Our Team & Story
About Us
Who We Are
Susan Castillo Kusmin
Susan Kusmin is the founding Director of And Yet She Flourished (AYSF) through which she offers Christ-Centered Counseling and serves as lead teacher and teaching content developer. Susan has been on staff with Redeemer Counseling Services (RCS), The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and Young Life, all in her native New York City. Susan began her studies in counseling and theology at Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF), went on to attend Westminster Seminary in P.A., and earned her master’s degree from Redeemer Seminary in Dallas.
Susan and her husband Sean have an adult daughter and have had the privilege of being foster parents to 32 children. These days, their home is kept lively by their five “fur babies” (three sweet dogs and two kitties.) When not working, Susan may often be found engaging in “embodied spiritual warfare” (strength training, boxing, or Barre) or making one-of-a-kind jewelry from God-made materials from around the world.
Susan is passionate about equipping God’s people to prevail over whatever is keeping them from operating at their full potential. Her relentless study of the Word of God, and her ability to communicate its treasures in clear and compelling ways, have helped many sisters and brothers in Christ walk in freedom they never imagined possible. Inquire about a Christ-Centered Counseling Session with Susan using the button below:
Bethany Barkley
We are excited to welcome Bethany as a provider of Christ-Centered Counseling with AYSF.
Bethany Barley has been a leader in the humanitarian relief and development sector for over a decade. She is currently on staff with Global Refuge and has served with World Relief and local resettlement agencies. Bethany holds a master’s degree in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary as well as a master’s degree in International Politics and Global Economics from Regent University. Bethany did her internship in biblical counseling with AYSF Founder Susan Kusmin and has completed AYSF’s Training in Christ-Centered Care.
(You can read her testimonial here.) NEED TO ADD LINK
Bethany’s happy place is by any body of water, preferably with a book and a really good pastry or on a plane headed to explore somewhere new. She, her husband, and two daughters, reside in Baltimore City, MD.
Bethany is passionate about coming alongside women to help them live whole lives through holistic, Christ-centered care. Inquire about a Christ-Centered Counseling Session with Bethany using the button below:
The Story Behind Our Name
And Yet She Flourished
Your story is precious to God. Not only the delightful parts of your story, but the whole thing. Even the “pages” you most wish you could forget, or tear out, have purpose and the potential for a redemptive ending. Our name, And Yet She Flourished (AYSF), conveys our conviction that no matter what hardships you have faced or mistakes you have made it IS possible to flourish. How can we be so sure? Because God loves nothing better than a redemptive ending. In fact, the story of the world has been moving towards its redemptive ending since before it began…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who… chose us in him before the foundation of the world…
In him we have redemption… according to his purpose,
which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
(Ephesians 1:3-10)
Once Christ returns and destroys the enemy once and for all and renews the heavens and the Earth: that will be the fullness of the redemptive ending to the story of this world: an ending that ushers in the beginning of eternal peace and joy for the children of God.
And yet… God invites us to collaborate with him in how we live our story so that we may experience redemptive endings to many of our personal plot lines here and now, even in the context of this fallen world. And not only that: we are commissioned and empowered to be agents of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20), which means we get to show others how to flourish as they follow Jesus. So… let’s get you equipped to do that!
Select the AYSF services that are right for you:
The Story Behind Our Logo
The Sword
The sword in the AYSF logo represents the bible, the Word of God. The sword is in the center to convey that the Word of God is at the center of all we do. This sword is the weapon God provides for us to defeat our true enemy, whose deception is involved in everything that causes distress. Our sword should be “muddy and bloody” from regular use. So at AYSF, we don’t just teach about the Word of God; we prepare you to wield it effectively in your daily life.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm….In all circumstances take up… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:12-17
The Jewel on the Sword
It was often the case that swords had a jewel and/or other markings for the purpose of indicating what group a warrior represented. In the AYSF logo, the red stone represents the blood of Christ, shed on behalf of his beloved. It is a declaration that the warrior who wields this sword belongs to Jesus. Historically, jewels on swords were a way for nobility and wealthy individuals to display their power and influence, and to convey the status of their owners.
