THE ONES WHO DARED
THE ONES WHO DARED PODCAST Elevating stories of courage. You can listen to some of the most interesting stories of courage, powerful life lessons, and aha moments. Featuring interviews with leaders, pioneers and people who have done hard things. I hope these stories help pave the path for you to live out your courageous life.
THE ONES WHO DARED
She Was Given 24 Hours to Live - Then Built a Global Wellness Brand for Millions | Amy Suzanne
What would you do if you were told you had 24 hours to live—while pregnant? In this powerful episode, Amy Suzanne, the CEO and founder of Pink Stork, unpacks her incredible journey from near-death health battles to building a thriving global wellness brand from her garage. Amy shares how her faith, resilience, and determination not only helped her survive but inspired her to help millions of women navigate their own health journeys. A mom of six, military spouse, and advocate for inclusion, Amy's story is raw, real, and will leave you encouraged.
Get ready to be inspired by what it really means to turn pain into purpose.
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Welcome to the Ones who Dare podcast. I'm your host, vekka, and today's guest is an incredible woman whose personal health battles launched into a global wellness brand. Amy Suzanne is the CEO and founder of Pink Stork, a woman-owned and operated wellness brand born from a place of desperation and propelled by faith and determination. After enduring multiple pregnancies filled with life-threatening illness and even being told that she has 24 hours to live due to severe blood infection, amy refused to accept defeat. Can you guys imagine being told that you have 24 hours to live? Like how will that rock your world? But she didn't allow that to knock her down. Instead, she found healing through natural and holistic remedies developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals and launched Pink Stork in 2015 from her garage as a military spouse. You guys, incredible, don't you also love a good garage founder story? And now she's determined to help women who are navigating similar hardships that she once did. And another thing that I love about Amy is she is also a devoted mother of six. One of her youngest has Down syndrome, which has inspired Amy to advocate for inclusion and shape Pink Stork's inclusive culture. She's also a strong believer of standing firm on her principles, even if it means being turned down with business opportunities. You guys are going to love Amy and you're going to be inspired by her story of faith and grit. And also she was recently featured in Empowered, a documentary hosted by Meg Ryan. If you don't leave inspired by someone who not only had 24 hours to live, but someone who has just determination and grit I don't know what else I can bring you guys, so tune in and enjoy.
Speaker 1:Hey friends, welcome to the Ones who Dared podcast, where stories of courage are elevated. I'm your host, becca, and every other week you'll hear interviews from inspiring people. My hope is that you will leave encouraged. I'm so glad you're here, amy. Thank you for coming on to the Once With your Podcast. Thank you so much for having me. Well, amy, I've been following you on social media and really just inspired by your story, which is why I wanted to have this conversation and for you to share your story with the listeners so they can be encouraged as well. And I'm honored to interview you because you're not only the CEO and founder of Pink Stork, a global wellness company, but you're also a mom of six and you have faced a life-threatening pregnancy. So can you share with us a little bit about your story leading up to you founding Pink Stork that's now impacting so many women around the globe.
Speaker 2:Yes, no, of course, I feel like, in a way, a lot of people might not be able to relate to the story, but they all. Everyone has their own story right, right yeah.
Speaker 2:So this is my story and it started, you know, when I was young. I really struggled with my body, with pregnant, with not pregnancies with my period, so I never really had a period and I was told that I probably wasn't going to be able to have kids. So when my husband and I first got married and then I find out two weeks later that I am pregnant, it was a huge shock to myself and my husband. At the time he was in the military, so we had just moved to Virginia and I didn't know anyone. And here I am, I find myself pregnant and battling what I thought was morning sickness, but I've come to realize, or they came to tell me, that it was actually hyperemesis gravidarum, which is what 1% of pregnant women face, and I just explain it as like morning sickness on steroids.
Speaker 2:So I was, you know, throwing up multiple times a day, living in the hospital, eight tubes, PICC lines, like just everything that they could to really keep me, as you know, from going into dehydration. At one point I had a PICC line put in me and my PICC line got infected with a senobacter, which is also pretty rare. Um, it shut down entire hospitals before, and that's when the doctor. I was about 24 weeks pregnant at this point and he told me that my baby and I had about 24 hours left to live. So I stand here today to say that that doctor was wrong.
Speaker 2:And it was definitely a plan that God had for my life. But at the moment in time I did not understand what was happening. I felt so out of control with my body, with life, with what was going on. I didn't, I just didn't understand. And I remember always asking God like, why me? Why is this happening? I don't get this.
