We recently connected with Susi Vine and have shared our conversation below.
Susi, appreciate you joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?
I’d had many different careers, and each one shaped me for the next one, but my previous work as a senior move manager, managing moves for senior clients as they transitioned from their family home into senior living communities, really lit the spark that led me to where I am today. Most adults imagine living out their days at home, and believe a retirement community indicates their loss of independence and autonomy. Fortunately, here in San Diego retirement living is a lot closer to resort living! But time after time I would meet a potential client to discuss their move and learn how devastated they were that, after receiving a health diagnosis or losing a spouse, either their adult children or a doctor had informed them that they couldn’t remain at home. One client in particular comes to mind who was so devastated by these changes that she just couldn’t believe she would ever be happy in the community that we were hired to move her into. I knew that in time, she would meet her new neighbors and become engaged in the activities that were available there, and discover that she had a whole new world of possibilities awaiting. Fortunately, about a year later I saw her again and she glowed as she told me how much she had embraced her new lifestyle, and was so grateful for my support through that heartbreaking time. I was always grateful to be able to ease those difficult transitions, but also knew that as a rebellious Gen X’er, my contemporaries and I would be putting up the same fight ourselves unless we took action to stop chronic disease before it had the chance to take root and take away our choices. I left that career and dove into holistic health and biology studies, knowing that I had to bring this message to everyone who’s ready to hear it, that we can reclaim control of our health and happiness.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I established my own business, 3x Less Stress, to help people address the 3 different aspects of stress: physical, emotional and environmental. When I learned that stress is the cause of as much as 80% of doctor visits, and is the common denominator in most chronic diseases, I knew that this was the most important issue to address in order to help people feel more empowered in their health. Our modern lifestyle has us always ‘on call’, and most of us never create the opportunity to rest and recover which is essential to maintain resilience. I began working with clients online shortly before the pandemic so I was grateful to be available when suddenly everyone became acutely aware of stress as remote work and social distancing brought it to new record levels. During that time I launched my podcast, ‘Stress Management & Resilience Tools for your Happified Life’ and began interviewing experts in health, complementary medicine, and positive mindset. I love shining a light on the amazing insights of positive psychology and the ways that science is now validating practices in use for thousands of years, like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Now ‘Happified’ is in its fourth year, and I’m grateful for all I’ve learned and the connections I’ve created along the way!
In my coaching practice I love working with clients ready to change their relationship with stress, and helping them create the unique toolkit they need to handle what life serves up. The goal isn’t to create a stress-free life, but to recognize and leverage the benefits of stress while also resolving it in all the areas possible. Understanding how to let emotions move through us, and recognizing stress triggers changes everything about how stress impacts us physically, as well. And lowering the impact of stressors in the home like toxic cleaners and fragrances, cleaning the air and maximizing natural light all do so much to lighten the overall load of stress that so many of us don’t even recognize we carry. Clients who are open to that kind of comprehensive approach make the greatest progress, but I’m also an advocate for starting where you are. If you can only commit to a few small changes to begin, like optimizing your night time routine for better sleep or incorporating 5 minute check-ins through the day to connect with your breath and get grounded in your body, you’ll begin noticing changes that let you take on some more small improvements, and those are the kinds of change that compound to make a big difference.
I have integrated some energy medicine into my practice too, with clients who are open to Reiki healing and working with Bach flower essences, which are a beautifully natural, safe way to balance big emotions. I’ve also started offering sound bath meditations, which are so much fun to share but also bring me the most amazing feedback from clients who tell me they have better sleep, pain relief, and peace of mind. It’s an honor to meet clients where they are and be able to pull from so many different practices to create a program that is as unique as they are, to help them feel lighter and brighter.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I’ve had many different careers, and lots of time to wonder about the choices that I made! I first considered becoming a massage therapist in 2005, when I left my work in technical theater. At that point I decided to study interior design to translate my BFA in theater design into real world applications, but I didn’t shine in the sales aspect of design work even though I loved the problem-solving challenges. Looking back I can see that at the time I was still missing the life experience I gained working with senior clients here in San Diego that refined my mission to help people live healthier. I completed a massage therapy program along the way to finishing a Holistic Health Practitioner certificate at MiraCosta College, where I also got to immerse myself in biology, anatomy and physiology classes with their amazing faculty. So while I do wonder where I’d be if I started my focus in health 10 years earlier, I believe that it was divinely timed to create the best learning experience and application of all that I learned. I still love and promote the benefits of massage, but I’m grateful now to be able to offer so much more.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The research and writings of Shawn Achor transformed my perspective of stress and the power of positivity. Following ‘The Happiness Advantage”, his book ‘Before Happiness’ reveals the power of Positive Intelligence to reach success more easily by finding its potential when others expect failure. Perspective is everything! And in ‘Big Potential’, he brings his insights to team leadership and fostering the greatest potential in those around you. I love his humor and ability to make research tangible with stories from his work with Fortune 100 Companies.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://3xlessstress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3xlessstress/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3xLessStress
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susivine/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOR69k5nUbgwi_OYd4vBCog
Image Credits
Yelena Yahontova | YELENA: Photographer of Joy