What’s it like to be pulled from your home at just seven years old and set adrift on the open ocean? How do you survive ten years of brutal storms, danger, and isolation on a small yacht with your family? In this episode, Suzanne Heywood shares the chaos of her childhood spent sailing around the world—constant physical and emotional storms, tight living spaces, and the fight to hold onto hope. She reveals how those raw, unpredictable years forged a resilience that she carried into her career, pushing boundaries and thriving in the corporate world. KEY TOPICS How Suzanne’s father’s quest for status put his family through storms, running low on food, and life at sea for ten years.Living in perpetual motion: How Suzanne coped with isolation, chaos, and a lack of control over her own life.Why Suzanne clung to education as her lifeline—and the extreme lengths she went to just to get off the boat. From isolation to Oxford: The pivotal steps Suzanne took to earn her freedom and chart her own course. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro: Defeating Bad Decision-Making in Life and Business 00:50 When Sanger Lived on Ramen 03:13 Introducing Suzanne Heywood 04:21 Suzanne’s Family’s Decision to Sail Around the World 06:37 Early Childhood Questions About the Voyage 09:00 Suzanne’s Father’s Motivation for the Voyage 11:25 Questionable Parental Decisions 13:41 Dangers and Limited Food on the Boat 16:04 Life at Sea: Loneliness, Limited Friendships, and Schooling 18:28 Food Shortages 20:46 Stuck on the Boat 23:10 A Manipulated “Vote” to Keep Sailing 32:55 Education as Suzanne’s Escape from the Boat 40:01 Limited Communication and Correspondence Challenges 47:08 Sacrifices Made to Pursue Education 49:33 Struggles of University Life and Financial Hardships 51:56 Suzanne’s Reflections on Parental Choices and Financial Strain 57:26 Suzanne Heywood’s Decision-Making Tip for Business Owners 57:48 Key Takeaways 59:47 Message from the Producer CONNECT WITH US www.decidedlypodcast.com Watch this episode on YouTube Subscribe on YouTube Join us on Instagram: @decidedlypodcast Join us on Facebook Shawn’s Instagram: @shawn_d_smith Sanger’s Instagram: @sangersmith Thank you to Shelby Peterson of Transcend Media for editing and post-production of the Decidedly podcast. SANGER’S BOOK: A Life Rich with Significance: Transforming Your Wealth to Meaningful Impact SHAWN’S BOOK: Plateau Jumping: What to Change When Change Is What You Want MAKING A FINANCIAL DECISION? At Decidedly Wealth Management, we focus on decision-making as the foundational element of success, in our effort to empower families to purposefully apply their wealth to fulfill their values and build a thriving legacy. LEARN MORE: www.decidedlywealth.com SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001aeU_pPBHJPNJWJBdVbaci6bjGIuEJurH12xHBWDEVT_NxyCadMd7wLSZjcEZglkSjDjehuIbTHD8nABOIdV69ctfYpSzg24RCIytetBUrlIPPKgaGzjGZ8DkM0Wp1LMjbErcYUur7PbZGjeVo4gyXlz821AoJGZR CONNECT WITH SUZANNE HEYWOOD Website: www.suzanneheywood.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanneheywood Facebook: www.facebook.com/suzanne.heywood Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzanneheywood1 Suzanne Heywood’s story is anything but typical. At just seven years old, she was pulled from her home and set adrift on a small yacht with her family, facing ten years of brutal storms, danger, and isolation on the world’s most unforgiving oceans. It’s a tale of grit and survival that shaped her into the powerhouse she is today. Now a respected business leader, Suzanne is here to share her wild, unfiltered journey, captured in her memoir, Wavewalker.
