are you done yet?

what if your sensitivity was never the problem? a conversation with Suzanne Culberg

Apr 10, 2026

Helloo, I’m Jessica! I help coaches & wellness practitioners clarify their positioning and structure their messaging so their website, offers, and content feel aligned and sustainable.

This is Whispers of Inner Power, where I write about my experience and insights on building a sustainable business as a highly sensitive introvert.

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Welcome to the Whispers of Inner Power Interview Series!

Honest conversations with women reshaping the way we think about business & sensitivity.

If you've ever said yes when you meant no, smiled through something you disagreed with, or felt like you’ve kept going with a version of your life that looked fine from the outside while your nervous system whispered this isn't it… Suzanne Culberg is going to feel like a breath of fresh air.

She works with women who are done. Done overgiving, done performing, done waiting to put themselves first. Her work is honest, grounded, and the kind that doesn't let you pretend anymore.

I have been wanting to feature her in this series for a while, and I'm so glad this conversation finally happened.

Hi Suzanne, so good to have you here. Tell us a bit about you and the work you do.

I work with people who are done.

Done putting themselves at the end of a never-ending to-do list.
Done being the reliable one, the accommodating one, the strong one.
Done quietly resenting the very lives they worked so hard to build.

Most of the women I work with are high-functioning and deeply capable. On the outside, they look like they have it handled. On the inside, they are exhausted from overgiving. They are ready to put themselves first without feeling selfish. They just do not know how to go about it without detonating their lives.

That is where I come in.

I help them say no without guilt. Charge properly. Stop performing for approval. Build lives and businesses that do not require self-sacrifice to function.

I am not here to make people nicer. I am here to make them honest.

What led you to start your business?

This is a multi-volume book answer, but here’s the honest version.

Practically, it was my kids.

My husband worked fly-in, fly-out. We were living interstate from family. I was the sole carer for two very young children with no support network. Going back to corporate would have meant handing my life over to a structure that did not fit our reality.

So I started a business. That’s the practical answer.

The deeper answer is exhaustion.

I was the reliable one. The accommodating one. The good girl who could read a room in three seconds and shape-shift accordingly. That skill made me excellent at being liked and terrible at being myself.

I was watching people around me implode. Relationships quietly cracking. Women feeling isolated, resentful, unable to speak up because it felt easier to stay quiet than risk being seen as difficult.

It broke my heart.

I realised I was building a life that looked fine on paper but felt suffocating in my nervous system.

My business began as a whisper. A quiet, steady, “You cannot keep doing this.”

So I stopped trying to be agreeable and started telling the truth. First in small ways. Then publicly. The business grew around that decision.

Most people are chasing outer results to solve inner disconnection.

Was there a moment or a feeling that changed things for you?

Yes.

My first business was in weight loss coaching.

There was a client I worked with who lost over 50 kilograms. A huge physical transformation. I was thrilled for her. I thought, This is it. This is the moment she feels powerful.

At the end of our time together, she looked at me and said, “When am I going to get my transformation?”

I was floored.

From the outside, everything had changed. From the inside, nothing had shifted.

That was the moment I realised most people are chasing outer results to solve inner disconnection.

Lose the weight. Make the money. Start the business. Find the relationship… All in the hope that it will finally quiet the feeling underneath.

Around that same time, I had my own realisation: resentment was not a personality flaw. It was information. Every time I felt irritated, stretched thin, or silently furious, it was because I had said yes when I meant no.

That changed everything.

I stopped trying to help people fix the outside first. I started helping them come home to themselves.

Are there any “rules” of business you’ve chosen to ditch along the way?

Honestly, most of them.

I'm tired of being told there is a correct way to exist online.

That you must be visible every day to matter.
That you must “add value” constantly like you’re a content vending machine.
That you need curated Canva templates and a colour palette that never deviates.
That consistency means repetition instead of integrity.

If that’s someone’s jam, beautiful. Truly. It just isn’t mine.

I don't create because an algorithm expects it. I create because something in me feels ready to say it.

I don't continue offers because they once converted well. If it no longer feels aligned, I stop.

Not in a chaotic, teenage rebellion way. In a regulated, self-trusting way.

My business is allowed to evolve as I evolve. I am not beholden to a strategy that past-me thought was a good idea.

The only rule I have kept is this: If it breeds resentment in me, something needs to change.

I run my business like a human. Not a brand robot.

If it breeds resentment in me, something needs to change.

What are some ways your sensitivity shaped the way you run your business?

My sensitivity is my superpower.

I can feel what is not being said. I can hear the tremor under someone’s confidence. I can spot self-abandonment from across the internet.

For a long time, I thought that sensitivity was the reason I couldn't do what everyone else seemed to do. I couldn't hustle or flood the feed. I couldn't network endlessly without needing three business days to recover.

Now I see it differently. My sensitivity is the reason my work goes deep instead of wide.

The challenge is energy. I can't do volume for the sake of volume. Too many inputs and I shut down. So I stopped trying to build a business that required constant output and constant access.

I built a membership that is intentionally layered. People can engage deeply or quietly. I do not demand performance from my community because I don't want to perform either.

I also price in a way that protects me from resentment. That took years to learn. Cheap does not create safety. It creates volume. Volume creates burnout. I am no longer interested in building something that quietly exhausts me.

And then there is my life context.

I am a mum. My children come first. That is not a secret and it's not an apology.

