Embracing Change (Interview with Susan Drummond)

Have you ever considered the lives you live within this one lifetime? Join me, Julie Basello, as I chat with Susan Drummond, a woman whose story of resilience and transformation is nothing short of extraordinary. Susan lays bare the intimate details of her spiritual connection, the heartbreak of her mother's illness, and the courage it took to navigate through her six metaphorical 'past lives.' Together, we unravel the rich tapestry of her life, taking you through the evolution of her soul and the creation of her sanctuary for healing, Center Life in Balance. Prepare to be inspired as Susan demonstrates the profound strength we can harness by embracing the winds of change.

This episode promises more than just a narrative—it's an arsenal of strategies for anyone standing at the crossroads of reinvention. We delve into the nitty-gritty of self-care, tuning into intuition, and overcoming the fears that often keep us anchored to the shore. From the simple yet powerful act of writing down fears to liberate oneself, to the bold step of ending a long-standing marriage, Susan's experiences serve as a beacon for navigating life's complex waters. You'll walk away from this conversation equipped with practical tools and the courage to sail towards your own horizons of personal discovery and growth.

Guest: Susan Drummond, The Center-Life in Balance (Medford, NJ)
https://www.njbalance.com/

Host: Julie Basello, Basello Media
https://www.juliebasello.com

Transcript

Julie Basello: 0:03

Have you ever wanted to start over, to reinvent yourself? Reinvention is something we all do at some point in our lives. Sometimes it's simple, sometimes it's complicated, but it's often necessary to lead a fulfilling life, and it's always interesting. I'm your host, julie Bassello. Join me for some inspiration as I share reinvention stories, tips and tricks from real people just like you. Let's explore reinvention adventures together. Hey, it's Julie.

Julie Basello: 0:32

Welcome to another episode of Reinvention Adventures, the podcast where we explore the incredible journeys of individuals who have embarked on the path of self-discovery and transformation. I've been looking forward to this episode's conversation because it's a really great reinvention story, but I also really like this human and I want her to be able to share her spirit with you. We all know that reinvention can be really difficult. In previous episodes, I've spoken about how life changes and life-altering events can often be the impetus for reinvention. Sometimes you just don't have a choice but to change, and you can fight it or you can embrace it, but either way it's going to happen. Choosing to embrace it can make it a much more productive and a lot less painful process. Before I introduce you to my guests, this podcast is sponsored by Bassello Media. Bassello Media is my content creation company that supports small businesses with their content needs. When you need content, bassello Media can help your small business navigate the process. We also edit and produce podcasts for small businesses. For more information, visit juliebassellocom. Now let me introduce you to my guest.

Julie Basello: 1:36

Susan Drummond is the owner and operator of the Center Life in Balance. 24 years ago she started her practice with the intention of helping people heal Immediately. Her spiritual team told her to open a wellness center. 24 years ago there were no such things, so she asked them to wait a bit so she could be ready. Through the journey, the Center Life in Balance was born. The Center Life in Balance offers services and workshops to balance body, mind and spirit. When she was a child, she was very connected to spirit and to God. Then life took an unexpected turn when her mother became very ill. At that point, she shut it all down and went along doing her thing. Somehow, the universe found a way to open her back up to be of service to others. She's had six past lives in this lifetime. That's six reinventions for those of you keeping track. I cannot wait to dig into this. Susan, welcome to Reinvention Adventures. I'm so excited you're here.

Susan Drummond: 2:29

Thank you so much for having me. I am excited to be here.

Julie Basello: 2:33

I'm so excited for you to be here too. You can tell just like I've been vibrating about this. I want others to hear your story and you'd be able to share your story. I really want to just kick things off if you're ready. Are you ready? I am ready, Awesome. So your personal and your professional reinvention journeys have been interesting and Six Past Lives like. Can you talk a little bit about how you know that and how it's helped you on your journey?

Susan Drummond: 3:00

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And again, you mentioned when I was a child, life was perfect, Perfect childhood. Fifth child in an Italian family loving parents.

