International Women’s Month Feature: Susy Schieffelin

by Heather Chadwell-Aminzadeh / Mar 20, 2024

Every March, we celebrate International Women’s Month, a time to honor and celebrate the contributions of women who inspire us, across a broad range of interests and professions. As a female founded and operated company, this women’s empowerment is particularly meaningful to us at SENREVE, and we look forward to highlighting women from our community.

 

 


We're excited to continue this year’s celebration by showcasing The Copper Vessel and its founder Susy Markoe Schieffelin. Based in Los Angeles, Susy is a sound healer offering virtual sound baths and meditations. She combines her knowledge of sound with kundalini practices, and Reiki energy healing (she’s a certified Reiki Master) to magnify their healing impact.

Susy’s healing journey began through her experiences with alopecia areata, anxiety, alcoholism, and addiction. She now shares her inspiring journey of personal transformation, encouraging women to find true healing from within in order to live a radiant, abundant, and joyful life. In addition to her healing practice, Susy is also the founder of The Sound Healer’s Academy, which trains and mentors hundreds of sound healers, empowering other women to build their own thriving, spiritually-aligned businesses.

The Copper Vessel’s moon ceremonies and sound baths offer a custom blend of ancient wisdom, traditional modalities, practical guidance, and modern tools designed to empower you to rediscover your inner light and embody your unique gifts. Susy’s work has helped millions of people around the world, and she serves as a lighthouse for countless women each day.

 



What inspired you to start your business?

In my twenties, I went through a period of immense struggle and darkness that led me to a place where I felt so hopeless and lost that I almost took my own life. One morning, I woke up and heard a voice in my mind that said, “Susy, wake up and LIVE” - so I began exploring yoga, meditation, and energy healing modalities such as sound healing and reiki with the hopes of finding healing. As I attended sound baths, practiced kundalini yoga/meditation, and received reiki healings regularly, my life began to transform. I was able to finally get sober, I found acceptance of my hair loss and shaved my head, I lost over 40 lbs, and the light returned to my eyes. At the same time, I also began to feel a new sense of hope, possibility, and unconditional self love. After attending a breathwork sound bath one Saturday night in Santa Monica, CA, I had the realization that if my own life could be so profoundly transformed through these modalities, maybe I could learn how to share them with other people and help them find healing and hope as well. So I began my training in sound healing and reiki, all the while working at a corporate job - but before long started to feel a sense that my job was no longer in alignment with my spirit. Along the way, I had started a new Instagram account @thecoppervessel to share inspirational quotes and messages, and I decided that could be the basis for my business! So in May 2017, I left my job and took the leap into entrepreneurship. I began by hosting sound baths on the beach, which eventually led to 1:1 clients, corporate wellness, hosting retreats around the world, and then teaching others how to build their own sound healing businesses too. It has been an incredible journey!

 

How does your femininity influence your practice?

We live in a world where business is considered to be very masculine, but that can lead us to a lot of unhealthy practices and getting burnt out. The feminine side of business is creativity, embodiment, pleasure, nourishment, intuition, and magnetism - so I do my best to create masculine structures that support my business and then balance that with feminine energies and inspiration that nourish it. This balance and flow between masculine and feminine energies allows me to feel creative, inspired, and aligned without getting burnt out.

A huge part of what I do is also guided by a deep intuitive calling to create safe spaces for women to connect, collaborate, heal, and lift eachother up. About 98% of my clients and students are women, and I feel so grateful for the sisterhood that has been built within the community of my business.

 

In what ways do you aim to celebrate and uplift women through your business?

One of the main messages in the healing work I share is that you are already whole, already enough, and have all of the answers you seek within you. My hope is that all women have the opportunity to claim their power and step into their brightest light. I love creating spaces and opportunities for them to do just that so that they can feel radiant and empowered in their lives. I am also so incredibly proud to have a female founded and operated business. I have the most amazing team of women supporting me, The Copper Vessel, and The Sound Healers Academy!! My core team consists of 14 women who live all over the world.

 

How have you navigated challenges or obstacles as a female founder?

There is a part of me that has always felt like I need to be the “nice girl.” I was raised to be very polite and to avoid upsetting people or causing ripples. As a female founder, I have learned that true success comes from authenticity, acting in integrity with my values, and being kind to others (which is different than being nice). People pleasing pleases no one. Me dimming my light or playing small is a disservice to the world. I have learned that trusting my intuition will never lead me astray and that if something doesn’t feel right, I don’t have to settle or compromise just to be “nice” or avoid hurting someone else's feelings. Sometimes listening to my inner guidance feels scary or challenging, or stretches me outside of my comfort zone, but it always pays off to trust and listen. Letting go of the need to be nice, dim my light, and people please has given me the courage to face any challenge or obstacle that may arise. I know that I can always come back to my values, authentic truth, and intuition as my guiding lights.

 

What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs who are just starting out?

Surround yourself with other women who inspire and uplift you! Always remember that if you are doing what you love, and creating and sharing authentically, there is no such thing as competition. Find your sisters and let yourself be seen and supported just as much as you hold and support them. As women we give so much to others, but being able to RECEIVE is just as important as giving. So find a group of women you can stay connected with and to whom you can both give to and receive support along the way.

 

Do you have any tips for women to incorporate healing into their everyday routines?

One of my teachers always says, “feed your feminine first.” Give yourself space at the start of each day for personal practice and healing. This could be meditation, a sound bath, breathwork, dance, a luxurious bath, or anything else that allows you to connect with yourself, your feelings, and your pleasure. When you start your day with healing through connecting with your feminine essence, you can go out into the world feeling radiant and full!