Taking Action
The podcast with no faff, no fuss and no fanfare, just people who have taken action to make us more connected or build healthy relationships or help others deal with hardship and trauma
Taking Action
Taking Action with the Real David Cameron and Suzanne Zeedyk, ACEs Campaigner
I know that people can listen to this podcast anytime, but it is being posted as the Christmas edition for 2025 and it is, appropriately, a cracker!!
Suzanne Zeedyk has been mentioned in a number of the earlier episodes and has, clearly, been hugely influential in the efforts to make sure that the Scottish public is a familiar as possible with the science of ACEs. The idea for this "Taking Action” series stemmed from Suzanne's vision for a year of celebration to mark the 20 years of Scotland's ACE's journey. Many of the guests have come from connections that shehas fostered.
For all of these reasons it seems wonderfully appropriate to mark the last of our 2025 episodes with her thoughts. It is also appropriate that this is the first of two episodes that we will record with Suzanne. We plan to take a break over Christmas and New Year and return on the 9th of January when we will feature Warren Larkin, Professor, Consultant, Speaker, Trainer, Psychologist and more, giving us reflections our achievements in Scotland from an external perspective. This will be our “looking in" episode. We will then follow that with the redoubtable Karyn McCluskey and John Carnochan (the "redoubtable" applies to both of them!!!) talking about the original establishment of the Violence Reduction Unit in 2005, which kick started the efforts being marked in this year of celebration. It will be our "looking back" episode.
After that we will conclude the series with Suzanne and I jointly "looking forward”.
In the meantime, please enjoy this episode which reviews the series so far, exploring Suzanne's background and current work, which stands alongside what she has done in the 15 years she has been working with the public.
Here are lots of links to explore if you want to contact Suzanne or find out more and follow up some of the aspects of our discussion.
- Suzanne’s website: www.suzannezeedyk.com
- connected baby website: www.connectedbaby.net
- Article written by Suzanne (2023) on the history of the ACEs Movement in Scotland:https://connectedbaby.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ACEs-Journey-Article-.pdf
- Graphic booklet on Scotland’s ACEs Journey, created by connected baby: https://connectedbaby.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ACEs-Journey-book-screen-190625.pdf
- Article by Suzanne (2022) on disseminating science to the public, in which she takes about the power of stories: https://mindinmind.org.uk/thought-pieces/science-of-attachment/
- Discussion with Piers Cross and Suzanne Zeedyk (2020) on boarding school trauma: https://www.piers-cross.com/aem-podcast-36-suzanne-zeedyk-ph-d-aem-36-suzanne-zeedyk-developmental-psychologist-attachment-theory-aces-trauma-boarding-school
- Substack articles on Fierce Curiosity: https://suzannezeedyk.substack.com/
- Feedback video on Daring Ventures Programme in Fife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw9GLoV3Sz0
- What Then Must We Do by Tolstoy: https://philoonbooks.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/what-then-must-we-do-by-leo-tolstoy/