Testimonials from our Jr. Elite:
Before I started working with Susan, I was directionless, anxious, and unmotivated. My daily routine was often a chore: I felt like I was stuck in a never-ending cycle of “going through the motions” without any way to find what I actually wanted to get out of life and work.
Since working with her, though, my confidence has skyrocketed. Susan’s tools have allowed me to begin searching for what I really want, and have helped give my life direction once again. My motivation has returned and my anxiety has begun to fade – a major relief when you’re working on deadlines day after day!
It’s a very bold statement to say that someone has changed your life. However, I don’t know how to describe what Susan’s done for me in any other way. Before I met with her, I was wandering around in the dark with my eyes closed. Now, the lights are on, my eyes are open, and I’m finally moving in the direction I want to go.
~ Garrett H (23 yrs.)
When I first came to Susan, I was experiencing a ton of anxiety about my future. I didn’t know where I was going or what I even wanted to make happen in my life. I was quite frankly lost and headed down the wrong path. I felt like a failure. I felt hopeless.
I don’t consider myself to be unintelligent however I was lacking the tools to be able to use my intelligence in a way that best fit who I was really meant to be. I was making all the wrong choices with my time and energy. My unhappiness quickly spread into all areas of my life, personally and academically. I felt like I was letting everyone in my life down.
In working with Susan I was able to discover who I am authentically. She taught me how to explore what is amazing and special and unique about me. For the first time I was able to identify my many gifts and special talents. I now feel confident in the path I have chosen and believe it is what I was put on this earth to do. I feel excited, rather than anxious, every day as I pursue my purpose with passion. My motivation and focus have both greatly improved!
The best part about coaching with Susan is that she helped me develop the ability to self-manage. I now have the tools to be able to control my emotional state, make the right choices for me and access the resources I need to be able to achieve success in my life. These skills are ones that will benefit me in everything I do and I can’t thank her enough for introducing me to them in such a fun, engaging and easy to apply way.
Thank-you Susan for being such a positive force in my life!
~ Sara M (22 yrs.)
To say that Susan Hobson is a fantastic coach wouldn’t even begin to scratch the surface of just how well she performs her duties as a coach. When I started with her I expected another session with a counselor telling me what was wrong with me and not helping me beyond a few sessions. Susan is different; she told me there was nothing wrong with me, something that no one has ever told me before, merely that I just needed to connect with myself again to find what was important. She’ll stick with you until the end and will always be around when you need her. I couldn’t think of anyone else I would recommend more as a coach.
~Jesse K (20 yrs.)
Possibly one of the most important motivators for my decision to seek external support began with my summer MCAT prep course. It was a turning point in my undergraduate life because it signified to beginning of a life-long commitment to the field of medicine, a commitment that demands a considerable amount of attention to effort and organization. It was one of those things that once you’re in, you pretty much know the general direction of your studies and how you are going to structure your undergrad life. Anyways, soon after I started this course, I became aware of certain things that med school requires of all their applicants. They should a) be well rounded in terms of volunteer work/undergraduate research, b.) defined by a purpose to pursue a profession in medicine, and c.) exhibit a keen interest in undergraduate coursework —represented by a high GPA.
I had some of these qualities, but for the most part getting the rest of them in the best way possible (and within 2 years) seemed like a daunting task. This is why I sought help. I needed to acquire the tools for getting myself motivated to prepare myself for med school without leaving it to the last minute, which as a procrastinator I know far too well.
So what you helped elucidate were all the qualities that underlie motivation, from self-comparison to organization.
The most significant obstacle was probably my anxiety and constant comparison complex, which is simply the fact that I was giving weight to things of no real importance. I learned from our conversations to stop making such negative comparisons of myself with others and learned to self-compare, which I found especially helpful in the competitive environment of bio-med undergrads vying for top marks and praise. This lesson was strongly reinforced by daily EIT, where I could understand visually that a lot of the negative feelings that I had whenever I would compare myself to others were often misguided and unreasonable.
Although I can’t go through all the steps and goals we accomplished (so many), I would have to say the most interesting one was the Who am I? session. It was such an eye opener, and if anything can lead to immense improvements in self-esteem and motivation it would be simply the fact of knowing who you are, and being happy about it. Positive motivation always starts with knowing that you have your own personal, special attributes, and that working with them to your advantage is always better than thinking of what you could be or what others have.
Ultimately by the end of our sessions, I had unbelievably lost the anxiety I had been constantly generating as a byproduct of comparing myself to others. I has also developed some great organizational/time management habits. Without the dialogue that we had, most of my accomplishments would have been —if not impossible— very difficult to achieve on my own. And therein lies the benefits of having a coach: without the conversations and different perspective, it would have been so much more difficult. It’s funny, we think we know ourselves because we are by logic, ourselves, but sometimes, if you don’t have the proper tools of looking intrinsically, it’s best to seek outside help.
