Hi, I'm Susan

Welcome to Inner Child Joy!

I've always been a creative from a really young age. It was a Childcraft book that was part of our encyclopaedia set that kept me busy as a child, cured my boredom and making things gave me so much joy. It led me to a 20-year career in fashion, which was a childhood dream come true.

Until it became more of a nightmare.

What started as a really creative, hands-on, tactile industry became a desk job approving designs and fits over emails. Growing up as a good girl, I became the good employee, over-delivering, never saying no and always working back, until I was made redundant after returning from maternity leave.

I didn't just lose a job, I lost my sense of identity.

I started delving into personal development. Therapy, books, reiki, you name it, I've tried it. On paper I had all the things: a paying job, a husband and two beautiful girls. But there was still something I was searching for.

In 2023, my husband had an accident and nearly died. He made a full recovery, but it was a life quake that changed everything for me.

Not long after the accident, I remember sitting on the floor with my girls, playing in their Barbie house. We were doing hairstyles, making tiny little meals and I was immersed in play. I had this moment where I realised how present I felt. I wasn't thinking about dinner, work or what needed to be done next. I was just there.

And it felt really good.

So I started doing more of it. I'd sit and really play with them, I'd go on the swings and I'd let myself be a bit silly. Slowly, something began to shift.

I'd tried all kinds of personal development and healing modalities, but no one had ever told me to play.

I hadn't allowed myself to just sit and "waste time". I was always productive. A mother of two, working full time and juggling all the balls. I didn't give myself permission to play.

Isn't it interesting that just as many adults go to Disneyland without children as with children?

Twenty months after the accident, we finally booked the trip we'd been dreaming of.

We were in Disneyland Paris, waiting for the parade to start. All the kids lined up and then, right before it began, the adults quietly stepped in front of them. I thought, isn't this interesting?

Then I saw it. Their faces lit up.

It made me realise your childhood dreams don't die, they grow old with you. And there is something so fulfilling about doing the things you always loved.

On that trip we also travelled through Europe and went to Lapland to meet Santa. I had planned it meticulously for my children, but I realised it was for my inner child. The one who grew up with so little and never even allowed herself to dream of going to Disneyland.

I came home with a vision to create an event where women could sit around a table, play with stickers and craft like we were 10 years old again.

Inner Child Joy was born.

I had been looking for joy in my work, in my family, in therapy and in doing the work. I found it in honouring my inner child by giving myself the experiences I have always enjoyed.

In the same way I would do anything for the joy of my children, I now do the same for my inner child. In return, she's inspired me to be brave, take courageous action and create a life so full of joy and alignment.

And that is Inner Child Joy.