Susan Foxley of Santa Monica on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Susan Foxley and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Susan, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
**A Day in My Life**

I don’t wake up to an alarm clock—I wake up to intention. Before my feet ever hit the floor, I place a hand on my heart and take a moment to remember what matters. That small pause shapes everything that follows.

I work six days a week, not because I have to, but because I genuinely love what I do. I’m a yoga teacher, life coach, bodyworker, and hypnotherapist, and those roles naturally weave together depending on who I’m sitting with. Nothing about my work is cookie-cutter. Every client is different, and every session meets them exactly where they are.

My mornings are quiet and simple. After gratitude and coffee, I head up to my office and read something inspirational for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then I write a short thank-you list—as if my prayers have already been answered. In my inner world, my clients are thriving, diagnosis-free, and deeply in love with themselves and their lives. I take a moment to feel that reality as if it’s already here.

Before I begin my workday, I take a thirty-minute walk. Then I start seeing clients, either in my home office or in their homes. I work with individuals, couples, and entire families. My client base spans generations. My oldest client is 92 years old, and I’ve worked with her for 26 years. My youngest client was just five.

Some sessions are purely life coaching, others involve yoga, massage, or hypnosis, and many are a blend of all four. I also love working with families, especially when children are involved. One of my favorite tools comes from what I call *the gentle mental diet*, a practice I share in my writing. I’ll often give little children colorful rubber bands to wear on their wrists. For one week, the whole family goes on a “mental diet.” If someone complains, gossips, criticizes, judges, or talks badly about themselves, they gently snap the rubber band as a reminder to snap out of it. It’s lighthearted, playful, and surprisingly effective—and the kids usually think it’s hilarious.

One couple originally hired me to help improve their communication. This fall, I’ll be marrying them in the California desert. They lovingly call me “the love doctor,” which still makes me smile.

After one or two clients, I usually come home for a short nap—thirty minutes to an hour—eat something nourishing, and then head back out again. In the evenings, I slow things down. I might do light yoga or take another walk with my husband before dinner. Some nights we watch a show together; other nights I head upstairs to write.

Friday nights are sacred date nights for us, and once a month we get out of town, even if just for a night or two. We love places like Ojai, Laguna Beach, Big Sur, Pismo Beach—anywhere that helps us step out of routine and reconnect.

When I’m not working with clients, I’m editing my fifth book, *The Real Love Diet*, and creating a program based on my book *Mixed Up to Fixed Up in Four Weeks*. I also continue to make yoga, hypnosis, and life-coaching videos for my YouTube channel and write weekly blog posts.

This is the rhythm of my life. It’s not rushed, and it’s not perfect—but it’s intentional. And for me, that’s what real love looks like in action.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Susan Foxley, and my story begins in a big, loud, loving Irish Catholic family back East. I’m one of ten children—an identical twin—and growing up in that swirl of personalities shaped me early on. I learned how to read people, how to adapt, and how to care deeply. My role in the family was the helper and the healer, the one who tried to make things better. Like many people wired that way, I struggled in my earlier years with self-esteem, depression, and feeling disconnected from myself.

That struggle became my quest.

I found yoga in my youth at a time when I felt awkward, clumsy, and completely disconnected from my body. Yoga brought me home—to my breath, to my body, and to a way of living more from the neck down than the neck up. I’ve now been teaching yoga for 35 years, but my path has never been linear. I studied communications at university, went to massage school simply because it intrigued me, traveled to India to study yoga, lived in San Francisco and Maui, and followed the guidance of a spiritual teacher who once told me, follow your bliss—it’s life’s way of letting you know you’re in the right place at the right time.

Life, of course, deepened the work. I was widowed in my early 30s with a toddler, and that season changed everything. Out of necessity, I moved into private yoga teaching, which allowed me to support my son while continuing my work. Over time, my clients came to me with complex needs—chronic pain, surgeries, neurological conditions, cancer, grief, and major life transitions. Wanting to serve them more fully, I studied hypnosis and life coaching, and something profound clicked.

