[ About ]

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Through decades of adapting, innovating and occasionally falling into ponds, I've learnt three things:

Independence matters.

Strive to be self-sufficient. Don't wait for others, the State, your family, your friends, to do everything for you. Be the best version of yourself and accept help only when needed.

Maximise available resources.

Whether it's guide dog training or your company's professional development programmes, if there are facilities to help you improve, use them. Not taking advantage is everyone's loss.

Leverage your network.

Irish people hate feeling beholden, but most people love helping, it makes them feel valued. Barack Obama said the quality he values most is the ability to get things done. Doctors consult colleagues. Lawyers seek advice. Normalise asking for help.

Today, I speak to organisations about resilience, adaptation and building inclusive cultures where everyone can thrive, not despite their differences, but because of them.

My message? Limitations are just invitations to get creative.

Three cyclists standing on a city sidewalk, two men and one woman, all wearing helmets and cycling gear, with storefronts and palm trees in the background.
Group of smiling cyclists in cycling gear and helmets taking a selfie outdoors under a blue sky.
Group of five adults, three women and two men, smiling and posing together at a biking event, with helmets and a glass of beer on the table.
Two cyclists, a man and a woman, wearing helmets and cycling jerseys, pose with their bikes on a hilltop overlooking a town with a church and a landscape of fields and hills in the background on a partly cloudy day.
Road Cyclist Passo Dello Stelvio Cycling in Italian Alps

[SPEAKING TOPICS]

[BOOK SUZIE FOR YOUR SPEAKING EVENT]

Building Resilience When Life Changes the Rules

When Suzie's doctor told her what she'd never be able to do, she had a choice: accept those limitations or get creative about working around them. She shares how she navigated London's Underground by memory, ran international buying trips without being able to read labels clearly, and raised two young boys whilst her vision continued to deteriorate.

Ideal for: Organisations facing change, teams in transition, staff motivation

Key takeaways:

  • Adapting quickly when circumstances change beyond your control

  • Building systems that work for you, not against you

  • Maintaining performance when the old ways stop working

Reframing Adversity: Finding Opportunity in Challenge

Through her journey of building a successful business whilst slowly losing her sight, Suzie learnt that limitations often force the innovations nobody else thinks to make. She shares practical strategies for turning obstacles into competitive advantages and shows how constraint breeds creativity in unexpected ways.

Ideal for: Corporate teams, leadership conferences, professional associations

Key takeaways:

  • How to break down overwhelming challenges into manageable steps

  • The competitive advantage of learning to solve problems others don't face

  • Why your biggest limitation might be your most valuable teacher

The Power of Asking for Help: Strength in Vulnerability

For years, Suzie refused help, determined to prove she could do everything herself. After falling into a pond in St Stephen's Green and climbing out alone, she realised that independence doesn't mean doing everything yourself, it means knowing when and how to ask for support. This talk explores how building the right network and asking for help isn't weakness; it's strategy.

Ideal for: Teams, managers, entrepreneurs

Key takeaways:

  • Why Irish reluctance to ask for help limits success

  • How to build a network that actually helps you get things done

  • The difference between dependence and strategic collaboration

Group of five people in cycling gear, smiling and posing outdoors, wearing helmets and sunglasses.
A group of cyclists in helmets and sportswear standing with their bikes on a scenic mountain road under a partly cloudy sky.