Meet Suzanne Strength

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Suzanne Strength. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Suzanne, thank you so much for joining us and opening up about the very personal topic of divorce. So many in the community are going through or have gone through divorce and we think hearing about how others dealt with the aftermath and managed to build a vibrant, successful life and career despite the trauma of divorce can be helpful to many who might be feeling a degree of hopelessness. So, maybe you can talk to us about how you overcame divorce?

I stayed in a marriage for longer than I should have because of fear. Fear that I couldn’t support myself and my two children after putting my career on hold to raise them and support my husband in his career goals. Fear that he was all I’d ever known, since we were childhood sweethearts. Fear that I was broken from a car accident that left me with 2 broken legs/ankles/feet 6 years prior that I was still having surgeries from to that day.

When they day came that I finally had no choice but to end my marriage, I was in shock. I cried a bit, but I was more angry than anything. Not the healthiest of emotions, but it served me well. I’d been the idiot who forgave time and again, taking back a flawed man who I should have known would never change. I was determined that this pattern would not continue in my divorce. I contacted another divorced woman who seemed to have it all together to get a game plan together. She gave me tips on what to do, what not to do, and guided me to an attorney immediately. I made a plan for what I thought was a fair settlement (he did not, of course) and did whatever I needed to do to get what I was owed. She was able to give my racing thoughts a direction and purpose, which was desperately needed to quell my anxiet.

Next, I stopped telling myself I could no longer work because of my “disability”. I was a REALTOR® in my past life (before wreck/after wreck was how I now defined my life) and I loved it. We had the horrible wreck only 2 years into my career, in the middle of the crash of 2008, so I always felt I was robbed of knowing what it felt like to be really successful. I made the decision to go back to real estate, even though it was a commission-only based income. This was scary for many reasons, one in particular? I had a house to finish.

After 2 years of legal nightmares, we were awarded a settlement for our injuries. Mine was the largest as my injuries were greatest. With my money, I bought a business and a lot. We intended to use the rest of the money to build our dream home ourselves, saving money and not having to have a mortgage. We had the house “in the dry” when I made my marital discovery. I retained the house in the divorce, but had no way to finish it. I learned very quickly that there were no loan products for someone in the middle of construction; you either had to get a construction loan before you began to build, or get a mortgage when it was complete. My wonderful father stepped in and together we secured about $100,000 in loans from every source we could think of…paypal loans, signature loans from our banks, high-interest loans…there was no other choice. I was paying rent and trying to finish this house, so every penny I made went into this goal. The kids helped me budget by eating at home more, shopping at thrift stores, and making do with what we had. My dad did what he could on the home, and my brother-in-law worked all week at his job, and then all weekend at my house. Friends from my church came over and helped for free. To this day, I believe it is a miracle it got done. We were finally ready to move in about a year after I separated from my husband. It was the most incredible feeling of accomplishment I think I’ve ever felt. It could never have been accomplished without the generous help of the people that loved me..and some very decent people who didn’t know me well, but wanted to help anyway.

So, now I have a job and a roof over my head. My coping mechanism was working. I worked all of the time, determined to be as successful as I could be since I felt I was getting such a late start. And if I’m honest, to avoid feeling the deep hurt and anger that showed up when I sat still for a few moments. I recognized this pattern with the help of a close friend and sought out a group called Divorce Care. I made it through the course with a new focus and healthier thought processes. It helped me deal with the inevitable arguments that divorcing couples have, especially those that still have to work together.

The last part of my challenge was having to work with my ex-husband. When we purchased our business, I ran the books and marketed while he did the actual inspections. We made a great team, it was just too bad that we stunk at being married. As part of my settlement, I wanted to continue the partnership until the kids were out of high school. Then I would agree to sell my portion to him. I figured that would give me enough time to establish myself in real estate. This was one of those great plans on paper, but in practice it was difficult for me (probably for him too) to have to be in communication with him. It was like the wound could never really heal. It was unreasonable to try to go “no contact” in our business. When in public we had to pretend that we were friendly. It wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.

I’m skipping 95% of this crazy story, but I went from wanting him to move back to Florida so I never had to see him in public anywhere again to having dinner with he and his girlfriend and our kids. We are in a text group together. We keep his girlfriend’s grandchild (and his, by all accounts) all of the time and she is crazy about our kids. We finally get along. It only took 8 short years and the help of a tiny toddler to make that happen. That toddler helped bridge the rift between the kids and their dad and it allowed me to see a different side of both my ex-husband and his girlfriend. That little toddler was the miracle we all needed to move forward.

We live in a somewhat small town. People talk. When my marriage ended, it was a topic of discussion for a while. I have had my share of people say “you are so strong” or “how did you get to this level from where you were.” They also say I’m crazy too, so that keeps me from getting a big head. But the truth is, I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could, more than I maybe deserved to, but not one part of that success did I do alone. I had help at every level to earn the win. I will never forget the people who helped me when I was at my lowest point in life. Today I do my best to be that person for someone else who needs it. It’s my secret to getting over a bad day.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Professionally I help manage Lake Norman Realty, particularly with training and education. I am also the Broker-in-Charge of our Denver office location. I supervise around 30 agents at every stage of their careers. We hire provisional licensees, who must be strictly supervised and coached until they are full brokers. Our company has one of the top training programs in our area for newly licensed agents, so we are constantly teaching professional development courses. It is also part of my duties to coach or mentor agents who need accountability, direction, or just someone with whom to brainstorm.

My company has a reputation for community involvement and charitable giving, and because of that, we were tapped to charter a new branch of the National Exchange Club in our area. The Exchange Club focuses on Community, Youth, and Americanism. We do this by fundraising for local charities and organizations and by having our boots on the ground to provide manpower where needed as well. We were chartered in December 2025 and we’ve already completed two service projects: helping our homeless community at Hesed House of Hope and a huge endeavor called Operation Christmas Child which collected 8000 toys to distribute to children in Western North Carolina affected by the hurricane.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Forgiveness: Not for your spouse right off the bat. It will come later. But at the beginning, give YOURSELF a break. Forgive yourself for bad choices, for staying too long or overlooking too much. No one has a crystal ball and you did what you needed to do to survive at that time.

Resilience: Divorce is hard, no matter what. I had divorce fantasies for years, dreaming of ways that I could just be by myself and not married, yet when that day came I was still so hurt and scared. It’s easy to stay in bed and sleep the day away so you don’t have to feel the pain. Get up and do something productive, even when you don’t fee like it.

Accepting Help: Realize you can’t possibly know everything you need to know. Rely on professionals for legal matters, not your cousin. If someone asks to lend you a hand, let them help. You need it, and they might need it too.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents instilled in me, by example, the notion that they would always be there for me and support me in any way they could. Some would call that enabling. I, however, saw it as the security I needed to be able to soar. I knew that no matter what, they were cheering for me, would pick me up if I fell and help me get back on course. I do the same with my children. I didn’t experience professional success until I was nearly 50 years old. We all take our own paths to success, and we all have a different idea of what it looks like. The world will stress you out enough, here at home is a safe place FOREVER.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzannestrength/