We were lucky to catch up with Sue McGaughey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sue , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Two years ago I suddenly came down with and was diagnosed with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis along with moderate hearing loss in one ear. The first 4 to 6 months were agonizing. I was afraid of the unknown, developed anxiety and thought life as I knew it was completely over. When you live with tinnitus it’s very difficult to go to movie theaters, concerts, loud gyms or any environment that is very loud. I was very sad because I loved going to the movies and writing reviews. I felt my behavior shifting into a slight depression. However, having worked in special education, primarily the behavior field for over 20 years I had a good grasp on what I needed to do to shift my mindset. My general doctor and specialists were telling me that Cognitive Behavior Therapy would be the best thing I could do for myself to help navigate living with this condition. There is no cure as of now, so the hard part was learning to live with it. I literally had to write myself a behavior intervention plan to lay out steps to help me help myself. Upon reflecting on those steps, I knew that I had to write. I had to share my experience and I had to reach out and try to help others. Of course I had to help myself first before I could try to help others, so that’s just what I did. Being able to have some kind of positive impact on other people suffering with tinnitus and hyperacusis was a sort of healing in itself.

Writing had always been a passion of mine as well as an outlet to get my emotions down on paper. I had always been more expressive with writing than with verbally expressing myself. I loved writing so much that during the covid pandemic I wrote a digital ebook to help people find their inner peace during those trying and fearful times. It was a book filled with self-help journaling prompts. Very helpful for reflection and finding inner-peace. I also wrote for a magazine for many years doing celebrity interviews and had my own positive living based column, “Sue’s Coffee Talk”. After several months of wasting money on just about every “heal your tinnitus” cure on the internet, I knew I had to change my mindset. I had to accept what I had, understand it the best I could and live with a more positive approach. Accepting my diagnosis was the first step in healing. I began writing articles about tinnitus and I started a TikTok account (suescoffeetalk) geared towards all of my experiences with tinnitus. My videos reflect both the good days and the bad days, along with tips that have helped me get through the tough days. People started reaching out to me. Many were newly diagnosed and looking for answers. I felt like I was listening to myself in the beginning of my journey. I could completely relate to what they were going through. I am always completely honest with people. I never give false hope of a cure but I share things that work for me. Ultimately, we are all individuals with different ways tinnitus came into our lives. However, the commonality is that we are all navigating the same journey. If just one thing I do that worked for me, ended up helping someone else, then I am happy. Currently, I am writing a book about living with tinnitus that I plan to launch in the summer 2025. In this book I discuss my own journey and detail everything that has been helping me to not just live with tinnitus but to live the fullest, most productive and happy life I can. I want others to be encouraged that they can too.

I remember how hard those first few months were. Now, I want to advocate for others. I want to help them learn to live calmer and navigate their own tinnitus. Trust me, it is not easy but if you practice certain strategies you can make it so you can live a normal life. Yes, you may have to give up a few things but you also gain so much more perspective about yourself. For example, having tinnitus is hard. You have to have a lot of strength to live with this. I like to point out to others how strong they actually are. Sometimes people forget how strong they are until life throws them a curve ball and they have no choice but to be strong. Every time I write an article or post a video sharing my insights and experiences and someone reaches out to me for advice, it makes me happy knowing I can be there for someone who is struggling and perhaps help them to help themselves make a positive difference.

Sue , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I first started writing when I was a young teenager. I was about 12 years old living in an abusive environment. My father had died when I was 7 years old, my mom was working two jobs and trying to be both parents. Eventually she met someone who was not such a great person. The way I dealt with that was to write my feelings down in a private journal. Writing was and always has been therapeutic for me. I have been writing ever since. I’ve written for a few magazines, I have always had some sort of blog and I always write articles geared towards positive living. Well, I say that but I also did some celebrity interviews along the way. My point is that I believe all of life is a lesson. Every single negative thing that happens to us, every mistake we make, as well as all of the positives are all lessons. It is up to us as to how we utilize those lessons in life. My hope is that through my writing I can help others. I have had many people reach out to me after reading one of my articles and say that it helped them. That gives me fulfillment.

One time I did an interview with a top Hollywood writer-showrunner. I remember being so nervous because he was so well known and excellent at his job. He was such an amazing writer so I didn’t want to screw it up. I always gave my subjects a chance to read the article before sending it to print. When I sent the draft to him I thought for sure he’d write back and tell me I made a zillion mistakes. I was shocked when he said, “You did a wonderful job on this article. I was sure I’d have to rewrite some of it but I don’t want you to change anything except one date you got wrong. You really captured me in a beautiful way.” That stuck with me. It also motivated me and reinforced what I always felt, I write to inspire others. I want people who read my material to feel like they can be absorbed in the story. This is how I am writing my tinnitus book. When it’s finished, I hope people can use it as a tool to help them through their own journey. Yes, I am going to market it and sell it, but my main focus is on being a positive influence and advocating for those who haven’t quite learned yet how to advocate for themselves.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele (readers) was learning to be my authentic self. I found that the more I shared my own experiences, the more honest and real I kept things, the better and more positive impact I can make. Now, in addition to writing and making videos about my tinnitus journey, I’ve hosted some support meetings over Zoom or talked with people one on one over FaceTime. I also learned not to compare myself to others. That’s a mistake a lot of us make. I am guilty of having done that in the past. You have to get comfortable with yourself. You have to recognize that we are all unique. We all have our own stories to tell. For example the market is flooded with people writing books about tinnitus however, each story is different. There is always room for more stories, more helpful advice and more reading. The secret is to be your authentic self. Tell the truth and make that positive impact.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to finish my book, then go on to doing podcasts and speaking engagements. I want other people suffering with tinnitus to know that there is hope. They can live a normal life. They don’t have to give up. Are there going to be bad days? Of course there will be bad days. Everyone has a bad day now and then, not just people with tinnitus. Unfortunately some people give up too easily on themselves. I want them to know they don’t have to. There may not be a cure but I want to be able to change people’s mindsets and help them learn to help themselves live that more normal life that we all crave. It really is true, “Silence is golden”. People with tinnitus don’t have the luxury of that gold but they can make a new gold. That new gold is self-confidence and inner-peace. A symphony may be playing in the background of our minds, but the inner-peace brings a stillness and calm that nurtures our personal growth. Tinnitus is a condition we live with, but we can also create conditions for ourselves that make living with it more comfortable and enjoyable. We can contribute to writing our own journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @suemcgaughey
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzannem.mcgaughey.7
• Twitter: https://x.com/suze612
• Other: TikTok – @suescoffeetalk

Image Credits

Sue McGaughey (I did the photos myself)