ANN Susan
A Midwestern Girl Who Stopped Playing Small
A Life Built on Identity, Growth, and the Courage to Live on Your Own Terms
I grew up on a farm in the Midwest, three hours west of Chicago, surrounded by open fields, early mornings, and the kind of work that grounds you before you even understand what that means.
Life was simple.
Chores, school, daydreams, cats in the barn, and the quiet knowing that the world was bigger than the soil beneath my feet.
I was the girl who got in trouble for staring out the classroom window, not because I didn’t care, but because I felt something calling me, even if I couldn’t articulate it yet.
No special connections.
No fancy degrees.
Just a girl with big dreams and the belief that life held more than what I could see.
The Path I Followed Before I Found Myself
Like most of us, I learned early how to perform:
Work hard.
Be agreeable.
Stay small.
Do the “right” thing.
Growing up in the 80s, I dreamed big. I imagined myself on stage, or in fashion, or doing something expressive and bold. My imagination did not fit the environment I was living in at the time.
I still remember being told by a school counselor that I needed to be more grounded, stop daydreaming, and get my head out of the clouds. At the time, I took that as correction. Looking back now, I see it differently. There was nothing wrong with my imagination. It simply hadn’t found the right outlet yet.
I loved the farm then, and I still do. The animals. The routines. The responsibility. It taught me discipline, respect for work, and how to care for something bigger than myself. It also wasn’t the place where that part of me could fully expand.
Both things were true.
But as I got older, those dreams faded under the weight of “real life,” as most people’s do. I chased career success, thinking the next achievement would finally make me feel whole and give my life meaning by some external measure.
Meanwhile, I cycled through every era of dieting culture.
I counted calories and avoided fat in the 90s because that’s what every glossy magazine at the checkout line told us to do. If it said “low-fat,” it went in the cart.
Later, I stepped on stage in fitness competitions, building my own training and nutrition programs and pushing my body to a level most people only see from the audience.
- I understood discipline.
- I understood macros.
- I understood what it takes to get lean.
- What I didn’t understand yet was sustainability.
- I thought tighter rules meant I was improving.
- But the truth was simpler.
- No amount of discipline or good behavior creates freedom if it isn’t aligned with how you actually live.
- Not in your body.
- Not in your life.
When Everything Shifted
Fast forward.
I built a digital marketing business.
I built a life I was proud of — grounded in challenge, creativity, and growth.
But the most important shift in my life wasn’t professional.
It was personal.
I began questioning what I had been taught about health, success, discipline, and who I was expected to be.
For the first time, I stopped assuming the right answer lived outside of me.
I questioned the standards I had inherited instead of trying to meet them.
That changed everything.
In my 40s, I stopped searching for another plan.
Another diet wasn’t going to save me.
Another “clean eating” framework wasn’t going to fix my relationship with control.
Another attempt at perfection wasn’t going to create the grounded, energized life I wanted.
Everything shifted when I started experimenting for myself.
Not for a competition.
Not for a trend.
Not for validation.
Through years of research, trial, and honest observation, I learned what my body actually responds to. I built a way of eating and living that supports my energy, my identity, and my real life.
Yes, I drink cocktails.
Yes, I eat carbs.
No, I don’t count calories.
And I have never felt stronger, clearer, or more grounded.
What changed?
I stopped chasing perfection.
I stopped performing.
I stopped living by rules that were never designed for me.
I built a system that makes feeling good sustainable — not obsessive.
A way of living that supports who I actually am.
That’s when everything came into alignment.
Becoming Your Strongest Self
For years, I thought strength meant control.
Control over food.
Control over performance.
Control over how I was perceived.
But real strength isn’t rigid.
It’s responsive.
It adapts.
It honors discipline without worshipping extremes.
Strength became different when I stopped trying to win at rules and started building systems that fit my real life.
That shift changed everything.
What Strength Looks Like Now
For a long time, I thought strength meant restriction.
Now it looks different.
It looks like waking up clear.
Eating in a way that supports energy instead of obsession.
Training because I respect my body — not because I’m trying to shrink it.
It looks like structure without rigidity.
Confidence without performance.
And health that supports real life — not the other way around.
I don’t live in extremes anymore.
I live in alignment.
The Standard I Live By
If you want to thrive, you have to stop living by rules that were never designed for you.
That means questioning the “shoulds.”
Releasing the pressure to perform.
And choosing alignment over approval.
You don’t need more discipline.
You need structure that supports your real life.
A system that creates energy instead of draining it.
Strength without obsession.
Confidence without comparison.
That shift changed everything.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible women over the years.
What I’ve learned from them is this: strength expands when we stop shrinking to fit expectations.”
Why I Built This
I spent years proving I could be disciplined.
Strong.
Capable.
What I hadn’t built yet was a life that felt aligned.
Living Lioness exists because I stopped asking, “How do I do this perfectly?”
and started asking,
“What actually works for me?”
This isn’t about chasing smaller jeans or bigger achievements.
It’s about building a way of living that supports your energy, your standards, and your real life.
I believe strength should feel grounded.
Health should feel sustainable.
Confidence should feel earned, not performed.
If you’ve ever felt capable on paper but disconnected in your own body or life, you’re not alone.
This work is about alignment.
And alignment changes everything.
I don’t have all the answers.
I still skip workouts sometimes.
I still eat the pizza.
I still question things.
But I no longer chase perfection.
What I’ve learned is this:
Strength comes from consistency.
Clarity comes from alignment.
Freedom comes from building a way of living that actually supports you.
Not rules.
Not extremes.
Not performance.
Just structure that works in real life.
Living Lioness isn’t about becoming someone else.
It’s about becoming fully yourself — without apology, without chaos, and without burning out.
That’s the work.
And it’s worth it.
Cocktails & Control™
A new way to approach food, energy, and identity.
Built for women who are done performing and ready to live fully.
Join the waitlist for early access.
Even though I focus on health, strength, and confidence, I care just as much about living fully.
That means building a life that works in real moments. Not curated ones. Not perfect ones. Real ones.
If you’re here, you probably feel that tension too. Wanting to feel strong and disciplined, but also wanting freedom. Wanting structure, without obsession.
That’s what Living Lioness is about.
A way of living that supports real life.
No extremes. No performance. Just what works.
I’m glad you’re here.
