Life Coach Susan Barlin Is All About Living Life To Its Fullest Potential

“You have to shout to the universe your wishes,” life coach Susan Barlin says, as she recounts her humble beginnings growing up in the countryside. As a young girl, whenever she would feel sad, Susan always found herself at the beach, gazing at the stars, letting her troubles get washed away with the gentle ebb and flow of the sea. 

“'Pag nalulungkot ako noon,” she says, “I would just go to the beach and titingin lang ako sa laot. Walang TV, walang radio, so I would just look and gaze at the stars and talk to the universe.”

The multi-hyphenate, who is often described as a visionary and a game-changer, wouldn’t have gotten to where she is today without three of the most important things in her life: her supportive family, her tireless resolve, and her unwavering faith in God. 

Susan hails from a family of 22 and was raised by her mom and her stepfather, both of whom she adores, both of whom have imparted unforgettable lessons that, to this day, Susan still lives by.

“I am so grateful that I was raised in a big family,” she says, because it taught her how to adjust and interact with people of varying temperaments and attitudes. 

“From the start, in my growing, formative years, [I learned] how to adjust, makisama. Kahit na pareho ang parents ninyo, iisa ang upbringing ninyo, ang katotohanan, iba-iba ang ugali.” 

“That is a very good gift that I received,” she says of the opportunity to grow and mature in the environment that she did. “I appreciate that very much.” 

Susan wears many hats: Aside from her PhD, she’s also multi-hyphenate with experience in various industries, from global trade and marketing to investment and tourism promotion; from publishing to coaching. An advocate of Zero Poverty 2030, Susan is all about giving back and vowing to help individuals through her wealth of knowledge and expertise. She is also an entrepreneur, spreading the importance of health and wellness through her food suppplement business, Imuregen.

She has dedicated her life in service to others because it’s something that, in return, makes her happy as well. “I love to make people happy,” she says with a warm smile. “I love to inspire people.” 

Throughout her journey, Susan has always aimed for nothing but perfection, and it’s something she imparts to her coachees, employees, and mentees as well. With a foundation as strong and as rock solid as hers, Susan is able to pass on important life lessons that she has learned along the way. From her mother, for instance, it’s “Bawal magreklamo.” From her stepfather, “Alagaan niyo ang pangalan ko.” From her mentor, “‘Wag kang iyakin.” 

And Susan keeps these lessons close to her heart because she knows that these are the people who have played a very big role in her life; people who have influenced her to be the best that she can become.

But much of Susan’s success can also be attributed to her hard work and her own personal belief system. She is always in pursuit of perfection within herself—she knows her potential, what she is capable of, and how precious her God-given life is.

“Walang excuse not to become the best that you can become,” she says. “Hindi material things ang ambition ko ever since. I never dreamed of a big house, I never dreamed of traveling overseas. Pero ang obsession ko, to be better today than I was yesterday. That played a role in what I became.”

At the stage of life that she is in now, Susan does not look back in regret. In fact, she is proud of every single moment she has had to go through in her life—even betrayal, even rejection—and she wouldn’t change one thing. “If I have to live my life over again,” she says, “I would do the same things and I would like to go through the same paths and milestones.” 

“I would go through it again because it brought me to a better stage in my life,” she says.

And now she shares these experiences and life lessons with a wider audience through her show LifeTalk with Susan Barlin, available on YouTube and in podcast form. It is her way of giving back. 

“Sayang naman ’yung experiences ko and ’yung approaches ko at tsaka philosophy, na ililibing na lang kasama ko, pagka hindi ko ma-i-share sa iba,” she says. 

“[Kung] merong isa, dalawa, tatlong makakapulot ng aral at inspirasyon based on when I was probably in their stage right now,” she’d be very happy and it’ll feel like a mission accomplished for this life coach.

On LifeTalk, she speaks to people from every walk of life: celebrities, ordinary citizens, politicians, in the hopes of communicating to people who may feel lonely and isolated that they are not alone.

“Through the show, [the guests are able to share] ’yung challenges nila sa buhay, ’yung mga philosophies nila. Ngayon kasi ’yung kailangang-kailangan ng tao is some light. [The pandemic] was unheard of. Never in anybody’s wildest dreams or nightmare na mangyayari ’yung ganito. Kailangan nila na may maka-relate sa kanila—hindi ’yung iisipin [nila], [sila] lang ’yung may ganu’ng pinagdadaanan.” 

“Nakakagaan ng damdamin,” she says, “tapos may mapupulot silang aral.” 

Lead photo by Niccolo Cosme via Susan Barlin’s Facebook page