Story & Lesson Highlights with Chris Suchanek of Claremont

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chris Suchanek. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Chris, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
The thing I am most proud of, and the thing very few people ever actually see, is my consistency. Not the loud, celebrated kind that shows up in highlight reels or big public wins, but the quiet version that happens when no one is watching. It’s the discipline of showing up for the work, for the people who count on me, and for myself even on the days when momentum feels slow or progress feels invisible. Consistency is not glamorous. It rarely earns applause in the moment. But over time, it shapes everything I build and everything I lead.

Alongside that has been the work of setting boundaries, something I used to avoid because I worried it would disappoint people. What I learned is that you cannot lead effectively, create with intention, or support others with any real depth if you are constantly depleted. So I began protecting my energy, my focus, and my peace. I began saying no when something did not align. I began removing myself from situations that pulled me in the wrong direction. These boundaries quietly rebuilt parts of me that had been worn down from years of overextending.

What I am proud of is not just that I learned to set boundaries but that I stayed consistent with them. Anyone can set a boundary once. Keeping them takes discipline, honesty, and self-respect. And most of that work happens internally, in moments no one else will ever witness.

The combination of consistency and boundaries has become the unseen foundation of my growth, my leadership, and my ability to create meaningful momentum. It is the part of my life that no one applauds, but it is the part that makes everything else possible.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Chris Suchanek, and I am the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Firm Media, a national award-winning marketing agency dedicated to helping specialty medical practices grow with clarity and confidence. My work centers on brand strategy, competitor analysis, and building measurable marketing systems that create real momentum for practices across the country.

Before launching Firm Media, I spent years in the entertainment industry as an executive producer in the music business, where I helped facilitate the release of more than thirty albums internationally, including one that went on to win a Grammy. That chapter shaped my understanding of creative excellence, leadership, and disciplined execution, all of which influence how I operate today.

I started Firm Media in 2008 from my kitchen table with $2,000 and a conviction that trust and strategy must come before marketing. Today, we support hundreds of practices nationwide and continue to refine frameworks like MediLearn360, and ReputationNest to help our clients grow with intention.

I also host the Ailm Practice Education Series, a podcast and digital magazine focused on sharing practical insights from surgeons, consultants, and innovators. Ailm allows me to elevate conversations that help practices avoid common mistakes and make better decisions.

Beyond the agency, I am deeply committed to philanthropy. I co-founded Project Boon, a nonprofit that has distributed hundreds of thousands of meals and supported families across Southern California through volunteer-driven community events. I also co-founded CASKS Restaurant Group, which serves as both a business venture and a community partners that help fuel Project Boon’s outreach.

Across all my work, the theme is simple. Build trust. Create value. Stay consistent. And leave every community, client, and partnership better than you found it.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed something that stayed with me for much longer than it should have. I believed that there was something wrong with me. Not in a dramatic sense, but in a quiet, lingering way that comes from growing up without the resources, awareness, or encouragement to understand your own uniqueness. My parents did not have the interest or the means to explore what made me different or to recognize the strengths that were there but undeveloped. Because of that, I spent most of my childhood feeling maladjusted, out of place, and disconnected from the environments I was in. I never felt like I fit anywhere, and I assumed that meant I lacked something everyone else naturally had.

What I know now is that I was not lacking. I was simply unseen.

The turning point came in college, when a few exceptional professors took the time to look past the surface and notice how my mind worked. They introduced me to a part of myself I had never been taught to recognize. Through them I discovered that I tested high in practical intelligence, that I processed information differently, and that the way I saw the world had value. That discovery changed everything. It reframed not only how I thought about myself but how I approached my work, my relationships, and my purpose.

Today I no longer believe that not fitting in means something is wrong with you. I believe it often means you are built for something different. I believe that the strengths that go unnoticed in childhood can become the most powerful drivers of your life once you finally see them clearly.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
One of the defining wounds of my life came from allowing myself to stay surrounded by the wrong people for far too long. In my case, the people closest to me used all the right words. They could sound supportive, loving, or well intentioned when it served them, and for years I took those words at face value. What I did not see clearly until later was the pattern in their actions. The inconsistency. The manipulation. The quiet expectation that I would carry the emotional weight for everyone else.

When you grow up in a family system where you are cast as the scapegoat, you learn to normalize things that are anything but normal. You learn to absorb blame, to shrink yourself, to sacrifice your own well being just to keep the peace. What you do not realize is that this role can hold you down for years. It can block your potential, your confidence, and your capacity to step fully into your own success. Sometimes it becomes the very thing standing between you and the life you are trying to build.

Healing did not begin with understanding. It began with courage. The courage to set boundaries. The courage to see patterns for what they were. The courage to say goodbye to people I had spent my life calling family. No one prepares you for how hard that is. Letting go of loyalty that was never returned takes a kind of strength you cannot access until the moment you finally need it.

But once I created distance, clarity followed. Peace followed. Growth followed. Removing myself from the wrong people created room for the right ones and allowed me to finally move forward without the weight of someone else’s story holding me back.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Everyone who truly knows me would say that being seen is what matters most to me. Not in a superficial sense, but in the deeper way that speaks to being understood for who I am, how I think, and what I am capable of contributing. When people can actually see me, when they recognize the value I bring and the clarity I operate with, we can accomplish an extraordinary amount together. Alignment becomes easier. Communication becomes cleaner. Progress becomes faster. I have learned that the right people do not need to be convinced. They simply recognize you.

Because of that, I refuse to spend my time proving myself or selling myself to anyone. I have done enough of that in earlier stages of my life, and it always led me away from the places I was meant to be. Proving yourself requires you to shrink or bend in ways that cost you energy, clarity, and self-respect. At this point in my life, I value my time far too much to waste it on people who cannot or will not see what is already there.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, I believe my clients would miss my commitment to excellence more than anything else. I have always approached my work with the mindset that if I am going to do something, it needs to be great. That commitment to quality, clarity, and results is not just a standard I set for myself. It is the foundation of every client relationship I build. My clients know that I will push for the highest outcome, even when it requires more effort, more refinement, or more strategic thought.

I also think they would miss the way I see details that others overlook. My attention to detail is not about perfectionism. It is about precision. It is about understanding that the difference between good and great often lives in the smallest decisions, the smallest messages, the smallest adjustments. Whether it is brand positioning, competitor psychology, language choices, or strategic structure, I am constantly scanning for the things that will move the needle. Clients rely on that. They trust that I will notice what others miss.

Beyond that, I believe they would miss my consistency. I show up differently. I prepare differently. I see opportunities that others walk past. I treat their business like my business, and I invest my energy as if the outcomes directly reflect my own reputation. In many ways, they would miss the feeling of partnership. They know that I am as committed to their success as they are, sometimes more.

If I stepped away tomorrow, I think the absence they would feel would come from the combination of excellence, detail, and unwavering dedication. Those are not things you can easily replace. They are the things that shape both trust and value.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chrissuchanek.com
• Instagram: @such_a_media
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersuchanek
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuchanekC/
• Other: www.firm-media.com
  www.projectboon.org
  www.hitchburger.com

Image Credits
Bryan Figueroa