What happens when life hits you with multiple crises all at once, leaving no time to recover before the next wave arrives?

In this powerful finale of the 4-part Health in Wealth® series, host Anna Ramos sits down with acclaimed author and leadership expert Susan Ford Collins to explore one of the most raw and transformative periods of her life.

After enduring a devastating tornado and hurricane, followed by her partner Albert and sister being diagnosed with cancer, her daughter facing a severe medical crisis, and navigating her own cancer diagnosis, Susan found herself in a state of cognitive and emotional overload she defines as "Blur."

In this episode, Susan and Anna dive deep into:

· What "Blur" feels like and why our brains freeze under compounded trauma.

· The psychological skill of viewing trauma from the third person to process pain without re-traumatizing the body.

· The power of "updating your memory database" to heal unresolved questions and find closure.

· Why having tough conversations about end-of-life wishes and estate planning is essential for those we love.

· How to reignite your Reticular Activating System (RAS) and create a "Dream Room" to build a meaningful future again.

Whether you are navigating grief, unexpected life transitions, or caregiving fatigue, this conversation offers grounded wisdom, practical recovery skills, and heartfelt encouragement to help you reclaim clarity, trust, and purpose.

Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction: Coping with Cumulative LifeCrises

02:18 - Introducing Blur: Clear the Way Ahead

05:09 - The 2017 Storms: When Physical & MentalChaos Struck

07:44 - Navigating Overwhelming Medical Diagnoses &Loss

10:35 - What is "Blur"? UnderstandingCognitive Overload

14:30 - Stepping Back: Viewing Trauma Like a MovieScreen

18:18 - Updating the Mental Database with TrustedMemories

21:34 - Rebuilding Vision: How to Dream AgainStep-by-Step

25:50 - Having Difficult End-of-Life & FuturePlanning Conversations

31:13 - Seeking the Right Support System in Hard Times

36:18 - Finding Resilience Through Past Hardships &Creative Outlets

42:00 - Series Finale Reflections: Finding Clarity

We invite you to spend time with this honest, deeply personalconversation, especially if you or someone you love is moving through a seasonthat feels difficult to make sense of.

Subscribe to Amida World on YouTube or your favourite listening channeland listen to the full episode of Health in Wealth®.

What happens when the way we’ve always worked or led no longer fits the season we’re in?

Susan Ford Collins joins Ana Ramos on Amida’s Health in Wealth® podcast to explore leadership, personal growth and knowing when to shift gears. In Part 3 of our four-part Special Edition, BEHIND THE BOOK, we discover the experiences and collaboration that shaped Success Has Gears, co-authored with Richard Israel.

For Ana, this conversation is deeply personal. More than 20 years after working with Susan, she reflects on an idea that stayed with her as she changed careers, built businesses and learned to lead in her own way.

Through stories from their lives and workplaces, Susan and Ana explore three gears: learning something new, building momentum through production, and creating new possibilities. Each asks something different of us and of the people supporting our growth.

Together, they consider how we can give people room to learn, recognize contributions, listen to ideas wherever they emerge and notice when the pressure to keep producing is affecting our health and relationships. Susan also returns to Success Filing, her practice of recording the everyday wins we can so easily overlook.

The conversation invites us to consider our own wealth being™, and how the ways we work and lead support the lives we want to create.

IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 When the way we lead needs to change
02:32 The book that connected Ana and Susan
05:23 When leadership doesn’t match someone’s stage of growth
07:52 Ana’s experience of controlling leadership
13:16 The pressure to keep producing
15:37 Supporting learning, performance and creativity
17:01 Applying the gears to our personal lives
21:42 Moving beyond autopilot
26:07 Values, mind mapping and the collaboration behind the book
29:27 The changing workforce that helped shape Success Has Gears
33:01 Rethinking the criticism we still carry
33:51 Listening to ideas from across the team
36:23 Success Filing and the flexibility to shift
37:52 When constant production affects our wellbeing
41:00 Sharing a clear vision and inviting your team’s ideas
47:37 Recognizing what this season asks of us
49:13 Looking ahead to Blur

Where in your life might a different gear give you room to grow?

We invite you to follow Health in Wealth® and join Ana and Susan for the final conversation in this Special Edition, exploring Blur. Share this episode with someone navigating a change in their work, leadership or life.