Speaker 2:You know, growing up I was an athlete. I was used to my body performing, so to speak, and this just really kind of hit hard for me because it was my body was shutting down. So I thought and I did this four more times I got pregnant oh my goodness. But I know the hyperemesis again. Luckily I didn't contract any more butt infections, but it was still a challenge as we were moving all around the country and my husband was deployed and missed two of the pregnancies and births.
Speaker 2:So there were different challenges that came through those experiences and with my fourth one is where I really just hit a wall and I said like I can't do this anymore, I'm done. And I got with a team of doctors and I said I really want to just take a different approach with my body. Previously I'd just been pumped up on meds and fluids and it just it wasn't. They kept me alive, but I wasn't thriving. I wasn't able to take care of my own kids. It wasn't, you know, I was just like isolated in a hospital by myself. So they we started like researching and basically what we did was came up with this, really this protocol, which is now Pink Store, but this protocol of just vitamins and supplements and herbs that I was going to use to help combat my challenging pregnancies, and it was I mean when I say it was a game changer.
Speaker 2:It was a game changer for me and I am always like it was so simple, like how did I, how did I miss this, you know, with my previous pregnancies? But it was really just about putting in high quality vitamins and nutrients to my body, giving it what it needed. And I had an amazing experience. And I knew that from that fourth pregnancy, from that fourth experience, that God, god, had kind of allowed me to go through these challenging times. It wasn't about me, it was about helping other women. And so that's when it really placed on my heart to start a company that would help other women with their bodies and their own challenges that they're facing every day, to be able to support them with natural products and ingredients and vitamins. So then Pink Spark was born.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, that's pretty incredible and like, through your trials, you were able to create a solution because you had a problem that you were like what is this? There's got to be another way. And in your early days, what did that look like? Was it a hit and miss trials of trying different supplements, seeing what works that led you to essentially create a business out of your garages in the beginning?
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, 100 percent. You know I always say I was willing to try anything. So, um, I, I've tried anything. I work. You know, even in my previous pregnancies I was willing to like try anything, but with the fourth one I was really, I guess I'd narrowed it down to try anything within, you know, the natural realm, really focusing on gut health and vitamins and nutrients to make the body stronger. And so, yes, I was taking everything and I still feel like I'm doing that today, not so much for pregnancies but just for women's bodies, like I was just going through a bunch of R&D products that were sent to me. So, in a way, I'm still doing exactly what I was doing, you know, those, those in those beginning years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and also so you're raising a family. Your husband's deployed part of the time, right, You're growing this business. How did you keep yourself going in those early days? Because, as being an entrepreneur myself too, I know that there's really hard seasons, especially when you're trying to launch this business, baby?
Speaker 2:in a sense, yeah, no, that's a great question, and I I don't know if I know like have any how to answer that question, because I felt like I was just doing what I was called to do every day. I am really good at prioritizing my time and I don't have a problem saying no, so I think that probably really helped me. I was focused on my family, I was focusing on, you know, supporting my husband while he was gone, and I was focused on, you know, helping other women with their bodies and and those were my priorities and anything that didn't fit into that, you know, I said no to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess it's. It's as the saying goes, that when you know your why, you can figure out anyhow right. So when you know your mission and why you're doing something, it's like no, we're going to focus and keep going.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's. I've never even heard that. When you know your why, you know your how.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so when you know your why, you can figure out any how so the how is doesn't become an issue. It's like there's a way to do this, if I know why I'm doing what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and I felt like, well, maybe that's why it was so easy then, because I, you know, when I was laying in bed, I was like why me, like, why is this happening to me? And then I finally got that answer. So, so yeah, the how took care of itself, even though it was. It's very busy, it's a lot of work.
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Speaker 2:A sense of hope, a sense of peace, a sense of comfort that you know they're not the only ones that struggle with their bodies. And I think being really vulnerable is hard for women. It's hard for me and, even though I like to think I'm very vulnerable, it's something I have to be very intentional about being I'm very vulnerable, it's something I have to be very intentional about being. Um, because I do think it's so easy to kind of put a guard up and be like, oh, I'll fix that problem later, I'll address this later. But I think being vulnerable with yourself and saying like, no, I'm not my best self right now, like there are some things I need to work on, and, um, I hope that women feel the support when they decide to maybe they've already decided, but when you are vulnerable, you know they feel supported through those seasons of life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean, and essentially, our health is so many different pillars, right, it's not just physical health, there's the spiritual, the emotional wellness, there's so many our mental health, all of that is combined together. And I think when we approach health from the traditional medical standpoint, they're just essentially trained to treat the symptoms by giving you a product, to say, okay, if you have X, here's Y, and then your symptoms will go away. And that's not all doctors, of course, but in general, that is the standard practice is tell us what your symptoms are. And so when you had symptoms that were uncurable by doctors or unexplainable, it's like let me dig more into what is happening here. How can I fix this and find my own path? So I love that you didn't just stop there. You allow this to carve a different way of like. How can I find the solution for this? Because this isn't okay. And now that problem is helping so many women. You have over, like what? Over a hundred products by now.
