Susy, The Orange Theory Shirt, and the Sewing Machine

When we think of fitness and wellbeing, many, if not all of us think of taking care of our bodies, right? What we eat, drink, and how much we move our bodies. We go to gyms, count calories, and drink water to stay hydrated, we pay attention to our bodies and strive to be fit.

“Whose dumb idea was this anyway”?, I grumble to myself as I head out the door to my first Orange Theory Fitness Class! I briefly considered blaming it on my baby sister who had suggested it, but even in my nervous state, I laughed at myself at the absurdity of such a notion. After all, I am the one who wants to up my fitness and try new things and commit to taking care of myself. I love adventure and resist it simultaneously which makes for an interesting inner dialogue.

Once upon a time a long time ago, I was a young, young Mom with two little girls and far away from home in a foreign country and married to a beast of a man. He had a terribly violent temper and was abusive in every way imaginable,

In the middle of a lake, in the middle of Nova Scotia stands an Island, and you know what? She is our Island! Yep, my husband and I own an island and I have to say she is spectacular. Majestic, beautiful, soft, light, gentle, and innocent.

Wanna know why I bought this pretty dress? To CELEBRATE, yep, to celebrate six months of LIVING wine free. What a day! And to make it all the more special, I was driving down the street of our village in Quebec, wondering how to celebrate when poof, in the window of a Quebec design shop was this dress, and the rest well you know…..

Even after three years, it is not easy to tell the story of what happened to us that fateful morning in May! But tell it I must, for by not telling it, I would be unable to share one of the great love stories of all time! Warning….it contains violence……

Susy Giddy has always had a knack for coaching … helping people overcome what is preventing them from achieving a goal. In her native Halifax, Canada, Susy was a tennis coach. In her new home of Cabarete—a lively beach town on the Dominican Republic’s north coast—she works in a different type of coaching that’s even more rewarding.