Suzanna Griffiths: Overcoming adversity to empower others
TODAY, Suzanna Griffiths is an inspirational author, empowerment speaker, coach and trainer. She is the founder of Suelyn Empowered Living, branded as a safe space to unpack, heal, grow and align with who we were truly created to be.
She promotes the belief that there is purpose in every individual and that destiny is attainable once we understand who we are in Christ. Those she interacts with come to realise that they are not who their families may have portrayed them to be.
Griffiths knows first-hand how to bounce back and pick up the pieces, blossoming into the person God created her to be. She was sexually molested on multiple occasions by individuals who were expected to protect her — people she trusted.
“Even when my parents were informed, no action was taken. Instead, I was told it must have been my fault,” she shared.
In addition to dealing with abuse, she had to contend with a father who did not speak positive words over her life. Instead, he made brutal comments and harsh utterances about her future. However, even then, purpose was upon her life, although she did not realise it at the time.
At the time of those pronouncements, she revealed that she was unaware of the impact they had. As soon as her father made a proclamation she would whisper, “That will never happen. Look how I will prove you wrong”.
“This created a firm mindset. I was adamant that his words would never germinate. Hence, I became strategic and intentional about pursuing my goals and excelling. This sometimes made me believe that I always had to defy the odds,” she noted.
The journey to finding her purpose was not a straight path, as Griffiths ended up marrying a man who was abusive. The marriage included emotional and physical abuse, with the first physical attack occurring when she was three months pregnant with her first child.
Griffiths experienced a pivotal moment when a family friend died and she attended the funeral service. As she listened to the eulogy she heard what sounded like an academic citation — a brilliant man who was successful but had no family. To all who listened, his life amounted to a mere academic report.
“I realised in that church that the only positive area of my life was my academic achievements. If I died I would not have fulfilled my purpose or positively impacted any other life. I then decided I was leaving the abusive marriage in an attempt to find myself and live a full life,” she explained.
After escaping her first marriage Griffiths walked down the aisle a second time, but she admitted she still faced struggles as she was not healed from the previous relationship.
“My husband was also fighting his own battles, living out the saying, ‘hurt people hurt people’. There was no single defining moment, but the Holy Spirit had been nudging me over a period of time. The Lord spoke to me when I was not even thinking of Him. He said, ‘Your marriage to your husband has nothing to do with him. It doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t do. It doesn’t matter how he treats you. Your marriage is a covenant with me. Stay true to me and watch me’,” she shared.
While the struggles persisted, she again heard the voice of the Holy Spirit telling her to stop complaining to her husband about his weaknesses and instead speak to the Father about them.
“With spiritual maturity came a change in my demeanour. I became a much calmer, more relaxed person, and I started seeing changes in my husband. He went from superficial love to sacrificial love. I was amazed, and I kept asking God how I would have enjoyed this improvement had I given up when the challenges appeared overwhelming.”
Last year, Griffiths underwent an open myomectomy, a surgical procedure to remove uterine fibroids. During that season she once again heard the Lord speaking to her spirit, reminding her that marriage has phases and stages, and instructing her to write her story to help others avoid the struggles she endured.
Her obedience led to the writing and publishing of two self-help books, both published and launched on October 25 last year.
Redeemed From Inner Scars, her first book, is a reflective journey about her personal life, showing how the challenged relationship she had with herself became the foundation for other dysfunctional relationships.
Build a Nation, Not Two Empires: A Practical Marriage Guide provides a biblical roadmap to guide couples through the various phases and stages of marriage while taking into account individuality, past experiences, and a shared vision for the future.
Reflecting on her life experiences and her evolution into a powerful motivational speaker, Griffiths highlighted that many people struggle with self-worth after trauma. In the public’s eyes she appeared great, intelligent, successful and beautifully adorned, yet to her husband she felt labelled as a “dragon”.
“So the Lord told me to read Proverbs 31. I read it and fired back at the Holy Spirit, saying I was already that. He then had me dissect each verse and showed me that I lacked wisdom, as I gave no thought to my utterances. The way I spoke to my family was a façade, denying the effects of unresolved trauma. I projected what was measured to me in my childhood,” she shared.
Once considered the “black sheep” of her family, described as defiant for questioning rules she viewed as too wayward, Griffiths is now using that same voice to empower others and bring about change.
Come Saturday, January 31 at the City of Refuge Global, Pavilion Mall, at 2:00 pm, Griffiths will host the 2026 Prayer Board Party, an event she says will offer attendees nourishing, spiritual soul food.
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