Category: Journaling Courses

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Drink Down the Gratefulness

I know waking up and seeking joy on purpose isn’t always easy. Obstacles are thrown at you all day. Meteor showers of other people’s crap will rain down upon you and make you question if your path is right or crooked.

You will never have control over others’ opinions, ideas, or thoughts… the solution is to create your own. Do what works best for you. Seek out blessings, harvest joy and happiness, and work to become your greatest self.

The world wants you to compete. It wants you to swim in waters of fear. It wants to slowly inflict hate, and it wants you to carry burdens that have already been lifted from you.

Today… find joy in the simple. Find one thing that makes you smile. Do one kind thing today for someone, and above all wake up and be present for yourself.

Drink more water. Put something good in your body, and give thanks for what it carries you through.

It’s a beautiful, abnormally warm morning here in the Northeast. My legs move as I ask them to, my heart beats fast, and my lungs gracefully take me around all the turns and hills of these roads and my life. It’s simple today.

Wake up and pour yourself a cup of gratefulness. Drink it down and go!

#runningmotivation #runmorethanyourmouth #drinksomegratefulness


Need More Peace? Write Your Way to Christmas Calm. The Holidays can feel like you’re going non-stop. But the introvert in you is screaming… no, actually whispering politely, hoping to be heard.

Journal Your Way to a Peaceful Holiday Season with Our Simple, Emailed 6-Day Writing Course

Give Your Stressed Self the Gift of Comfort and Joy this Christmas Season.
One journaling exercise a day for 6 days.

No pressure. Course arrives by email. Try it on your own time… or hold it and settle in with some writing after the holidays!

Just write, think, breathe easy and enjoy.

Learn more and order the 6-day All is Calm journaling challenge here

Loved this message? Please share the Run Before You Fly blog with a friend. You can also welcome them to hear from us via email from this page.

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Creating Joy Through the Chaos

Mayday Monday….

As the holidays draw closer with each passing day, most of us continue life as normal. We trim our trees, wrap gifts, bake cookies, and celebrate the true meaning of the season…

But what about those who are struggling? I want to talk about this because so many of us at this very moment are in a space of mental entrapment. 

One of us on this very day wakes… and struggles with not taking a drink. One of us has lost a loved one, a pet, or is mourning someone who is still alive. 

One of us is facing a job loss. A father is struggling to feed his family. A veteran is struggling to tie their own shoes. 

A woman is closet eating in shame, and another is carefully applying makeup to hide the bruises. 

Somewhere a child is feeling the brutal effects of a bully. The narcissist continues to gaslight, and still the world turns without a missed beat.

Feeling or creating joy through chaos and trial is tough. It’s a daily challenge to not let these things define us emotionally or physically. But all is not a lost cause…

Wake up and pray for someone even if you don’t know them. 

Go visit a veteran. Smile, listen to their truths and tie their shoes if they need it.

Take a walk with a friend, and listen. Don’t assume, don’t judge, don’t react… just be the ears they are desperately trying to find.

Donate to your local women’s shelter. If they are there… believe me when I say… it took courage beyond measure to get there.

Send a card of encouragement to a friend, and cut the ties of those people, places, and things whose only agenda is derailing yours…

The greatest gift you can give yourself this year is the gift of helping someone.

Not everyone faces the same lot in life. I don’t know the reasons why… but I do know this. Kindness goes a long way. Small things add up to big things, and the sum of it all = greater human decency. 

Be someone’s Mayday today… even if it’s your own.

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #remembertheseason #besomeonesmayday

Need More Peace? Try Our Mini Journaling Challenge.

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Are you an empathic introvert trying to hold your own in a world of extroverts?

Give Your Stressed Self the Gift of Comfort and Joy this Christmas Season.
This emailed journaling course from Run Before You Fly will help you connect to simple, meaningful moments.

Six days to bring peace to your holiday season. Write your way to inner calm. 

We are truly excited to begin offering writing challenges to you. This is just one of many ways we can support each other to live our best lives. 

Go here to learn more and order. We thank you in advance for supporting our creative endeavors. If you sign up, let us know how you like the course!

🎄🦌🤶♥️⛄🎅

Wishing you peace, comfort and joy this holiday season from Run Before You Fly.

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Seasons of Change

The snow flurries hit my vest. My fingertips are frozen, the wind whips across the bare skin on the back of my neck. And just like that, I am running into another season of change.

It’s natural for us to want things to stay steady. We get complacent. We get comfy-cozy in our steady-paced, uninterrupted lives.

We don’t like change, we un-invite ideas of challenge, and we settle for what happens to us, within us, without really fighting for what makes us feel alive, and worthy.

When the cold snap of life hits, the precipitation flies, and adaptiveness sets in… remember a few things.

Seasons of change bring elements of transformation. Awaken to the new day not just with a tolerance to accept what it brings you… but with a silent preparedness that you are here to dream big, take charge, and live a peace-filled life.

