Greetings from David

Thank you for visiting Books to UPLIFT. The purpose of this website is to host and feature the beautifully designed and richly informative books by Susan Smith Jones, PhD. Her books and personal counseling in my life have profoundly changed my life for the better and my mission with this website is to introduce you to Dr. Susan and her empowering books.

Since I was a young boy, I’ve been passionate about collecting and reading books. My books are my friends and many of them have pen check marks on multiple pages so when I reread, I can quickly find my favorite passages. Today, much to my delight, I have amassed an impressive library in my home housing all of my book friends. While I can easily declutter other objects in my home when they are no longer needed, my books are my companions for life and rarely could I give away these treasured items.

For decades, too, I have collected many books by Susan as they have always inspired me. The way she writes is almost magical. In each of her books, it’s as though she is sitting across from me at my dining room table with our cups of tea and talking to me as a friend. Her elevating words in all of her books always uplift, motivate and inspire me.

You might be interested in knowing how I first met Susan and all the ways she has enriched my life. Let me start back at the beginning. If you haven’t read my Foreword for her superb book Invest in Yourself with Exercise, I will briefly encapsulate how I met Susan and how fortunate I was when I asked her if she would guide me on bolstering my personal health program to which she accepted.

For about 10 years, she has been my holistic health expert and coach, teaching me how to create vibrant health and get fit and strong. As a result, I now feel about 30 years younger than I did just a few years ago, and people tell me that I look better than I have in decades. My work with Susan has given me the fountain of youth and vitality. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start back at the beginning.

It was early June 2009 when my health seemed to be at an all-time low. In England where I live, I focused much of my time on my career and didn’t put time into my health needs. I had terrible allergies (they had plagued me for 30 years) and I definitely needed to lose lots of weight. I didn’t know where to turn for the holistic help I desired.

There’s a saying that . . . When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. One day I was talking to my mum (Marjorie) about my health issues. As always, in her positive approach to life, she said to me, “You will find the answers you seek.” That same day, I got in the mail some information about a 3-Day Holistic Health Conference that would be held in London featuring many world-renowned health and human potential speakers. They were all experts in their fields from around the world, but the only one that truly caught my attention was the speaker Susan Smith Jones, PhD. She was giving three presentations on all aspects of healing and rejuvenating the body, mind and spirit, and I knew at that moment that I needed to attend.

Before I got this conference information, I had already known about Susan’s work as mentioned above. Marjorie and I had been reading many of her articles in magazines in the UK and America and we had many of her books front and center in my library. I even saw her on a TV talk show when I was in New York City. On a few occasions, we even heard her on BBC radio talk shows in the UK and saw her on some British TV talk shows. We always enjoyed her holistic, practical and positive approach to wellness, balanced living and creating our best lives.

Marjorie and I attended the conference together in London and were not disappointed. Susan’s three presentations were life-changing for us. One was about fitness and simple, sound ways to create a strong, lean body and how to stay motivated to exercise for life. Another one of her talks was about nutrition and how to fuel the body with the healthiest foods and break unhealthy food habits. And her third presentation was all about the essential “healthy living extras,” as Susan would always refer to them—the other wellness components that can make a profound difference in how we look and feel, such as sleep, water hydration, stress reduction, meditation, positive relationships, an attitude of gratitude, why and how to declutter one’s home and office, simple ways to upgrade our living spaces and more.

I couldn’t get enough of her talks. Throughout all three, I was taking copious notes as I sat in the front row each time. During the question and answer sessions of each talk, I was always the first person to raise my hand and ask for clarification on things she discussed. Susan was always patient, thoughtful and sensitive to my questions and other people’s questions in the room. It was clear with her three standing ovations that everyone else in the room appreciated her three talks as much as I did.

