From TV to Livestrong: Suzanne Stone's Journey of Impact

 

This week Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Suzanne Stone. The two talk about  the critical role of physical activity in cancer recovery through the Livestrong at the Y program, the importance of scaling nonprofit efforts for greater impact, and the challenges of maintaining an organization's mission amidst public controversies.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How transferable skills from early career experiences can impact nonprofit leadership roles.

• What the 12 week Livestrong at the Y program entails and its significance on focusing on long term health for cancer survivors.

• Why post-treatment movement is essential for both physical and mental health.

• How Suzanne transitioned from volunteer roles in Texas to leading Livestrong.

• Why collaboration, partnership and building a network for scalable change

are key to making a significant impact.

• Why the focus on quality of life beyond survival is important for young cancer survivors.

 

Suzanne Stone President and CEO of Livestrong

 

Suzanne is a graduate of Texas Christian University and a native of Louisiana. Her career began in the television industry in Dallas, earning a regional Emmy Award for her work.  She eventually traded producing television for teaching it in the non-profit sector in 1998, working in public access television both in Naperville, Illinois, and then in upstate New York. After enjoying her four-year tenure as Head Coach of the local New York community college women’s basketball team while running the station, she headed back to Texas. Since arriving, she’s worked and led local non-profits around the state like Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Children’s Miracle Network, Lake Travis Education Foundation, and Susan G. Komen Greater Central and East Texas.  Continuing to look for ways to scale social impact, she joined Livestrong to lead their mission initiatives in 2019.  In November of 2023 she became President & CEO where she leads the team to ensure anyone affected by cancer has the resources and tools they need to have the highest quality of life possible.