Additionally, I found that one of the reasons the sessions were so successful was that there was excellent communication between us and that you are a very engaging life coach. A psychiatrist tries to have no presence in a conversation, while you made your presence known. I always had a great time in every session, and I left every time feeling much better.
Thank you Susan,
~ Felix M (21 yrs.)
The day I met Susan in my junior year of high school, I knew she was the real deal. I was an aspiring high performance athlete that was constantly hindered by various “mental roadblocks” as Susan refers to them. I suffered from a negative belief system and weak self concept which caused me to struggle greatly in identifying myself as anything but a student and a hockey player. My game, both on and off the ice, were affected immensely. I was inconsistent and doubted myself at every turn. With Susan I learned how to control my thoughts and my attitudes to better control my performance while learning how to internally validate my own successes. After working with Susan to reframe the way I perceived myself while creating new thought pathways, I became a more consistent hockey player and a more positive, self-aware person. Thanks to her coaching and her unwavering commitment to my journey I am now happier than I ever was and more confident than I ever have been. Her tips, tricks and tools for elite performance are unparalleled and are the sole reason why today I am able to refer to myself as a high performance athlete. I believe that any individual working with Susan will reach their high performance goals with just two things: hard work and commitment.
Thank you Susan for everything,
~ Lauren W (20 yrs.)
Growing up I had the typical suburban childhood. A family of 4, and all the opportunities I desired given to me. Although my life looked well put together from the outside, something had always felt off on the inside. At 17, I endured a very traumatic experience, which onset all of my prior built up negative self thoughts into a severe eating disorder and alcohol addiction. I lost everything I thought to know about myself and became a reckless young woman. I began to seek attention in the wrong places, engrained very damaging beliefs into my mind and within a short amount of time I was on deaths doorstep walking into a rehab/treatment facility.
I spent a great amount of time in this center however, to me it only healed my physical state.
After years of therapy and recovery programs I finally admitted to hitting my bottom. I no longer was able to will myself out of bed in the morning, at least not without a drink. I had lost touch with all of my friends and peers and became estranged to my family- the only people who I had left. I was a shell of myself and was truly “sick and tired of being sick and tired”. I wanted my life back, I wanted to be a 20 something woman.
I was referred to Susan and with a sliver of hope I had I put my all into our first session. I didn’t hold back, Susan made the environment incredibly safe and I found her approach to mental strength astounding. I left with excitement!
Throughout my time working with Susan I made great changes and improvements in my life. I began to discover myself and ACCEPT myself. I have found my passion and am following my dreams as a confident young woman. I have a solid foundation of self-respect and worth and am able to create, maintain and nourish relationships.
Susan has taught me so much about how to train my mind and control my emotions so they can no longer control me. Her approach is very individualized and she gives me exactly what I need. Whether some days it was simply a listening ear and tissues, a tough talking to or a detailed note taking lesson. I never left a session feeling lost or down, I left looking forward to improving myself in the time between.
The tools Susan has taught me are simply second nature, life still isn’t perfect, nor will it ever be, however, I know now how to cope in a way that propels me forward as opposed to sabotaging how far I have come.
Thank you Susan,
~ Frances M (22 yrs.)
Susan is one of the most genuine people you will meet and will have your back no matter what. She’ll take the extra mile to make sure you’re okay because she knows the potential you have to be successful and motivated with your life. If it wasn’t for Susan, I know I wouldn’t be where I am today with my education. She is responsible for my confidence not only in my academics but how to tackle my day to day life as well. When I first met Susan I didn’t have a very strong belief and trust with myself. Susan gave me the tools to understand that I never had any problems with my life, only situations. After working with her she made me realize how important having self-compassion is which made me understand how to depend on myself as a person. I appreciate everything Susan has done to help me get to where I am now.
Thank you Susan,
~Brandon L
I first learned about Susan and her program through my goalie coach Mandy Cronin 2 years ago. At that time I was 12 years old, and Mandy told both me and my parents for me to get to the next level of play, I needed to get better control of my mental game. Being 12, I had no desire to undergo mental coaching. I went through about a dozen sessions with Susan and came out feeling nothing changed. I was so wrong. Being Susan’s youngest client at the time, a lot of the concepts seemed to ‘go in one ear, then out the other’. I was jumping from peewee AA to bantam AA the following season and this was huge for me. I had only been a goalie for 2 years at the time, and my physical ability was surpassing my mental ability. Some how all of her tools, combined with her weekly exercises, must have resonated and her principals stuck with me. I was able to combat my fears of inadequacy and performance anxiety. Two years later, today, at 14 years old I can say that I would not have had the success of 11 Division 1 NCAA Colleges and Universities having me on the top of their recruitment lists, if it had not been, in part, for that mental coaching with Susan. I am so thankful to you Susan, for putting up with that 12 year old two years ago! You’re the best. Thanks so much!
~Belle M
