The Story Beneath

Women in Media Network
Women in Media Network
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Have you ever looked at someone and thought... "Wow... they really have it all together." Susanne Cookson is the host of The Story Beneath; a podcast dedicated to the heartbreaks, the victories, and the turning points that quietly became defining moments. After more than thirty years shaking up the healthcare space, building and selling a multi-million dollar business, raising a beautiful family, and eventually retiring at 54, she realized there was still a lot of work to do. Who are you without the deadlines and meetings, and nothing but time? Who are you when everything stops? We rarely know the whole story, and that’s the story Susanne wants to uncover. What are the hidden costs of over-functioning? Being too self-reliant? What happens when you realize you’ve just been surviving, rather than thriving? The armour is off and the new goal is to better understand our own stories... hidden beneath. Because, there's always more to the story. More About the Host: Susanne Cookson is the creator and host of The Story Beneath and the founder of Unshaken Media. After more than three decades leading innovation and transformation in healthcare, and co-founding a company that helped millions of Canadians improve their health and wellbeing, Susanne retired to begin a different journey—one of understanding the story beneath her own life. Today, she is building The Story Beneath—a place where honest stories become meaningful conversations, meaningful conversations become community, and community reminds us that we are never as alone as we think.

  1. Episode 1

    The Moment She Stopped

    What happens when the life you worked so hard to build looks successful from the outside, but something inside you is asking you to stop? In the first episode of The Story Beneath, host Susanne Cookson shares the moment that changed the way she began to understand her life: a panic attack that seemed to come out of nowhere. By every external measure, Susanne had built a life she could be proud of. A successful career. A thriving business. A family she loved. Decades spent working hard, solving problems, showing up and being the person others could depend on. She had become very good at being strong. But beneath all that competence and momentum was a growing sense that something wasn't quite right. The panic attack forced Susanne to stop long enough to ask a question she hadn't really known how to ask before: Why do I feel so unsettled? That question became the beginning of a much deeper journey—not toward having all the answers, but toward becoming curious about herself. Why do I believe I always have to be strong? Why does this situation make me feel unsafe? Why do I react this way? Where did I learn that? And what might be underneath it? Episode 1 explores the difference between simply being self-aware and becoming self-curious—looking beyond what we do and beginning to wonder why we do it. As Susanne reveals her journey, a conversation about resilience, childhood patterns, emotional safety, old wounds, family, relationships and what can happen when the person who has always kept moving...finally stops. Because sometimes the moment that feels like everything is falling apart...is actually the moment you begin to see the story beneath. Connect with Susanne and The Story Beneath ⁠https://thestorybeneath.ca/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/the_story_beneath⁠

  2. Episode 2

    The Girl Who Learned to Survive

    This episode discusses childhood trauma, domestic violence, and violence involving an animal. Listener discretion is advised. Host Susanne Cookson takes us back to the little girl who learned how to survive. She reflects on the complexities of childhood trauma, domestic violence, and her journey to understanding herself, her relationships, and the panic attack that made her stop in her tracks.  She shares her experience growing up in an unpredictable and often dangerous home environment. She reflects on the lessons learned from her childhood, the coping mechanisms she developed, and the moment she decided to run away at the age of fifteen.  She looks back on her childhood, exploring how early experiences shape coping mechanisms and resilience, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of oneself and the patterns that emerge in adult relationships.  Connect with Susanne and The Story Beneath Communnity

  3. Episode 3

    The Cost of Being The Strong One

    In this episode of The Story Beneath, host Susanne Cookson shares her experiences with family, marriage, and the expectations placed on her as a strong, capable woman. Through her story, she explores the cost of being 'the strong one,' and the importance of recognizing when to ask for help and prioritize self-care. Susanne shares the story behind the drive: a career she genuinely loved, chasing security and the freedom of knowing she'd never again have to depend on anyone. At 20, she fell for a charming man with a big, warm Italian family and married him pregnant at 21, in front of 450 guests, while her gut quietly screamed at her to slow down. When the drinking and unpredictability didn't stop, she left at 24 with her daughter. Her second marriage lasted 18 years. She was the organizer, the planner, the one who remembered every birthday and hosted every holiday. At work she had her sparkle; at home she got quieter, smaller, and eventually afraid to tell her own husband about a promotion she'd worked years for. Then came a panic attack on the side of a road and her body finally saying enough. This episode is about the difference between being able to handle something and being responsible for carrying it. If people call you strong, Susanne has a question for you: What happens when the person who always said yes, finally learns to say no? Connect with Susanne and The Story Beneath ⁠https://thestorybeneath.ca/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/the_story_beneath⁠

  4. Episode 4

    Resentment: The Cost of Carrying Everyone

    After her 18-year marriage ended, Susanne Cookson found herself with more room in her life. But, instead of slowing down, she gave even more to everyone around her; organizing elaborate family visits, anticipating what people needed, solving problems, and saying, “I’ve got this.” But beneath her generosity, resentment began to grow. Why was she always the one doing everything? And why didn’t anyone notice she was overwhelmed? Susanne reflects on the people-pleasing and exhausting and unspoken expectations that shaped her relationships. Trying to understand her relationship eventually led her to consider her boundaries and the patterns we may not recognize until we turn our attention back to ourselves. Does this sound familiar? Next, Susanne dives further into the relationship that was her turning point.

  5. Episode 5

    Almost Enough Isn't Enough

    What happens when a relationship isn’t terrible, but it still isn’t enough? For years, Susanne tried to understand why a relationship that looked good on paper could leave her feeling so alone. There was love, companionship, travel, laughter and a long history together. There was also distance, disappearing intimacy and conversations about the relationship that never seemed to go anywhere. So Susanne did what she had always done: researched, analyzed, and accommodated. She tried to fix it.  Learning about attachment styles finally gave her language for what was happening between them. But it also revealed something much more uncomfortable. She had spent so much time trying to understand his behaviour that she had stopped asking what the relationship was doing to her. In this episode of The Story Beneath, Susanne explores anxious and avoidant attachment, overfunctioning, emotional safety, and the difficult work of identifying your own needs after a lifetime of taking care of everyone else's. Because sometimes love is real, the good memories are real, and the relationship still isn't enough. https://thestorybeneath.ca/

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About

Have you ever looked at someone and thought... "Wow... they really have it all together." Susanne Cookson is the host of The Story Beneath; a podcast dedicated to the heartbreaks, the victories, and the turning points that quietly became defining moments. After more than thirty years shaking up the healthcare space, building and selling a multi-million dollar business, raising a beautiful family, and eventually retiring at 54, she realized there was still a lot of work to do. Who are you without the deadlines and meetings, and nothing but time? Who are you when everything stops? We rarely know the whole story, and that’s the story Susanne wants to uncover. What are the hidden costs of over-functioning? Being too self-reliant? What happens when you realize you’ve just been surviving, rather than thriving? The armour is off and the new goal is to better understand our own stories... hidden beneath. Because, there's always more to the story. More About the Host: Susanne Cookson is the creator and host of The Story Beneath and the founder of Unshaken Media. After more than three decades leading innovation and transformation in healthcare, and co-founding a company that helped millions of Canadians improve their health and wellbeing, Susanne retired to begin a different journey—one of understanding the story beneath her own life. Today, she is building The Story Beneath—a place where honest stories become meaningful conversations, meaningful conversations become community, and community reminds us that we are never as alone as we think.

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