Susie | Build Your Brave Retreat Founder + Content Creator

✨ Work With Me In 2026!✨ Are you ready to level up your online presence? I help small businesses, influencers, and personal brands shine with: 💻 Social Media Consulting Let’s create a strategy that aligns with your goals and makes social media feel fun again. 🗓 Content Calendars Take the guesswork out of what to post. Together, we’ll plan your content so it’s consistent, creative, and stress-free. 📣 Influencer Collaborations Looking for a trusted partner to authentically showcase your brand? Let’s create content that connects and converts. 🌟 Let’s make your brand unforgettable! DM me for more info! #buildyourbrave #reduceoverwhelm #okanaganinfluencer #thebrandingbesties

✨ Why I Created Build Your Brave ✨ I started the Build Your Brave Retreat to create a safe, judgment-free space where women can come together to reconnect, grow, and leave behind what no longer serves them. It’s not about being “like-minded”; it’s about being open-hearted. 💕 This retreat is for you if: 🌟 You crave connection and community. 🌟 You want to take time for yourself and rediscover your worth. 🌟 You’re ready to step into your bravery and let go of what’s holding you back. 💬 Imagine a weekend surrounded by inspiring women, meaningful conversations, laughter, and so many lightbulb moments. This isn’t just a getaway—it’s a life-changing experience. 📅 The Next Build Your Brave Retreat: 🗓 April 23-24, 2027 📍 Osoyoos, BC at @watermarkresort ✨ Are you ready to Build Your Brave? Comment IM IN for more details! #buildyourbrave #buildyourbraveretreat #connectionmatters #feelingseen

A Mission and Vision is something that is so important because it helps when developing your goals and setting your intention for what you want to do and how you want to help others. It can also allow you to dismiss any distractions and keeps you in alignment, both personal and business. Your Mission and Vision will also give you inspiration and help you to feel empowered to keep moving forward. Swipe through to see mine. 💗 Photo 📸 @stephanie.lucile.photography #buildyourbrave #missionandvision #businessgoalsetting #okanaganinfluencer #okanagansmallbusiness

There are moments from this year’s retreat that I know will stay with me forever. The very first Brave Women’s Panel was one of them. Five women. Five completely different stories. Different journeys, heartbreaks, lessons, fears, and experiences. And yet every single one of them chose bravery over staying quiet. Stephanie. Sarah. Cami. Kathie. Barrita. These women stood in front of a room full of people and shared pieces of themselves that would have been easier to keep hidden. Not for attention. Not for perfection. But because someone else in that room might need to hear, “me too.” There were tears. Deep breaths. Shaky voices. Laughter. Goosebumps. And moments where you could have heard a pin drop because every woman in that room was fully locked in. And truthfully, for some women, parts of the panel may have felt uncomfortable or emotionally activating too. But sometimes the moments that stir something in us are also the moments that show us where we may still need love, healing, boundaries, softness, or deeper understanding within ourselves. That’s what bravery actually looks like. Not having it all figured out.Not pretending life has been easy.Not showing up polished. Just showing up honestly. I am so incredibly proud of these women for the courage they showed and the impact they made on every single person in that room. The first Brave Women’s Panel was something really special and I already know it will continue to grow into something powerful within Build Your Brave. 🩷✨ @simply_steph_yyc @sarahellensaurette @radiateyour_light @kathiebpowell @durwardbarrita

