Warm Hugs with Suzanne

What happens when life doesn’t come with a perfectly mapped-out plan?

In my conversation with Olympic swimmer Janelle Atkinson, one thought stayed with me: you get to write your own story. Janelle speaks openly about learning to swim her own race — in the pool and in life.

We talk about self-belief, the times she felt like a fraud despite achieving extraordinary things, and how, looking back, she wishes she could have given her younger self a little more positivity and encouragement.

At just 17, Janelle finished fourth in the 400m freestyle final at the Sydney Olympics, coming agonisingly close to an Olympic medal. She shares what that moment still means to her — a race she cannot bring herself to watch and an experience that, every four years, can feel like an open wound all over again. But this conversation is also about what comes next: finding purpose, giving back through her work as CEO of the International Water Safety Foundation, and the importance of having people we can look up to and relate to — people who help us imagine what might be possible for ourselves.

We don’t all have life planned out. Sometimes we find our way as we go. We get to write our own story, swim our own race — and dive into life.

Join us for Warm Hugs.

Follow Janelle on Instagram : gatorjama and LinkedIn: Janelle Atkinson MS, OLY

Based in The Bahamas, Adelaide Auxiliary has been working tirelessly to nourish, support and enrich the students of Adelaide Primary School for over 50 years. Adelaide Auxiliary shows us that becoming aware of the needs in the communities around us can be humbling, inspiring and create “magic” when we work together. In this episode, hear from  some of the key volunteers on the Adelaide Auxiliary board. Listen to the story of how the Auxiliary started. The daily impact it has on children’s lives and the greater impact is has into these children’s futures.

Listen, learn and be inspired. 

Be inspired to make a difference here in The Bahamas or perhaps in your corner of the world. 

Giving back comes in many forms. When done with an open heart, compassionate mind and clear goals - this is how we can all help make a positive change in this world step by step by step. 

For more on the Adelaide Auxiliary, to volunteer, donate or simply follow their story please visit their website at adelaideauxiliary.org 

Meet SoseFina (Fina) - Business Owner, Creative, Life Coach, Runway Model and Beautiful Spirit. In this episode, Fina speaks about her cultural background and the near death transformative moments in her life. Each day Fina chooses growth over fear and focuses on what brings her joy. We discuss faith, self belief and doing not just trying. There is no repeat in life - we need to make every moment count!

For more on Fina, follow her on instagram @sosefinahulu 

Fina's beautiful Craft Cottage Bahamas is also on instagram @craftcottagebahamas  

#podcast #runwaymodel #tonga #livelifetofullest #livelifemotivation #challengeyourself #lifelesson #growthjourney #faithoverfear 

Bill Yeates' father suffered with dementia. For the last four years of his life, Bill and his brother Peter were their father's primary carers. 

About 8 years ago Bill was diagnosed with Young Onset Dementia. Knowing what was ahead of him, Bill became severely depressed and withdrew from life, family and society.

Today, Bill is a board member and ambassador for Alzheimer's Disease International(ADI). He has created his own unique way of truly LIVING with dementia and shows us how you can awaken your positivity at any stage of your life.

In this episode, we discuss Bill's life before dementia and what Bill went through to confirm his diagnosis. Bill gives us some insight on indicators and preventative measures for dementia. Is there a way to slow it down? How can one "fight" dementia? Bill talks about how he rebuilt himself after his dark days. Why it's important to stumble and how we can better deal with the stigma of dementia.

This episode is filled with advice for dementia suffers and carers alike. More so, it is a wake up call to society to "walk along side" those with dementia. Bill shows us how and why this is so important. 

Some key references noted within the episode include:

 - Follow Bill on LinkedIn at William Yeates (Sydney)

-  Bill's website is AwakeningYourPositivity.com

- ADI (Alzheimers Disease International) can be found at Alzint.org

- gbhi.org is the website for the Global Brain Health Institue that runs the Walking the Talk with Dementia program

- Another of Bill's recommendations is Forwardwithdementia.au for more inforation on both Bill and living with dementia

#dementia #alzheimers #awakening #positivity #resilience 

Having written 12 Contemporary Romance Novels with five more to be released this year, author Sydney Scott is most definitely a romance expert! To top it off, she is now also on the ever changing dating scene.

In this episode we discuss topics including:

- why we think men should also be reading romance novels

- some tips for romance in all of our lives

- how Sydney juggles motherhood, teaching and writing

- handling judgement in life and writing

- how open door romance reads may just help us all in the bedroom

- the importance of lifting each other up in life

- differences in publishing avenues

- romantic expectations 

and so much more.

The question is... do you agree with all we have to say? I'd love to know! 

Enjoy the episode,

Suzanne

You can find out more about Sydney and buy her novels on her website:

sydneyscottauthor.com

or all good book retailers including amazon.

Follow her on all good social media platforms including bluesky using sydneyscottauthor

Self-Love Matters…

In a way it seems to be such a simple concept, doesn’t it? Yet no matter how glamorous one is, it seems Self-Love is something nearly all of us struggle with. Conscious Self-Love takes time and practice and an understanding that you deserve joy. You are worthy. You are enough.

Join me on Warm Hugs with Suzanne as I speak with Solange Tuyishime Keita about her traumatic life growing up. I ask Solange about her extraordinary growth as a global leader and philanthropist to women and children worldwide. Solange also talks to us about what the pageant world means to her. 

On this podcast journey, we deep dive into Self-Love. Solange speaks candidly about how she has come to understand just how much Self-Love Matters after years of trauma. Self-Love has helped Solange to focus on her mission and realise that “until we genuinely love ourselves, we aren’t there wholeheartedly.”

This is a must-see/listen-to episode.

For more on Solange Tuyishime Keita please check her out at:

https://www.misssolange.com

where you will find links to her charitable foundation Elevate International, her participation in UNICEF and details on her current Miss Universe journey.

On Instagram, you’ll find Solange at:

@misssolange

On Facebook, Solange is:

@SolangeTuyishimeKeita

This episode Self-Love Matters on Warm Hugs with Suzanne can be found on YouTube and all good podcast platforms. 

Search: Warm Hugs with Suzanne

There are many types of bravery but perhaps the bravest of all is being brave enough to show up as your true self. To love unashamedly. To grieve with an open heart. To live your truth.

Lillian Haynes is a testament to this bravery, as is her inspiration Kiara Echaniz. Lilli is 19 years old and has recently published "dear Kiara: A Biographical Poetry Collection" with Kiara's parents Anne and Paul. Kiara's is a story of a young girl who loved her family and the rest of the world fiercely. Beyond preserving Kiara's story, "dear Kiara"  shines a light on grief, our humanity, suicide and its signs.

Also in this episode, Lilli and I discuss the impact of being a third-culture kid. We look at the importance of not only having a village but being a villager. Grief is a human condition, we talk about the different ways we express grief and the importance of grieving. 

Lilli most often expresses her emotions through poetry. I am incredibly proud to highlight some of her poems that were inspired by Kiara and found within "dear Kiara". Lilli's depth of emotion is palpable.

For more information on "dear Kiara" and Project Dear Kiara, please visit:

www.projectdearkiara.com

Please note that all proceeds from "dear Kiara" go towards the Jed Foundation and Alliance of Hope. Donations for these charities can also be made directly via the website above.

Follow on:

@dearKiara on Instagram

@ProjectDearKiara on Facebook

and Lilli can be found at:

www.lillianhaynes.com

#kiara #jedfoundation #allianceforhope

#brave #bravery #teenagers #inclusivity #village #thirdculturekids

#suicide #mentalhealth #education #depression #anxiety #relationships #grief #challenges #parentalawareness #suicideawareness #whatsyourwhy #podcast

#texas&m #mentathealthmatters

As an (over) eight-time stroke survivor, Desney King is an expert on how to live her life with intention. She looks at the “true why” behind everything she does as she needs to very mindfully prioritise her energy usage each day.

Join me, on Warm Hugs with Suzanne, as I discuss Stroke Awareness with Desney. We delve into areas including how her first stroke felt, who is most prone to strokes and stroke warning signs. In this episode, we also consider what Living a Life of Intention means. Why does Intention Matter and how you can bring greater intention into your life.

My hope is that you will finish listening to this episode of Warm Hugs with Suzanne: Intention Matters feeling inspired, challenged and cherished. 

Find episodes of Warm Hugs with Suzanne on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Podcast and Podbean.

You can follow Desney on Instagram @desneykingauthor

and Facebook @Desney King

Desney’s book is: Transit of Angels and is available online. My review for Transit of Angels can be found at https://www.instagram.com/p/CXqRHCMh7Zl/?igsh=MWd0MzY2c2p0cTdhNA==

During the podcast, we also reference Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way and The Australian Stroke Foundation.

The Stroke Foundation can be found at https://strokefoundation.org.au

and you can access Desney’s story at https://strokefoundation.org.au/media-centre/stroke-stories/life-on-the-bed-with-desney

#newpodcastepisode #authenticliving #stroke #strokeawareness #livingwithintention #intentionalliving #intention #intentionmatters #mindset #mindsetmatters #warmhugs #podcast #inspirationalspeaker #inspired #challengeyourself #challenge #strokeriskfactors #acceptyourreality #valueyourself 

Brendan Ozawa-de Silva has dedicated his life to helping to educate and share compassion throughout the world. Brendan has two PhDs, has met with His Holiness The Dalai Lama on numerous occasions and is a well-known expert in this, now scientific, field of research. In this episode of Warm Hugs with Suzanne, Brendan and I discuss how he chose this field. We also focus on Hope: 

What is Hope?

Why is Hope so important in life?  

Is it naive to be hopeful?

And we look at practical tips on how to find hope when we feel helpless.

Find out more about Brendan by googling him. Some key areas that we discuss today and sites you may like to visit include:

https://compassion.emory.edu/

For information on CBCT:

https://compassion.emory.edu/cbct-compassion-training/index.html

For information on SEELearning:

https://compassion.emory.edu/see-learning/index.html

For Brendan's podcast Mindful Dialogues:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/mindful-dialogues/id1783665174

#buildcommunity #creatingconnections #compassion #compassionmatters #hope #hopefulliving #dalailama #dalai_lama #emoryuniversity #mindsetiseverything #mindsetmatters #mindsetshift #mindsetcoach #stigmafree #bias #cognitivehealth #connection #connectionscreatechange 

New Year! New Season and New Name! 

Welcome to Warm Hugs with Suzanne - The Podcast

Season 3 Episode 1: Community Matters

Community is key in life. Connection is a fundamental need for us as humans. Today I speak with global citizen and entrepreneur, Michelle Kinghorn, who makes taking time to lead and participate in community a priority in her busy life.

Join us as we discuss the impact community can have on growing up, the importance of connection and how we can all find our "place" in the world.

Stay in touch with Michelle through one of her many businesses on Instagram:

@loreweavercreativestudio

@islandalign

@mermaid.inc

@lorecurio

@michelleworthkinghorn

Learn more about each within this episode.