Susanne shares her reflections on strength, the body, life’s fragility, and what it really means to feel at home within yourself.
Name: Susanne Ununger
Age: 46
Profession: Founder of MÅNI, HR Consultant
Location: Stockholm
How would you describe yourself?
I would describe myself as both strong and soft. I have a clear sense of direction and I know what I stand for, but I am also deeply empathetic.
I am driven by curiosity, about people and about life, and a desire to understand rather than judge.
There is a resilience in me that has carried me through a lot, but also a vulnerability that I now see as a strength. I am not afraid to feel, and I am not afraid to change.
Me in a cold plunge in Härjedalen, one of my happy places
What do you like most about yourself?
My ability to rise.
I have gone through experiences that have changed me at my core, not least my breast cancer. That journey brought me close to something very fragile, but also very true. And I appreciate that I did not try to run from it, but stayed and listened.
I also value that I have become more honest with myself over time. Less polished, more real. There is a freedom in that.
What has your body taught you?
That it is not something to control, but something to listen to.
After my illness, my relationship with my body changed completely. It went from being something I perhaps took for granted, to something I hold a deep respect for.
The body carries us through everything, and it also carries our stories. Today, I try to meet my body with gratitude rather than demands.
Describe your favorite swim
An early morning swim in the ocean when everything is still.
There is something very pure about it. Stepping into the water, feeling the cold, waking up fully. It is as if everything unnecessary falls away and you become very present in yourself.
That is also the feeling I want MÅNI to hold, simplicity, presence, and freedom in the body.
I spend most of the summers in our archipelago house in Stockholm
What fills your days and your life?
I run MÅNI and work in parallel with HR and leadership, which gives me a meaningful balance between the creative and the strategic.
But my life is not only about what I do. It is increasingly about how I am. I try to create space for what gives me energy, relationships, movement, stillness.
I have become better at not filling every empty space. There is something valuable in leaving room.
How does your life look today compared to five years ago?
Five years ago, I was living more on autopilot. I was doing many things right, but I was not always listening inward. I was more eager to please, to perform extraordinary at work and be the best manager, the best strategist, the best at everything.
Today, I live more consciously. I do less, but what I do feels more meaningful.
My illness became a turning point. It forced me to pause and reassess. What truly matters? Where do I want to place my time and energy?
I do not have all the answers, but I live closer to the questions now.
What is health to you?
Health is balance, but not perfect balance.
It is the ability to move between different states without losing yourself. To experience stress without getting stuck in it, to rest without guilt.
And to care for your body, not so it looks a certain way, but so it can carry you through life.
What is happiness to you?
Happiness is not a constant state for me.
It is moments. When I feel present. When I am in my body rather than in my head. When I feel connection, with myself or with others.
And perhaps most of all, a sense of being enough. That nothing needs to be different right now.
What would you like to share with other women?
That your body is not a project.
We spend so much energy trying to change ourselves, when what we truly long for is to feel at home.
After my illness, that became very clear to me. The body is not something we can take for granted. It is something we are entrusted with. And it deserves respect, not criticism.
I wish more women could feel free in their bodies, not perfect, but free.
Tell us about a journey that has made a strong impact on you
My journey through illness and back.
It was not a journey I chose, but it is the one that has shaped me the most. It stripped away much of what was unnecessary. It simplified things.
And it taught me that life is both fragile and strong at the same time.
There is a clarity in that which I carry with me every day.
What kind of vacation person are you?
Ocean, always.
I am drawn to water. There is a rhythm there that calms me. I love the simplicity of being close to nature, having the ocean within reach, being able to swim whenever I want.
That is where I feel most like myself. My family is all about skiing, of course I enjoy that to when I get to spend time with the people I love or alone with my own companion in crispy white crosscountry tracks.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Something that you feel rather than just hear. Music that lands in the body.
I find it hard to choose just one, it depends on where I am in life. It's often parts of songs that gets me hooked, like sections of Florence + The Machine in King, or Mother Protect by Niki & The Dove.
Give us a book recommendation
I read a lot. I often have 2-3 books going, one audio book and at least two by my bedside. But Three written by Valerie Perrin is one of my top three books. Anything written by her is great but Three is lovely.
Which MÅNI piece is your favorite?
I love High Tide, it's flattering and comfortable and I wear it with many different tops. I often try new designs, own and other brands, and then the High Tide in Natt is perfect to match.
I am drawn to designs that do not try to reshape but rather follow. That offer support where needed, but also freedom.
For me, MÅNI is not only about swimwear, but also about a feeling. To be in your body, exactly as you are.
