THE AFTERSHOCK PROJECT
Reflections from a daughter, a mother, a wife, a sister, and a curious mind.
I’ve spent many years exploring what it means to find our way home, not to a place, but to a sense of safety in our own minds, bodies, hearts and relationships. Through mindfulness, compassion, and psychoeducation, I’ve learned how the body holds trauma, and how the right relationships and self-awareness can gently help to release it.
My work now brings these ongoing insights together to support veterans and their families, through sharing my own reflective writing, what I’ve learned about the nervous system, and developing community-based psychoeducational workshops that weave science, story, and presence into everyday life.
Why I Started The Aftershock Project
I’m Sue Oatley (was Knight), a curious observer of the human condition, and the daughter of a decorated British Army bomb disposal expert who served in Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles.
My father’s courage and commitment shaped much of who I am. He served during difficult times and carried that responsibility quietly, as so many do. Growing up, I often felt both the strength and the silence that service leaves behind.
Over the years, I’ve learned to meet my own struggles with awareness and compassion and in doing so, I’ve come to understand my dad and his generation with greater tenderness. The Aftershock Project grew from that process of learning, healing, and making sense of love expressed through duty, protection, and sometimes distance.
This space is about seeing clearly, listening to myself and others deeply, and exploring how service ripples through families and communities, not to find fault, but to find understanding and a deeper compassion.