From Surviving 2 Thriving

01/01/2026

✨ Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026. ✨

As we stand at the threshold of this fresh new year, I wanted to share this image with you as it is the Year of the Fire Horse in 2026. While it looks intense, to me, it represents the beautiful, vibrant spirit that lives inside every single one of us—waiting for the right moment to step into the light.

Sometimes, "surviving" feels like hiding away in the shadows, keeping our heads down just to get through.

But look at the beauty that happens when you let your true self emerge. 🧡

My wish for you in 2026 is not just success, but peace. I hope this is the year you find the safety and support to let your own inner light shine. It’s time to gently move away from the stress of simply existing and step into the warmth of truly thriving.

You don't have to force it, and you don't have to do it alone. Let’s make this the year of moving from stress... to absolute bliss.

I’d love to hear from you gently today: What is one hope you are holding in your heart for the year ahead?

26/12/2025

Australia’s under-16 social media ban has arrived and many teenagers are struggling.

In this timely episode of What We Teach Our Children hosted by Kim Kleidon, somatic psychotherapist Suzy (Suzanne) Butz, founder of FromSurviving2Thriving explains what’s really happening beneath the surface for young people – and how parents can support them using neuroscience-backed, trauma-informed strategies.

The discussion:
⚠️Why teens are experiencing grief, anger, and identity loss
⚠️What nervous system dysregulation looks like in young people
⚠️Why parents must regulate themselves first

The framework:
🎯Regulate → Relate → Rationalise
🎯How our amygdala is being hijacked and what you can do
🎯Why this moment can become a masterclass in resilience

🎧Virtual Disconnection is essential listening for parents, carers, educators, and anyone supporting young people through change.

Suzy reminds us that this moment isn’t just about screens or platforms, it’s about how we, as adults, show up when our children are overwhelmed by change, they didn’t choose and can’t control.

Click on the link below to hear the episode 👇

21/11/2025

What if you could recognise burnout BEFORE it forces you to hand in your resignation?

Especially at this time of year when exhaustion feels "normal," the signs are there. And catching them early changes everything. 💙

Maybe you're the manager watching your best person slowly fade. Or maybe you're the one fading and don't know how to name it yet.

The signs that tell you it's time to act:
The reliable person who stops volunteering 😶
Minor things triggering major frustration 😤
Withdrawing from social chats and team connection 🚶
Perfectionism cranked to 11 or suddenly not caring at all 🎭
Exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, headaches that won't quit 😴

Here's the truth: Burnout doesn't scream. It whispers through behaviour changes for weeks before something finally breaks.

If you're experiencing this, you're not weak. You're running on empty and your body is trying to tell you.

If you're watching someone else go through this, they won't ask for help. But they're showing you they need it.

There's a better way.
The FromSurviving2Thriving program teaches you how to recognise burnout early, complete stress cycles before they become burnout, and build resilience that actually lasts.

Not generic wellness advice. Real neuroscience-based tools you can use tomorrow.

Ready to stop running on empty?
Join the program using the link below 👇
Your nervous system will thank you. 💙

20/11/2025

Today was brutal. System crashed during your biggest deadline, two people called in sick, client screaming at you, someone crying in the bathroom.

By 5pm you're shaking. You drive home in silence. Collapse on the couch still wired. Can't eat. Cant't sleep. You wake up tomorrow already dreading going back. 😞

But imagine if it went like this instead:
Your manager gathers your team before you leave. "That was genuinely hard. Let's take 10 minutes." You shake out your hands, you punch the air, swing your arms around, roll your shoulders, sigh loudly together (yes, really 💪). She says "what you're feeling is completely normal after what we just experienced."

You feel the tension leave your body. Someone shares they almost quit today. Your newest person admits they felt lost. You're seen. You're heard. You all process it together instead of carrying it home alone.
You drive home tired but not destroyed. You can actually talk to your family. Tomorrow feels manageable. 🙏

That's what's possible when workplaces have the FromSurviving2Thriving program. Trained managers who know how to actually close difficult days. Not just "hang in there" pep talks. Real tools that release stress from your body.

