We recently connected with Susan Gold and have shared our conversation below.

Susan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’ve taken many risks in life – leaving my home at 17, the morning after High School graduation; living in Greenwich Village alone at 19, starting my own business in NYC at 25 with enough cash in the bank for 2 months of living expenses, moving to LA for a job opportunity, being an independently employed entrepreneur and consultant most of my career, moving from LA to rural Montana, and publishing a memoir involving a taboo and sensitive topic.

My greatest risk would be in not following that still small voice, and take a chance to embrace Earthly experiences presented.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After a successful career matching celebrities to brands and as a producer for television and film, I chose to make a shift and leave a legacy.

At 25 I was harassed in the workplace, confronted my boss and was promptly fired. Out of that trauma, I chose to create my own business rather than sit in the position of victim. I sealed my first deal by knocking on the door of the Factory to convince Andy Warhol to do a Pontiac commercial he had no interest in doing. That contract substantiated my ability to bring A -list talent to projects.

Tenacity has followed me throughout my career. I’ve taken chances, stepped up and believed. I’ve also not shied away from risks and reinvention. In 2007 an Irish Seer told me I had a book to write that would help many. I promptly shoved that idea right under the carpet until it came up again in 2019. Back to back two intuitive’s told me I had a book to write. Actually, the third intuitive told me I had three books to write. Not wanting this prophecy to mushroom into a library of books to write, I decided to get to it.

“Toxic Family: Transforming Childhood Trauma into Adult Freedom” is the trajectory of my personal and professional journey and was published this year Frankly, I did not think my experience would be of much interest to others – I couldn’t be more wrong.
Though successful in my career as a producer, creating conversation around the taboo topic of toxic family issues and helping others through some of the same trauma I walked through with new perspective is absolutely the reason I am here. This is my life purpose.

Though I’ve faced difficulties, I now see them as opportunities to become my authentic self and happier as a human being. Those challengers…I now see them as perfect players in my movie, bravely taking on their roles to present me an opportunity to boost my soul’s evolution.

What I am most proud of is I stood up when it would have been just as easy to fall down, and refused the victim model repeatedly coming full circle to feel compassion from my core – for myself and for all others – breaking free from the patriarchal paradigm and entering a new matrix of freedom.

Peace and understanding now radiate from my being. Those that know me, work with me or having passing conversation almost always say: your voice is hypnotic, you are so kind, and I feel heard and better just talking with you. Those heartfelt words make every moment I have left worth it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Moving from NYC to LA for what I thought was a perfect career opportunity, was actually to meet one of my greatest gurus, as in teacher. It was the man who would become my ex-husband. It seemed I’d finally met an authentic match. He was dreamy, almost as if he stepped out of a movie. We had a long courtship, decided to marry and created a beautiful son. I bought I home for our family and began feeling worn from carrying most of the fiscal weight and duties as a mom. I was being drained yet kept pointing three fingers back toward myself when pointing one toward my husband. I knew the expiration date was well past due on our marriage but fought to keep our little family together. We went to mediation in an effort to create a post nuptial agreement to bring more integrity to the relationship and got to the final point of that agreement when his eyes went into those cold slits. He folded his arms and said, “I’m hiring an attorney and filing for divorce.” It was at that moment when I heard a still small voice over my right shoulder whisper toward my ear, “This is the universe doing for you what you cannot do for yourself.”
And so it was.
After one year of living in the same domicile – my husband living in the master bedroom, and I by choice, on a mattress on the floor in a partial conversation in the garage, a metaphor for our partnership. I was holding no contact – including no eye contact – turning that room into a monastery to work on myself, teasing out the strands attracting me into this type of relationship, I burned my co-dependence. I also gained an understanding of my authentic power, and true compassion – not just for my husband who had to stoop to this behavior for his own safety, but for myself. I wrote him a six figure check and he was off to his next source of supply. And Though at moments I wanted to collapse, I turned that garage into an income producing guest unit that took care of half the mortgage, taxes and insurance, remodeled the rest of my home, focused on the care of our son and continued to believe the best was to come.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe the most helpful thing for me to succeed in my field is to come from my heart, with authenticity, to be honest and to act with integrity. Many have multiple letters behind their name to do the work I am now doing. I’ve walked through the flames to learn from the lessons presented. My scars of battle are now helping to heal those I’m privileged to serve.     

Contact Info:

• Website: susangold.us