I run my business around school assemblies, sports carnivals, sick days, last-minute timetable changes and teenage debriefs after hard days. I am at the things. I want to be at the things. Is it sometimes inconvenient? Yes. Does it require flexibility? Absolutely.

But that choice is baked into the foundation of how I work. My business exists to support my life, not replace it. I used to think that made me less serious. Now I know it makes me clear.

What helps you stay grounded or connected when things feel messy or overwhelming?

Honesty.

If something feels off, I say it out loud. Even if my voice shakes.

I step away from noise. No scrolling for research disguised as comparison. No pretending I’m gathering data when I’m actually spiralling.

I come back to the simplest question: Am I abandoning myself right now? If the answer is yes, then it's time to do my own work.

I don't try to do it alone. I talk to a trusted friend who knows my patterns and I have my own coach. I genuinely believe a coach without a coach is like a doctor without a doctor. We all have blind spots.

Having someone outside my day-to-day life who can hold space, ask better questions, and gently call me in when I’m stuck is not a luxury. It’s infrastructure.

Support is not weakness. It’s maintenance.

What are some of the things you’re proud of?

I am proud that my children see me hold boundaries. Not perfectly. Not dramatically. Just consistently.

They are growing up watching a woman choose herself without apology. That matters more to me than any revenue milestone.

I am also proud that they can disagree with me.

Growing up, I was not allowed to. My parents were the authority. Questioning was seen as disrespect. Agreement was expected.

In our home, my kids are allowed to push back. They are allowed to say no to me. They are allowed to hold a boundary, even when I do not love it.

Is it sometimes inconvenient? Absolutely. Does it stretch me? Yes.

But being able to speak your truth is the essence of my work. It would be hollow if it did not start at home.

I am proud that we live in a space where truth is allowed to exist in all directions.

If someone feels like they’re too sensitive or too different to succeed, what would you say to them?

You are not too much. You're just in the wrong rooms.

Sensitivity is not fragility. It's depth. It's being able to read the energy before anyone says a word. The goal is not to harden yourself so you can survive rooms that were never built for you. It's to create rooms you actually want to be in.

As for being different, what makes you different is what makes you memorable.

When you blend into the sea of sameness, you disappear. When you own your quirks, your rhythm, your way of seeing the world, people remember you.

Yes, it can feel scary. The voice in your head will ask, What will people think?

Some will not get it. Good. The ones who do will feel seen in a way they have not felt before.

I am quirky as anything. I don't try to smooth that out anymore. It's part of the signal. The right people tune in because of it, not despite it.

Different is not a liability. It is leadership, just in a form we were not always taught to value.

Yes! And so, if you could sit down with the version of you who hadn’t yet started this journey, what would you tell her?

You tell everyone else “you do you.” Make sure you live by that yourself. Not everyone is going to like you. That’s fine. You don't like everyone either.

Let your freak flag fly. The quirks, the intensity, the directness. The right people will not be put off. They will feel relieved.

Trust that the ones who are meant for you will come along for the ride. You don't have to chase them. You just have to stop hiding.

Also, raise your prices.

Not just for the money. For the self-respect. For the signal to yourself that your work is not a favour. It's a skill.

What does “whispers of inner power” mean to you?

It is the small internal no that you usually override. The slight tightening in your chest when you agree to something you do not actually want. It is the voice that is always there. Not dramatic. Not demanding. Just steady.

Whispers of inner power are less about volume and more about pause. They are the moment you choose to listen in instead of reaching outward for approval.

When we ignore that voice, there are ramifications down the path. Resentment. Burnout. Rage that feels like it came out of nowhere but actually didn’t.

When we listen, our true work begins.

Inner power does not shout. It nudges. The practice is catching the nudge before it has to become a crisis.

Yes! You’re almost saying it better than me :)

Is there anything else you’d love to share with our readers?

You do not need to become a different personality to build a business. You need to become more honest.

Build it in a way your nervous system can sustain. Charge in a way that does not breed resentment. Rest before you are forced to.

Here is something I live by, even if it sounds a little cliché at first glance:

You can be both a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.

What that means to me is this: You do not have to wait until you are fully healed, fully polished, fully certain before you begin. You are already enough to start.

Your best gets to get better.

Instead of looking back and shaming yourself for not knowing more, remember this, you couldn't know what you did not know at the time. Growth is not proof you were inadequate. It is proof you were brave enough to move.

Put the thing out. Let it evolve. Let yourself evolve.

It is far better to create imperfectly and refine as you go than to hide brilliance in a journal that never sees daylight.

You do not need permission to begin. You just need willingness.

Suzanne and I then met for a lovely coffee chat, and we talked about rest as a strategy, resentment as data, and why the "we must endure" mentality is costing us more than we think.

If you're done overgiving and ready to start listening to yourself, this one is for you.

Eavesdrop on our coffee chat below!

Thank you Suzanne for such a generous interview!

If Suzanne's words found you at the right time — as they have a way of doing — I'd highly encourage you to follow her work.

You’ll find her website right here (click), but you can also subscribe to her newsletters (here) and listen to her podcast (give it a go). She also has a facebook account (visit).

My personal recommendation is to dive into her membership the Done Era (*this is my affiliate link): an online space for recovering people-pleasers who are done putting themselves last. Inside, you get real conversations, coaching, truth bombs, gentle accountability, and a community of people who get it. You can join with a seven-day free, obligation-free trial.

Come in, look around, see how it feels in your body ;)

Thank you for being here. I hope something in this conversation gave you permission to start listening to yourself a little more.

Until next time,

Jessica