Meet Sue Rasmussen

My grandma used to tell the story of how, when we visited them at their lake cabin summer home (still my favorite place on earth) when I was a little girl, I would go around the already immaculate cabin and straighten things up, sweep, and ask if I could move the furniture around.

I thought that was just as much fun as swimming in the lake, catching frogs in the woods, swinging on the hammock, and picking blueberries!

And growing up as a teenager, I was always rearranging the furniture of our homes, not only in my own room but also in our living room, family room, and basically any room I could get my hands on. I didn’t know the terms or philosophy for any of what I was doing; I simply wanted the room to 'feel better.'

Luckily, I had the kind of parents who let me move and rearrange and organize to my heart’s content. My sister, I'm sure, wasn’t always so thrilled...

I was also constantly organizing and re-organizing my stuff…my drawers and my closets (you should have seen my lovely shoe racks!), my planning-for-school schedule, anything that needed arranging, I was arranging it.

Fast forward several years...the next major level of my love of creating space of a different kind came after divorcing my husband in 1998. We had gotten caught up in the 'more is better' mentality, and created lives that were fairly complicated. I was working crazy hours every week, doing work I didn't love, and surrounding myself with stuff to make up for it.

At that time, after realizing that I had completely changed myself to fit the person I was married to (and the 'myself' I had created was not at all in touch with who I really was), I decided that it was time to review my life, my activities, the people I spent time with, and, of course, all of my stuff and my living environment.

The process of simplifying, clearing out years of clutter, and making very conscious decisions about what I wanted to keep in my life and what I wanted to let go was absolutely transformational for me.

I moved to a home that completely inspired me. I left a career that wasn't uplifting in any way (except for the fact that it paid me very well) and created a new career that delighted me to the core. I created a community of wonderful friends who completely supported me just as I am.

I completely transformed every aspect of my life, simply by taking a good look at everything in it and deciding what could stay, what needed to go (what I now call clutter!), and what else I wanted to add.

If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur, check out Sue Rasmussen and Business to see how I learned the impact clutter is having on your business results.

"Tell me about yourself."

What I love: family, friends, great conversations with people I love, dark chocolate, books by Elaine St. James, pretty toenail polish, sunrises in the desert, Northern Lights, and my Border Terriers Coco and Harry (I believe dogs have the answers to life - they know how to be present in the moment, play often, and enjoy their food!)

My favorite activities: Hiking up a mountain in the desert, doing yoga in the morning, walking a labyrinth, working on my mosaics, custom painting old wooden furniture, finding new little off-the-beaten-track restaurants, swing and salsa dancing, watching great movies, decorating, and reading.

My favorite place in the world: the dock at Kabekona Lake in Minnesota, early in the morning before anyone else is awake.

My not-so-secret quirk: I love to organize my closets! Is it any wonder I do what I do? :)

"What is your background?"

Professional Experience:

My background includes business development, personal branding, marketing, and program development for companies in France as well as for employees and consultants of major US companies including Motorola, Boeing, and American Express.

After working in the corporate arena for 12 years, I shifted my focus to private practitioners, working with the top marketing coaches in the country to coach the clients of such companies as Peter Montoya, Inc. and Successful Professionals.

I have worked with over 3000 small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants in 27 countries in a variety of fields, coaching the owners on niche marketing, personal branding, and growing their businesses.

In addition to working with my clients one-on-one, I specialized in leading small business development groups. I'm a Certified Teleclass Leader with Teleclass International and Teleclass.com and a former teleclass-leading faculty member of Coach U, specializing in leading marketing, practice management, and small business success and development classes.

Educational Background:

I'm a magna cum laude graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, receiving a double major in French and Business Administration, with an international business emphasis. I completed my undergraduate business studies at the l'Institut de Gestion de Rennes in Rennes, France (an international management institute).

Coach Training/Credentials:

I'm a graduate and former faculty member of Coach U, which is considered one of the premier coach training programs in the world.

I have also achieved the highest coaching credentialing level of Master Certified Coach (MCC) from the International Coach Federation. To date, there are only 600 Master Certified Coaches worldwide. I'm also a former member of both the Coach Inc. and ICF credentialing assessor teams which work to uphold the quality and integrity of coaching worldwide.

Affiliations and Memberships:

• International Coach Federation (ICF). The International Coach Federation is the professional association of personal, business, and marketing coaches that seeks to preserve the integrity of coaching around the globe.
• Coach U. The leading global provider of coach training programs.
• CoachVille. A world-wide community for coaching, coaches, and coach training.

For more info, check out my Fast Facts.

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