Who Am I?
I am Susanne Achtenhagen, a 38 year old wily mix of woman, mom, wife, athlete, visionary, writer and adventurer. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my two teachers (my daughters) and my beloved husband.
I am not a PhD or MD, I am one woman who aims to live her best life. Until the fall of 2003 I lived in struggle, thinking I was only one small step ahead of my eating disorder while my husband and I went to therapy regularly to stay ahead of the divorce curve. When I learned that we are all healthy as we are today, I heard it to the depth of my core and I knew I would share that message with every person I could touch for as long as I have to live. This was a 180-degree shift from dis-ease to pure health that still shocks me. In 2003 I was going to 12 step meetings identifying myself as sick every time I walked in.
I opened my heart again in 2003 and decided to go for my lifelong dream of the Olympics. I jumped in fully, my ego got sucked in to the success and I crumbled physically and finally mentally. Shocked that I could not do it all. I had to regroup, reevaluate my priorities which were clear in 2006 yet I pushed aside as racing took over – here they are: Family, Writing, Racing.
Family comes first, period. Writing is my way of sharing the stories of this one precious life so that others can see that we are not our disease, our diagnosis, our issues. We are precious and whole humans that are here to live in joy, peace and love yet some of us have chosen coping mechanisms (food, exercise, busyness for me) that no longer serve.
The moment I learned to see my own well being, I vowed to start a center where others could know this. Here I am to begin the conversation of health, wellness, love, peace of mind. We have everything we need within us, when we shine the light on our brilliance and realize we are ALL connected to a universal intelligence far greater than any human can comprehend!
