Susan Davis

Susan A. Davis

My life has been full of diverse experiences, which has led me on a journey of healing and helping others. I feel each person has the potential to be happy and healthy in all aspects of their life, if we just take ‘one day at a time,’ sometimes one moment at a time. I was adopted at birth by two wonderful parents. My mother was diabetic, and my father was a WWII Veteran who suffered from “shell shock”, or PTSD and alcoholism. I married a soldier and have raised three children during a 30+ year career in the United States Army. My military family soon became my extended family; and I sought out ways to help our soldiers returning from war. Many are contemplating suicide and those who don’t are living with sleeplessness, hyper vigilance and depression.

From a very young age I had a calling to help others in need. One story that comes to mind is when I was ten years old. I wanted to help “Jerry’s kids,” referring to the comedian Jerry Lewis, and his efforts to raise awareness for Muscular Dystrophy. I developed a plan to hold a fair on the tennis court near my home. I created fliers and took them to all of the houses in my community, encouraging attendance on the Saturday of my event. I asked for help from my Girl Scout Troop, inviting my peers to host each of the stations where people could enjoy playing games in exchange for their monetary donations. I remember playing games like fishing, beanbag toss and darts. It was a very successful event, and I collected over $50! I felt like I had contributed to the well being of others in need, and it felt good. I have continued to pursue that feeling by tirelessly contributing to all 21 communities where I’ve lived during a 33-year military career with my husband. Some of those contributions were the CFC, Combined Federal Campaign ($300,000), multiple 501©3 organizations, and time spent raising money for University and College Scholarships for community members.

As a private business owner, I held 6 government contracts for dance and fitness, in both the United States and Europe. Through teaching dance, fitness, yoga and PT (Physical Training) from preschoolers to senior adults I have been able to touch thousands of lives in a positive way, I did this by helping them find specific services needed, experience life changing lessons and discover their passion in life. I believe we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. I am also becoming increasingly aware of the toxic environment that we are currently living in that is contributing to the stress in our lives, such as preservatives in our food, electromagnetic frequencies (EMF), microwaves and the addictions that sabotage our futures.

Currently, I share my experiences with local Universities, Corporations and other organizations, on the topics of Self-Empowerment and Stress Reduction. While living in Hawaii, I taught reintegration courses through the Department of Defense to our returning soldiers from Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with their families. Some of the topics I covered in these reintegration workshops were Stress on and Off the Battlefield, Deployment Reunion for Couples, Home with the Kids workshops, Anger Management, Single with Children Readiness, Single Soldier Reintegration, Money Management and Divorce Recovery Workshops. One of my community projects was a 30-minute video documentary “You Are Not Alone - Unveiling the self-violence and suicidal tendencies among Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transgender and Questioning Youth”, based on the real and personal stories within the LGTBQ community. I presented this at the Suicide Prevention Regional Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was a guest speaker at Bethune-Cookman University, in Daytona Beach, Florida. My speech was directed towards the women attending the “Powerful Women Collaborating” seminars.

I have realized from an early age that some of the greatest rewards in life are found in helping others, while expecting nothing in return. Ironically, these efforts tend to come back to me in so many varied and wonderful ways. I have been a guest speaker for the American Society on Aging National Convention, the Performance Coach behind the scenes of “Girl Starter”, an entrepreneurial reality TV show about girls ages 18-23 on TLC, The Girls in Tech Global Conference, in San Francisco, California and The Pioneers Conference in Vienna, Austria. I earned a graduate degree in Energy Medicine/ Transpersonal Psychology and am an Integrative Health/Life Coach for the US Olympic Figure Skating team, many other professional athletes, as well as for Corporate Executives across the United States. I have an extensive leadership background focusing on implementation and evaluation of programs related to quality of life and recreation for the Department of Defense, I developed stress reduction techniques with the US Army, and worked with them for over 20 years. Using my spiritual background, I have integrated stress reduction techniques into my Healing Yoga Classes and have also practiced these with returning Soldiers. I am a practicing Reiki Master and co-author of “War Time Coping Strategies.”

I am grateful for all of my experiences. My diverse experiences in life have helped me be a more compassionate observer, willing to meet and assist others where they are currently. As a performance coach, I have helped enhance each individual increasing their quality of life and optimal performance. This book has been written to help you discover where your stressors reside. With this knowledge you can utilize the simple practices and strategies to reduce and eliminate your stress.