#31: Vulnerability, Ageing and Being Seen with Special Guest Suzi Joseph

Hey gorgeous! 💛

In this episode, I’m joined by my beautiful soul sister, yoga teacher and absolute pocket rocket, Suzi Joseph, for a real, raw chat about vulnerability . how it actually feels in everyday life, not just as a cute buzzword.

We dive into Suzi’s story of growing up in Canada around alcoholism and domestic violence, how that shaped her people-pleasing and “runner” tendencies and what it was like to finally stand on a stage in front of 85 women and tell the truth about her life. We also wander into juicy territory around ageing, identity, leadership, social media, imposter syndrome and that playful inner child who just wants to come out and have some fun.

From there, we explore what it means to let yourself be seen tears, wobbly voice, big nose, bikinis, boogie boards and all and why our stories matter, no matter how “big” or “small” they might seem.

We chat about:

✨ Soul-sister friendships where nothing is off-limits and you can go months without talking, then pick up like it was two hours ago
✨ Suzi’s journey from Northern Saskatchewan to Australia, from running away to finally connecting deeply with herself and her community
✨ Growing up around alcoholism and domestic violence, being told to keep it a secret and the shame and “I need to save everyone” patterns that can come from that
✨ People pleasing, fear of judgement and the belief that we have to make everyone happy to be loved and accepted
✨ What it felt like for Suzi to share her story publicly for the first time at a women’s event, with a shaky voice, tears and a room full of eyes on her
✨ My own experience of finally sharing about losing my mum at 12, the love-hate relationship I have with being vulnerable and why I still often cry when I talk about it
✨ Comparison as the “fire of vulnerability”, that sneaky voice that says “other people have it worse, my story doesn’t matter”
✨ Leadership and imposter syndrome, especially as women in positions of responsibility who feel like we “should” already know everything
✨ Being seen as we age, teaching yoga at 67, rebranding at almost 60, putting photos of ourselves online and all the weird stories that can pop up about our bodies and our faces
✨ Social media and self-expression: the bikini and boogie board profile pic, the fear of being judged and why I ultimately choose to show up anyway
✨ Letting our inner child out to play, including my very giggly (slightly naughty) moment in a Qigong circle
✨ The power of small brave acts: singing “O Canada” on a balcony in a new town, changing your seat in the room, wearing the outfit you really want to wear
✨ Why genuine compliments are a gorgeous form of vulnerability, like the young woman who nervously came up to tell me she’d been watching me and loved my outfit
✨ Simple, practical ways to lean into vulnerability: stepping outside your comfort zone just a little, trusting your story and remembering you’ll be judged anyway, so you may as well be you

This episode is a raw, with a bit of spicy language! (you know me 😉), loving reminder that:

• Your story is important because it’s yours
• You don’t have to wait until you’re “fixed” to be seen
• Tears are not weakness
• You can be scared and brave at the same time

If you’ve ever felt “who am I to share this?”, “my story isn’t big enough”, “I don’t want to look stupid”, or “I’m too old, too much, not enough”, this conversation is for you.

💌 I’d love to hear how this episode lands for you, especially your own experiences with vulnerability, people pleasing, ageing or sharing your story. Come and say hi over on my socials or reply to my newsletter and let me know.

Big love,
Catherine 💛

Learn more about Suzi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzijoseph.motivation/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzi-joseph-a2b61640/

Celebrating The Cycles of Life Playbook: https://www.happiness-hive.com/cycles-of-life-playbook

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