Episode 122: Holly Swenson BSN, RN, Wellness Blogger, Award Winning Author, and Mom

Written By Susie Gurley

The last episode of this season, and just in time for the holidays, is an episode just for all parents! Holly Swenson, author of Stop, Drop, Grow and Glow (https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Drop-Grow-Glow-Connections/dp/1950476723), is on a mission to raise the bar for parents and infuse more joy, intention, balance, and wellness into parenting and beyond. She believes learning how to tend to you before tackling life’s asks and demands is the key to opening the door to thriving in life, and not just merely surviving. Holly will teach you how to balance the demands of parenthood with more consciousness, grace, and gentility, not just for your own benefit, but for the lives you are responsible for shaping. In this episode, Holly emphasizes how it is not only ok but necessary to fill your own tank, and that self-care is not selfish.  Make sure you check out Holly’s website for blog posts and so much more (https://liveyourglow.live/).

Susie Gurley

Susie Stapp Gurley was born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She married her college sweetheart, Dan Gurley, shortly after graduating from TCU with a degree in advertising and public relations. In her first career, Susie worked in college admissions and academic advising. Simultaneously she pursued a master’s degree from The University of Central Missouri in sociology and then worked for the Sedgwick County, KS Department of Aging as a case worker. Susie stepped away from the professional world in 1997 to become a stay-at-home mom. She spent the majority of the last 25 years as a wife, mother, and volunteer, primarily in her church and her three children’s schools and activities.

Susie became a mental health advocate after her youngest son became a teen spokesperson about his battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In 2018, at the age of 15, Will founded the You Matter Festival, a music festival promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Will shared his personal mental health struggles with the 1,000-person crowd, which started his role as a local KC teen advocate for mental health. Because of Will’s involvement, Susie recorded a video #Zeroreasonswhy (https://zeroreasonswhy.org), a Kansas City area organization working to end teen suicide in the Johnson County, Kansas area. This video was viewed over 10,000 times, which was the impetus of the Just A Mom podcast. Susie decided that she needed to follow the brave trail blazed by her son and became an outspoken advocate for parents of children who struggle with mental illness. The Just a Mom podcast launched in September of 2022 and encourages parents to know that they are not alone and there is hope.

Susie served as the Executive Director of the You Matter Festival and is currently on the Friends of Johnson County Mental Health Board. Susie has grown three children, two daughters-in-law, and a son-in-law.

Next

Episode 121: Lauren Henry Brehm, Author of The French Court; Essays from One Family’s Legacy of Mental Illness