At the end of the third presentation, I asked Susan if she would be willing to meet with me privately in the lecture hall after everyone left to talk about some of my mum’s and my personal health concerns and possibly even agree to work with me. During that first session with her, I knew, for sure, that I was guided to the best teacher for me. Susan is knowledgeable and kind, has a wonderful sense of humor and knows how to inspire, motivate and empower her clients. When I asked if she would agree to coach me on how to get healthy and fit, she agreed and suggested that I fly to Santa Monica (Los Angeles) with Marjorie (she was 80 at the time) the following late December 2009/early January 2010 to “end the year and start the new year off with a positive commitment to health and youthful vitality,” she said. We started the counseling process the last half of 2009 with telephone conference calls weekly where she would answer my many health and fitness questions.

This trip and time with Susan turned out to be a godsend for Marjorie and me. The first morning, the three of us were sitting in the hotel’s restaurant in Santa Monica across from the ocean, where we were staying, and during this early morning breakfast, she was going over the personal food and exercise dairy I had kept for the previous two weeks. She asked me to write down every single thing that I ate, and the water I drank, and not to forget anything — no matter how small. Additionally, I had to write down any physical exercise I did, too, which was only one day of a brief 15-minute walk between two meetings in London (of course, I now choose to be physically active every day in some way!).

As I watched her looking over my dairy of notes, which also included Marjorie’s food dairy and no exercise at all to report, Susan was very quiet. She kept writing notes on the sides of my pages, and I did notice her eyes get bigger as she read on. My mum and I tapped each other under the table wondering what Susan was thinking. For about six minutes or so (probably the longest six minutes of my life, aside from our first power walk that same afternoon on the Santa Monica bluff overlooking the ocean!), she said nothing while she was examining all the foods I ate from the two previous weeks written in my lifestyle diary along with my nonexistent exercise routine.

I was getting more nervous by the second. What was she going to say, I thought? Was she wishing that we had not come to Los Angeles to be coached by her? “Please Susan, say something so I know there’s hope for my goal of getting health and fit,” I pondered inside my head. Then, she finally looked up, smiled a big grin at my mum and me, and said in the most positive tone the following: “Okay David and Marjorie, we have lots of work to do and I have loads to teach you both, but I am confident that you will both leave here healthier than either of you have ever been in your lives. I also know that you will feel so motivated, inspired and empowered that you’ll want to continue with this same program I’ll be giving you when you get home. So let’s get started by both of you telling me, since you’ve looked at the breakfast menu for over five minutes, what you’d like to order now that’s healthy.” She also sensed that we were both a little nervous not knowing what to expect.

And that was the beginning of our life-changing work with Susan. She was positive right from the start and has never wavered in all the time to be anything other than optimistic, enthusiastic, forthright and always sensitive to both of us. And by the way, even though I thought she wasn’t aware of our nervousness and how my mum and I tapped each other’s knees under the table, Susan mentioned to us that there’s nothing to be anxious about. She would give us both one of the most wonderful, positive experiences we’ve ever had while we both get healthy. One of the things I learned about Susan that first visit, and it’s still true to this day, is that she’s aware of everything around her, likes to live in the present moment with optimistic enthusiasm and is ever so eager to help others feel good about themselves and create their best, healthiest lives. She often reminded me to strive to be the best self that God wanted me to be. Her wonderful book, Be the Change, will teach you precisely how to make this happen.

For two weeks we stayed at the hotel on the bluff across from the Santa Monica beach and every day and evening, Susan worked with both Marjorie and me, teaching us about all of the principles and practices of a healthy lifestyle. According to Susan, I needed to lose about 75 pounds and get healthy (before I arrived, I thought I only needed to lose about 30 pounds!), and Marjorie needed to gain about six pounds and become mobile again. Mum arrived in a wheelchair, barely able to walk on her own, and I resolved to achieve significant improvement in my health and was open to any guidance Susan would be giving me.

