The visionary behind Young Empowerment Systems, Susan Young is now a motivational speaker for children, using seminars to help area schoolchildren build confidence and a positive self-image. "There is no paycheck that can equal the feeling of contentment that comes from being the person you were meant to be," Young says.

Ten years ago, Young began working with the Hugh O'Brian Youth Program, held at Florida State University, as a speaker and counselor for their annual leadership retreats with high-school students. "The program targets high-school sophomores from across the state to become the leaders of tomorrow and live in excellence," Young says. "It has been a phenomenal experience for both me and the thousands of kids it has touched. I knew this is what I wanted to do."

When Young left home at 18, she worked a full-time job to put herself through college. Without the financial support of her parents, she was forced to learn self-reliance at an early age. She has become a self-made woman. When she needs encouragement, Young always turns to her mother and four sisters. "My mother was always by my side helping me go after my goals, and she always believed in me," she says. "My sisters, mother and I are all close; they are my support team."

Destin had always been the Youngs' favorite vacation spot, and they planned to retire there one day. "We were mesmerized by the snow-white sand, turquoise waters, wonderful people, saltwater fishing and laid-back lifestyle," she says.

In 1999, during one of their regular visits, Susan and her husband, Jeff, decided that moving to the Emerald Coast was not something they should wait to do as retirees. "Leaving Tallahassee was one of the best decisions of my life," she says. "Since I had been there for 36 years, I was ready to shatter my paradigm and start a brand new life. The Emerald Coast was the perfect spot to create my new reality."

Last year, with the help from assistant superintendent of schools Robert McEachern, who was principal of Bluewater Elementary at the time, and guidance counselor Arline Wangle, Young began her "Success Series for Kids Seminars." Topics for the series included the basic principles of setting goals and how to achieve them; developing and maintaining a positive self-image; how to win friends and influence people; the character blueprint; overcoming peer pressure; time management; organization is power; money management; patriotism and tolerance.

She plays a vital role in the character development of young children, says Mary Gunter, principal of Bluewater Elementary. "Most of what she teaches is life skills, and none of these things come naturally for children. You have to show children how they can build their character. If you don't relate to them how important it is, they won't pick it up on their own," Gunter says. "Kids get a lot of mixed messages out there in the real world. You have to have somebody as inspiring as Susan and give children models to follow. Otherwise they're not going to learn it."

Many of Young's seminars have been inspired by renowned motivational speakers such as Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins and Earl Nightingale. "The majority of self-help and motivational books are written for adults and business people. No fair! Kids are hungry for this knowledge and don't know where to get it. I'm here to give it to them," she says. "These learning tools will help them make better grades, live in integrity, be self-reliant and become better citizens."

Young has presented over 118 seminars at Okaloosa County schools since last August, all on a volunteer basis. She has encouraged and inspired thousands of children ages 8 to 18 to unleash their unlimited potential for success. "You are the most important person determining your life experience and your problems are fixable," she said recently to an auditorium of juniors and seniors at Niceville High School. "If you don't fix them, then that's your choice. Your reality is based on your perceptions. Your perception depends on your self-image and choice. It's your choice to be successful." 

The seminar covered career planning and included topics such as volunteering in the community to gain job experience and build self-esteem, choosing a career based on personal interests and life goals, and saving money for the future. By the end of the seminar, students were sharing their career goals with her and leaving with confidence knowing that they are capable of achieving them.

"All of their lives kids have been told, 'No.' I am here to tell them, 'Yes.' Yes, they are important. Yes, they can enjoy rewarding friendships. Yes, they are worthy of self-respect. Yes, they are capable of amazing things when they practice integrity, discipline and effort. I believe in kids and have committed my life to that heartfelt conviction," Young explains.

Her warm, glowing smile is an invitation to relax, laugh out loud and have a good time. Kids adore her, absorbing her love and encouragement like sponges. After one of her seminars, an elementary-school student wrote to her, "Dear Mrs. Young, thank you so much for giving me integrity (sic) and joy in my life. You are the only person who's made me feel like I'm not a piece of nothing. The first time that you smiled at me I knew that we started a friendship. I felt so good inside that you made me want to cry forever! I thought that nobody would like me ever. I cried the other night because my dog moved away but then I had thought of you and I smiled because I pictured you in my head but anyway I got up and went out of the room happy just because I thought of that's how much you encourage my life." 

Young does not restrict her seminars to classrooms. She has given a motivational seminar on goal setting to teen-age mothers, has worked with at-risk teens at the Walton County Vocational Technical School, and speaks to children at summer camps. She is also a professional corporate speaker and has been guest speaker at several local chapters of Rotary Club International. 

Although she works full-time writing and delivering seminars, as many as 11 in one week, Young has not received a paycheck for her long hours. To balance negativity in the news, she writes a motivational column in the Destin Log for adults, and hopes to become syndicated one day, she says.

"I've always admired missionaries, but never understood the depths of their calling until now. Now I can understand how easy it is for them to commit themselves to a noble cause. I truly believe that this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life," Young says. "To empower young people to do extraordinary things with their futures has been the greatest reward. The response from the kids is better than any paycheck I've ever received." 

• Laura Jane Harris, 10 years old
  Laura Jane Harris has a special bond with Susan Young. "She's nice and fun and makes me feel special," Laura Jane says. Her mother, Linda Harris, can always tell when Susan Young has visited her daughter's classroom by Laura Jane's attitude when she comes home from school. "After Susan's seminars Laura Jane comes home and she's motivated," says Harris. "Susan is able to motivate the children in lots of ways. She talks about tolerance and the sensibility of saving your money for the future." The fourth grader has even opened her own savings account.
    