Invite the season in. Sit down with it, let your goals be known. And when it tries to pull you back, or divert you to unrest… zip up your armor and remind it just who you are.

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #seasonsofchange #wecandobetter

Journal Your Way to Insight, Happiness and Healing!

Journaling course is ready for you to explore!

Love to write? Ready to try journaling as form of self therapy? At Run Before You Fly, we’re inspired toward continued self betterment.

Join us for a group journaling adventure! We have an illuminating writing course for you to benefit from.

Journal solo. Share with trusted friends. Or, consult with Suzanne for a coaching session. It’s up to you.

Don’t miss discounted pricing on the new “Journal Your Way to a Peaceful Holiday Season.” This is a mini course that Suzanne and Dina are offering to our email list and Facebook group members!

We’ll have more courses coming in the new year. Sign up for our list to be notified of future writing workshop and course launches. 

-Suzanne and Dina

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With a Pen in Her Hand

…she is free.

Rest days come in all forms. On the days I know my legs need a break, I take the time to truly focus on how my mind is doing.

Writing is my release. It cleanses me. It is here on a small space between two lines that I can share my personal reflections, say goodbye to the crap that believes it’s still in control, and draw in some perspective.

It is here where I can release all the thoughts that are crowding precious space for new ideas, gentle guidance, or joy to enter.

It is here where I can visualize on paper what I have accomplished with my sneakers, what I have set free from my heart… and sketch my nutritional game plan for the week.

The investigation into our whys becomes the base layer for change. Put ink on paper, feel the pen in your hand, and make a contract with yourself to live better.

Words are powerful, tough, and have tremendous meaning when you take the time to read them… simplify your life… prioritize what helps… and may the pen and paper be exactly the rest you need.

Keep an eye out for “Journal Your Way to a Peaceful Holiday Season.” A mini course Dina and I will be offering to my Run Before You Fly members! Details coming soon!

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #withapeninherhandsheisfree

Journaling courses are here!

Interested in creative writing therapy as a way to heal from trauma or initiate self growth? Check out our latest emailed journaling course.

Sign up for our list to be notified of when our next, affordably priced journaling challenge will launch.

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The Daily Summit

To reach the summit or peak of life is not just a one-time experience. We must give forth an effort daily. Climb, rest, repeat.

Distractions continually will try to disrupt our footing and move us to a place of unbalance both mentally and physically.

We gain resilience when we choose not to let the loose footing of our lives define us, halt us, or destroy us.

You will without a doubt hear negativity from someone today. You will be tempted, frustrated, and persuaded to get off the trail of your goals, good works, and beautiful visions.

Don’t be fooled… be wiser, be steadfast, and deliberate in your awareness of where you are headed.

Whether we are running, walking, hiking, working, or at home… let us meet this dawn with a joy-filled spirit. Let us release all the toxic moisture of those people, places, and things that try so hard to overtake our spirit.

Inspire someone today to welcome themselves home… to not give up on their quest to be better… to live better.

May we all find the summit of this day.

Don’t give up today, the view from the top is worth it.

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #thedailysummit

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Run Before You Fly.

She stood raw in front of the mirror, shaking from the sicknesses inside her. She was tired. Her head pounded as the liquid poison was trying to escape her cells. Her eyes red… barely open from puffiness of crying herself to sleep, begging for anything or anyone to save her from herself.

“You can’t reason with us,” her demons spoke up quickly. “You’re lost, you’re fat, you’re a drunk, and you will never be loved.”

She looked at her sneakers that had settled where she last kicked them in the corner of her room… laces twisted, so bright and beautiful. She turned around, paused… and then turned her head back to the corner.

No, she thought… I’m delusional.

She looked again and the inner voice of those shoes said… and she heard:

“We love you, we believe in you. Give us a chance.”

She untangled the laces, slipped them on her feet like Cinderella… feeling a tad nauseous, and with the room spinning… she opened her door.

With newfound hope in her heart… she turned back to the mirror and whispered:

“You’re wrong, demons… keep your eyes on my feet, keep your hands to yourself… ’cause we’re about to set out and change this world.”

Take yourself to the next level today. Go higher and soar. Take in only that which brings you love, peace, strength, and light. I believe in you.

-Suzanne Swanson

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #transformationtuesday #dunkindonutskicks #rocketfuelincup

Follow along as Suzanne Swanson takes us through her transformation from addiction to athlete. Find support and healing in your own life! We’re sending Suzanne’s blog updates via email along with a daily dose of motivation. Don’t miss the next post… delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to hear from Suzanne via email here.

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A Work in Progress

Hi! It’s Suzanne from Run Before You Fly. I wanted to thank all new subscribers for signing up for my list!

I hope to deliver inspiration, hope and a place to recharge in body, mind and spirit.

