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What makes some people more successful than others: Their level of performance, both personally and professionally.

Susan Hobson

Performance Coach, Jumpstart Living

 (www.jumpstartliving.com/)


Dreams followed by setting goals can put you on a path to success. Susan was always a passionate kid growing up, playing most sports. She also played piano and guitar, and participated in drama and art classes. Her love for hockey started her on a purpose-driven journey that continues today. Susan was a talented athlete at a young age and decided that if she wanted to go to a university that she would have to use these gifts as her ticket to afford the high price tag that came with the best schools. This was her dream and to achieve it, she broke it into smaller goals that lead her down the path she knew she could follow and did just that.

Susan practiced her sport and studied harder and longer than she ever had. At 13 years old, she was scouted by an elite prep school in New Hampshire and was offered a full scholarship to attend high school for 4 years. Knowing that the teachers and coaches would be among the best in North America, Susan eagerly accepted and moved to the U.S.A., leaving family and friends to follow a path that would lead her toward fulfilling my greatest dreams.

This new environment put a lot of stress on Susan and she became life threateningly ill the summer after her first year away. Susan was hospitalized and after two weeks in the ICU and after many tests, not eating and rapidly getting worse, the doctors informed her parents that there was not much else they could do and that Susan was dying. Everyone was devastated and with no other options, Susan's parents pleaded that they do something to save her. In a last ditch attempt to identify the sudden cause of this life-threatening illness, Susan had one last exploratory surgery. The procedure miraculously uncovered the root cause, and thus identified the required treatment and her life was spared.

Susan remembers the day the specialists walked into her hospital room with grim looks on their faces, informing her that she would no longer lead a normal life, as the disease had no known cause or cure, only a long term plan for ongoing treatment to keep the symptoms at bay. Susan was devastated, realizing this meant no more hockey or going away to school and what seemed like the end of her dreams.

Not wanting to accept this dark prognosis, and doing her own research, Susan learned of a professional hockey player with the same disease who was still playing and had overcome the odds to become one of the best players in the N.H.L. Susan did her homework and discovered that she could control the symptoms through a very disciplined and healthy lifestyle, including completely changing her dietary and stress management habits. Susan followed a strict regimen that allowed her to regain her health and put her back on track towards fulfilling her dreams and goals.

Susan returned to school in New Hampshire where she studied and practiced, more determined than ever, with the help and mentoring of her coaches and teachers. Susan's perseverance paid off when she turned 18 years old and realized another important goal en route to her biggest dream: She was scouted again, this time by the #1 school in the world, Princeton University. Not only was she accepted into Princeton academically, but her entire tuition was paid for four years, valued at over $200,000 U.S.D. Susan played all 4 years on the NCAA Princeton Women's hockey team, Division One in the E.C.A.C.

Susan graduated in 2004 from Princeton with a Bachelors degree in Sociology and was named to the National Deans List. She returned to Toronto, to play in the National Womens Hockey League (N.W.H.L) for the Toronto Aeros. They won a National Championship and the N.W.H.L Cup which is now on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, with their names engraved on it.

Susan's journey has morphed into wanting to teach and coach along the way. She began interning as a personal trainer the summer after her junior year and studied under the trainers of the Toronto Maple Leafs and other professional athletic teams. Susan worked her way up to Director of Operations before branching out on her own after retiring from professional hockey, to launch Jumpstart: Creating Healthy Lifestyles.

Susan soon realized the limitations of personal training however, as it only allowed her to focus on physical and nutritional coaching, so she decided to go back to school and get certified as a life coach. Susan received her Life Skills Coaching certification from the Y.W.C.A in September of 2008 and her Certified Coaches Alliance and International Coaches Federation accreditation in May of 2009.

Now, Susan is realizing one of her greatest dreams: coaching others. She has successfully drawn from her background as a social scientist and professional athlete, combining her knowledge of human behavior with her experience in setting and achieving high-performance goals, to design a highly-effective and proven strategy for performance coaching. She is passionate about helping people feel good about their lives and themselves, inside and out. Take it from someone who knows, Susan is living proof that dreams do come true, no matter how big the obstacles that stand in your way and that it all begins with one simple goal. Now she is fulfilling what she feels is her true life's purpose: helping others reach their goals too!

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