Suzie Johnson-Smith Coaching and Consulting

A bit of a surreal moment in my career. ❤️

Over this summer, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work alongside Phil DeVol on the redevelopment of Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World for an international audience.

And I have to say, I am a little in awe of him.
Phil truly lives and breathes this work. The principles behind Bridges Out of Poverty and Getting Ahead aren’t simply something he has written about or taught for decades. They show up in how he thinks, how he listens, the questions he asks, and the deep respect he has for people with lived experience.

Getting Ahead is part of the Bridges Out of Poverty model - work that has profoundly influenced how I understand people, poverty, resources, communities and possibility.

To now have the opportunity to sit at the table with Phil, learn from him, share ideas, ask questions and help shape the next edition of this work for people and communities around the world is pretty incredible.

There is something very special about getting to work alongside someone whose work you have respected for so long, and discovering that the person behind the work lives it just as deeply.

It has me thinking about the people we meet along the way who help shape how we see the world and how we show up in it.

A reflection: Who is someone you’ve had the privilege of learning from, and, have you let them know the impact they’ve had on you? ❤️

I was reflecting with a friend about self-care and how we could be looking at it a little differently.

So often, we wait until we’ve reached the boiling point. We’re exhausted. Irritated. Overwhelmed. Running on empty. And then we decide something has to change.

“That’s it. I’m taking time off.”
“I’m going to start saying no.”
“I can’t keep doing this!”

But what if self-care didn’t have to wait until we reached our limit? What if it started with simply becoming more aware of ME?

Noticing when my patience is getting shorter. When I’m carrying too much. When my energy is shifting. When I need a boundary. When I just need a quiet moment alone to pause and reset.

Sometimes filling our cup doesn’t require a huge change.

Maybe it’s ten quiet minutes to ourselves. A walk around the block. Closing the laptop for lunch. Taking a few deep breaths before the next conversation. Asking for help. Saying “not today” instead of waiting until we have nothing left to give.

And maybe then giving ourselves enough grace to not feel guilty about needing it.

Because the more aware we become of what’s happening within ourselves (ME), the more choice we have about how we show up for others (US).

I think that’s something we sometimes miss about self-care. It isn’t only about taking care of ourselves. It also influences the version of ourselves that everyone else experiences.

Awareness Before Depletion: an invitation to pause, notice, and respond to what we need along the way.

What might change if we became better at noticing what we need before we reach our limit? ❤️

One of the many gifts of working with different teams and leaders is how much they continue to help me grow too.

The more I sit alongside people as they navigate challenges, strengthen relationships, and make sense of change, the more I’ve realized that meaningful change often begins long before we speak to anyone else.

I think it starts with becoming more aware of ourselves. Not because we’re trying to be perfect, but because awareness gives us something incredibly valuable: choice.

We can’t always choose how others respond or the circumstances we’re in. But we can become more aware of how we choose to show up.

I’ve noticed that when someone pauses long enough to become curious instead of certain, something shifts.

They listen differently.
They ask better questions.
They become less reactive and more intentional.

And that’s often where relationships begin to change.

So what if we paused more often to notice how we’re showing up?

The energy we bring.
The assumptions we hold.
The words we choose.
The space we create for others.

Maybe meaningful change in the world begins with each of us becoming a little more aware of how we’re showing up in it.
❤️

For years, I’ve talked about intent versus impact.

While working on a new leadership framework recently, I found myself stopping in the middle of my work to ask a simple question…

How do I know?
And not “How do I know what I intended?”

But…”How do I really know the impact I’m actually having?”

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot.

Not because I have the answer but because it’s encouraging me to become more curious about my own impact.

I can’t help but wonder what might change if we all paused a little more often to reflect not only on our intentions, but also on the true impact we’re having on the people around us.

I’m still reflecting on that question and discovering where it’s leading me in this recent project.

This week’s invitation:

Where in your life might it be helpful to pause… Reflect… And become just a little more curious about your impact on the people around you? ❤️

One thing I’ve noticed when supporting people through conflict is that the biggest shift doesn’t happen when people finally agree.

It happens when they stop trying to convince each other who’s right.

And that has made me think about the way we describe difficult conversations. Maybe we’ve been calling them the wrong thing.

What if they aren’t hard, but “heart”work?

When we stop trying to convince each other who’s right and instead simply share our own experience, everything shifts:

“Here’s what the issue is from my perspective…”

“Here’s why it matters to me…”

“Here’s the impact it’s had on me…”

“I’d really like us to find a way forward together.”

Something changes.

The conversation becomes less about winning. Less about proving a point. Less about getting the other person to agree.

It becomes more about understanding. More about listening. More about making space for another person’s experience while honouring our own.

I’ve learned that some of the most meaningful conversations don’t begin with certainty or ego.

They begin with vulnerability. They begin with the courage to say “this is what this experience has been like for me.” Maybe that’s why they don’t need to be hard but instead need to just come from our heart?

This week’s invitation…

The next time you’re avoiding a difficult conversation, instead of asking “how do I get them to see my side?” What if you asked, “how can I share my experience honestly while staying curious about theirs?”

Sometimes that’s where the real conversation begins ❤️

Have you ever caught yourself thinking or even saying “that’s just common sense” ?

It’s a phrase I’ve heard countless times and one that continues to challenge my own thinking. Now, whenever I hear it, or even catch myself thinking it, another question comes to mind: “Common sense according to who?”

The truth is, what feels like “common sense” to me or you may never have been taught, modelled, valued, or even possible for someone else. It’s so easy to forget that our experiences aren’t everyone else’s experiences.

I continue to remind myself that there is always more to someone’s story than I can see. What we often think is common sense is really shaped by our own experiences, relationships and knowledge base.

It’s amazing how one simple pause for reflection can change the way we see people.

So this week, notice the moments when you catch yourself thinking “well that’s just common sense.”

Pause. Get curious and ask yourself- “Common… according to who?” ❤️

One of the things I’ve learned after facilitating hundreds of team building workshops is that silence is telling us something very important about the culture.

When I ask a question and the room suddenly becomes quiet, I don’t assume people aren’t engaged.

What’s underneath the silence? What are they thinking? What’s making them feel unsure? Are they waiting to see if it’s safe to speak? Are they wondering whether the “right answer” is expected? And, what can I do differently to create safe space for them to share?

Sometimes before we can have an honest conversation, we need to create the conditions where honesty feels safe. And psychological safety isn’t created by asking people to participate more.

The next time a room goes quiet, resist the urge to fill the silence and get curious. What might the silence be trying to tell you? 🧐

There is just so much great information, learning and awareness that happens in a Bridges out of Poverty workshop! Often attendees will say to me “how can I keep this momentum going in my practice and within my team”? So I’ve created a resource of discussions to help Bridges trained individuals and teams to do just that! 😊

If you’re interested in finding out more about attending a Bridges out of Poverty Workshop, please reach out!

Bridges Into Practice: Team Reflection & Implementation Guide – Suzie Johnson-Smith This resource was created for people who have attended a Bridges Out of Poverty workshop - but is available to anyone interested in learning more: Created by Su