Suzi Friesen, Aloe Wellness & True North Youth Foundation, “Where we place our attention often becomes the story of our lives.”

You recently spoke at TEDx Winnipeg on The Questions We Carry in Silence and How to Answer Them. What are some of the questions people are carrying in this season of life, and what question have you been asking yourself lately as a leader in our community?

Whether I'm leading my team at the True North Youth Foundation, supporting educators, students, and caregivers through Project 11, or sitting with a client in a therapy session at my private practice, Aloe Wellness, I often notice a similar pattern. Many people are moving through life at a pace that leaves very little room to pause and check in with themselves.

They're fulfilling responsibilities, caring for others, working hard, and doing their best. But when they're given space to slow down and reflect, important questions often emerge: How am I really doing? Do my relationships still feel aligned and reciprocal? Is the way I'm spending my time reflective of what matters most to me? Am I living intentionally, or simply reacting or just responding to what each day brings?

One question I regularly come back to in my own life is:

"What deserves my attention right now?"

After 36 years of journaling and collecting data within my own life, I've learned that attention is one of our most valuable resources. Where we place it shapes our relationships, our wellbeing, our work, and ultimately the life we're creating.

As a leader, therapist, entrepreneur, wife, mom, and caregiving daughter, there will always be more opportunities, responsibilities, and meaningful projects than there is time. Reflection helps me distinguish between what is urgent and what is important.

This season of life has been less about doing more and more about becoming intentional. What deserves my energy? What aligns with my values? What requires my presence rather than just my time? And equally important, what do I need to release?

Reflection helps me pause long enough to ask: What needs me most right now? What will matter a year from now? What choice today is most aligned with the person I want to be?

I've come to believe that where we place our attention often becomes the story of our lives. When I slow down long enough to reflect and live with intention, I show up with greater clarity, energy, and presence-regardless of which role or responsibility is in front of me.

You've spent your career supporting others through education, mental wellness, entrepreneurship, and community impact through Project 11, the True North Youth Foundation, building Aloe Wellness, and several business ventures. What have these experiences taught you about resilience, growth, and the human capacity to adapt?

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that resilience is far less about being "tough" and far more about being willing to adapt.

Throughout my life, I've had the opportunity to grow in many different roles: educator, entrepreneur, landlord, therapist, nonprofit leader, wife, mother, and caregiving daughter. At 24 and 25, I purchased my first two rental properties on my own. When I met my husband at 27, he was watching me develop an educational wellness program in the Seven Oaks School Division for students, manage rental properties, complete curriculum development work at the Wellness Institute, and help ensure my mom made it to her medical appointments.

He told me he was inspired by how deeply I cared about doing meaningful work that helped people. Looking back, that's exactly what has guided my path.

In 2020, my husband and I brought Prep Academy Tutors to Manitoba and Saskatchewan because it aligned with our values of connecting meaningful supports to families. Later, I completed my Master's degree in Counselling Psychology, became a therapist, helped expand Project 11's impact across the globe, and founded Aloe Wellness.

While those experiences may look very different on the surface, they've taught me a remarkably consistent lesson: growth rarely happens when life is comfortable. More often, growth asks us to step into uncertainty.

Working alongside young people, families, educators, athletes, wellness professionals, community leaders, and therapy clients has reinforced something I deeply believe: people are far more resilient than they realize. I've watched individuals navigate grief, illness, trauma, setbacks, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. What helps people move forward is rarely perfection, willpower, or having all the answers. It's self-awareness, connection, support, and the willingness to keep showing up, one step at a time.

Building Project 11 and Aloe Wellness have both taught me that resilience isn't something people either have or don't have. It's something that can be strengthened. When people feel seen, supported, and safe enough to be honest about what they're carrying, remarkable growth becomes possible.

Many people assume strength means holding it all together and what I've come to believe is that strength is having the courage to process what we're carrying. It's being willing to ask for help, reflect honestly, learn from our experiences, and adapt when life asks us to.

The human capacity to heal, rebuild, and grow continues to inspire me. We are constantly evolving. And if reflection has taught me anything, it's that resilience isn't about avoiding hardship. It's about learning from it, finding meaning within it, and allowing it to shape us into wiser and more compassionate versions of ourselves.