What happens to you after the really brutal days at work? Where does all that stress go? Share your experiences below👇

18/11/2025

Deep Democracy in the Workplace: Why the Voices You're Not Hearing Matter Most

The meeting goes quiet after someone raises a concern. Eyes dart down. The leader reassures everyone, and you move on.

But you just missed the most valuable information in the room.

After 38 years working with organisations, 20 in IT/change management and 18 in trauma response, I've learned something critical: the information your workplace needs most is held by the people least likely to speak.

This is Deep Democracy. Not about voting or consensus—it's about recognising that minority voices, dissenting perspectives, and barely audible concerns carry intelligence your organisation desperately needs.

Three Principles That Transform Workplaces:

1. Value Minority Voices The person saying "something feels off" about a new procedure? Often dismissed as resistant. Six months later, that procedure causes a serious incident. Minority voices carry early warnings.

2. Treat Conflict as Resource Tension signals your system is trying to evolve. When you suppress it, you freeze in place. When you explore it, you access collective intelligence about what's really happening.

3. Create Genuine Psychological Safety Not everyone processes by talking immediately. Honor different ways of being present: verbal sharing, written feedback, one-on-one conversations, anonymous input.

Try This Week: Before closing any significant discussion, ask: "Who sees this differently? Who has concerns we haven't heard?"

Wait. The silence that follows is people recalibrating whether you actually mean it.

The voices at the margins of your workplace are holding information that might save you—if you're willing to listen.

17/11/2025

Why You Feel Exhausted Even When "Nothing Happened" Today

Your body doesn't know the difference between a lion chasing you and a difficult email from your boss. Both trigger the exact same stress response: cortisol floods your system, your heart races, muscles tense, ready to fight or flee.

🤔Here's the problem: When that lion chased our ancestors, they ran. They fought and they physically completed the stress cycle.

💻You? You sit at your desk. You take deep breaths. You "stay professional."

And that stress? It stays trapped in your body. This is why you can finish a day where "nothing really happened" and feel utterly depleted. Your nervous system has been revving in high gear with nowhere to go.

⚛️The Neuroscience Bit (In Plain English):

When stress hormones activate, your body expects physical action to metabolize them. Without that completion; running, shaking, moving, the stress remains physiologically stuck. Your nervous system stays dysregulated. Over time, this becomes chronic stress, then burnout, then serious health problems.

Most workplace wellness programs miss this entirely. They tell you to "relax" or "think positive" while your body is literally vibrating with unprocessed stress hormones.

💡The Solution?

Complete the cycle. Not through positive thinking but through your body.

Simple techniques like intentional movement, breath work that actually matches your nervous system state, or even brief shaking can signal your body: "The threat is over. You're safe now."

🧠This isn't woo-woo. This is Peter Levine's research. Bessel van der Kolk's work. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory.

I've spent 18+ years translating this complex neuroscience into language that busy professionals actually understand and techniques they can use between meetings.

🏫Want to learn how?

My signature course From Stress2Bliss under my FromSurviving2Thriving program starts TODAY and we're accepting last-minute enrollments. I'll teach you exactly how to complete your stress cycles using evidence-based techniques you can do anywhere.

Learn the neuroscience without the jargon. Get practical tools that actually work.

Your nervous system will thank you.

05/11/2025

The stress paradox - why the FromSurviving2Thriving program was created. Read the full article in the link below.

November Week 1 is here! Where has the year gone, eh?

Suzy Butz is on the cover and she shares: You can spend years trying to avoid stress — or you can finally learn to use it.

What if the racing heartbeat, the shaky hands, the pressure you feel right before something big isn’t a sign of weakness… but a signal of growth?

In The Stress Paradox, we explore why the very thing you’re running from might be what your body and mind were built to handle — and how letting your stress complete its natural cycle could change everything you thought you knew about resilience.

Because maybe the goal was never to live without stress — but to learn how to dance with it.

When was the last time stress actually helped you grow instead of holding you back?

To read this week’s issue, go to dwcmagazine.com and click on the cover.