Creator of ‘A Place of Light’

When Susan Gale was 8, she wanted to be a teacher. When she turned 17, she wished to have her own school. Both happened.

Ever since she became 19, and a Camp Counselor, Susan has been working with children and families. Her other roles include Teacher, Principal, Camp Director, Inner City Child Program Director, and Head Start Director. In 2003, she created her trailblazing concept – ‘A Place of Light’, a safe haven for people of all ages to learn and grow through understanding, developing and controlling their intuitive abilities and inner self.

As we begin our conversation, Susan credits her journey to her early years. She grew up in a family of what seemed to be adults as her sisters were 9 and 12 years older than her. Rather than playmates, she had teachers. Her father, who died when she was 13, was a deeply philosophical man and would have long discussions with her about the meaning of life and the behaviors of people. In this way, learning and thinking big thoughts were instilled in her from early on.

Armed with a Bachelors in Elementary Education, Susan started out teaching in elementary, middle, and high school, teaching either poor rural or inner city children. She wanted to do more than was possible in a classroom, and started a not-for-profit storefront for inner city children in Albany, NY. She then started a children’s center that included a pre-K through grade 12 school, school aged child care, and 3 summer camp programs. Along the way, she received an MS in Special Education and was certified in School Administration.

As a leading Educator, she received the following honours:

Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc. in Albany, NY
Child Care Professional of the Year, 1991
Who’s Who of American Educators, 1996-1997 Edition.

Besides her father, Susan also found inspiration in some wonderful women – Mrs. Morris, her third grade teacher who showed her interdisciplinary lesson plans; Dr. Marya Levenson, her professor in grad school, superintendent of North Colonie school district in NY, and later director of teacher education at Brandeis University, who believed in her; and Miss Stephenson, her HS health teacher who picked up where her father had left off in having those Big Thought conversations.

Susan did not face too many barriers in her women dominated career, but the one block she found was encountering people who failed to value children enough to allow them their autonomy. Adults who thought they knew best without considering the individual needs of the child. This fight seemed endless and is what drove her to create her own programs (school, camp, and child care).

This is how she stumbled upon the idea of ‘A Place of Light’ in 2003, which continues to transform lives even today. “My approach to academic learning was to create experiences through which the children could discover knowledge. Now I create experiences where people of all ages can learn to pay attention to their intuitive knowing,” says Susan, going on to explain what happens at A Place of Light.

Through providing classes, both in person and online, workshops, and retreats, people learn to pay attention to their intuition. They also learn how to manage behaviors – such as being worried, fearful, and doubtful – that prevent them from receiving intuitive knowings. Susan’s passion is to work with this energy to make everyone’s lives better.

“I have several passions! The first is I love being alive, and all that life has to offer us. The second is I love to share what I know and see others take delight in that knowledge too. My favorite thing to see happen within people is that they come to belong to themselves, living with authenticity rather than trying to fit in.”

Susan has shared her passion through different mediums throughout the years:

Counselor in Training: The Journey from Camper to Counselor, 1992, self-published
‘Opening a Door for an Autistic Child’, Children of the New Earth Magazine, 2003
Parenting Intuitive Children through the Edgar Cayce Readings: Just Live It!, Kindle 2023 (formerly Soulful Parenting published by ARE Press)
Featured on A&E special: Psychic Children: Their Sixth Sense in 2006 and still running
Not Crazy, Not Alone, a documentary, 2022
Her work has been mentioned by authors such as John Holland (Spirit Whisperer), Maureen Hancock (The Medium Next Door), and Caron B. Goode (Kids Who See Ghosts).

Being an entrepreneur as well as a single parent to two children was no easy feat, but Susan shouldered and continues to shoulder all her responsibilities with aplomb. An inspiring industry leader, she tells us how to direct our vision: “Focus on what you do well that also fulfills you and brings you joy. Figure out the best work place where you can do that everyday. And if you cannot find one, create your own. Everything is possible.”