Please be patient with us as we fine-tune everything on the website. Over the next few days, I’ll be settling into my new home online. There will be short-term to-do lists to tackle, and long-term goals for serving my community in the best way that I can.

We’re working on setting things up so that I can stay in touch with you, and offer support and encouragement.

Are you on my email list?

I may ask you to re-susbscribe as we configure the technology to manage an email list properly.

I hope you don’t mind, everything here will be much like life… a work in progress, with small victories, occasional setbacks, and celebratory stop points along the way. 🙂

It’s my long-term vision to write and publish a book to share with you. Perhaps a collection of running stories, personal essays, precious glimpses into my world and life.

Some snippets, snapshots and messages of hope, faith and courage… with an emphasis on how perspective, positivity, purpose and perseverance make all the difference.

The Run Before You Fly Blog simmered on the back burner of my cluttered and sometimes chaotic mind for some time. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, took shape quite suddenly. I’m thrilled to have you on board for my writing journey!  

A Question for You:

I’d like to ask you, what are your hopes for following along with me? As a runner, a person who had to look my own demons dead in the eye before overcoming addiction and finally taking steps toward becoming my healthiest self, I know that I’m not alone. 

What was it that brought you here, and how can I offer you support?

Now is a great time for us to set intentions with the birth of this new blog — a new space to share, learn, and grow together. Feel free to write in via the contact page on this blog.

Ask Suzanne! Advice Column for Everyone.

I may offer an anonymous advice column. Please do write in at those times when you’re feeling like you need some guidance. As always, your privacy is respected and protected. 

I’ve posted a special welcome and launch announcement in case you missed it 🙂

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey!

Suzanne at Run Before You Fly

PS: If you know someone who can use encouragement around setting health and life goals, share this blog with them. 

Tell a friend about Run Before You Fly!

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It’s Finally Here 💛💛💛

It began as a tiny piece of ripped notebook paper and a pen. My vision of finding the perfect name, finding a home for all the jumbled words of my head and heart to live is finally here.

Welcome to My Blog: Run Before You Fly

This website is dedicated to all those who hurt, who dream, who wish to come alive, who are searching for their purpose. It’s a place to visit for comfort, to seek hope, and know that my words for you are not just to fill empty space on a blank page.

These words were, are, and will continue to be written through every door I have walked out of in my past, walked through during the height of my healing and transformation, and for those places I have yet to visit in arriving fully to myself and fulfilling even my wildest dreams.

To everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and who has waited patiently for this place where my words can settle… a thank you doesn’t seem to cover my deepest appreciation for you. And a special thank you to Dina Gio who was a tremendous gift in making this possible.

May my purpose be to continue to inspire others. May my transparency reveal what is possible, and may you know that no matter what life gives you, or takes from you… you are capable, and so much stronger than you think.

In life, we all must “Run Before We Fly.”

To reach the elevation of our truest being, we must set out and just start… just begin… one step at time.

May we all soar… today, tomorrow, and forever.


#moretocomein2022 #runbeforeyoufly #withapensheflies

Stay in Touch with Suzanne

Thank you for supporting my writing endeavor at RunBeforeyouFly.com. I’m Suzanne Swanson and I’d love for us to keep in touch!

Receive updates via email when you sign up here.

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Revolution.

To achieve greatness we must take every sour thing that has tried to dim our light and revolt.

We must take every lie we were taught to believe and turn it into truth.

We must relentlessly and repetitively find our purpose and make it known why we were destined to be granted a spin on this earth.

Being overweight is hard. Being unhealthy is hard. Being angry, defeated, and without joy is hard.

Staying sober can be hard, staying motivated is hard. Discipline is hard. The choice is ours… we choose our hard.

Effort counts… consistency counts… our will counts. Wake up and cut the anvils. Be your own mayday and let’s show this world… that we are not just talkers … 

We are World Changers.

Run Before You Fly Private Facebook Group is open to all who wish to continue to share their experiences, love of running, and battles of life, with each other. Together we are better.

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Thanksgiving.

As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, I realize more and more just how much life has given me. Seeing my breath hit the cold air… feeling alive as my heart pumps fast, and my lungs burn… all the time knowing that not everyone gets to do this, and what a true gift it is to be able to be active, and well.

The human body is an amazing masterpiece. Our senses, taste, touch, our eyes to see all that is created wonderfully. We can use our senses for things recognizable, but it’s our hearts that make us the incredible humans we are.

Face all possibilities today with a relentless flow of love and happiness. The dark will always continue to try to conceal our truth within. But the heart know us, and is ever-attentive to allow tenderness and dismiss fear.

Run, work, play and do all things today with an appreciation for your heart. Respond to the call of life and may your presence shine brightly. A loving heart will always awaken the spirit of possibility… go forth and start living!

May all troubled hearts find hope, may the eyes of your heart open… and may today be the day Destiny draws you in.

#hopedealer