On that first day after breakfast, Susan took both of us to the hotel’s beautiful, fully loaded gym to do weight training and use the aerobic equipment, which we did every day we were there. She took me hiking in the mountains of Santa Monica, for long walks on the beach, and taught us many other enjoyable ways to exercise that were actually pleasurable such as exercising in the swimming pool in the beautiful sunshine of Santa Monica (quite different from England’s cold weather!). All the time, she would talk to us in great detail and educate us about why we should or should not do things a certain way, and yes, I continued to takes lots of notes daily. She said that when we got back home to England, both of us needed a strong understanding of all the principles of why we eat or don’t eat specific foods, or do certain things, so we would stay inspired and motivated when Susan wasn’t with us. She even showed us how to order off restaurant menus for healthy selections, how to shop at grocery stores for the healthiest foods, made sure we were well-hydrated, slept each night for eight hours and she made the process of getting healthy really fun! Susan encouraged us to meditate, relax and chill out when things got stressful; she gave us reasons why and tips on how to declutter our living spaces (including our homes, offices, cars, etc.); she also covered in detail how to sleep like a baby each night and took us to her home and gave us private cooking lessons.

And if that were not enough, Susan, in her spare time, works with clients on upgrading and refurbishing their homes, both exterior and interior. So I showed her photos of my home in England and she guided me on beautiful and sophisticated changes I could make to my home (inside and out), gardens and surroundings. Because of her terrific suggestions, I added shutters, a new front door and new windows, new gutters and down spouts, new walkways, hanging flower baskets, new garden flowers and a picket fence to my home, and people in my neighborhood often stop by to tell me how great my home now looks.

Back to Santa Monica: one of my favorite exercises in the hotel’s gym was the rowing machine. Susan taught me how to row with good form to prevent injury and get the maximum benefits and now I row several times weekly back in England. It’s my favorite aerobic activity in the gym because it’s great as a cardio workout, but it is also an excellent endurance- and strength-builder.

When we arrived in Los Angeles, Susan promised she would give us both her recipe for the “fountain of youth” and teach us how to maintain it when we got back home to England. Well, she did accomplish this and so much more. Marjorie arrived in Santa Monica unable to walk without assistance and 14 days later, mum built up to walking three miles a day without help, and was gobsmacked at how great she felt. In fact, she didn’t want to leave Susan or the sunshine. Marjorie had never stepped foot in a gym before this trip, and she grew to love the weight training because she could see her strength increasing by the day. Susan patiently helped her feel comfortable with the weights and aerobic machines and watched her every movement.

Mum was over-the-moon with joy and vitality when she left and had gained six pounds, exactly what she needed. Oh, by the way, when we got back to England, Marjorie joined our local gym and kept weight training regularly. In fact, the local newspaper in our town in England wrote an article about Marjorie and her weight training, as she was the oldest member of the gym.

By the way, Susan’s #1 secret to looking younger is to smile and she’s right. As a result of my health and fitness achievements, I am smiling all the time now and people tell me often how youthful I look.

And before I continue on with the story of Susan’s positive, health- and life-enriching blessings in my life, here’s something else I want to share with you. It’s another important addition to my wellness program that I learned from Susan, which has been a godsend to me, and it’s all about Molecular Hydrogen. Every day I take the convenient and delicious Molecular Hydrogen Tablets that I dissolve in water, and then I also breathe in the healing Hydrogen gas from the 7% Inhaler both by the Vital Reaction® Company, which Susan also uses daily in her home and office. Even though these salubrious products have over 1,200 peer-reviewed studies behind them and have been proven to work on over 170 human disease models, and even though these Tablets/Inhaler are the most power antioxidant and anti-inflammatory every identified, what I still care about the most is how they work for me. Well, I’m delighted to say that they have been a huge blessing in my healthy living program. Within a few hours of using them, I felt noticeably better. And within one week of starting the Tablets and Inhaler, I noticed the following: I had an easier time keeping extra weight off; I lost my cravings for processed carbs and overeating; I had more energy and exercise endurance; I recovered more quickly after my workouts; my brain was more focused and sharp at my desk and when giving talks; they actually keep me in a very positive mood and so much more. If there’s one thing you could try to help you look and feel your best—and very quickly, too, I highly recommend the Vital-Reaction 7% Inhaler and Tablets