Within the AYSF logo, the jewel serves as a reminder to a child of God that she is “nobility,” an heir of the King who ever assures her:
You are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Luke 5:31
The Flowers
Flowers are traditionally symbols of flourishing. The flowers flanking the sword in the AYSF logo convey that flourishing is possible even in the context of the battles of life. Also, the flowers are the same red as the sword, symbolizing that it is because of the shed blood of Christ that it is possible for us to flourish no matter what we face. These red flowers are growing in a subtly heart-shaped way to signify that it is love -for God and for others- that is meant to propel us forward as we “fight the good fight.”
The Story Behind Our Website Imagery
Our website homepage image combines many symbols explained below
The Female Warrior
At AYSF, we are committed to raising up followers of Christ, and women, in particular, to be the courageous, wise, resilient, faithful warriors for the Kingdom we are meant to be. At AYSF, we train you in battle strategy: how to discerningly access the stories you are hearing every day, from within and without, about who you are, who God is, and how to live this life. Instead of falling prey to the lie that you are doomed to stay stuck in:
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Depression
- Toxic relational dynamics
- Addiction
- … or whatever you’ve been struggling with,
… you will learn how to truly operate in your identity in Christ so that in all these things you shall be more than a conqueror through him who loved you. (Romans 8:37)
So… all the warriors depicted throughout the website are representative of our beloved clients at AYSF. It is a joy and privilege to behold God transform those he leads our way into valiant warriors with every session of AYSF Christ-Centered Counseling, Transformative Teaching, or Training in Christ-Centered Care.
The Warrior’s Heart
The warrior’s heart in the image conveys that in spite of all she has faced, she is flourishing, (as represented by the flowers and leaves springing forth from it.) Though she journeys through a darkened world, her heart has the luminous colors and quality found in the Kingdom imagery, because the Kingdom is her home and her passion.
This warrior is committed to keeping her heart healthy and vibrant. She has heeded her King’s admonition to not harden her heart (Hebrews 3:14). She refuses to let it go numb, cynical, or passion-less. The fact that her heart is visible through the armor indicates that she is bravely transparent in how she relates: she is not hiding whatever is in her heart from herself, God, or others. When her heart hurts, she runs to God for healing, confident he is eager to provide the balm she needs.
She also cares well for her physical heart, savvy that the enemy is coming after it, too. She knows preventable heart disease is the number one cause of death for women, and she is fighting back. She is committed not only to the health of her heart, but to strengthening and nourishing her whole body to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 6:20).
The Kingdom
The Kingdom in the image represents the Kingdom of God, of which a disciple of Jesus is a citizen (Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 3:20). This domain of righteousness, peace and joy (Romans 14:17) is the kingdom we represent as warriors. No matter how bloody the battles of this life, the faithful warrior is both comforted and emboldened by the knowledge that her destiny is to dwell forever with our triumphant King where:
He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:4
The Gold Arch
The gold arch that gives us access to the Kingdom is a reference to Jesus, as it is only through him that we become citizens of the Kingdom:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, s/he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:9
Butterflies & Bird
Butterflies are a universal symbol of transformation. The miraculous way in which a caterpillar emerges as a radically new creature is an apt illustration of the Christian life. When we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are spiritually born again as a new creation, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, s/he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Birds are universal symbols of freedom. In this image, they are symbols of how God has always been about setting his people free from whatever ensnares us: from within and without.
Jesus has done all that is necessary for us to be free. He has ransomed us from an enemy who had owned us, because of our rebellion against the King. But like a bird in a cage that has been opened, we have to learn to actually live free. At AYSF, we help you learn how to “stand firm” and overcome whatever is keeping you from operating in the freedom Christ has won for you.
