Meet Susan Smith Jones, PhD
The Story Behind the Books, the Message, the Active Lifestyle & the Joy
Welcome! I’m so glad you stopped by. If we were sitting together at my kitchen table, I’d probably pour you a cup of tea, put out something healthy to nibble on—and then remind you that dark chocolate has been known to make an appearance around here, too. Life, after all, is about balance!
For many decades, my greatest joy has been helping people discover that feeling healthier, happier, more peaceful, and more fully alive doesn’t require perfection.
It begins with the little choices we make every day—what we eat, how we move, what we think about, how we handle 
challenges, how deeply we nurture our faith, and how generously we share kindness and encouragement with others.
The biography below tells you a little more about my journey—through UCLA, writing, teaching, wellness, publishing, media, unexpected challenges, faith, and plenty of adventures along the way. I hope something in my story inspires you to embrace your own life with renewed vitality, gratitude, purpose, and joy.
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Author • Wellness Expert • Educator • Entrepreneur • Inspirational Storyteller
For decades, Susan Smith Jones, PhD, has devoted her life to helping people create healthier bodies, more peaceful minds, and happier, more fulfilling lives. Through her books, teaching, media appearances, consulting, and uplifting messages, she has inspired children and adults around the world to discover how their everyday choices can profoundly influence their health, vitality, confidence, and joy.
Warm, practical, and encouraging, Susan makes healthy living feel achievable rather than overwhelming. Her philosophy is refreshingly simple: when we nourish the body, calm the mind, strengthen our faith, and appreciate life’s everyday blessings, we create a powerful foundation for lasting wellness.
Education, Teaching & Wellness Expertise
Susan holds a Teaching Credential and three additional degrees from UCLA, where she taught health and fitness to students, staff, and faculty for 30 years. This extraordinary tenure reflects both her depth of knowledge and her lifelong commitment to education.
Her expertise encompasses holistic health, optimum nutrition, physical fitness, stress management, balanced living, positive aging, and natural approaches to greater energy and well-being. She has taught nutrition, fitness, and healthy-living principles to children and adults around the world, always translating sound wellness practices into clear, motivating steps people can begin using immediately.
Susan’s contributions to health and fitness earned her national recognition when she was selected as one of only 10 “Healthy American Fitness Leaders” by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports.
A Personal Story of Faith and Resilience
Susan’s message is rooted not only in education and research, but also in personal experience. After her back was fractured in an automobile accident, her physician told her she would never again be able to carry “anything heavier than a small purse.” Rather than allowing that prognosis to define her future, Susan chose faith over fear and determination over defeat.
Within six months, she was free of pain and was told there was no remaining evidence of the fracture. She ultimately regained her health and returned to the active lifestyle she treasured. Susan credits her recovery to a nourishing natural-foods diet, faith, determination, perseverance, balanced living, and—most importantly—her unshakable relationship with and deep connection to God.
That experience strengthened her conviction that our health and quality of life are profoundly influenced by the countless choices we make each day. It also taught her that life’s challenges do not have to leave us feeling powerless. We can choose to become victors rather than victims and move forward with renewed purpose, courage, and hope.
Since the accident, Susan has devoted herself even more fully to sharing her faith-based message that each person can take meaningful steps toward a healthier, happier, more peaceful, and balanced life. A gifted teacher, she brings together modern research, timeless wisdom, practical strategies, and spiritual encouragement in all of her work. Her uplifting message and innovative approach have earned her a grateful international following and made her a sought-after health and fitness consultant, educator, author, and media guest.
Author, Publisher & Entrepreneur
As founder and president of the publishing house Books to UPLIFT, Susan has created a distinctive body of work devoted to enriching people’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Her entrepreneurial vision brings together wellness education, inspirational storytelling, publishing, and media outreach—all with one unifying purpose: to help people feel better, live more fully, and recognize the blessings already surrounding them.
A prolific author, Susan has written books that inform, encourage, entertain, and uplift readers of all ages. Among her celebrated titles are these five latest holistic books that make the perfect set for your home's library:
💜 UPLIFTED: 12 Minutes to More Joy, Faith, Peace, Kindness & Vitality
💜 A HUG IN A MUG: Revitalize with Fruits, Veggies, Juices, Soups, Spices, Teas & Healthy Living Extras
💜 WIRED FOR HIGH-LEVEL WELLNESS: Simple Ways to Rejuvenate, Meditate & Prosper
💜 Her imaginative children’s nutrition book, VEGETABLE SOUP/THE FRUIT BOWL, (co-authored with Dianne Warren) is cleverly designed as two books in one. Vegetables fill the book from the front to the middle, while fruits 
continue from the middle to the end. Colorful illustrations and playful rhyming verses introduce young readers to the connection between what they eat and how they look, feel, and perform.
💜 Susan is also the author of the award-winning novelette JOY & THE BUTTERFLY: The Magical Garden, a magical story for children of all ages—and for everyone who remains young at heart. Through talking animals, enchanting insects, family adventures, and the wisdom of nature, the book celebrates kindness, gratitude, healthy living, helping others, counting one’s blessings, and discovering the magic in ordinary days.
Media Guest, Consultant & Inspirational Voice
Susan is a sought-after wellness consultant and frequent guest on radio, television, podcasts, and other media programs. Interviewers appreciate her ability to combine solid health information with warmth, enthusiasm, humor, and practical advice audiences can remember and apply.
Whether she is discussing nutrition, fitness, stress relief, faith, positive aging, gratitude, resilience, or creating more joy, Susan brings an energizing message: we are never powerless when it comes to improving the quality of our lives.
Her uplifting approach encourages people to stop waiting for the “perfect” time to make positive changes. A healthier meal, a refreshing walk, a few moments of deep breathing, a grateful thought, or a kind gesture can become the beginning of a happier and healthier life.
Living the Message
Susan strives to practice the principles she teaches. Her own life reflects her love of wholesome plant-based foods, fitness, nature, gardening, hiking, gratitude, faith, and purposeful living.
She believes that wellness is not about perfection, deprivation, or trying to transform one’s entire life overnight. It is about consistently choosing habits that help us feel vibrant, resilient, peaceful, and fully alive.
Her greatest joy comes from helping others recognize their own capacity for positive change—and reminding them that even small steps, taken faithfully, can produce remarkable results.
Connect with Susan
💜 Explore Susan’s books, articles, media interviews, recipes, wellness resources, and inspiring messages at:
SusanSmithJones.com
💜 Visitors can also subscribe to Susan’s complimentary monthly Healthy Living Newsletter for motivating ideas, practical wellness strategies, nourishing recipes, healthy-living inspiration, and a generous helping of joy.
💜 Follow Susan on Instagram: @SusanSmithJonesPhD
💜 Follow Susan on X: @SusanSmithJones
