential, by harnessing the incredible power of the Mind-Body connection.

Kirsten’s passion and magic beams through and it’s always such a joy to talk to her on all things nervous system and holistic healing. Kirsten currently lives between London and Magical Majorca with her cappuccino coloured fluff ball, Maverick (who was rather better behaved than my cat Arty in our chat!).

Episode Overview

In this enlightening conversation, Dr. Kirsten Cloete, discusses the profound connection between mind, body, and emotions, sharing her expertise on nervous system regulation and holistic healing approaches.

Key Topics Discussed - The Mind-Body Connection

- The inseparable nature of mind and body

- Recent discoveries about the fascial network: From mere connective tissue to communicative tissue

- How emotional experiences are stored in the body and impact physical health

Understanding Our Natural Healing Capacity

- The body's innate ability to heal itself

- Examples of natural healing processes, like wound healing

The Stop, Scan, Reset Technique

Dr. Cloete’s simple but powerful three-step process:

1. Stop: Pause our daily activities

2. Scan: Perform a body scan from head to toe

3. Reset: Use breathwork and EFT tapping to regulate the nervous system

Fear and the Nervous System

- How past experiences get encoded in the limbic system

- Understanding the brain's protective mechanisms

- The role of the amygdala and hippocampus in emotional memory

- Fear as a natural survival mechanism

Working With Fear

- Viewing fear as a passenger on our life's journey

- Allowing fear to be present without letting it make decisions

- Building confidence through small steps while acknowledging fear

- Understanding that fear doesn't need to be eliminated to take action

Notable Quotes

- "The body is the subconscious mind" - Dr. Candice Pert

- "Every cell in your body is constantly eavesdropping on your thoughts" - Deepak Chopra

- "The fear of pain is a form of mistrust of our nervous system's capacity to move through it" - Xavier Dagba (You can read the full article referenced here.)

- "Everything we want is on the other side of fear"

Resources Mentioned

- Book: Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candice Pert

- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

- Dr. Gabor Maté's work, including "When the Body Says No"

Upcoming Course With Kirsten: The Stress Reset with Dr. Kirsten Clouty

- Starting: February 11th

- Duration: 4 weeks

- Format: Online course with weekly live calls

- Focus: Using EFT, breathwork, and mindful movement for stress management

Connect with Dr. Kirsten Cloete

- Website

- Instagram

- LinkedIn

I think, for the first time I can remember, I’m genuinely excited for the winter months. On my usual sunset pootle the other night, I realized that even if I suddenly had the chance to escape to a warmer clime for the rest of winter, I’d feel a pang of sorrow. I wouldn’t want to miss the slow unfolding of this season.

✨

This noticing, this peace—it’s not magic (although it feels like it sometimes). I believe it’s the result of four years of daily meditation, mindfulness practice and using all the tools that have helped me go within, even to the most wintery parts of myself. The dark, the cold, the ice.

(Mind you, come back to me in March and I maybe feeling very vexed with winter!😁)

💫

The video is a little talk I’ve given a couple of times this month, including during the winter solstice at the beautiful Lunt Nature Reserve near where I live. I’m sharing it here—minus the meditation. (Ooh plus, you get to see my magickal Christmas tree—my first ever!)

✨

If we thought 2020 was a time of seismic shifts and awakenings (and it certainly was for me), my sense is that 2025 will be all that and more. Grounding, mindfulness, self-care, going within, and supporting our nervous systems will be more important than ever.

🪄

I’m gently and softly excited for this winter season—and for 2025.

✨💫

I’m sending so much love and goodly wishes for your New Year’s Eve celebrations, and I’m gleefully wafting my magic wand 🪄 for your 2025 to be filled with love, joy, and ease.

✨

Suzy

PS: THANK YOU for all your love, readership, ♥️’s, and comments on my Substack letters and Unmute Yourself podcast this year. I’m so excited to grow and expand these in the months to come!🪄✨

💫Once upon a time, there was an enchanted series, where folk gathered to hear the tales of creators who bravely faced, conquered, and continued to conquer, the demons of fear, thus revealing their magical gifts, skills, and true essence to the world.✨

💫I’ve been sitting with wondrous souls—artists, travelers of distant lands, weavers of words, capturers of light, coaches, practitioners, and wise teachers—each one a character of great inspiration whom I deeply admire.✨

💫In this mystical realm, I believe wholeheartedly that our destined success is but a matter of time, so long as we remain steadfast, follow the nudges of our heart in spite of fear, and keep leaning into the things that bring lightness and joy to our souls.✨

Unmute Yourself - Chapter 7

In the early 2000’s: I read the book by Elaine Aron about The Highly Sensitive Person and immediately felt validated. It was such a relief.

💫✨

Around 2012: I started a blog on the ole down-low called, Sensitive Souls Require More Beauty.

✨💫

It sounds a little pretentious now 😬and yet what I was actually trying to convey was the rich interior world of the highly sensitive person.

💫✨

In January 2021: I began my coaching, NLP, energy, and meditation odyssey. What I now feel about the “highly sensitive” label—or “highly sensing,” as Jim calls it—is a little different from how I felt years ago. It was wonderful to delve deeper into that with Jim.

✨💫

Who Is Jim Rajan?🪄

Spend any time around Jim Rajan, a very unassuming and gentle soul, as a highly sensing being, and it’s impossible to not feel a huge exhale of relief. It’s like your whole nervous system gets to go on a little holiday.

💫✨

I treasure Jim’s magic in the world because he is opening the door to an entirely new way of seeing life - one where our sensitive nature doesn’t fit into a box with a label. It’s one filled with potential, possibility and deep peace.

✨💫

A Former award-nominated producer and director at MTV-UK Networks and other TV production companies in London, Jim Rajan has now been running a successful worldwide practice for over 17 years as a distance healer and teacher specializing in working with highly sensitive individuals.

💫✨

Based in Madrid, Spain, he also runs a unique year-long school that supports 12 participants in a deep journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

✨✨

Key Highlights🪄

In this deeply insightful conversation, Jim challenges traditional narratives about sensitivity, offering a profound exploration of human consciousness, personal growth, and the power of being fully present. Jim shares his transformative journey in coming to see sensitivity as a profound way of experiencing life.

01:41 - Redefining “Highly Sensitive Person” to “Highly Sensing Person”

05:18 - Sensitivity: more than just a label

13:58 -The myth of competition in personal development (one of my favourite bits!)

10:36 - The expansive nature of the nervous system

15:52 - Embracing self-compassion and gentleness

21:25 - Understanding "psychic attack" from an empowering perspective

Memorable Quotes♥️

"Sensitivity is simply a way of being. It doesn't have to be a label."

"The mind's job is to stop you taking short-term risks. But there are no real risks in the modern world."

"Healing is really just change. It's just evolving."

Connect With Jim’s Magic🪄

➡️Instagram 🪄

🕯Insight Timer🪄

💻 Website 🪄

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. And if you found any morsel of gold in there, you can really help me grow my publication by sharing or subscribing for free. I do a little happy dance everytime someone does.🤸‍♀️

This may well be my last post before the festive period so I’m wishing you all the sweetest, loveliest and most peaceful of holidays.

Sooo much love and gratitude for you!

Suzy 🪄💫✨

Disclaimer - I mention about my journey in coming off anti-depressants and I just wish to emphasize that the views and experiences shared in this episode are personal insights and should not be considered medical or professional advice.​​​​​​