Today, my brand and my work are rooted in integration. I blend yoga, hypnosis, massage, and life coaching into a highly personalized, intuitive approach that honors the whole person—mind, body, and subconscious. My work is never one-size-fits-all. I work deeply with visualization, imagination, and the subconscious mind, knowing that much of our behavior, healing, and potential is shaped beneath conscious awareness.

At the heart of my work is a clear mission. I believe it is our birthright to thrive—not just survive—and that every individual deserves to flourish mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, materially, romantically, intellectually, and creatively. I support this through the modalities I teach and live: yoga, hypnosis, life coaching, writing, and education. Through my weekly blogs, YouTube videos, and private work, I share practical tools that help people regulate their nervous systems, reconnect with themselves, and create lives that feel aligned, meaningful, and whole.

Ultimately, my work is about helping people feel safe in their bodies, trust themselves again, and remember who they are—so they can move through life not just surviving, but truly thriving.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
The person who saw me most clearly before I could fully see myself was my second husband. He entered my life after years of deep inner work, and I truly believe he is a mirror of that work. He sees me clearly, loves me consistently, and offers kind, coherent, and affirming feedback. He is my biggest fan, my safest place, and the most emotionally healthy relationship I have ever known. His love is steady, generous, and deeply supportive, and I feel it every day.

Before I met him, I had spent many years consciously tending to my inner world. I had learned—and taught—that we have tens of thousands of thoughts each day, and that most of them repeat unless we intervene. I practiced what I call a gentle mental diet: mastering my thoughts, choosing gratitude, and focusing on what was working rather than what was broken. During my years as a widow and single mother, I became my own best friend, committed to self-care, self-love, and emotional responsibility.

My greatest teacher during that time was my son. He faced significant challenges early in life, and I learned that where we place our attention truly matters. Rather than fixating on diagnosis or limitation, I chose to see him in his wellness. I learned that when we take the “I” out of illness and put in “we,” we create wellness. I focused on the good, again and again, trusting that what we focus on grows. Today, my son is 30 years old, thriving in many ways, and preparing for marriage—a miracle, a breakthrough, and a beautiful turnaround.

When I met my husband, I wasn’t looking to be rescued or completed. I was already whole. I believe the universe mirrors back to us what we cultivate within, and my husband is a vibrational match to the inner work I had done. He never diminishes me, never undermines me, and never offers cutting remarks. His feedback is overwhelmingly positive, loving, and encouraging, which aligns with what relationship researcher John Gottman teaches about lasting marriages—that thriving relationships are built on far more positives than negatives. We have now been happily married for nearly twelve years, and I remain deeply grateful for a love that is consistent, respectful, and expansive. He saw me clearly—and through loving him, I learned to see myself even more clearly too.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes—there was a time in my early life when I very nearly gave up. As a young teenager, my family went through a major rupture. When I was about fourteen, my mother sent my identical twin sister to an all-girls boarding school back East. I was expected to go as well, but instead I made the painful decision to change custody and move from Providence, Rhode Island, to live with my father in Colorado. What felt to me like rejection and abandonment created a deep fracture. My mother was devastated by my choice and did not speak to me for years afterward.

The loss of daily connection with my siblings—especially my twin—combined with that silence, sent me into a profound depression. I felt unwanted, unloved, and alone. During high school, I fell into a suicidal depression and was hospitalized. Even there, I instinctively tried to help others. Caring for people had always been my role—I was the listener, the empath, the healer. I remember being told, gently but firmly, “Susan, you are not the therapist here. You are the client.” At the time, I struggled not just with low self-esteem, but with having no sense of self at all.

What ultimately saved me was not judgment or labels, but compassion—and later, the tools I now teach. Over time, I found practices that helped me regulate my nervous system, soften my inner dialogue, and reconnect to life. That lived experience is why I work so deeply and gently with people who struggle with depression or suicidal ideation today. I teach without judgment, because I know how heavy life can feel.