Reflection was a big theme in your TEDx talk. What is one practice, mindset, or question that helps you pause and reconnect with yourself when life feels busy or overwhelming?

Two questions I return to often are:

"What is life trying to teach me right now?" and "What is this moment asking of me?"

The first helps me approach life's challenges with curiosity rather than resistance. Instead of asking, "Why is this happening?" I become more interested in what I might learn from the experience, the relationship, the setback, or even the discomfort.

The second question brings me back to the present. When life feels busy or overwhelming, my mind wants to solve everything at once. Asking what this moment is asking of me helps me focus on what actually needs my attention right now, rather than carrying the weight of everything at once.

Sometimes the answer is to have a difficult conversation. Sometimes it's rest. Sometimes it's asking for help. Sometimes it's simply taking a breath and paying attention to what I'm feeling.

Reflection doesn't always remove uncertainty or provide immediate answers. But it often reveals meaning, clarity, and the next right step. And when life feels overwhelming, that is often enough.

What is something people often assume about leadership, success, or "having it together" that you think is misunderstood?

I think people often assume that successful leaders have everything figured out.

In reality, the leaders I admire most are still asking questions. They remain curious, seek feedback, reflect on their experiences, and are willing to evolve when new information or perspectives emerge. They're committed to learning, growing, and showing up authentically, even when the path forward isn't perfectly clear.

Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about making thoughtful decisions with the information you have, while remaining open to learning and growth. It requires humility, self-awareness, and the willingness to admit when you don't know something.

I've also learned that leadership isn't the absence of doubt, fear, or struggle. It's the ability to move forward with integrity despite those things…

What's one question you think more women should ask themselves, but often avoid?

I wish more women would ask themselves:

"Is the life I'm building still aligned with who I want to be?"

Many women spend years caring for others, meeting expectations, fulfilling responsibilities, and checking all the boxes. In the midst of supporting everyone else, it can become easy to lose sight of ourselves.

At some point, the dreams, priorities, and values that shaped us at 25 may not be the same ones that fit at 35, 45, or beyond. Yet many of us continue moving forward without pausing to ask whether the life we're building still reflects who we are and what currently matters most.

Reflection gives us permission to revisit old assumptions, examine inherited expectations, and distinguish between what we truly want and what we may feel expected to want.

It's a courageous question because the answer may invite change. But it's also a liberating one because it creates space for a life that feels intentional, authentic, and aligned with the person we're continuing to become. After all, a meaningful life isn't built by accident - it is shaped by the choices we make, the values we live by, and our willingness to keep growing.

You spend a lot of time helping others grow. How has being surrounded by women in Knew House impacted your own growth?

Knew House has reminded me that growth is both personal and communal.

I've spent much of my career supporting the growth of others through education, mental wellness, leadership, and community initiatives. What Knew House has offered me is the opportunity to be a learner too - to step into a space where I can reflect, be challenged, share ideas, and continue growing alongside other women.

Being surrounded by women who are building businesses, leading organizations, raising families, navigating transitions, and pursuing meaningful work has been both inspiring and grounding. It's a reminder that while our paths may look different, many of us are asking similar questions about purpose, balance, leadership, relationships, and what matters most.

The experience has reinforced something I deeply believe: we don't grow in isolation. We grow through relationships, shared experiences, thoughtful conversations, and communities that help us see ourselves more clearly.

I've left many Knew House gatherings feeling encouraged, grateful, and reminded that there is something powerful about being in a room where women genuinely want to see one another succeed. In a world that can sometimes feel competitive or disconnected, that kind of community is both meaningful and refreshing.

Meet Suzi

Suzi Friesen is an educator, entrepreneur, speaker, Canadian Certified Counsellor, and founder of Aloe Wellness. She also serves as Director of Educational Programs at the True North Youth Foundation, where she leads Project 11 and works with educators, mental wellness professionals, and community partners to create impactful mental wellness programs for youth and adults.

With more than 25 years of experience supporting children, families, educators, athletes, first responders, and community leaders, Suzi is passionate about helping people build resilience, strengthen relationships, and live with greater intention. She is a strong advocate for collaboration, believing communities thrive when organizations work together to better support those they serve.

Suzi lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two daughters and is committed to creating meaningful connections both in her work and at home.