Sue Liko

Sue Liko is a caring and generous woman. Having had to overcome many challenges as a child, into her young adulthood, she now dedicates her life to helping others overcome their own challenges. She is a leader in her community, a loving mother and wife, and she spreads joy to those who need it most.

Tell us a little about yourself

I am a first generation Canadian. Why would I tell you this? It has influenced my life from an early age. Like most immigrants who came to Canada in the 50’s, my parents just wanted to fit in. Most of my life growing up was with the intent to not stand out or be different. Imagine starting a business and being told that you needed to stand out and be different from other businesses around you! It went against everything that my life had taught me thus far.
I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and business woman. It has taken me quite a long time to embrace what makes me unique. It has been a huge growing experience that has taken me out of my comfort zone time and time again.

I now specialize in helping other businesses to grow and find their uniqueness that sets them apart from their competitors, through my business New Moon Communications & Marketing Inc.

I love to meet new business entrepreneurs and am able to get excited for all the opportunities and possibilities open for them, when they don’t necessarily see it yet themselves.

My business brings me great satisfaction and fuels my creative outlet. Yet, it is my family that brings me the most joy. Spending time with my husband, daughter and three rescue dogs is what I look forward to at the end of every day. Building family goals and striving to create an atmosphere where each of us has a say in the future our family takes is what we work towards together. During the hard times, family unity helps us come out the other side stronger and with clearer goals of what is important. Makes the good times so much sweeter.

Who inspires you in your life? Who do you look up to? And why?

I am inspired by everyday people who have suffered through severe hardships and are able to see the beauty of life and their circumstances. I have friends and associates whose children are going through medical struggles, yet they are able to keep their heads up, tend to their families and businesses, and give to others. They amaze me, inspire me with their strength and keep me motivated to keep going.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you have had to overcome in your life? What did you do to move through them? What did you learn? What do you wish to share with others?

I was born with several birth “defects”. One was not diagnosed till I was in my late 20’s. When I was an infant, my parents were advised to wait till I was grown before having surgery. In my teens I went through half a dozen reconstructive surgeries on my left foot and ankle which had been affected by nerve damage. Not wanting to stand out from the crowd, this was a source of embarrassment for me. How do I explain this to people? So I lied.

I remember having three separate instances in my life when I threw myself a pity party. I was angry. “Why me?” “Why did I have to be the one to live with this?” At the time I didn’t even know what “this” was. There was no diagnosis. I needed to come to terms with what my body was doing.

People still comment to me that I walk with a limp. It no longer bothers me. It has made me a stronger person. I have had to dig deep and I have had to come to terms with the fact that there would be things that I can no longer do, no longer “fit-in”.

In my late 20’s I finally received a diagnosis. I underwent spinal chord surgery in an attempt to stop further nerve damage to the lower part of my body. It left with me with complications that I now live with on a daily basis. Again it left me angry, bitter, asking “why me?” Once again I had to dig deep and look at what I had. What I am still able to do. I focus on the positive and the motto that I live with is “it can always be worse”. No matter how bad it gets, it can always be worse.

This is something that I try to model to my daughter. Focus on the positive. Focus on how we can help others. Focus on all the good that we have in our lives. That is what matters. That is how we turn the bad around. I count my blessing that I am able to walk un-aided. I am able to take my dogs for a walk and go bike riding with my daughter. I count my blessings every day for what I have and what I am still able to accomplish.

We all have hurdles in our lives. How we approach them and what we take away from the experience is what will colour our lives. If we focus on the “why me” we live in anger and bitterness. If we take the experience learn from it, grow from it, it makes us so much stronger and we become more compassionate towards others.

What are you most proud of?

I am proud of who I have grown into. I am humbled that my daughter is becoming the woman that I would like to be. She is learning from my lead, both good and bad. I smile when she uses my words against me and puts me in my place when I most need it. I am most proud of her. She is my greatest accomplishment and everything that I do is sparked by knowing she is watching me. She is my heart, my soul, my guidance and my conscience. My life would be much different had she not been born. I would not be the person that I have grown into.

What do you want your older self to know?

Hmmm. I have not considered what I would want my older self to know. I have had many conversations with my younger self. I would like to be able to look back to see how many people I have helped along the way. I would like to know that I have made a difference being in this world. I think that this will take some more consideration to answer this question.