You’ve spent your life showing up for others: at work, at home, in every role that’s asked more of you. I’ve spent mine doing the same.
I’m Susie. A former HR leader turned life coach, here to help people release what’s heavy and move forward lighter, clearer, and more connected to themselves.
About Susie Schumacher, Life Coach
I managed their care, my grief, and everyone else’s crisis, all while pretending I was fine. I thought if I just kept handling everything, I could stay in control.
Eventually, I couldn’t outrun it anymore. I retired early, went quiet, and tried to make sense of the pieces. I earned my coaching certification, but I was still carrying the same invisible weight. Until one day, I finally let someone see me cry.
That moment changed everything. I learned that tears weren’t weakness, they were release. That real peace comes when you stop trying to be strong all the time.
Now I help others who’ve spent a lifetime holding it all together. People who are ready to release what’s heavy, reconnect with themselves, and finally move forward lighter, clearer, and more at ease.
Within two weeks, I lost both my mom and my brother.
For 27 years, I worked in city government, often called in for tough cases and complicated people. I never saw them that way. I wanted to understand what brought them there, to create space for honesty, even when the truth was uncomfortable.
That approach guided me through every interaction. It wasn’t always easy. Choosing the human side over politics meant swimming against the current. But I believed in people, even when they didn’t believe in themselves.
Then life stopped me cold.
I Was the Strong One Until I Wasn't
My Story: From HR to Life Coach
This isn’t about being fixed. It’s about remembering who you are underneath the pressure, and having the courage to live from that truth.
We don’t just talk about it. You experience it, moment by moment.
Change becomes real.
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, always in service of real movement.
We move at your pace.
The ones that cut through the noise and reveal what’s true.
I ask the questions that matter.
Nothing you share will shock me. I’ve been there, and I’ll meet you where you are.
You can drop the act.
I Don't Just Teach This Work... I've Lived It.
The Courageous Connection™ Difference
Courageous Connection™ is the heart of my coaching practice. It’s how I help you face what’s been holding you back. Not with judgment, but with honesty and self-compassion.
We look at your past for what it can teach you, not to live there. We uncover what’s worth keeping, release what’s been keeping you small, and help you take steps that align with how you actually want to feel.
Here’s what working with me is like:
City of West Hollywood (20 years in leadership, majority as HR Manager)
27 Years in Public Service
University of Redlands
BA in Business Administration & Management
Martha Beck Inc., Level 2, ICF-accredited (225+ hours based on ICF Core Competencies & Ethics)
Wayfinder Life Coach Certification
Twenty-seven years of sitting with people in their hardest moments taught me more about human nature than any textbook ever could. Add professional coach training to that, and you get someone who knows how to hold space for the truth, and help you move through it.
My years in HR weren’t about policies, they were about people. Every day, I was helping others navigate conflict, loss, and reinvention. That experience taught me how to listen for what’s underneath the story and guide people toward what’s next.
Training & Expertise
After 27 years in public service — and from my own experience as a caregiver — I understand how caregiving can create a silent struggle: you’re managing your own life, plus the many layers of caring for someone else — and it can feel hard to admit you’re overwhelmed because the other person is the one in need.
Each year, I volunteer a portion of my coaching hours to support caregivers. I offer these hours because giving back matters to me, and I’ve learned that being with people in these moments is healing for both of us.
If you’re a caregiver and you’d like support, you’re welcome to reach out.