To learn more, check out this Concise Fact Sheet on Molecular Hydrogen and its benefits (which you can print out) and then peruse the studies and articles about Molecular Hydrogen on Susan’s website — SusanSmithJones.com. I was skeptical at first, but once I started on both the 7% Inhaler and the Tablets, I could see why Susan was so enthusiastic about these Hydrogen products, and I was then chuffed that I added these simple, efficacious products to my high-level wellness program. Susan was right, as usual. They are now front and center in my healthy lifestyle, too, and I will continue to use these products always. I encourage you to give them a try for 90 days (one season) and I know you will be astounded, as well, at how much better you feel and look. Isn’t it fantastic when something so simple and easy to use is so over-the-top positive in its benefits? Visit Vital-Reaction.com and when you order, use the code that I used, SUSAN10, to get a 10% discount and also free shipping.

When I arrived under Susan’s holistic care on the first day, after weight training, I noticed how tired I felt after our one-mile jog/power walk on the bluff overlooking the Santa Monica Bay. By the last few days, I was weight training for one hour, hiking the steep mountains in Santa Monica for three hours with Susan, and jogging on the soft sand of the beach for another workout—all in the same day! In-between these arduous workouts, we would stretch often to increase flexibility.

Another one of her promises to me was that if I would follow her allergy program for four months when I got home, I would be rid of my allergies for good after 30 years of this unmanageable annoyance. She was right. Within just under four months of taking some specific nutritional supplements and cleaning up my diet (The Curative Kitchen & Lifestyle and Wired to Rejuvenate, Meditate & Prosper), including sprouts like alfalfa (Kitchen Gardening), keeping more hydrated and getting more sleep, my allergies were gone and have never returned.

I returned back to England 13 pounds lighter in 14 days, and we ate all day long.  It was like a miracle to me! I learned a whole new way of eating—choosing delicious high fiber, plant-based, nutrient-rich foods. Those two weeks under Susan’s guidance changed my health and life for the better. Since my visit with Susan early January 2010, I’ve continued with her healthy living program, have lost almost 80 pounds through regular exercise and a healthy diet, and she checks in with me regularly to fine-tune my personal plan of action for optimum health and youthful vitality . . . always. I can honestly say that I have never felt better in my life than I do right now. (Check out her book about easy and permanent weight loss Living on the Lighter Side, and you can also get a free copy of her e-Book 10 Easy Steps to Effective Weight Loss that’s available on the homepage of this website.)

Presently, I eat a clean, healthy, lean diet and choose organic foods, whenever possible. I follow the program in her book The Curative Kitchen & Lifestyle and in our book Wired to Rejuvenate, Meditate & Prosper. It’s easy to order at restaurants now because most menus have healthy alternatives or the chefs are willing and happy to prepare healthy dishes for me.

Because of Susan’s positive teachings, combined with my desire to stay healthy, happy, strong and fit well into older age, I now usually workout in the local gym in town four to six days weekly. Susan even came over and helped me set up a home gym with some aerobic equipment (yes, it includes a rowing machine), a couple benches, dumbbells and other machines (and yes, she even guided me on how to spruce up my home’s interior and to declutter and organize everything better!). This way when my schedule is really tight with work, conferences and meetings, I still have a place in my home to exercise. And now, when I travel to locations around the world to give my lectures and presentations and to meet with clients, I always take my fitness clothes to get in power walks or jogs; I find hotels that have in-house gyms; and I pack in my luggage exercise bands which weigh next to nothing that are simple to use in the hotel room. Her book, Invest in Yourself with Exercise, has been a godsend to me to inspire me to stay motivated to exercise six days a week.

Something else changed in me when I lost all my extra weight. I cared more about my personal appearance, how I dressed and what grooming I did to look and feel my best. I’ve learned from Susan that this is very common. When one carries around lots of extra weight for years, as I did, you often simply dress for comfort, wearing the same sloppy clothes that are loose fitting and don’t hang well on the body. That’s what I did for a couple decades. I was embarrassed with being so overweight and didn’t put much thought into how I dressed or looked. As you can imagine, after I lost about 80 pounds, nothing in my clothes closets fit me any more — not my suits, jackets, sweaters (we say jumpers in the UK), shirts, exercise clothes, and even my shoes.

