Meet Susan Smedley | Founder/Owner & Yoga Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Susan Smedley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been a bit of a serial entrepreneur, launching several small businesses decades ago, while raising my children.

In the 6 months, I have launched two endeavors: Resilient Souls, for women who have experienced a cancer diagnosis, and Resilient Soul Yoga, a brick and mortar studio in Loveland, CO.

For the past 15 years, I worked for several national lung cancer organizations in programs and development, As a long term lung cancer survivor myself, and yoga instructor, I noticed a huge gap amongst people with cancer as it relates to healing: mind, body and soul. No one really addresses this in a meaningful way so I decided to offer what I knew.

I infused mindfulness and meditation in our monthly online gatherings for patients and caregivers, wrote blogs, and after obtaining additional training and certification to teach oncology yoga, I developed a guided online program exploring the use of yoga to help lessen the side effects of treatments.

When funding for that program proved hard to secure, I followed my instincts and decided to create my own platform, launching in August, 2022, now known as Resilient Souls. Through the online platform and through social media, I share free resources and host a live call each month wherein we explore a topic related to healing.

During the launch period of this program in Summer, 2022, I started feeling into opening a brick and mortar yoga studio in my new hometown of Loveland, CO. As a yoga instructor, I had worked at several studios over the years and was always interested in “someday” taking that leap. Honestly, I thought perhaps that ship had sailed.

Following the death of my father in April, 2022, I was met again with the sacred edge of recognizing that time is finite and life too short to stay stuck and wonder “what if?”

I was drawn to wanting to help support people’s healing and loved the vibrant small town arts district, with it’s many small businesses.

As is often the case, once I opened my mind and heart to consider retiring from my non-profit career, I began declaring that I was going to open a yoga studio, and began my search for the perfect space.

An artist friend of mine mentioned two friends who are interior designers and specialized in “bringing nature indoors”, which aligned with how I wanted my studio to feel. I wanted to include the healing energies of nature, so people could exhale deeply before ever stepping onto their mat.

In January, 2023, I opened Resilient Soul Yoga, a nature-inspired studio space to help support community members through teaching yoga and offering other somatic practices.

Forever a social worker, I have begun forming connections with local non-profits and other community groups who work with people who have experienced excessive stress and trauma in their personal and/or professional lives. Educating people about the role of their nervous system in developing chronic PTSD and burnout has become a passion of mine, and bringing this information to them can help reduce the barriers and stigma of stepping into a studio environment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I began my career as a social worker, fresh out of college and ready to save the world! During college, I had begun the process of unearthing and naming traumatic experiences I had lived through in my childhood. Not surprisingly, I chose violence against women, as my career path and jumped into a role at a rape crisis center.

Having no boundaries or self care in place, it took only a few years before my health began to fail. At the age of 25, I was completely depleted physically, mentally and emotionally. Thus began my journey into healing.

Part of my healing involved exploring what brought me joy, and at that point, the answer was animals. So I followed that trail, was trained and opened my first entrepreneurial enterprise: Club Smed Pet Grooming.

I loved being a pet groomer and several years in business, I was on the cusp of hiring another full time groomer, when I was diagnosed with lung cancer. As a 32 year old healthy new mom, that was NOT what I was expecting! I was forced to close my business and focus on my health, and raising my infant daughter.

Fast forward several years, with my health stabilized, I started to feel the itch to create and run another business, I wanted to help other parents create awesome birthday parties for their young children, so Three Wishes and a Wardrobe was born. The tea party theme, led to the creation of a children’s manners class, to satisfy the girl scout badge.

Soon, adults were inquiring about business etiquette and manners classes, so I received training and certification to teach business etiquette, and The Next Level Training was born.

I ran those businesses until an economic downturn freezing training budgets forced the closure of The Next Level Training.

Soon, a divorce and being a single mom to two young children had me returning to work in corporate training, and eventually into the non-profit sector for close to 2 decades.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love our little city of Loveland!

I would take them to Sylvan Dale Ranch for a 90 minute trail ride with scenery that will blow their mind. Then to Taste Local for lunch, followed by a yoga class at Resilient Soul Yoga, of course. Late afternoon wine at Sweetheart Winery by the Thompson River.

For dinner, great places include Door 222 and Scalzotto Italian.

During warm weather months, free outdoor concerts at The Foundry surrounded by food trucks. There is excellent hiking nearby and Rocky Mountain National Park is only 35 minutes away!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
1. My father, Bernie Smedley was a serial entrepreneur, on a larger corporate scale. He was a visionary and helped launch the cell phone industry, during his tenure at Motorola. When he saw broadband as the next wave in communications, but couldn’t convince Motorola of his vision, he launched several international communications companies.

2. My mother, Lois Smedley was a nurse and supported healing in a more personal way before her untimely death at 64 due to unprocessed stress, grief and trauma.

They, and all my ancestors have influenced my outlook and approach to life. Due to their hard work, I realize the privilege I have had to dream bigger, beyond mere survival that my lineage was bound by.

Following his death, and receiving funds from both my parents, I chose to invest in myself and my vision of personal and community healing.

3. Nicole Bookman and Heather West, the designers and nature foragers who make up Wild Forage Designs were instrumental in bringing my studio vision to life!

4. Numerous friends and mentors who have dared to follow their heart and leap into the unknown. Most notably, Jolie Dawn, a business and prosperity coach for women, who helped me unearth my soul’s true calling and develop a plan to make it a reality.

Website: https://www.resilientsoulyoga.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientsoulyoga/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-smedley-64a143a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resilientsoulyoga/

Other: Resilient Souls Online Platform for women with cancer: https://www.weareresilientsouls.com/?r_done=1

Image Credits
Kirsti Pope, Van Girl Photography