About Blue Borage
Trauma often begins in environments marked by chaos, poor communication, and a lack of emotional safety.
At Blue Borage, we understand how these dynamics create cycles of dysfunction, and our work offers a clear path to values-aligned communication and empowerment.
Through our programs, we equip participants with the skills to model healthy communication and reduce the conditions where drama, trauma and abuse can thrive.
We provide a transformative approach that serves as both a recovery and preventative tool, working inclusively with survivors of childhood trauma—particularly child sexual abuse (CSA) and sibling sexual abuse (SSA)—their families, educators, and professionals who support children and survivors.
We believe sustainable change happens when individuals and organisations model empowered communication, trust, and open dialogue.
Empowering Change-Makers
Our mission is to support survivors and their families and help mission-driven organisations—from child protection groups to educators and health professionals—embrace empowered ways of relating and interacting. We have come to meet the organisations’ leaders and watch the outputs they deliver, dedicated to preventing and intervening in cases of abuse, and in trying to understand the issues that adult survivors must navigate beyond the years when the harm was being done.
These organisations’ people are pivotal in reshaping the future. We see our work as complementing and enhancing their efforts by providing practical tools for better communication, emotional safety, and conscious decision-making.
The work we deliver has been adopted and interwoven into organisational leadership training and workplace culture across the world. One example is The Cleveland Clinic, which employs over 40,000 staff. They have guided 1,000+ emerging leaders through the curriculum so far, and their people ask for the TED*® content every year, ensuring it remains on the professional development agenda.
Blue Borage aligns with organisations committed to creating safer environments for children and thriving futures for survivors. Our programs help professionals at every level—whether in leadership or on the front lines—adopt the mindset and tools needed to co-create compassionate, supportive, trauma-informed spaces. We invite them to integrate our work into their mission, helping ensure that the essential work they do is supported by empowered, cohesive teams who can navigate challenges effectively.
Creating a New Legacy of Safety and Connection
We know that real change happens when the people who care for children—whether in homes, schools, or communities—adopt healthy, empowered communication. As we envision bringing this work to children in the future, we begin by working with adults and adolescents, modelling empowered ways of being and relating. Together, we can create environments that will reduce the incidences of harm, support recovery, and build healthier, stronger communities.
At Blue Borage, we invite you to be part of the change. Whether you’re an individual, an advocate, or a leader in a mission-driven organisation, we believe that everyone has the power to become a model for the empowered communication that will make a real difference. Join us, and let’s create new legacies of trust, safety, and connection.
Susan Dunlop, Founder
TED*® & 3 Vital Questions® Licensed Facilitator
Certified Trauma-Informed Professional Coach (ICF NLP) and Hypnotherapist
Lived Experience Expert, Advocate, Educator, Podcaster, Speaker and Mosaic Artist
Susan Dunlop founded Blue Borage in 2024 with a passion for helping individuals and organisations break free from cycles of reactive behaviour and embrace a new way of thinking and communicating.
With over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneurial leader, CEO, and professional coach, Susan also leads Lead Believe Create with Susan Dunlop, established in 2017 to transform organisational leaders and teams. Deeply committed to fostering healthy, functional relationships, Susan integrates self-awareness, trust, and empowerment into all her work.
Drawing on her lived experience, Susan has a unique understanding of the hidden dynamics that contribute to trauma, particularly sibling sexual abuse. Through five years of extensive research, Susan uncovered how chaotic family environments, poor communication, and blurred boundaries often create the conditions for harm to take place and continue long-term. She explored the issues surrounding disclosures and the many coping mechanisms, unhealthy behaviours and repercussions that this form of abuse leaves in its wake. This personal and professional insight drives her commitment to helping others recover, rebuild, and break free from dysfunctional patterns.
Susan’s work is rooted in the transformative frameworks of TED*® (*The Empowerment Dynamic) and the 3 Vital Questions®, which she practices in her own life and uses to guide individuals and teams toward more conscious, creative ways of being. Her coaching and training programs are designed to help participants assert healthy boundaries, build compassionate relationships, and become role models for empowered living—whether they are trauma survivors, families, or professionals working in education and care.
Based in Noosa, Queensland, Susan works with clients locally and globally, speaks and delivers training programs in-person or virtually that help people transform their relationships, break cycles of dysfunction, and create environments where trust, communication, and collaboration can flourish.
Blue Borage Symbolism
When brainstorming a name for the training company, we reviewed each name for symbolism. We sought ‘Courage and Bravery’, which led us to find Blue Borage, the flower.
The Blue Borage flower represents courage, bravery, and resilience—qualities that lie at the heart of Blue Borage.
Why the image of Heath Ledger?
Historically, Blue Borage was used to promote bravery on the jousting field and continues to be used to bestow courage. Its delicate, star-shaped blooms may seem fragile, yet the plant is incredibly resilient, growing in challenging conditions and thriving despite adversity.
At Blue Borage, we chose the borage flower to reflect our mission. We are passionate about inspiring individuals, especially trauma survivors, to find their inner courage and strength. The Blue Borage flourishes in all conditions, and we believe that every person has the ability to rise, heal, and transform, even in the face of life’s greatest challenges.
The Blue Borage flower symbolises the bravery required to walk the path of recovery, step into the light, and embrace a future of growth and empowerment.
In that brainstorming session, we watched and felt the emotions of the jousting scene from the movie A Knight Tale on YouTube. It was agreed. Blue Borage was registered.
If any of this resonates with you and you’re ready to explore what’s possible, we invite you to reach out. Send us a message, and we’ll be in touch soon.
This is the short jousting scene from A Knight’s Tale if you’d like to watch it:
