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Suze Healy | Life by Design

@suzehealy

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Question the default. Design your own life.
Motherhood • Marriage • Identity • Family
Mum of 4 | Building a life on my terms
Co-founder @weareemberr

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The more distracted life gets the more protective I’ve become of where my energy goes.

There was never a master plan behind the life Josh and I have built. We just kept making decisions based on what mattered to us at the time. Some were easy, some felt completely against the grain and made very little sense to other people and a few we’ve changed our minds about entirely.

But looking back the decisions add up. They gave us more choice around our time, our work, where we live, how we raise our kids and what we make room for as a family.

And now I’m realising how easy it is for life to fill itself for you. Work, phones, schedules, expectations… there is always something asking for a piece of us.

I don’t want to give the best of my energy to things that matter the least to me.

I want it going towards my family, my marriage, my health, work I care about, adventure, people I love and actually being present for this life while I’m in it.

We definitely haven’t got all of it right but the decisions we’ve made over the years have given us something I value enormously which is the confidence to question what isn’t working and make a different choice, even when it’s not the obvious one.

Lately we’ve been doing a lot of that questioning again because the one thing I know now is that you don’t design your life once and call it done.

You keep living it. You keep noticing what feels good (or not) and you keep asking yourself “does this life still fit us?” by @suzehealy

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a month ago

We’ve just landed back in Australia after three months in Asia and Europe.

And soon we’ll be exploring again (truth is, I’ve kept the cases half-packed 😜).

We’ve had to do some serious soul-searching and come back to our values again and again to continue to live this way.

We definitely question how we live. It’s unconventional, definitely not perfect and it is often challenging too.

The thing is, when you push yourself beyond your comfort zone, it feels sticky and hard before you hit the sweet spot.

But living by design isn’t about perfection, it’s about alignment.

For years, I felt a bit odd about our choices.

People would ask “are you away again?” And I’d wonder if we were doing the “right” thing.
Should we renovate? Should we save? Should we “settle down?”

But here’s what I know in my heart- there isn’t one right way to live and you have to choose what’s right for you, not for the approval of the rest of the world.

This isn’t just about travel.

It’s about creating a life aligned with what matters most. For us, that’s freedom, family, connection. Knowing our values and continuously checking we are living in alignment is key.

For you, it might look different. A slower pace, a move to the country or a different state, a new career, pursuing a passion ‘just because’ or a leap year with your family.

That’s the beauty of life by design. You get to choose. It is your life and only you know what’s best for you.

I’m creating an online resource to help you map out what an aligned life could look like for you.

If you’d love to be the first to receive it, join the waitlist via the link in bio.

#lifebydesign #alignedliving #intentionalchoices #freedomlifestyle #familyfirst #consciousliving #createalifeyoulove #mindfulliving #valuesbasedliving #journeytofreedom taken in Greece by @suzehealy

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a year ago

Hi, I’m Suze.

With so many new faces here, it’s time to reintroduce myself.

▪️ I’m 46 years young and a mum to four kids under 12. Two were born in my 40s.
▪️ Originally from Victoria (Australia) but we made a seachange to Noosa 8 years ago, after buying our first home (via FaceTime) from Ibiza.
▪️ I've worked with my husband for the past 20 years. Together we've started, built and scaled a tour company and spent the last seven years running online businesses on the road - giving our kids a “real-life” education overseas for up to six months each year.
▪️ I’ve run retreats and travel experiences all over the world, often with the kids along for the ride. We believe business + family + adventure = a beautiful life.
▪️ I started using acupuncture at 20 after feeling disillusioned with conventional medicine, and it changed my life.
▪️ I believe balance is everything. I'm an introvert/extrovert and in my 40s I crave more peace than ever before.
▪️ In recent years I've studied conscious parenting, mindset and meditation and right now a financial freedom mastermind that’s blowing my mind.
▪ My 40s have been huge, welcoming two more babies, nursing my mum through cancer, losing her last year, navigating grief and levelling up my health, career and lifestyle for this chapter.
▪️ I’ve invested heavily in personal growth and believe this is one of the most pivotal times in a woman’s life.

Here, I guide women who want to:
🌻 Reconnect with themselves.
🌻 Make bold, values-led changes.
🌻 Be inspired by the honest, behind-the-scenes family life (messy + magic).
🌻 Be supported by like-hearted women walking the same path.

If you’re craving clarity, confidence, or simply more from life, you are so welcome here. 💛 by @suzehealy

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a year ago

I often think about how much effort goes into being a parent these days, and how easy it is for family life to become another thing we’re trying to manage well.

There’s so much to consider when you’re raising children. Their friendships, their interests, their development, their happiness, and all the opportunities you want them to have.

And somewhere in the middle of trying to get it right, it can be surprisingly easy to lose sight of how we actually want our days to feel.

I know I’m guilty of getting caught up in the logistics. The planning, the reminders, the rushing out the door and trying to make sure everyone has what they need.

But I also know that some of my favourite family moments have been the ones we never planned. The afternoons that unfolded without a schedule, the conversations that happened when nobody was in a hurry, and the simple joy of being together without needing to be anywhere else.

I’m not suggesting we give up activities or opportunities. I just think it’s worth asking ourselves whether the way we organise family life is giving us more of what matters, or leaving us too exhausted to enjoy it.

Because one day, I suspect we’ll remember the feeling of our children’s childhood far more than how many activities we managed to fit into it.

Do you ever feel like you’re so busy creating a good childhood that you forget to slow down and enjoy it?

Follow @suzehealy for more honest conversations about family life, freedom and making intentional choices.

#LifeByDesign #ModernParenting #FamilyLife #IntentionalLiving #ConsciousParenting by @suzehealy

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14 hours ago

Having children has a funny way of making you question things you never thought to question in the first place.

For me, it’s been interesting to notice how much of what I believe about raising children comes from my own upbringing, even when I don’t consciously realise it.

I think as parents, we all want to give our children the best possible start in life. But I’m learning that part of that responsibility is being willing to look at our own assumptions and ask whether they still make sense for the family we’re raising today.

Our children are growing up in a very different world to the one we did, and I think that calls for a little more curiosity and a little less certainty about what their future should look like.

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do know that I want my children to feel confident making decisions for themselves, even when those decisions look different from what everyone else is doing.

Because ultimately, I hope they grow up knowing they have choices, and that they don't have to follow a particular path just because it’s the one they’ve always known.

What’s something about parenting you’ve questioned or changed your mind about since having children? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Follow @suzehealy for more conversations about family, freedom and designing a life that feels right for you.

#LifeByDesign #ConsciousParenting #Homeschooling #Worldschooling #ParentingReflections by @suzehealy

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a day ago

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2 days ago

I've always been good at carrying things. Four children, businesses, plans, travel and the never-ending mental list of what everyone needs and how we're going to make it all happen.

And I actually love being capable (hello eldest daughter!). I love being organised, writing lists, having ideas (many), making travel plans, making things happen and seeing something I've imagined come to life.

But I've noticed that whenever I decide I want something bigger in my life, my first instinct is to work out how I can fit more in, as though the only way to create more is to take on more.

It's a default habit that's served me incredibly well, but it's also one I'm starting to question.

Because right now, I don't want less ambition, less travelling or less abundance. Quite the opposite.

I want to create more, make a bigger impact, have bigger conversations and bring more of my ideas to life, but I also want to be present for the beautiful life we've already built.

And I'm beginning to realise that perhaps the next chapter isn't about discovering how much more I can carry, but learning that I don't have to carry everything to create the life I want.

I'm curious whether other women feel this too, particularly those of us who've always been the ones who can handle everything.

If you've been questioning what comes next or wondering whether the way you're living still fits the life you want, comment QUIZ and I'll send you my free Life by Design Quiz to help you explore where you are and what might be ready to change.

#LifeByDesign #WomenInBusiness #PersonalGrowth #WorkLifeBalance #QuestioningNormal by @suzehealy

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4 days ago

I've been thinking about judgment a lot lately. Not just what we see online but the little judgments we make every day.

The assumptions we make about other people, the opinions we form before we've stopped to question where they came from and the beliefs we've picked up about how life should look.

What a good mother looks like. What success means. What a relationship should be. What women should want from life.

So much of what we believe has been learned along the way without us ever consciously choosing it.

And sometimes when someone lives differently to how we see things it brings something up in us. Maybe it's envy, fear, an old belief we haven't questioned or simply the limits of our own experience.

I'm learning that instead of immediately believing those judgments I can get curious about them.

Is there something I want but haven't allowed myself to pursue? Am I making assumptions about someone else's life? Or is this simply a different way of living that doesn't need my approval?

Because if we want the freedom to question expectations and live differently surely we need to extend that same freedom to others.

This is becoming a big part of what Life by Design means to me. Questioning not only the expectations we've inherited about our own lives but also the assumptions we make about other people's.

I'd love to know have you become more aware of judgment in yourself or around you?

#LifeByDesign #PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #WomenSupportingWomen #QuestioningNormal by @suzehealy

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4 days ago

There’s something slightly ironic about building a business so you can work from anywhere… and then taking your laptop everywhere. This is both a blessing and a curse I’ve found over the years.

I genuinely love the life we’ve created. I love that we can spend months overseas with the kids and keep working as we travel. It’s honestly why we can do things the way we do.

And that freedom is one of the reasons we built our businesses in the first place. We built the work around wanting a certain lifestyle.

But I’ve realised there’s a difference between being able to work anywhere and feeling like you need to work everywhere, that feeling that you need to be “on” and can always be contactable means you can forget to switch off at all.

I’m thinking a lot more about what I actually want my freedom to look like these days and constantly re-evaluating.

#LifeByDesign #WorkFromAnywhere #LifestyleDesign #EntrepreneurLife #FamilyTravel #IntentionalLiving #WorkLifeBalance #DesignYourLife #FreedomLifestyle #LifeInYour40s by @suzehealy

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5 days ago

I’m 47, I have four kids, and I’ve spent a decent amount of my adult life saying:
“We’ll do that later.”

Later, when the kids are older.
Later, when work is quieter.
Later, when we have more money.
Later, when life is a bit easier.

And the funny thing is… there’s always another reason to wait.
One of the things I’ve loved most about travelling with our family is that it’s made me realise how little of life actually needs to be perfect before you go and live it.

We’ve travelled with babies.
We’ve travelled with four kids.
We’ve packed up and moved for a different lifestyle.
Not everything has been easy.

But I’d rather have slightly chaotic memories than spend ten years waiting for the perfect time.

I still have plenty I want to do.
So I’m not saving my life for later anymore.

#LifeByDesign #DontWait #LiveNow #Midlife #LifeInYour40s #IntentionalLiving #FamilyTravel #FamilyLife #LifestyleDesign #DesignYourLife by @suzehealy

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6 days ago

Having four kids means there are approximately 4,000 moments a week where you hear: “But everyone else does it.”

And honestly, I get it.

There’s comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. It makes parenting feel a little less like you’re making it up as you go. 😂

But having travelled a lot, lived differently, schooled differently, worked differently and generally questioned quite a few of the things we were told were “normal”…

I’ve become much more comfortable asking:
Does this actually work for our family?

Sometimes the answer is yes.
Sometimes it’s absolutely not.

And I think that’s the bit I want my kids to learn.
They don’t have to follow every default just because it’s the default.

#LifeByDesign #QuestionTheNorm #ConsciousParenting #ParentingChoices #FamilyLife #IntentionalParenting #RaisingKids #LifestyleDesign #DesignYourLife #DifferentByDesign by @suzehealy

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10 days ago

I actually really like my life.

I love our family.

I love our kids.

I love travelling.

I love the businesses we’ve built.

I love coming home after being away.

So this isn’t a “my life is terrible and I need to blow it all up” kind of conversation.

It’s more subtle than that.

I’ve just realised that loving the life you have doesn’t mean you have to promise to keep it exactly the same forever.

We’ve changed so much as a family over the years.

What worked when the kids were little isn’t necessarily what works now.

And I’m starting to think that’s actually a really good thing.

Maybe the goal isn’t to finally arrive at the perfect life.

Maybe it’s to keep noticing when your life needs to change with you.

#LifeByDesign #DesignYourLife #Midlife #LifeInYour40s #PersonalGrowth #IntentionalLiving #FamilyLife #LifestyleDesign #LifeChoices #WomenInTheir40s by @suzehealy

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10 days ago