Media Kit For Author Susan VanePol

Susan VandePol - Long Bio

Susan is the widow of Los Angeles City Firefighter Robert Ortega, an author, speaker, founder of “A Life After Breath Experience A Widow’s Calling” widow’s retreats, creator of the “Families of the Fallen” protocol for fire departments and the “Life After Breath” protocol for churches. The “Families of the Fallen” protocol was accepted by the International Association of Firefighters in 2006, and is endorsed by experts in the fields of grief, crisis, trauma, suicide prevention, CIR, PTSD, and CISM, and is being used in fire departments around the country. The protocol supplies a model for fire departments when coming alongside a widow of a fallen firefighter, as well as providing firefighters with a pragmatic way to express their own grief. The congruent “Life After Breath” protocol was developed primarily for churches and faith-based organizations, and is a way for the Body of Christ to answer its Biblical call to care for widows, so that they can thrive in their new role, and fulfill their set-apart calling. Susan is the author of “Life After Breath - After Her Husband Takes His Last Breath, and After She Tries to Catch Hers” (Morgan James Publishing) and has been a contributor to several other publications as well, including “Stories of Faith and Courage from Firefighters and First Responders.” Her most recent project - “Catching Your Breath,” a booklet on spousal loss with Our Daily Bread’s Discovery Series is available at discoveryseries.org. Susan is certified in Grief, Crisis and Trauma Counseling, Grief Coaching, Master Life Coaching, Individual Crisis Intervention, Victim Response, and Basic and Family Mediation. Her speaking engagements include a keynote at the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation’s World Congress, The California State Firefighters Convention, the Honor Guard at the International Association of Firefighters Memorial, Fire Rescue International, Firehouse World, and the Calvary Global Network International Ministry Conference. Susan homeschooled her three children without ever succumbing to pressure to wear Birkenstocks, and now lives with her husband whom she shamelessly manipulated into falling in love with her. He obliged by sweeping her off her feet with a large broom.

Susan VandePol - Short Bio

Susan is the widow of Los Angeles City Firefighter Robert Ortega, an author, speaker, founder of “A Life After Breath Experience A Widow’s Calling” widow’s retreats, founder of the non-profit "Matters of Life and Breath," creator of the “Families of the Fallen” protocol for fire departments and the “Life After Breath” protocol for churches.

Let’s Connect!

Website: 

mattersoflifeandbreath.com

To contact Susan:

lifeafterbreath@hotmail.com 

For information about their widow's retreats:

mattersoflifeandbreath@gmail.com

For information about the "Families of the Fallen" Firefighter Protocol or to inquire about Susan speaking at a Firefighter Function:

ff-support@hotmail.com

Photography & Graphics

He would later describe it as feeling like he was watching her through a tunnel, seeing her in another place, far away grieving. When Susan and her publisher "Morgan James" began the process of attempting to find appropriate cover art for the book, she thought to ask Ben to attempt to put to paper what his memory of watching her grieve looked like...and that's when the woman and the candle came into focus. The first draft (shown here) took everyone's breath away, including Susan's publisher & marketing team...the only needed change was to add color, quickly giving life to the now-recognizable paperback cover.

Videos

Previous Radio & TV Interviews Include:

Interview questions:

1. Tell us a little about your story; where did it all start?

2. Give us some insight into the painful loss of your husband Bob.

3. How did God supernaturally speak to you, and the unusual circumstances that directed you to writing “Life After Breath” and the founding of the one-of-a-kind ministry that followed. 

4. Share with us a few of the sacred and surprising lessons God has shown you. 

5. Tell us about the unique way God showed you about applying Scripture to our grief. 

6. Why is the death of a woman’s husband so sacred, and why don’t others understand? 

7. What insight did God give to you about the well-known Scripture in James 1:27?

8. Tell us about how God literally stopped you from meeting your deadline with your publisher, and how that orchestrated the entire trajectory of this ministry. 

9. What was the main lesson God taught you early after you gave your life to Jesus, and how has that formed how you have walked through your grief? 

10. Where can we find out about your next widow’s retreat, and how can someone connect with you? 

Speaking topics:

“A Woman’s Fear”

“The Secret Life of Abiding”

“Your Grief”

“Their Grief” 

“A Widow’s Grief - “Why it Hurts, and Why No One Understands”

“Living Holy in a World of Contrasts”

“Why We Were Never Meant to Say Goodbye”

“The Content of Contentment”

“Women and the Art of Speaking Wickedness” 

Statistics:

Over 7,000 new widows each year in the U.S. 

Between 65% and 75% of all married women will be widowed at least once.

The average age of a widow in the United States is 55, with 1/3rd of those under 55. 

There is an estimated 258 million widows worldwide, but that is only a guess, as widows in many other countries are not considered human, worthy of counting or given an address.

Of the 13 million widowed people in the United States, over 11 million of those are women. 

Widows are considered the most abused and marginalized people group in the world, but God's Word tells us that how we care for them is a litmus test for our Christianity.