When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Susan Groenwald: Put on a robe and make a cup of coffee in my Keurig. I love having a cup of coffee in the dark or twilight to wake up and think about the day.
TG: What gives you energy?
SG: Music, family, friends and great conversation; exciting and meaningful work.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
SG: Attitude is everything — it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you deal with it. Bloom where you are planted.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
SG: “Younger Next Year”
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?SG: No, but I’m pretty tied to it during the day. However, I refuse to use it during dinner with friends or family, and ask others to do the same. I have a no devices rule in meetings with my staff. I ask people to be present.
TG: How do you deal with email?
SG: It rules me, I don’t rule it. It creates urgency for me.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?SG: Depends. Will most often answer email.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
SG: After my daughter died. Took me three years to walk out of the fog.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
SG: I lost 70 pounds year before last, and gained it all back last year. I’m still dealing with it — struggling to gain control.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
SG: “Life is 20 percent what happens to you, and 80 percent how you deal with it.”
Susan Groenwald PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
President, Chamberlain College of Nursing
Dr. Susan Groenwald was appointed President of Chamberlain College of Nursing in 2006. She manages all undergraduate and graduate nursing programs serving over 29,000 students who are enrolled among 20 physical campuses, online RN-BSN, MSN and DNP programs.
Prior to DeVry Group, Dr. Groenwald served as Director of Operations for Focused Health Solutions, Inc., developing clinical programs and managing a team of nurses who provided disease management services for large self-insured employers. Prior to that, she founded a commercial barter company, served as Clinical Nurse Specialist and Director of the oncology nursing graduate program at Rush University, and Senior Program Director at the Illinois Cancer Council’s Comprehensive Cancer Care Center.
Dr. Groenwald’s accomplishments as a leader were recognized in 1999 when she was named National Businesswoman of the Year by the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and received a Blue Chip Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Massachusetts Mutual. Dr. Groenwald is the author of numerous articles and has edited five textbooks on cancer nursing, one of which — “Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice” — won the American Journal of Nursing Book Award. Dr. Groenwald’s work in oncology and nursing education was recognized by her induction in 2014 as a fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education.
She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Rush University. She also holds a Doctor of Philosophy in higher education leadership from Capella University.
Originally published at medium.com