Julie Basello: 3:12

You're one of five, that's crazy, what Five. I'm the fifth.

Susan Drummond: 3:17

And it was lovely. I had a connection to God, what I called God and perceived to God I would actually communicate and hear the communication back and just felt so secure, so happy. Life was a joy.

Julie Basello: 3:34

That's so cool.

Susan Drummond: 3:35

It was very cool until the rug got snapped out and, very unexpected, my mother became ill, and she, of course, was the center of everything.

Julie Basello: 3:47

Yes, in an Italian family, mothers are the center of everything.

Susan Drummond: 3:50

Oh yes, and she was home with us and, being the fifth one when she was a little older when she by time she had me I got all the joy of it I got. We could eat lunch together in the living room, we didn't have to be at the kitchen, I didn't have to make my bed every day like the other siblings. So it was fun. But then she did become ill and from her surgeries and her complications she literally overnight became brain damaged. At that time I'm 11 years old and you know what happened. None of us knew what happened.

Susan Drummond: 4:25

We're gone back 40, some years ago. We just went on autopilot. My dad, god love him, he went on autopilot just taking care of the love of his life. This whole new adventure and the 11-year-old kind of got left to the side. A little bit understandably now, but that 11-year-old didn't understand it Exactly.

Susan Drummond: 4:46

So that was number one lifetime from that perfect fairy tale to holy smokes, I'm 11. I'm cooking, I've got to clean, I've got to do these different things, wow, but just went along until it didn't get any better. So it was five years of this before my mom passed and I just shut. That's when I shut it all down. There couldn't be a God, there couldn't be anything of light and love, because it was rough, yeah, and I just shut it down. I shut me down and didn't really care about anything.

Susan Drummond: 5:22

And you were 16 at this point. When she passed, I was 16. Wow, yes, wow Went off, kind of just did my own thing, did whatever. And this is the next reinvention when I was 20, a universe, god, tapped me on the shoulder and said whoa, you know, this is it, we can't have you doing this, we need you a little bit. And went through the next reinvention and realized that there was more to life than what I was doing. I couldn't. I had lots of help to believe me, but what just wasn't all my own and decided, you know, got myself back together and thought, well, now I can go on my dreams and I married and I had children and did what I thought I was supposed to do, got that job in corporate and did my thing. And I realized, you know, I wasn't happy.

Julie Basello: 6:19

Did you feel like you were suffocating? Yeah, I felt like I was suffocating. Yeah, I felt like.

Susan Drummond: 6:24

I was suffocating. It felt like I didn't know who I was. I didn't have opportunity to even ask who I was. I was being what I thought I was supposed to be Right and trying to make everyone happy, and went through that phase until I had another opportunity, through more traumas. My niece, my young niece, and my dad became ill and being there for them and now I was an adult so I could be there. I wasn't the 11 year old. I could be present, I could help them, I could be with them, but that was traumatic also, so a lot of your reinventions happen through trauma, I mean, as they often do.

Susan Drummond: 7:10

Yes, Through, yeah, and what I believe now is that is universes, or God's way to say wait a minute. We love you so much. We got to get your attention, because if it's smooth and easy and we're just doing the minimum, we're not going to make any changes half the time.

Julie Basello: 7:28

Now I do.

Susan Drummond: 7:29

Now after all this, but not back then. Right.

Julie Basello: 7:32

You've learned as the path has gone on. But yeah, you're right, most people, most people, don't go through life and never learn that Right.

Susan Drummond: 7:40

Right, there are some. So now I can look back with gratitude, but going through it, not the same Right. So I was able to then have the opportunity through that, through my husband, after years of a steady employment, actually getting laid off but it changed to severance and getting a new job. That it was like, hey, I could do what I felt called to do, which was actually go into massage therapy and Reiki and the healing arts.

Julie Basello: 8:10

Right.

Susan Drummond: 8:10

So I had that opportunity, so I went and did that and then when I started touching people, it all opened up again. Wow, all of the spiritual not what I intended, because when I shut it down, I shut it down, I kind of locked it Right, so for it to come back out was like, oh okay. And then that's when I had the opportunity to begin my first business, start the business, and that's when my spiritual team came in and said, hey, you're 24 years ago open that wellness center. And I said, hey, I don't know what that is. So can you wait? The youngest is too little, can you wait a little bit? And they did.

Julie Basello: 8:49

Now let's talk about that for a second that you refer to your spiritual team twice so far. Can you clarify for anyone listening what that is?

Susan Drummond: 8:56

Yes, I do believe, and as an intuitive medium, I do believe we all have a spiritual team and that team is typically past loved ones, and you could say spirit guides or angels. I really do believe us all the same energy. We come into this human form and then we leave this human form. So we don't necessarily die, we just change energy, we just change that vibration. So all of those loved ones that were here with us in the human form are still with us and if we can slow down, take a pause now and then we can sense them and receive their guidance. We all have free will.

Susan Drummond: 9:47

So if we don't pause and say, hey, could you guys please help me? They can't. They're of a vibration of total, unconditional love. They don't have the human anger, resentment, frustration that's what's left behind, that's what gets buried or cremated, all that stuff. So then we have this perfect energy that, after all of this trauma and such, I began to trust again. My mother was a part of that spiritual team. I could feel that I'm sure she was. And when it was, this message coming straight through hey, do this, it was like, ok, it just didn't feel I was ready. And again, time and space is human. Spirit doesn't have time and space.

Susan Drummond: 10:39

So they're like sorry, go ahead, honey. Whatever you need, do your thing, we'll be here. Right, and it was specific because I actually said could you wait till the youngest is in high school? It was 10 years, Julie. Wow, she started high school, say September 3, september 5. We signed the lease to the First Wellness Center. They didn't mind. But in that 10 years I built a database, I built a reputation, I built all this, the footwork. It just happened. I didn't plan to necessarily. But again, turning it over to a source, to your intuition, we all have that gut instinct If we pause just for a moment here and there to tap into it and hear it, because we also have lots of ways to turn that off. We could have four more cocktails, we could have six more pieces of cake, we could do things to shut that down. We could keep busy, busy, busy, busy. Then we don't ever pick up anything. So that pause is important. I could say meditation it is, but sometimes meditation scares the crap out of everybody.

Julie Basello: 11:54

Yeah, and sometimes people just don't know how to do it right. It's definitely, meditation takes practice.

Susan Drummond: 12:00

Absolutely, and that's why they call it a meditation practice. You stick with it. That's a whole nother episode I would love to come back and talk about it.

Julie Basello: 12:08

Great, we'll do it.

Susan Drummond: 12:10

So many different ways to meditate, but if you just look at it as a pause, and that pause can be three deep breaths, that pause can be counting to 20. So, whatever it is to just slow down a bit, to kind of connect. So we started that first wellness center. I had a business partner, which was wonderful, but also at that time, stepping out into this new, I was going through personal changes as well. I was getting to a point where I was thinking, maybe this isn't everything that I want Personally, but I wasn't giving myself any permission to look into that. I wasn't pausing because it scared me.

Susan Drummond: 12:56

So when it came to the business part of it, I wasn't trusting myself there either and I would speak what I was feeling, that gut feeling, that knowing, and didn't always mesh with the partner and I would always say, oh, okay, I must be wrong, maybe this is the better way it went. Okay, it went along. But I wasn't being true to me. I wasn't doing all the self care. I was in the position of service and not fully understanding the importance that service, self care, has to be on self first than others. I didn't understand that at that time. I just thought, oh, my goodness, I'm being called to do this. I have to just give, give, give, serve, serve, serve. I lost the trust in me.

Julie Basello: 13:51

It sounds like you were in people pleaser mode almost. You were like well, how can I please everyone and not just serve? And they say you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others.

Susan Drummond: 14:02

Right, so that is the absolute truth, because by not listening to me, by not pausing for myself, I was just following someone else's path, if you will.

Julie Basello: 14:17

Yeah, we all do it at times in our lives and you know reinvention being a very difficult path sometimes. Oh, absolutely, you know, you know firsthand. So people tend to to look to others and they do sometimes follow the path of others rather than what feels true to them. I think we've all followed that traditional path that we thought was expected of us before we. We learned that we need to be true to ourself and who we are. But it takes time to learn who you are and it takes even more time and a lot of guts to be honest, to be true to yourself and who you're, what your path is and who you are and our life experiences, what we are experiencing, what we are doing.

Susan Drummond: 15:02

It began and a lot of that you know not doing the self-care, not listening to me, was because I was coming to a conclusion that I needed to make a change personally and I was scared and I didn't think I had the right to say this isn't serving me anymore, this isn't the best for me anymore. But through this business partner, who is still my dearest and best friend, and through this work and starting to do that self-care, I was able to make that decision. I was able to leave a marriage of 25 years friendly and which is a blessing that is a blessing.

Susan Drummond: 15:50

Yes, and I was able to really get to know me. Of course, you know that happened. Everybody's like oh I want to set you up with this one and go on this date and go with that. And my answer was no. That's not what this is about. This is about finding out who I am. So who am I now at 50? Single mom, I still had my youngest with me. Who am I now and what am I all about? And that's when I really got to know me. That's so cool. And that's when another reinvention and more miracles came and I didn't distract myself with dating, or that's not what this was about. I wanted to date me, I wanted to really fall in love with me, and I took the time to do that. And what a blessing that was.

Julie Basello: 16:41

That's so inspiring.

Susan Drummond: 16:43

So then we come to yeah go ahead.

Julie Basello: 16:45

Well, you mentioned fear and, oh yes, I feel like fear is like a big component of why people hold themselves back in life and in reinvention. So how do you address fear in people who come to you for advice and guidance?

Susan Drummond: 16:58

So when that fear ended, and again I tap in to my experience, which I also know now, that I had to have my own healings and my own experiences to fully be able to help others. So when someone comes in with that fear, I can relate as well as anyone else. And with that pause, with that asking for help and the simple tool of writing, when we keep these emotions inside, they play on that cassette, and I probably should change that right, Because I really date myself when I say cassette.

Julie Basello: 17:40

No, that's okay. I know what a cassette is All right.

Susan Drummond: 17:43

So we keep that same cassette playing. It's like it's inside, there's no air, there's. It just keeps playing and playing and we slow it down a little bit by trying something, but eventually it goes back when we talk about it. But when we write about it, the physical action of writing and it's coming out of us remember those cassettes they would get a little nick in them and then eventually it would rip and unravel. Yes, that's what we want to do. So when we physically pen and paper not typing, not on our phones or tablets write it out, write those fears, because what we're doing is we're releasing the emotions that are already inside. We're not creating new, we're not going into depression, we are releasing what we've tucked down deep.

Susan Drummond: 18:37

So it comes at my technical term Hope I don't offend anybody but we bomb it on paper, but then we immediately rip it in a million pieces. Each physical rip gets rid of it and then it's gone. I love that. Don't reread it, don't edit it, don't share it with anybody, just kind of get it out and then rip, and it's usually more than one writing, but the more it just keeps going deeper and keeps releasing and then that cassette is ruined, it's gone. It's gone and we can record a new one.

Julie Basello: 19:16

Wow, that's actually super profound. I mean, other than the cassette part, which we all know. I'm just joking, but it's really like because it's funny. One of the things that I do before I do something uncomfortable for me is I go through like a worst case scenario thing. Like I actually write a list of okay, so this difficult thing that I'm trying to work through what is the worst that can happen to me, and I actually put it out there Like what's the worst that can happen. And then I look at it and I can tell you, 9.8 times out of 10, the worst case is not bad.

