“If you keep a journal for three months and never miss a day, I promise you, you will find your voice.”
That is the direction Susan “Honey” Good received after encountering a writer one day, and expressing her desire to find purpose.
In her interview with us we both quietly exclaimed “Wow” as we paused, stumped by the simplicity of this statement. Fulfilling that advice has catapulted Good’s career to its inspiring place today. She had never considered herself to be a writer although she does remember keeping a diary as a little girl. Because of her “go-getter” approach to life, she started on a journey that has led her to become the voice and inspiration to so many women over the age of fifty,
“You have to just go for it! Because if you don’t try, you’ll never know, and if you don’t succeed, at least you know you tried. This all began as a hobby. I had no idea, nor did I plan on eventually having over 200,000 women following me on my blog and my social media channels!”
Honey believes her success happened because of her openness and because she intentionally takes the time, every day, to reply to all the comments she receives. That exchange with her followers is her greatest joy. She believes the Honey Good brand has reached the level where it is today because it comes from a place of joy, of wanting to give back and of being grateful. She recognizes that she is an inspiration, including to the 20% of men who visit her website.
Good is relatable as a woman, a wife, a mother and a grandmother. She feels that, “My story is their story.” Good receives such great feedback and support from so many women over 50 due to the honesty of her life story and the helpful “how to” tips and the “Honeyisms” she shares.
“We all have to take control of our lives and find a mantra for what fulfills us .To be a fulfilled woman takes determination and trying things. In order to be vibrant, be visible and be yourself, you must think of yourself first. I have been able to express in my writing what other women may hold back.” They love when I talk about style, beauty and how to pack a suitcase. But the most refreshing part of everything is that they are all genuinely happy for me.”
Be vibrant, be visible, and be you is the mantra Good swears by and boldly states on the headline of her award winning website.
“What I’ve learned is that many women after a certain age begin to feel invisible. They are empty nesters, they may have lost a spouse, they may be divorced or may not have the income they once had. They’ve retired and no longer have a place to go. But most importantly, I have sadly found that the main reason women feel invisible is because we start losing our looks. This doesn’t happen to all women, but it happens to many. So what I try to stress to my readers is that 80% of your beauty is your inner beauty and only 20% is your outer beauty. Every woman must make her own happiness and make the effort to make herself feel relevant.”
Good turned the bitter lemons she was handed in life into the sweet lemonade on which she currently sips. She is a multiple time cancer survivor. She became a widow in her 40s, but had the courage to remarry. As she happily became part of a blended family, she was confronted with her stepson’s suicide. She overcame those blows to become the woman she is today by following her own advice. She learned how to make herself feel relevant by becoming proactive about her health, keeping busy and thinking positively. Good’s advice to women includes showing her frailties and how she recovered.
“I have no degree behind my name as a writer, psychologist or social worker, but I have a degree behind my name called LIFE. That’s my PhD. I have lived life, and I live it fully. A life that has been lived totally outside the box in so many ways: from joy, tragedy, learning and experience. The best advice she would give to women is to always do your best, don’t take things personally because of what others say and do. Those things are only a projection of their reality; and finally, accept what is, move forward and don’t forget to smell the flowers!”
Last December Good was contacted by Abrams Publication, a large publishing house in New York. They called her a hip 21st century grandmother who had weathered many storms, yet ended up walking on the sunny side of the street. Abrams hired her as an author to write an heirloom journal of prompts for grandmothers to fill out in their own handwriting and leave their wisdom and values as a gift to their grandchildren.
“It’s not about me, but about all the grandmothers all over the world.”
Good’s “Stories for My Grandchild” is available February 5, 2019. It has already hit #1 in its category from presales on Amazon.com, and Honey is more than grateful for the opportunity to create such a treasure that generations to come will share.
“Grandchildren should know and want to know the history of their grandmothers’ lives. Their heritage comes from their grandmothers.”
We asked how she keeps her momentum in life. She makes it very clear that she embraces all that is around her.
“I have momentum in my life because I don’t think about my age and I’m constantly learning. I never think of myself as an older woman or that I would be overlooked because of a younger woman. I see myself as Susan Honey Good. I believe age is just a number. I am a very curious woman. I want to see, I want to grow. I’m a dreamer and anything is obtainable. I have this ability to pick myself up when things go wrong and get with the program! I am not gonna let anything hold me back!”
After being chosen as one of Chicago’s ‘50 over 50’ women, Honey was challenged with the task to write why she believed she was fierce!
“After 7 hours, one luncheon [with girlfriends], and looking it up in the dictionary, I realized that I am SO fierce!”
“I am fierce because I love being a woman.
My femininity makes me fierce.
I am fierce because I’m an honorable woman.
I am fierce because I am a loving mother.
I am fierce because I like who I am.
I am able to live up to my values.
I am fierce because I give back.
I am fierce because I love life.
I fiercely love life.
I am fiercely grateful.”
So what’s next for Honey Good you ask? She just started a podcast interviewing other notable women, as well as a social networking group called Moxie which provides an opportunity for women of multi-generations to communicate with one another and share experiences, support one another and enjoy mutual interests. Good would love to create her own signature red lipstick!
Most importantly she aspires to create something passionate that mixes art with something unique for every woman to enjoy. Good believes that in order to be successful, you have to love what you do and give back.
While discussing the legacy Good hopes to leave behind, she stresses the importance of every woman having others in their lives who mirror them and not just people they mirror. She wants every woman to feel relevant and to have love and, above all, to realize that our greatest asset is our femininity. We should never be ashamed to revel in it! Susan Honey Good is truly the 21st century grandmother with a New Age voice for every generation.
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Creative credits
- Written by
- Dominique Slaughter
- Images courtesy of
- Honey Good