There’s something wild about standing on a stage you created yourself, while your brain is trying to convince you that you don’t belong on it. My very first keynote at @buildyourbraveretreats was not polished perfection. My slides wouldn’t move forward.I was sweating.I kept having to look at my notes.And the voice in my head was LOUD. “Who the hell do you think you are?”“You’re not worthy of this.”“People are going to realize you have no business being up there.” And the hard truth is that I started looking for evidence to support it. Every stumble. Every awkward pause. Every moment that wasn’t “perfect.” I think we talk so much about bravery like it’s confidence. Like brave people walk on stage feeling fearless and ready. But honestly, sometimes bravery looks like doing it while your inner critic is trying to tear you apart. And even though part of me wanted to shrink, rush through it, or disappear completely… I kept going. Because part of me does this for little Susie who was told she would never amount to anything. But I also do it for the woman sitting in the audience with a vision, a dream, or something pulling at her heart, who keeps telling herself she can’t. That she’s not ready. That she’s not good enough. That someone else is more qualified. More polished. More worthy. I know that voice well. And that's why I took that mic in my hand and did it scared. I did it despite the fear. I ran through the fear instead of from it. For little Susie and for YOU. To those women in that room, thank you for giving me that safe, judgement free space to be me. To show up authentically and not have to be perfect. Thank YOU. 🩷✨

Nothing prepares you for the vulnerability of the shampoo chair 😂 One minute you’re getting your hair done. The next you’re basically in a WWE move trying to trust the process 💀

I promise I’m nice. I just have resting bitch face, don’t answer my phone, ( sorry, I don't use it for that. LOL ) get emotionally attached to deep conversations, probably need to journal more and use sarcasm as a personality trait 😂 Do you wanna be friends? Okanagan Content Creator | Life Over 50 | Midlife Mama | Build Your Brave |

Last weekend was a dream as we went on a wine tour with @devinowinetours for my Birthday. 🥂 Love hanging out with my daughter now that she likes me. 😂 And she likes wine. Bonus! 🥂😂 Our stops were : 1 - @rainmakerwines 2 - @redbarnwines 3 - Lunch at @miradororesto 4 - @road13vineyards 5 - @frenchdoorwinery Okanagan Wines | Okanagan Wineries | Osoyoos BC | Oliver BC | Wine Content Creator | Devino Wine Tours |

One of the sweetest little touches during our VIP evening this year was having non alc bubbles that still felt fun, elevated, and part of the celebration 🥂 Our VIP guests were treated to Clean Sheets by @dirtylaundrywinery generously sponsored by @vernonvintners and @zeroproofvernon , and the ladies absolutely loved it. I truly believe the thoughtful details are what make an experience feel special and inclusive. Watching women laugh, connect, and raise a glass together in a way that felt good for them was such a beautiful part of the evening. So grateful to Vernon Vintners and Zero Proof Vernon for helping us create those moments and for being part of the Build Your Brave experience this year ✨ Build Your Brave Retreats | Non Alc Bubbles | Sober Curious | Women Supporting Women | Dirty Laundry Winery |

Bonus horror movie: Password incorrect. Changes password. New password can't be the same as old password. Immediate rage 😂 What's your horror movie? PS - Hoodie from @quirkyquailosoyoos

The Trio! The 3 Amigos! The Build Your Brave Team Group Chat! Whatever we call ourselves, this Trio of ours brings me joy like nothing else I can think of. Some friends feel like home. Not because they fix you, but because they never ask you to be anything other than yourself. This is our little Trio! 💗

Today I turn 55, and if I’m being honest, this one feels different. I’m two years away from the age my dad was when he had a massive heart attack and died, and that reality has been sitting with me in a way it never has before. Lately, I’ve been feeling my mortality more… in the quiet moments, in the thoughts that come up about all the things I haven’t done yet. The books I haven’t read, the places I haven’t been, the friends I don’t see nearly as much as I want to, and the dreams that are still sitting on my heart waiting for their turn. Some days it really does feel like I’m running out of time. But there’s another truth that feels just as important. I’m still here. And as long as I’m here, I’m not done. I want to live to 98 like my Nana. I want to laugh more, move my body even more, soak up the sunshine, and dance in my kitchen. I want to keep creating spaces where women feel safe, seen, and like they truly belong. I want to keep becoming the version of me that little Susie needed. So maybe 55 isn’t about having everything figured out. Maybe it’s about choosing to live more intentionally than ever before. To stop waiting, to stop saving things for “one day,” and to stop holding back. Because while time isn’t something we can control, how we show up in it is. Here’s to 55… aware, a little scared, but still all in! Dress - @torrid