On this one particular visit to Los Angeles for several business meetings and to confer with Susan on upgrading my fitness and nutrition program, I turned on the TV and watched one of my favorite programs — Joel Osteen’s show and listened to his discussion on Commitment to Excellence. In his talk, he mentioned we should all strive for excellence in every area of our lives, including our living spaces (homes, offices and cars), in how we dress and look, in what we eat, in how we exercise and in how we care for our bodies with grooming. His words truly inspired me.

As luck would have it, that same afternoon, seemingly out of nowhere because I hadn’t told Susan about Joel’s sermon topic, she showed me her impressive album of “before” and “after” photos of countless client makeovers. Doing Whole-Body Rejuvenation Makeovers with clients of all ages—from pre-teens to seniors to help people look and feel their best from the inside out, top to bottom is another one of her many talents and gifts. The photos were amazing, to say the least. Everyone looked younger, healthier and more vibrant in the “after” photos with different style clothing, hairstyles, good grooming and reduction of weight. Knowing that I’m always in the best of hands with Susan, I asked her if she would please do a Whole-Body Rejuvenation Makeover on me since none of my clothes fit me anymore.

So for the next two days, from head-to-toe, she rejuvenated my body and appearance and knew exactly what I needed to do. She had a hairstylist give me a different haircut (with the little hair I have left on my head these days!); I purchased and learned how to use moisturizers on my face and around my eyes; I experienced my first manicure and pedicure (which I now do monthly in England); and she took me shopping to a few different stores in Santa Monica, Brentwood and Beverly Hills for an entire new collection of suits, jackets, shirts, fitness attire, belts, shoes and more. Even my watches and rings needed to be made smaller with my 80-pound weight loss.

To say she’s an expert on rejuvenation, clothes styling and grooming, and to say that I was delighted with the results, would both be understatements. She gave me an entire course in those two days on what it means to “Dress for Success,” whether wearing business suits, casual jackets or exercise clothes. In the past, mainly because of my hefty weight issues, I just wore anything that fit, paying no attention to how I looked. But there’s an idiom in America that “clothes make the man.” Susan helped me to understand that people often judge others according to the way they dress.

I also learned, firsthand, that dressing well helps people to be more successful. When I put on those new clothes that fit me perfectly, were more sophisticated and classy, I felt more confident and debonair, and these feelings translated into my business life. Of course, it didn’t hurt that all my colleagues, friends and family, for the first time in my life, when I started wearing all of these great-fitting, stylish clothes, kept telling me that I’ve never looked better or younger in my life. People continued to tell me that I looked about 30 years younger than my age. What Susan did for my health and appearance has been priceless and added such joy, confidence and equanimity to my life. I am now thriving in my life in every way, thanks to Susan’s support and expertise.

As Susan told me in those rejuvenation makeover days, you never know when a TV show may want to interview you, or you get a request to go to the Parliament for a meeting or you need to meet with influential business people and celebrities with last-minute invitations. So you always want to look your best, exude excellence and feel confident, self-assured, refined and sophisticated — and ready at a moment’s notice to say YES to life’s adventures and not put them off because you’re not feeling confident with how you look and feel. Now I shudder to think back to how I used to dress and didn’t care at all about grooming or my appearance and am deeply grateful to Susan for showing me how to be a class act with sartorial elegance.

In all her sagacity, Susan always reminds me that . . . “When you commit to something like an exercise program, don’t let your excuses get in your way. You must follow through on your commitment to fitness and arrange your personal circumstances so that your lifestyle totally supports your commitment.” She’d often tell me to . . . “Do the things you need to do to order your life, eliminate non-­essentials and focus on what is important.”