Speaker 2:I think, yeah 157 products and we've got 12 more coming out, so lots of products to be able to address all sorts of challenges that women face with their bodies.
Speaker 1:And you have some things for like premenopause and menopause as well, because that's a hot topic too. Now that's being vulnerably shared on the internet, which before it was such a taboo.
Speaker 2:I love it, I love it, it's great. But, yes, lots of products for the perimenopause phase and the menopause phase as well. So you know, as women we have very delicate, complicated bodies that need support and that need to be looked at, not just from oh, you have X going on. Here's the solution, because it's a little different for everyone and it does encompass her mental, physical, emotional state, spiritual too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I also love the part about your story is how you were just bold and going for it and I know you said it's because you had to figure out what's going on and create that solution. But what would you say to someone listening? Maybe they feel like they need to do something, but they're just really scared to take that initial step.
Speaker 2:Right, they need to do something, but they're just really scared to take that initial step, Right. I would say I mean it's funny that you say that, but I don't feel like I was like that because I really grappled with like I was angry, I was frustrated. I would say it's okay to feel that way If you don't feel like stepping out yet, like give yourself a little bit of time, feel those emotions of fear, and you know not understanding things that that is okay. I don't want people to just bypass that and jump, because I do think that working through those emotions will help you get to the place where you do just take the leap of faith and get there, but don't suppress any of those feelings, because they're going to help lead you to that place where you're trying to go. It's part of the journey. I guess is what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's such a good point too, because sometimes you do have to wrestle with that and figure out more you know before just kind of blindly jumping into it. There's an aspect of being bold and just taking that step. And then there's, you know, the wisdom of having all the figuring out some things prior to taking that big step.
Speaker 2:Yes, I like to think of that like roots in the ground, like those roots are digging deep and they're going to serve you for a really long time. So really develop those strong roots because, no matter what it is, whatever you're being called to, I guarantee you that you're going to need those roots.
Speaker 1:Call to I guarantee you that you're going to need those rates? Yes for sure. Well, Amy, as a CEO and wife, mom of six, your leadership style looks a little bit different from the typical corporate model. You have a very community-based brand, which is amazing. How would you describe your leadership styles, and what values do you feel shape the way that you lead your team? I'm incredibly selective about the supplements I choose for me and my family, and Soursop Nutrition Gummies by BeMe Beyond Medicine have become a family favorite. Not only are they packed with incredible benefits, but they're so delicious that everyone in my family enjoys them. Introducing Soursop Cell Plus Immunity Gummies the first ever physician-backed Soursop supplements in the US, Expertly formulated with Soursop, elderberry and echinacea, designed to enhance your wellbeing. Experience the benefits of soothing inflammation, balancing blood sugars, relieving stress and anxiety and strengthening your immune system. Use my code Svetka, that's S-V-E-T-K-A on Soursopnutritioncom and get 5% off today and get 5% off today.
Speaker 2:My leadership style, I would say I have really high expectations for myself and my team. So, while I do it because I feel so called to serve other people and so I want to make sure that excellence is a part of my leadership style I really strive to have the best teams and the best what I call players on our team. That way we can best serve women all around the world. So I set the bar really high. I have high expectations for my team. I also love people to fail. I always tell them fail, like failing is how you learn, and that's how this company came to be is because I allowed myself room to fail and grow and learn, and I really want to empower my team to be able to do the same to grow and learn and fail and have the room to fail.
Speaker 2:I'm a big. I move really fast. I have a lot of things happening in my life and outside of work. Work is just one part of it. So I'm very protective of my time and I expect a lot from people. I expect a lot from people because there are so many aspects, I think, to my life. It's not just I'm just working and this is all I have. I have six kids at home. You know. I've got a special needs child. I've got my husband, I've got family, friends. I'm very big on work life. I don't think there's such thing as balance, but I think there's such thing as but I think there's a thing as prioritizing that, and so I prioritize that in the time that I lot to for work, I expect everything to get done in that time in an excellent manner and to move fast. I would say I'm pretty fast. I also say I'm very friendly, like down to earth. I feel like that sounds a little scary, but I am very casual too.