  Harris says that one of the most important things for Laura Jane is that Young lets the children know that it's OK to be different. "I've seen a huge difference in my daughter. In fourth grade children's self-esteem really takes a beating. Susan has such a happy attitude and it just mushrooms when she's with the kids. My daughter saves all the sheets she completes during the seminars and keeps them in a booklet. When she gets down on herself she looks through that booklet," Harris continues.
   
  While grades and school are important, the life lessons Young teaches the children are essential. "Doing well in school is not the only important thing. It's time to stop and think about what motivates you and what life is all about. It's important for children to hear it from someone who's not a parent or a teacher. Susan is a concerned person and reaches out as a friend. She is essential to our kids right now. She has a really good vision of what she wants to do and I hope she gets there," Harris says.
     
• Matthew Herndon, 10 years old
  Ten-year-old Matthew Herndon knows that he wants to be a professional baseball player when he grows up and the encouragement he receives from Susan Young helps keep him motivated. "What Susan is teaching Matthew is that it's great that he knows what his dream is," says his mother Wynn Herndon. "Even though his dream is high, Susan teaches him that it doesn't matter. What matters is that he has identified his goal and wants to do it." 
   
  Young has also instilled the reality that making a living can be much more than just going to work every day. The fact that Matthew can be anything he wants to be, and support himself while doing it has been inspirational for him. "She's teaching him that he can make money doing what he loves," Hernden says. "Susan has taught Matthew about investing and finances; really, he has learned more than most adults! He knows more about how to save money. She has also taught him how to manage life effectively. What she's offers is very practical information. She is filling a hole that needed to be filled in the lives of our children."
   
  Young is also 5-year-old Leigh Anna Hernden's Girl Scout troop leader. "Our whole family is connected with Susan Young in some way and we all love her," Hernden says.
     
• Taylor Williams, 11 years old
  Karen Williams has seen remarkable changes in her son, Taylor, since he began attending Susan Young's seminars. As a student in gifted studies, Taylor missed Young's seminars for the first few months of the school year. "As soon as I found out about Susan Young we arranged for Taylor go to her seminars with another class," Williams says. "I have seen such a remarkable degree of improvement and maturity in Taylor. Susan has definitely made him change. He is much more organized, focused and goal-oriented now," she says. "He gets what he needs to get done without the struggle. This has been a wonderful year for him. His grades were already good, but now he's hearing comments from his teachers who have noticed a huge improvement in his organization." 
    
  Some of Taylor's positive traits can be directly attributed to Susan Young's seminars, his mother says. He has become much more focused on his studies. One of the goals Taylor set for himself was to finish all of his homework early so that he would not have to bring it home. "I noticed that he wasn't bringing home homework. When I asked why he told me that he did it at school. He does his homework at school or on the bus. Sometimes he even sits on the curb to finish his work so that he meets his goal of not bringing homework home," Williams explains. 
    
  For Taylor, Young has become much more than a role model, she's his friend. "She gave me an extreme inspiration to fulfill my life and be me. She said to be organized and set goals. She gives a feeling of friendship and being a friend," Taylor says.
     
• Lesley and Lindsey MacDonald, twins, 10 years old
  Fifth graders Lesley and Lindsey MacDonald just moved to the area last year. Being in a military family and having to relocate often has been hard for the twins, their mother Sue MacDonald says. "We moved here the first year that Susan Young started doing the classes, and I would hear the kids talking about her at home. If it is fresh in their mind they'll talk in the car to each other and say things like, 'Don't you remember what Mrs. Young said?' She helped the girls get their bearings so that they don't feel alienated as new kids all the time," MacDonald explains. 
     
  Adjusting to a new city, new school and new friends is always a little scary for children. "Although Lesley and Lindsey are very outgoing, making friends really quickly is hard to do for military kids. But Susan has made it easier for them. I am excited that Susan will be at Destin Middle School next year because in a way it's like the girls are moving again. She will be a familiar face for them." 
    
  Along with becoming acquainted with their new surroundings, Young has also motivated the girls to organize themselves. "One day Lindsey came in and wanted to 'get organized' for middle school. It's little things like that that I have noticed changed about them. Susan teaches a lot of no-nonsense stuff, and it's so applicable to every day life," MacDonald says. MacDonald has been a visitor during Young's seminars, and enjoyed the interaction between Young and the class. "Her program is wonderful and the motivational classes are age appropriate. She is upbeat and interactive and the kids just love her."
     
• Jonathan Jenkins, 9 years old
  Jonathan Jenkins is a third grader at Bluewater Elementary. He is a bright child and loves sports - basketball is his favorite. His father flies F-15s for the military and has been on a remote tour to Korea for most of the school year. "The transition between second and third grades, coupled with the fact that his dad's been gone has been a bit of a struggle for Jonathan," explains his mother Christina Jenkins. 
     
  Susan Young's seminars have helped Jonathan become more aware of strategies he can use to become organized and keep himself together. "As a parent, I worry sometimes about peer pressure and how hard he tries because Jonathan is very socially oriented and wants everyone to like him. Now is the time that he needs to be aware to follow his own path and to know what he believes is right and wrong, instead of following what other people say. Susan is another source - not mom and dad - and she's helping him navigate those waters. For me that's a big deal. Sometimes kids tune out Mom and Dad because they're just your parents. But when you hear the same things about character and being the best person you can from an adult that you like and respect it can have a bigger impact," Jenkins explains. "For Susan to bring these concepts into our children's realm of thought this early on is amazing. She can broach these subjects and get them thinking about things that really help them build a foundation."
     

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