Episode 28: Survivor Story: Learning to Be with Joanne Susi
Shit happens! We don’t choose what occurs to us. We may feel victimized and out of control. We may feel scared. How do you get through it? In this episode we talk with Joanne Susi, life coach, stroke survivor, and a student of the law of attraction. We talk about how to move through fear, learn from it, and choose joy. The only control we actually have in life is our thoughts. Need help listening to your inner wisdom and moving forward? Listen today to learn more about being a human being not a human doing.
Covered in this episode:
Jonanne’s Stroke Survivor Story
Her intuition told her she should go to the grocery store rather than staying home alone. She experienced a stroke while at the store and was around others that were able to quickly help her
Because of the speed of care, she was able to receive the clot buster drug TPA which you have to receive in the first 3 hours of a stroke. She regained use of her left arm within 15 minutes after the shot
While being hospitalized for her ischemic stroke she suffered cardiac arrest and had to be brought back to life. Thankfully her daughter was with her, her intuition told her something was wrong, and she was able to get help from the medical staff quickly
Intuition is our wisdom
Joanne suffered a serious hemorrhagic stroke and needed brain surgery
She was told she would never walk again
Never say never, she was determined
“Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do.” (7:30) She can walk, it’s just not like she used to
“We remember how we were prior to brain injury and when we look at how we are today we are not the same as prior to brain in jury when in fact we are better because we’ve learned more about ourselves. We need to look at the fact that we can do things, we just do it differently. “ (7:40)
Joanne has residual effects from her stroke still that include walking with a cane and an AFO, and has paresis in her left arm/hand.
“We don’t need to let go of our goals. Joanne uses the law of attraction to help her reach her desired outcomes. (8:47)
The Law of Attraction is a force in the world like gravity
When we set a goal, there are two sides to it
The goal is our desired outcome.
The other part is the desire of the thing that we don’t have
When you have a goal and are thinking about how you haven’t met it your energy is focused on what you don’t have. You are vibrating in a frequency that doesn’t allow you to have it
If your focus is on what you don’t have than that is what you get
Think of it like a radio station. You have a choice of what station you want to listen to. If you put on country and want pop you don’t get angry that you can’t hear pop, you turn the station. The problem is one frequency, the solutio is another frequency. If you are tuned into the problem you aren’t going to get anything but the problem. If you tune into the solution, the solution will come to you (10:40)
There’s power to positive thinking
Intuition and Fear
Intuition has no logic
In Jonanne’s story, logic told her she should stay home where she would not have gotten help. Her intuition let her know she she go to the store
Logic (ego) is not bad but it can hold us back from what we want to do
Fear is paralyzing, caution will keep you safe
You have to calm the fear
Stop and calm yourself down. Wait until you have an inspired action
Caution is something you listen to to stay safe
Anxiety is not you thinking. It is your brain turning something on that isn’t you. It is something else going on in your brain.
Anxiety is not a personal flaw. It is a chemical response that you can move on from.
Intuition is our connection to the divine, the connected consciousness
We all have fear, brain injury or not. We can learn to accept what it is. Fear gives us an awareness. Deep breathe when you feel it, journal about it, see what you can learn from it. This will help the fear subside.
When we move through our fear, we encounter help along the way. God will give you help.
Feel the fear, acknowledge it, it is ok, work through it to let it dissipate, and the universe will take it over for you
Fear gives us an opportunity to reflect, slow down, and move forward
Fear exists for a reason. It is up to us to listen to or reason with the fera. Accepting where you are in your recovery process is part of the journey.
The sooner you can accept where you are in each day and in eahc moment the sooner your awareness of yourself will get you to a better place. (24:40)
None of us were taught about our feelings. All Feelings are ok, it is part of being human, We don’t know how to deal with our negative feelings. They aren’t wrong or bad, we just have to learn how to use them (25:00)
Acceptance is the first step of letting go and moving forward. If you can’t accept where you are at you are stuck there
The harder you hold on to pre-brain injury you, the harder it is to move forward
Brainstorm, From Stroke to My Trusting Place by Joanne Susi
Getting through the hard stuff
Joanne loss use of her left arm and she is left handed
She does miss writing with her left hand. She had to change how she does her work
She walks more slowly. Doors don’t stay open long enough
She can’t do stairs without a railing
She has to adjust to the world she can’t expect the world to adjust to her
For those who are feeling angry, let's celebrate that you are cognizant and allowing yourself to feel and be aware. Let’s talk about what you would like to accomplish and problem solve how to do what you would like to do safely. Allow people to help you. We are all here to be interdependent. You are not here to do it all on your own. You can’t do it all well.
The more joy you feel the more the universe is going to feed you joy.
Is doing everything really well going to make you happy? Probably not, it will likely just stress you out.
All humans have limitations. Those of us who have brain injury can put reason to it but we need to realize we are ALL limited. There is no such thing as a perfectly formed human being (32:40)
Perfection doesn’t create happiness
You have to accept that perfection doesn’t exist. It is freeing!
Hard times help us to accept our humanness. We are forever learning this.
We are evolving beings. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. How do you become a balanced person?
Mindfulness
Meditation
Relationships
Keep Moving Forward
What’s happened has happened. You can’t change that. You can change how you move forward.
How to get unstuck
How do you want to be?
What are the things that help you be that?
We are human beings not human doings
When you don’t know what you want, take a piece of paper and on one side write down what you don’t want on the other side write the opposite of what you do want. This will help you gain clarity on what you want
Our belief system is what moves us forward. You can learn through joy. You don’t have to u
It’s all about perspective. We have control over our thoughts. It is the ONLY thing we have control over
We have control over designing our lives which we manifest through our thoughts
When you feel like you are a victim of the universe you end up in an intense time of figuring out what you believe and why. The victim mentality puts you in a place of not designing the life you want. It keeps you stuck.
Managing expectations
We have 3 brains in our body: head, heart, and gut
The brain and heart have stronger vibrations than the gut
When you enter a room, people feel what is in your heart
We need to get comfortable with listening to our hearts not our brains. Meditation helps us train our brains. Our brains are not all bad but sometimes they need help.
You have all the wisdom you need inside of you. Stop for a moment and feel into it (don’t think into it). Stop, does that feel good? Does that feel right?
We all have inner wisdom. Coaches can help us find that if we are having trouble finding that clarity
Sometimes we need to ask our ego to sit aside which is scary
You learn to sit with yourself in the quiet and listen. Once you get over the fear of sitting with yourself you find peace.
Our brains can be untamed. We are learning. We are becoming more aware. Be gentle with yourself. Treat yourself how you treat others.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. Be. Be the way you want to be. Be, not do.
Links to resources mentioned:
Book: Brainstorm: From STROKE to my TRUSTING Place By Jonanne Susi
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Joanne Susi: Life Coach. Find her at:
Help for healing professionals: H4HP.org