Dr. Sue Carter Collins shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Sue , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I think people secretly struggle with controlling their thoughts. They get triggered by life experiences and think disempowering thoughts that they don’t know how to stop. Worse yet, they may not know that they have the power to stop them. As a result, like a hamster on a wheel, they get caught up in a cycle that takes on a life of its own. This is where knowledge of mind mastery becomes important. By using mind mastery techniques, individuals can learn to interrupt negative thought patterns, embrace positive thinking, and create the life that they desire.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Sue Carter Collins. (My friends and clients call me DrSue.) I’ve worn many labels in my lifetime–law enforcement officer, attorney, professor, energy healer, speaker, transformational life coach. Of late, I’ve come to embrace that I’m simply an evolving spirit. I am light. And I am here to be of service to those who desire to step into their divine purpose and embrace their highest calling.
I am the owner of the Synergistic Healing Center of Atlanta, which I founded in 2016. I recently moved to Gainesville, Florida, where I now operate as Dr. Sue Carter Collins, LLC. Although my business name changed, my primary services remain the same. I am known as “The Mind Mastery Architect.” My work as a Transformational Life Coach, Reiki Master, Spiritual Teacher, and professional speaker blends knowledge of neuroscience, metaphysics, human behavior, and mind mastery to help others–especially high-achieving women–live with greater clarity, power, and purpose as they achieve their greatness goals.
In addition to numerous academic publications, I am the sole author of Return to Self: 5 Steps to Emotional and Spiritual Freedom, and an Amazon best-selling co-author of Becoming Dynamic, an anthology edited by Dr. Denise Nicholson. Both books are available on Amazon. I am currently in the pre-launch stage of my next book: From Mastering Your Mind to Mastering Your Life: A Healing Journey to Purpose and Self-Empowerment. The expected publication date is November 30, 2025.
I am also in the developmental stage of my forthcoming podcast called “Telling The Raw Truth With a Spiritual Chaser.” Consistent with my empowerment brand, the podcast supports women in all phases of life.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
This is such a great question. Retrospectively, it’s always hard to know when you begin to believe certain things about yourself. Research indicates that during the first seven years of life, children are like sponges. They don’t distinguish between good and bad, or right and wrong–they simply soak up whatever is there. Since they haven’t yet developed critical thinking skills, they are merely recorders.
I can’t tell you when I began to believe that I was less than others. All I know is that at some point I did. Since this belief was hidden at the subconscious level, I didn’t even know it was there. What I knew was that I was Black and female, I grew up in the Deep South, and I never felt comfortable in my own skin. That said, if you had asked me why I felt less than others, I couldn’t have told you.
It wasn’t until I became an adult many, many years later, in 2016, that I embarked on a self-empowerment spiritual journey to identify what this was. When I discovered the literature on imposter syndrome, I was so excited. My soul cried, “Yes, this is the missing piece.” My whole life began to make sense. The racism, sexism, colorism, and other acts of discrimination I experienced had all impacted how I saw myself. It was no wonder I felt less than. I had little to no self-esteem. Despite this feeling of inadequacy, I had accomplished a lot–graduating from law school, becoming a member of the Florida Bar, and holding important professional positions.
One might think that making this discovery would end my feelings of inadequacy… it didn’t. Although I continued to excel career-wise, there were still nagging thoughts of not-enoughism. This is what led me to the coaching profession. My desire to understand my own mindset was so strong that I couldn’t stop until I understood what caused me to be afraid to reach my highest potential. In my search to find answers, I began to study human behavior, spirituality, metaphysics, and neuroscience. It was here that I found what I now view as the last pieces of the puzzle. It is here that I began to see how powerful the subconscious mind is in controlling our beliefs, mindset, and behavior. The information I found here enabled me to interrupt negative thought patterns and rewire my brain for success.
At last, the journey to find my true self was over. I no longer suffer from feelings of inadequacy. Now I am sharing what I’ve learned with the world. This is the focus of my transformational coaching process and the reason that I call myself The Mind Mastery Architect.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
You ask such great questions! What did suffering teach me that success never could??? My answer is simple: NEVER GIVE UP! When you’re feeling down and out… When you’re down to your last dime… When all of your friends have left you… When the people who loved you most and who you could always count on are no longer on this side of the veil… Turn inward. Rely on your faith. You’re more resilient than you know. Success is just on the other side of “I don’t know.”
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, my public persona is consistent with my private self. I’ve experienced a lot in my life, and it hasn’t always been pretty. I’ve made good decisions, bad decisions, and decisions that fall somewhere in between. I think storytelling is a critical component of teaching and learning, so I use a lot of my life stories as context for helping others to see their blindspots and, if they are so inclined, transform their life.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I think the thing that I understand deeply that most people don’t is that you create your own reality. The first time I heard this, I didn’t understand it either. My life was a complete mess. I remember thinking: This is such BS! Why on earth would I create this? It wasn’t until many years later, after a lot of studying, that I began to understand the truth of this statement.
We see life through the filters of our past experiences. If we have been abused or misused in any way, we tend to see the world as a hostile or untrustworthy place. If life has been kind to us, we are more likely to see the world as friendly and supportive of our life and our dreams. The good news is that we have the power to change the meaning we attribute to our life experiences. Though we can’t undo someone else’s misconduct or hurtful behavior, we can choose how we process it and the meaning that we make of it.
I’ve learned to look for the good in all things–even those that may be viewed as heinous, which is a hard pill for some people to swallow. I’ve also learned that life is easier to do when we remove the labels of good/bad, and right/wrong. I live by the belief that nothing is good or bad, or right or wrong, until you label it as such. With the label comes a ton of meanings and emotions that we’ve been wired by society to have, many of which are negative. I’ve learned that a more peace-inducing way to live is to see everything as just an experience. This deprives the occurrence of negative energy and allows you to identify the lesson that the experience presents. Once you can see the lesson, you can embody a sense of gratitude for all things good.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @drsuecartercollins
- Linkedin: drsuecartercollins
- Facebook: @drsuecartercollins
- Other: drsuecartercollins@gmail.com
Image Credits
Sydney Foster
Dr. Sue Carter Collins