Susan helped me to understand that if we don’t have health, we lose our enjoyment and appreciation of life. It is truly our greatest wealth. She taught me that I am the president and CEO of my body and life and it’s up to me to take great care of my body. Here’s something she emphasized often to me: “To become master of your outer life, you must first become master of your inner world—CEO of your mind. Teach your mind how to think differently: how to be calm, loving, courageous and optimistic. The body reflects the mind and the mind reflect the spirit; all three are connected and holistic health incorporates the loving care of the whole person. Eating healthy foods gives you a more positive attitude. Choosing to be grateful for your miraculous body makes it easier to exercise and get ample sleep at night. So each day make your health a top priority and take loving care of your body with nutritious foods, daily exercise, positive living habits and a cheerful attitude.” I will never forget her teachings and now in my work with other people, I often share some of the health- and life-enriching teachings I learned from Susan and am still learning to this day.

Susan’s books and other writings inspire people around the world, especially me. She’s one of those rare authors who writes the way she talks. She shines in her ability to take complex ideas and complicated research and distill it all down to easy-to-comprehend and understand, practical guidance and motivation.

Since writing the Forewords for a few of her books, countless people have asked me privately… “What is Susan really like, since you know her so well and she has worked with you for years? What can you tell me about Susan that others may not know?”  This is something I can share with you from personal experience of working with Susan privately, attending many of her lectures and workshops, taking many of her cooking and holistic health classes and spending countless hours with her exercising, hiking, going to the gym and eating meals out together.

Susan’s dynamic presence is an inspiration to all who desire to not only talk, but also walk the way of wellness, balance and living life fully alive. Her enthusiasm, experience and her vast knowledge of the current fields of balanced living, nutrition, exercise and holistic health are great gifts to everyone she encounters. She has a way of living the principles she speaks about that causes others, myself included, to desire to follow the path of healthy living. Susan is a vibrant expression of health, aliveness and zest for living.

A consummate motivational lecturer, she is the kind of speaker that every program director wishes for but rarely ever experiences. She is always filled with enthusiasm and it’s catching. Radiantly beautiful inside and out, she’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met—a perfectly balanced person of inner strength, kindness, humor and a peaceful equanimity. She’s a storehouse of life-altering knowledge that is up-to-date; she’s a Renaissance woman and gifted teacher who brings together modern research and ageless wisdom in all of her work, including her workshops, books, audio programs or her dynamic radio and television interviews.

There is something else about Susan that is difficult to define. It’s her total consciousness of love, joy and well-being. I host seminars in the UK, America and internationally for my Time for Investment company, and invite world-renowned speakers to talk about finance, investing, the economy, saving money, credit card debt, prosperity, abundance and why health is the greatest wealth (of course, those health talks are always given by Susan!). We have all had seminar presenters or attended a seminar with presenters who knew the material, but behind the scenes we were disappointed to find that they didn’t really live the truth they were teaching. I assure you that Dr. Susan embodies the truth she shares.

And I might add, what a sense of humor she has—it’s delightful and makes me happy every time I am with her. Susan helped bring out my sense of humor by watching how she talks to others, presents her motivational lecturers and deals with her own stresses. In every encounter she has with others, she always tries to build someone up and find a way to tickle their funny bone.

One of the first quotes she said to me when my mum and I first worked with her in Santa Monica late 2009/early 2010 was by Maya Angelou, who said… People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. How true that is! People tell me often how good they always feel in Susan’s presence. She’s a practical joker, yes indeed, and loves to laugh a lot. Susan taught me early on when I first worked with her about the power of relaxation to rejuvenate and restore the soul, the therapeutic effects and relationship-enhancing qualities of sharing fun and enjoyment together, and how we need to smile and laugh more, and she is the perfect example. Very little in life makes Susan upset and feel totally stressed out. Her attitude is always about seeing the best in everyone and everything and finding reasons to laugh as much as possible. No wonder her nickname is “Sunny.” Let me give you one of many countless examples of Susan’s jovial, comical and light-hearted attitude… no matter the circumstances.

She was giving a cooking class to about 20 people in her home. This was the first class since she totally refurbished her kitchen and large adjoining family room with new cabinets, wood floors, shiplap on the walls, new paint everywhere, wood beam ceilings, new area rugs, etc. — everything was new and beautiful and she was so excited for her guests to see how she decorated it all. It happened to be St. Patrick’s Day and during this lunch-time class, everything was laid out on the massive marble island in the center of her kitchen and the guests were either seated around the island or standing behind. All of the foods we had made during the previous hour were displayed on the island for us to eat shortly. But first, she wanted to finish her cooking and nutrition demonstrations by making a healthy and delicious green smoothie. So into the blender went fresh almond milk (that was just made earlier), frozen blueberries and raspberries, a frozen banana, one cucumber, a tablespoon of flaxseeds, some baby leaf spinach, celery, a dash of cinnamon and ice cubes. She blended it all in the 72-ounce jar, which was filled to the brim with scrumptious, creamy, totally blended green smoothie. She took off the lid and was about to give us all a sample when she realized that she forgot to put in some kale. Susan then asked one of the guests seated at the end island stool to get the kale from the refrigerator and finish making the smoothie while she went to use the bathroom and quickly changed her clothes before eating.

So while Susan was at the far end of her home in her bedroom suite, this guest put some kale into the blender and you’ve probably already guessed what was about to happen next. She forgot to put the lid on the blender after the kale went in and she pressed the start button that was already on high speed before anyone had a chance to tell her to put the lid back on top first. With the force of an angry volcano, this green 72-ounce smoothie shot up to the high ceiling above, drenching all the shiplap in “green goodness” and also covering the entire island with all of the food, the floors, the area rugs, the walls and most of the people watching, too. Everyone was in shock and didn’t even know what to say so most of the guests were totally silently and, at the same time, very nervous because Susan’s kitchen and family room was just refurbished and now everything was green.

Susan danced out of her bedroom and down the hall singing a song and was eager to sit down with everyone and start eating all of the foods that were just created the previous hour. Then she saw what happened and everyone was staring at her and Susan, to the surprise and delight of everyone, started laughing so hard that everyone else started laughing. It definitely relieved the tension in the room. But Susan couldn’t stop laughing for about 3 minutes; in fact, she was laughing so hard that she was tearing up. Then she said joyfully, “It’s my fault, I forgot to tell you to put the lid on, and how beautiful is this! Today is St. Patrick’s Day and now there’s no need to decorate because everything is already green.” Well, that made all of the guests laugh even more. Everyone joined in with the cleaning up and Susan turned on some great music and ordered some food to be delivered from a local restaurant for everyone to eat together, since all of the dishes/meals on the island ready to sample and eat were covered in green smoothie.

That, in a nutshell, is Susan. She’s filled with vitality, joy, happiness, optimism and celebration for everyone she meets and for life itself. And that’s what shines through in the pages of all of her books, including Choose to Thrive. You will feel like you are visiting Susan at her home and sitting at her kitchen table as she visits with you and shares her pearls of wisdom to guide you on how to experience true aliveness, how to live more fully and how to thrive in all areas of your life. As you read her upbeat books, you will feel like Susan is your friend, too, because she’s truly a friend to everyone.

I have one word of warning for you. Once you meet Susan, or read her dynamic books, or listen her other wonderful audio programs, you’ll be inspired to make some major lifestyle changes for the better. So, get yourself ready—for a healthier and more joyful, peaceful new you will emerge once you’ve met this glorious Renaissance lady through the pages of this book.

In conclusion, all of Susan’s books are terrific because her sage advice, practical tips and buoyant, vivacious personality sparkle forth on every page. And from my personal experience of working with Susan for a decade, and seeing her first-hand interact with others, I can say for certain that Susan has never met a stranger and can speak with anyone from all walks of life. She has a calm and peaceful demeanor, the humor of a comedian, the curiosity of a child, the wisdom of a favorite grandparent and the non-judgment of a best friend—all rolled into one.

And that’s why I created Books to UPLIFT so Susan’s books will also bless your life, as they have for me many times over, in countless ways and put you on the path to high-level vitality, success, prosperity, equanimity and a balanced, joy-filled life. Enjoy!