Julie Basello: 19:54

To me if nobody's sick and nobody's dead, we're all good and we got to do over anytime we want to. You know, that's kind of how I view things, so I'll usually put it out there to kind of say to myself okay, so this worst thing, this worst case elephant in the room that you're entertaining, julie, it is not that bad. And then you know that might not work for everyone, but for me it allows me to kind of weigh myself through pitfalls and things and with reinvention that you know there's a lot of things that come up that could be pitfalls and it's important to recognize them. You can't just ignore them. So Absolutely.

Susan Drummond: 20:29

And it is very similar what you're saying. So you again are writing it down, that fear that you've tucked away. But when you put it on paper now it's something tangible. So just add the step of ripping it in a million pieces, exactly. I can't wait, and it is in power.

Julie Basello: 20:46

It is so empowering, I think I'm going to burn it. I'm just kidding.

Susan Drummond: 20:50

Rip it first, then burn those frets.

Julie Basello: 20:52

I'll have a bonfire in the backyard. There you go.

Susan Drummond: 20:55

We don't ever want to keep journals where we release and release. We want to put them in the bonfire.

Julie Basello: 21:01

Absolutely.

Susan Drummond: 21:01

Because we don't want to keep it. No.

Julie Basello: 21:04

Definitely releasing is important. I agree with that.

Susan Drummond: 21:07

And that's how we can see the fear. Once it hits, it's almost like I look at it, like once it hits, air it first of all, it starts dissolving already, and then now I can do something about it, because I know what I'm dealing with. I know what the fear is, I understand it. Now I can do something with it.

Julie Basello: 21:27

It's so strange that so many times we fear things I can think of things right now in my head that I fear, and we blow them up into ginormous proportions that have no business being there. We've elevated this simple fear of something small to just to be so much larger than life. Yes so being able to put it on paper and then say nope, and cutting it up and getting rid of it and letting it go and releasing it is very, I'm sure, empowering.

Susan Drummond: 21:58

It really is, because once it's out now it's tangible. Now I see it, I can do something with that. I can destroy it, I can get rid of it, and I know that may sound simple to someone just listening, but you have to try it because it is absolutely empowering and it really does shift things Now. It's not that secret tucked way down deep.

Julie Basello: 22:22

Those simple things in a reinvention journey are very, very important because, like I said, there's so many facets to it and it depends on what type of journey you're on. But whether it's a chosen journey, a chosen reinvention or a forced one, there's a lot of layers and if you can take something and not necessarily simplify it, but make it more manageable for yourself and make yourself feel like you're in control of it, I think that that's important because there are so many aspects of a reinvention journey that we are not in control of.

Julie Basello: 22:54

Unfortunately, sometimes there's things we have to you know, ride the wave, so to speak. It's important to know how to surf.

Susan Drummond: 23:01

Yes, and I've also found with that it needs to be on a daily basis. We can't, once a week, check in with our feelings what are we doing? We need that type of self care on a daily basis. Now, it doesn't have to be more than five or 10 minutes, but it needs to be on the daily, because if we save it for the weekend, we're not going to do it. If we save it for vacation, we're not going to do it. But if we commit to ourselves on a daily basis, you can make it simple. Look when you're sitting on the John, make that be your time. Just jot things down, get rid of them a little grad, utilize what you're already doing.

Susan Drummond: 23:45

You can't solve the problems of the world when you're sitting there.

Julie Basello: 23:49

So the ultimate multitasking Right before bed Exactly, that's a good one too, right before bed because it's like slight downtime. So we've obviously talked about your many reinvention journeys. If you could go back and change one thing about the reinvention journey that involved opening the center, life in balance what would you change?

Susan Drummond: 24:15

One thing that I would change is that trust in myself. That's a big one, that one time period where I didn't give myself permission to be me, where I did just tuck it all away and didn't hear me or see me. Now, looking back, was it possible at the time? I don't think so, because I truly do believe we do the very best we can in every situation and time in our life. But that would be that one thing honoring me, validating me, that's a big deal, and you know, trusting yourself is one of the hardest things to do in a reinvention adventure.

Julie Basello: 25:03

A lot of people struggle with that because we're taught to ask for validation from others in many instances in our lives and that is reinvention as a situation. It's a very personal journey, oh absolutely. I always tell people you can get advice from others, but you need to trust you first, and only you know what's best for your journey, and that's not an easy thing for people to hear or learn through, but it is very important to a successful reinvention, in my opinion.

Susan Drummond: 25:35

Absolutely. And that's where the taking a little bit of time each day to know what you're really feeling and not just going through the motions of living, because, even say, you're doing a reinvention and you want to start a business and the traditional way is a business plan, and then you take it somewhere and they say, nope, bad idea, like holy smokes.

Julie Basello: 25:58

Who says it's a bad idea? Some bank guy?

Susan Drummond: 26:01

Someone who doesn't know you or can't see past his quota, or such.

Julie Basello: 26:06

Yeah, I totally agree with that, and so let's go along that thread a little bit. So you probably mentor people all the time, and mentoring is different than getting random advice from your friends and family. So let's put your mentor hat on for a second. What's some advice you would offer to someone who really wants to change their life but isn't sure where to start?

Susan Drummond: 26:29

The first step of that is that pause, taking that time sitting with yourself. First off, are you comfortable? What is it about that that bothers you? What is it about you that you're trying to avoid? Get to know you? Who are you? Who are you?

Susan Drummond: 26:53

And if you come up with pieces or parts because we all have parts that you're not fond of you can heal it and change it, and not because you're judging it as wrong, because you're looking at it as, oh, that's not comfortable anymore, but we all have that power to shift and change it. The one thing that we have total control of is our perspective. So if I'm sitting with me and I'm oh, you're bad, oh, you did that, oh you're wrong, oh you're, I'm going to get stuck there. But if I sit with me and I say, wow, look at all of these life adventures, these life traumas that you have healed from. Wow, that's here we go. We can help others with that. So, taking that time to get to know who you are, and if you find a facet you're not fond of, heal it, love it.

Julie Basello: 27:51

That is some powerful advice, very, very powerful, powerful advice. All right, so now. Now for the fun part.

Susan Drummond: 27:58

Yeah, for a shameless plug.

Julie Basello: 28:00

Okay, what's your favorite thing about the center?

Susan Drummond: 28:03

life imbalance, the my favorite part is people walk in not having any idea what we are and they just feel called to step in. And I get to be there and explain it to them and I see their eyes light up. Then, when I have a client come in and could be in deep pain, in deep grief, and we spend some time and we do some raking, we do some guidance and some mediumship, and they smile and they say, oh my word, I feel light. I feel like I can go on to be a witness to that on a daily base. And I don't claim to be the healer, I am just a channeling guide to help you in your journey. But to see that I just had a five year old client the other day the mom brought in, oh my goodness, that is the best part, one of the better. So many. I could go on and on and on, but that's what fills my heart.

Julie Basello: 29:06

That's amazing, amazing. So, from self care to self awakening, to actually embarking on an entrepreneurial journey, that is your true calling. Your story is an incredible inspiration. Thank you so much for chatting with me, susan. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. If you're inspired enough to reach out to Susan, I've included her information in the show notes. If you have a reinvention story you'd like to share or a reinvention topic you'd like me to explore in a future episode, please reach out to me. My contact information is also in the show notes. Thank you for listening. I appreciate you until next time. This podcast is sponsored by Bacello Media, a boutique content creation agency supporting the marketing efforts of businesses through visual, written and audio content. If you'd like to contact me, my email is in the show notes. You can also find me on Instagram at reinventionadventurespodcast or Bacello Media. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support this podcast, please share it with your tribe. Giving a rating and review is also appreciated. Thanks for listening to this episode of Reinvention Adventures.