Create an experience with Susannah Birch

Susannah Birch is a mental health activist, family violence survivor, and accomplished businesswoman based in Toowoomba, Queensland. 

She survived a violent attack by her Mother as a toddler, and grew up with a tracheostomy tube in her throat. She still has a paralysed vocal cord, a scar, and a breathy voice as a memory of what happened. 

At the age of 15, Susannah met a man online who she believed to be two years her senior; after three years of dating and twelve years of knowing him, she discovered he was in fact a catfish who had been lying about many details of his life; the only true fact was that he was based in Queensland. 

In 2014, Susannah's story of childhood survival was featured on Radio National, and after being picked up by media outlets, was shared around the world in over a dozen languages. In 2015, Susannah's story of catfishing was featured on A Current Affair and Huffington Post Live. She has since appeared on a range of media channels, including Mamamia, SBS Insight, and News.com.au

Despite her personal setbacks, Susannah is an inquisitive and driven businesswoman, who established a viral Facebook page during the 2011 floods and learned digital marketing and SEO by building her own websites and generating traffic in a range of topics. She has also studied journalism, and recently completed a Master of Marketing. Susannah is the co-founder of EAT Digital, a company that helps small business owners learn to manage and optimise their digital marketing. 

Susannah's unpublished manuscript has been turned into an award-winning film script, and she is in the process of moving both her film, book and podcast projects forward to tell her story and spread important messages around childhood trauma, digital safety, and mental health.