Speaker 1:I guess you could say Sarah Blakely is the Spanx founder and she talked about how her dad, at dinnertime, would always ask them where did you fail? And when they share the stories, it's like he rewarded them, he applauded them for like he expected them to have a story of failure every dinner, essentially, and that just taught her that failing is important to success. And you know, anybody who succeeded has failed multiple times over or had multiple businesses before they launched the one that worked, or a product. You know you tried this one and that one and that didn't work, and this prototype is not working. And then you get to the final one that's like, ah yes, but if you never allowed yourself to fail, you would have never got there. So I'm curious to how do you cultivate that in your team of a having high expectations but then also saying, hey, it's okay to fail?
Speaker 2:Right. So we have core values and one of our core values is entrepreneurial spirit, and I, everyone within the company, every month, gets evaluated on how they're doing with our core values. And so under the entrepreneur spirit is is failure. And so under the entrepreneur spirit is failure. And so we talk every month about how people are failing and how they're learning and how they're growing under that core value of encompassing that entrepreneurial spirit of failure. Try and figure it out. No, is just another way to get to where we're going. So the whole company. It doesn't matter what position you have, you get evaluated on that.
Speaker 1:I love that. That is amazing and teams need that, so that's one way to cultivate an amazing community that you built as well. What is the legacy you hope to leave with everything that you're building?
Speaker 2:That's a great question too. So I'm you know I've turned down multiple offers for the company before from organizations that obviously want to come in and purchase it and I I feel like Pinkstork has such a special message to bring to the world, especially in the space of wellness and women's wellness and women's wellness. I hope you know so I'm not trying to. I don't want to sell this company. I want this to be a legacy company where the message, the mission is really protected for future generations, for our granddaughters. Um, and I hope the message continues to stay the same where women feel supported and seen and heard and loved. Um, I bring faith into my business, I bring it into every area of my life. So you know, I always say we're guided by God's love and compassion here with everything that we do at Pinkstork and I hope for generations that that continues to be part of the mission, of why we exist.
Speaker 1:That's so beautiful. I love that. Well, what would you say, having been through yourself, you've been through really hard times of a having 24 hours to live. Not many of us get that. You know, this is your diagnosis. Or what would you say to someone who's really in the middle of something really hard and they just feel like they can't grasp the surface?
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean, I would say it's hard, for one for sure it's, it's really hard. But I would say, if you can really hold on to faith and learn to trust that this is just a part of your story, not the end of your story. Um's really what's you know? Looking, coming from where I sit today, I thought it was the end of my story and I didn't understand. So, learning that you know it's just you're going to have these hard times throughout your journey and that that's not where the story ends, it's just part of the path that you're on and I think everyone has those hard moments. It's not just you know you or me, we all have our own stories and things. So it's just part of the journey, but you get to control the destiny where you're going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and would you say how much of it has been the either faith, mindset or the vision that you have as far as like your thoughts? Right, Because our thoughts create our reality. So have have you applied that Like? I'm just curious to see how you use that.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm a I'm a huge believer on you know your, your mind controls your body. So what, what you think about yourself, what you say to yourself, really matters and it's really going to dictate, I think, how you know how, where you're going, where you're going. So having a really positive mindset is so important. And I, I don't. You can have a positive mindset and still be angry. You can have a positive mindset and still be frustrated or still not understand why. But I do think that having a positive mindset is so important to your destiny and where you're going and helping you get there. Because I don't know. I just remember, like I said laying there, being like why, why, why. But I also knew deep down that there was a sense. I said laying there, being like why, why, why. But I also knew deep down that there was a sense of peace, that God was in control and that this was just part of my journey, not the end of my story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so beautiful, I mean, and that can keep you going, because it's like wait, I don't have to take this diagnosis that the doctors are telling me today. It doesn't have to define who I am and like, if you don't agree with that, you know you're fighting for that internally.
Speaker 2:Right, right, yes, and you need your, your mental. You need that mental clarity, you need that mental toughness, so to speak, to be able to get through those moments where maybe they are saying you only have 24 hours to live or that this is the end of the road for you. And that's why I do think that entrepreneurial like no, this isn't the end of the road, this is just a path, this is just a turn, a twist to where you're going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. What are top three transformational pivotal books that you read? Oh, they kind of change depending on the season, right? It's like oh wait, I love this one right now depending on the season.
Speaker 2:Um, let's see, I've I've been rereading the book mindset, um, which is really good, by Carol Dwight. Oh, yeah, that is a really good one. Yeah, that's a good one. Um, I'm trying to think also, I, I love, I love bibliographies, so I read as many bibliographies as I can. I'm trying to think of I read about 10 books all at once, so this is Same, I know.
Speaker 1:I'm like and I have a book in my bathroom. There's books on my nightstand and like everywhere.
Speaker 2:And my husband, yes, and like my husband's, like there's books on my nightstand and like everywhere and my husband's like what's going on?
Speaker 1:when I go to the sauna at the gym I have a book. It's just like you know a little crazy.
Speaker 2:So there's I always have. I feel like I'm always trying to collect information, but I really resonate with autobiographies or biographies. So I love to read other people's stories because I feel like you can draw inspiration from other people's lives. Walt Disney was really interesting I was actually just rereading that. Charlie Wungers is really good I'm trying to think actually Anne Frank. So my daughter's reading Anne Frank. We're reading that together no-transcript.
Speaker 1:you know, maybe I'm not going to open my own wellness company, but I know that I can overcome this or take some of her advice and pieces of wisdom that you share to be applied in their lives. So I love that. Yes, so, amy, what is the bravest thing that you have ever done?
Speaker 2:that's an interesting question too. I feel like your questions are so good. They're making me really think the bravest thing I've ever done. I don't necessarily know if I would call myself brave. I think when I think of that, I think like what is my fear? Like what's the opposite of brave? Like what am I scared of? Um, I don't necessarily know if I have a lot of fear in my life. I'm not. I'm not one to be afraid of things. But you know when I would say another thing is my son, my youngest son, has Down syndrome and I felt a lot of fear.
Speaker 2:I didn't feel brave. I felt a lot of fear during that pregnancy when they were telling me hey, you know, it's about 95% chance that he's going to be born with Down syndrome. And I grappled with that a lot during that pregnancy, using the emotions and the highs and the lows. So if anyone out there has a special needs child, you might understand this. But I feel like raising him.
Speaker 2:He's two now and he makes me brave. I feel like he helps me be brave every day. He just has such a positive outlook on life and every day is his best day. He's living his best life every single day and I just love that perspective that he allows me to have to gain. Um, just watching him and all those little moments where you're making decisions and it's going to affect other people's lives, whether it's you know customers or potential customers or our employees here and so, um, I don't know he has to give me a perspective on on being brave. I don't know if I have to give me a perspective on being brave, I don't know if I have. What is the bravest thing, but I feel like you know, there was obviously a point where they said do you want to terminate the pregnancy because of him having Down syndrome? And absolutely not. So he's just, he's such a blessing in my whole family's life. I feel like to this world. Really he's an angel in this world.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is so special. I love that you went from your doctors telling you you can't have any kids at all, you'll never get pregnant, to having six. Like wow, that's incredible. And the last question is, before we wrap up, is what is the best advice that someone gave you?
Speaker 2:I think, as a mom, as a woman that's also running a company I forget exactly who said it to me, but she said you can have it all, just not at the same time, and that helps me. You know, there's a time and season for everything in life, and so when the Amy in me wants to get things done and move faster and get all you know has all these great plans for everything, reminding myself that I can have it all, just not all at the same time, is really important for me. I love that. I always go back to that.
Speaker 1:That is such good advice and I feel like another guest on the podcast has said that too and they're just like it transformed my life. It's like, okay, I can have it all, just not all at once. You know, because everything is an exchange. Right, when you're investing, when there's a season of essential, like growth for your company, for example, you have to put a lot more time or effort, energy into that season, and then you launch that product and now you can let off a bit and you can focus on other things. And, yes, some people are misunderstanding in a sense that it's like, oh my gosh, how do you do it all all the things? But it's like, okay, it's also like you said, time management, prioritizing and not doing it all at once because we can't. We can only handle so much.
Speaker 1:Well, amy, I know your time is so precious, so thank you so much for being on the Once we Dare podcast and inspiring women all over the world. Well, thank you for having me. Thank you for listening to the Once we Dare podcast. It is an honor to share these encouraging stories with you. If you enjoy the show, I would love for you to tell your friends, leave us a reviewer rating and subscribe to wherever you listen to podcasts, because this helps others discover the show. You can find me on my website, zvekapopovcom.