Susan Millsaps

02/12/2024

If you have ever wondered how to get beyond domestic abuse or trauma and reach a place where you can flourish again (emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually), then check out this upcoming summit. My friend, Jenny Wilma, has pulled together an amazing group of speakers to help answer your questions and provide you tools and resources for your journey to healing. I will be featured, as well, and get to talk about one of my favorite topics: Nourishing Peace & Joy Along your Way. Each speaker has free downloadable gifts. Mine includes some pretty verse cards to use as Joy Prompts each day.

Flourishing After Domestic Abuse Summit, Feb. 12th to 24th.
It's free, so just click below to sign up!

https://flourishingsummit.jennyswholeandhealthycoaching.com/

12/02/2023

Shedding Stressful Christmas "Barnacles"
Christmas decorations are begging to be let out of the attic, but I pretend not to notice.
I think I should be feeling stressed because it is already two days into December. Yes, I know that the first Sunday of Advent is tomorrow. But what’s the point of stressing? Instead, I took time to lean back in my recliner with an Advent devotional and a cup of coffee in hand. Dear Hubbie, Barry, being more ambitious, dug out some old vinyl records from Christmas long past, to fast-forward our holiday mood to sleigh bell speed.

Did I just mention stress? How many times over the years have I been the one complaining that: Christmas is so STRESSFUL!!! It’s one thing to joke about it, but deep inside, I really meant it.
I always cherished the mystery and miracle of the biblical Christmas story. But the trappings and trimmings of the typical American holiday season had tarnished my Christmas joy. Multiple constraints (schedules, budgets, relational stressors) conspired to keep me from taking time to celebrate the true heart of Christmas. You could say that I had acquired a good case of Christmas barnacles during the difficult seasons of my early adult life.

So, what has happened to calm this queen of holiday stress? Well, I started shedding those Christmas barnacles. And I decluttered my Christmas mindset.

Are you ready to recalibrate your approach to celebrating the Christmas holidays?

Let’s go beyond reducing stress to nurturing relationships with God, our family, and others throughout the holiday season. It’s time to ask: What do we want everyone to remember when the festivities are over, and the last decoration is packed away?

Please join me for a free workshop on Zoom, December 5, 2023, at 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. EST
Click the link below to sign up and get the Zoom link in your inbox!

Join us for a free workshop and timely discussion to recalibrate our approach to celebrating the Christmas holidays. We need to go beyond reducing stress to nurturing relationships with God, our family, and others throughout the holiday season. What do we want everyone to remember when the festiviti...

11/06/2023

You are invited to attend this live Zoom workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. EST, for an opportunity to reset our thinking and emotions before we face the extra busyness of the holiday season. More than that, "Celebrate Life!" is a way of living, thinking, and speaking that recognizes the value of God and others. Plus a way of expressing that value in caring words or blessings. It goes deeper than just saying "God bless you" or singing "Bless the Lord, O my soul..."

The workshop is live so you are encouraged to join with your camera on and unmute for Q&A. Please click the link below for the sign-up form to receive the Zoom meeting link!

Celebrate Life! Reflecting with Gratitude and Words of Blessing
Nov. 7, 2023, at 7:30 - 8:30 pm EST

​https://susanmillsaps.ck.page/d370a3a0fb

06/06/2023

Does anyone remember "Color Me Beautiful"?

I assumed it no longer existed, but a quick Google search proved me wrong. For those unacquainted with Carole Jackson's former business, consultants used color swatches (held next to your face) and hair color to determine whether your color identity was spring, summer, fall, or winter. The lucky client walks away with a packet of color swatches to shop and dress with confidence. For those of us who were late bloomers in developing a firm sense of personal identity, it was a little boost to say confidently, "I am a summer," and shift into a "looking good" mode.

But my confidence was short-lived when my sister informed me that her consultant had determined she was an "autumn." Given our strong English background and pale complexions, I found that difficult to believe. Maybe my consultant got it wrong, and I wasn't who I thought I was after all.

Guess what...later my sister discovered that her consultant wore contact lenses. That wouldn't usually be a problem, but hers were tinted lenses, which had tainted her analysis. We really were "summers," and life went back to normal.

It might be a trivial anecdote, but there is nothing trivial about tainted perspectives regarding interpersonal relationships.
Our inner filters create tinted lenses as we view life and other people. As a result, interpersonal misjudgments wound others and keep us from making connections that could become meaningful relationships. And I have a bucket full of stories to back up that statement.

Often the first step in refreshing a relationship requires re-evaluating your perspective. Is anything tainting your view that you may have misjudged or misunderstood?

Other times we default to using filters (like excuses) to avoid seeing painful or problematic issues in a relationship. Either way, filters don't facilitate healing solutions or nurture healthy relationships. If you would like some help sorting things out, please consider my relationship coaching or Christian counseling.

Because life and faith are all about relationships!

02/15/2023

Sending out a Valentine's blessing for you!

01/05/2023

Here is a good, quick read to help you get restarted in 2023.

To ensure you have a productive and successful start to the new year, here are some tips to help refocus after the holidays. - The Achievement Institute from Time etc | Virtual Assistant Service

11/21/2022

Stepmoms face loneliness and frustration as they juggle blended family demands and dynamics. Stepmom Success exists to provide a strong support system for Christian stepmoms to learn while engaging with other stepmoms who share their values.
Learn more: https://susanmillsaps.com/stepmomsuccess

11/15/2022

Become a value-adding, success-creating Stepmom! Learn to master blended family dynamics so you can effectively nurture lasting family relationships. Holiday Pre-Order special offer is open to join now! Reserve your spot in the January coaching group and get bonus benefits immediately. Start 2023 already making progress on your Stepmom goals!
Https://susanmillsaps.com/stepmom

11/14/2022

Become a value-adding, success-creating Stepmom as you learn to master blended family dynamics and effectively nurture lasting family relationships.

09/16/2022

Celebrating Stepmoms today on the 25th anniversary of National Stepfamily Day.
I know from experience that being a Stepmom is a challenging role. When my husband and I married 27 years ago, we merged his three with my four. Now we are grandparents to 15 awesome grands. What a blessing those seven kids (now adults) and grands are to us! There was not much help for Christian stepparents back then. We survived by God's great grace. But we could have avoided some painful mistakes with timely help from a Christian perspective.
Stepmom Success Coaching is designed to give others the help I did not have. Often Stepmoms feel like outsiders inside their own homes and then stigmatized outside the home. It is hard, often thankless, work to navigate the complexities of blended family life. There is a community of Christian women (privately hosted online by Susan Millsaps) waiting to welcome and encourage Stepmoms. Sign up for a free call to see if this Beta test coaching offer is a good fit for you.
Request your free call here: https://susanmillsaps.ck.page/af120eb59f