I often return to a truth shared by Ram Dass: we are all just walking each other home. Love is the true healer. Through practices like the Ho’oponopono prayer—I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you—and through relational tools like the LEAP method (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner), which I learned through NAMI, I help people feel seen, safe, and supported. I believe you can only truly help others when you’ve walked in those shoes yourself—and that chapter of my life is what allows me to do this work with genuine compassion today.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes—the public version of me is the real me. I believe deeply in coherence, in living what I teach, and in aligning my inner life with how I show up in the world. That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of daily self-care, self-regulation, and conscious choice. I meditate daily. I practice yoga daily. I tend to my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being because I know I cannot pour from an empty cup.

Earlier in my life, I learned the hard way what happens when I give from depletion. I became resentful. I often describe it as driving a car with an empty gas tank, flat tires, and a failing transmission—while still stopping to pick up hitchhikers. I don’t do that anymore. Today, I fill my own cup first. I give people the dignity of their own path. I listen. I empathize. I partner. I ask, “How can I support you?” rather than rushing in to fix or rescue.

I’m also very mindful about boundaries. I don’t give unsolicited advice. Unless someone comes to me intentionally as a paying client—specifically asking for guidance through life coaching, yoga, or healing work—I respect their autonomy and their process. I trust people to find their own answers, and I offer support rather than direction unless it’s invited.

I choose my environment carefully. I go where I’m celebrated, not tolerated. I go where the love is. I surround myself with people who are kind, emotionally healthy, and supportive, because we are deeply influenced by the company we keep. Some people jokingly call me “the gratitude queen,” and yes—I truly practice gratitude. Not because life is perfect, but because I’ve learned how to meet life with appreciation, even when it’s messy. I strive for imperfection. I have bad days like anyone else. But I don’t linger in negative thinking. I treat a negative thought like a burning ember on my sleeve—I flick it off quickly. I erase and replace as fast as I can, because I know what we focus on grows.

What you see is what you get. My smile is real. My kindness is intentional. I don’t gossip, judge, complain, or criticize. I put down the magnifying glass and pick up the mirror. I focus on my own life. I love the reminder that there are three kinds of business: my business, God’s business, and none of my business—and most things fall into that last category.

I’m authentic, imperfect, and human. I can apologize. I can course-correct. I believe my mess is my message. So yes—the public version of me is the real me. It’s a life practiced from the inside out.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
What I understand deeply—and what took me many years to learn—is that we don’t have to live in victim consciousness. For much of my early life, I saw the world as something that was happening to me: my family, my circumstances, my environment, the economy, relationships, loss. Over time, I learned to reframe that perspective. I now believe life is happening for us, through us, and as us—always for our growth.

We are here in these earth suits to learn, evolve, and thrive. Nothing meaningful grows without pressure. Diamonds form under immense pressure. Oaks grow stronger in high winds. Lotus flowers rise from mud. Even grapes used for fine wine often develop the richest flavor when they struggle through drought. In the same way, our most challenging experiences can become our greatest teachers if we allow them to.

Some of the hardest chapters of my life—being widowed at a young age, raising a child with significant challenges—deepened my compassion and empathy in ways nothing else could have. Those experiences led me to tools and practices I might never have discovered otherwise, including the Ho’oponopono prayer and the understanding that we can learn to master our thoughts, our emotional responses, and our choices. I no longer believe we are powerless participants in life. I believe we are active co-creators.

I also understand that imagination is one of our most powerful tools. It’s the doorway to the subconscious mind and the bridge to change. Neuroscience and epigenetics now affirm what wisdom traditions have long known: we can change our brains and our lives by changing how we think and how we feel. Even Albert Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. When we use imagination intentionally, we move from living in cause-and-effect to actually causing effect.

Most people believe circumstances define them. I’ve learned that circumstances refine us. We don’t have to be victims of politics, economics, family dynamics, or past wounds. We can rise above them by mastering our inner world. When we do that, life becomes less about reacting and more about responding. Less about surviving and more about becoming.

What I understand deeply is this: life doesn’t happen to us—it shapes us for who we are meant to become. And when we take responsibility for our thoughts, our feelings, and our choices, our lives can become a living masterpiece.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.susanfoxley.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanfoxleyyogalife/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-foxley-57223377/
• Twitter: https://x.com/home?lang=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.foxley
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/foxley-fitness-santa-monica
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChOP38fWwUdWWzIH06bdPTA