Hi, I’m Susie deVille, Creative Rebel extraordinaire
Principal for Business & Personal Transformation
CEO & Founder of the Innovation & Creativity Institute
Meet Susie, Your Voyage’s Co-Creator
“Intrepid. Unsinkable. Intuitive. Susie deVille is a guide to visionary, entrepreneurs on a mission to lead with courage, realize the heights of personal and business mastery, and contribute uniquely to the world.”
– Kimberly Robb Baker
Much like you, I’m a seeker.
I’ve been researching and working in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity for more than 15 years. In 2006, I began blending the worlds of entrepreneurship, art, design thinking, anthropology, travel/flâneuring, learning how to see, and coaching into life- and business-changing experiences that are deeply transformational.
Truth is, entrepreneurship runs in my blood. I grew up in an entrepreneurial household and worked in the family business from the age of 12. I learned quickly what it meant to build, run and grow a retail business that also became a pillar of the community, not just selling products, but serving as a flourishing enterprise that also helped a lot of people.
Along the way, my fascination with not only business, but with people and what made them tick, led me to pursue a B.A. in anthropology, a master’s degree in entrepreneurship, and a coaching certification via NYT best-selling author and O Magazine contributor (and coach to Oprah), Dr. Martha Beck.
Building on an early start in local business and my education, I traveled the world, worked in publishing, launched the Literary Council of Highlands and The Peggy Crosby Community Service Center, became a real estate top producer, then launched my own highly-successful firm, before selling the company to launch ICI. Now at the helm of this endeavor, the focus is all about helping others build wildly successful businesses and lives.
But the greatest learning experiences have come from embracing art, inspiring creative confidence in others, and opening my eyes to the world around me.
It wasn’t until I embarked upon my own Creative Rebel’s Voyage™ that I also became a sherpa to fellow visionary entrepreneurs.
I have been where you are now. Every entrepreneur has. Lost. Numb. Frustrated that I couldn’t put my finger on what was missing amidst the so-called success. It was from this place that I sought to become my own Creative Rebel, and it was along this Voyage that I discovered the guiding principles I know to be true of life and business:
1. We must not dull our self-expression
You have a voice. It needs to be heard. Each of us needs all of us to make it happen.
2. An unbound mind is an unlimited mind
It’s never too late to change your mind. Your true capabilities lie just outside.
3. Walking through the world in a state of wonder is its own reward
Openness leads to opportunities, but you have to be willing to stay the sometimes nebulous path.
4. To get ahead, get out of your head
The quiet voices speak the loudest volumes — but you have to be willing to silence the noise.
5. Art + play are always the way
Art unlocks your untapped creativity. Creativity breeds possibility. They’re your competitive advantage.
Every experience I’ve had leading up to now has prepared me for my role in this world:
To guide visionary, entrepreneurial leaders on a mission to lead with courage, realize the heights of personal and business mastery, and contribute uniquely to the world.
The bottom line is this: I get it. I was you. I am you. I’m a parent, a friend, a colleague and a daughter. I’ve owned businesses. I’m growing businesses. And through the years of learning, one thing has become abundantly clear — entrepreneurs succeed the most when they have the capacity, authority, and know-how to tap into their creativity.
