Community Spotlight: Meet Parent Suuzi Hazen

Photo: Suuzi Hazen posing with a bottle of her family (Guy, Axel and Spencer) in Nevada City, CA.

We’re back with another Community Spotlight, and this time we’re celebrating Suuzi: an Ohmapi parent, entrepreneur, and deeply thoughtful presence in the Nevada County community. Suuzi has been part of Ohmapi since 2022, when she enrolled her two boys, Axel and Guy, now in grades 7 and 3. Her boys bring a grounded, joyful curiosity to each day, and it’s clear they are supported by thoughtful, attentive parenting at home. We’re so grateful for the many ways she shows up, not only as a parent, but as an engaged and intentional member of this community. Her presence reflects a shared commitment to raising children with connection, care, and a deep relationship to the natural world.

When we sat down together a few weeks ago, I asked what first drew her to Ohmapi. She smiled immediately:

“A friend told me about it, and the minute I found out it was an outdoor school, and then met Dawn, I was just like, ‘wow… all in.’ I couldn’t make a single complaint, honestly. It’s just been awesome.”

In addition to being a parent, Suuzi is also an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Mother’s Best Liver Pills, a business born not from strategy, but from necessity and a willingness to listen deeply to her own body.

“I was a vegetarian and vegan for about 10 years, and I really damaged my health. I became very anemic. I even spontaneously lost a tooth… that’s kind of the last straw for a lot of people once your B12 is depleted. After giving birth to my first son via emergency C-section, recovery was much harder. My symptoms were awful. I just had this feeling that I needed beef liver, but I couldn’t stand the taste.”

What followed was simple, almost humble in its beginnings:

“I found this little recipe on someone’s blog and started making liver pills at home. It completely changed everything. I recovered, and then friends started asking, ‘Could I get some?’ It just grew from there - literally out of my kitchen.”

Today, her work reflects that same level of care and integrity:

“We make a nutritional supplement from 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef liver. We’re the only non–white-label liver pills company. Most others are made in the same handful of factories and just relabeled… people should know that.”

(White-label products are generic items manufactured by one company and sold by multiple brands under different names. The product itself remains the same, only the packaging changes. Mother’s Best Liver Pills is not a white-label product.)

Suuzi’s path to Nevada County began in Southwestern Canada. She met her husband, Spencer, in Vancouver. After six years of a long-distance relationship, she moved here in 2009. Since then, she has built a life rooted in family, intention, and community.

So how does she stay grounded while balancing motherhood, business, and home life?

“Coffee, natural light, early bedtime.”

And if her life had a soundtrack?

“The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. If you haven’t listened to it, just put it on - start to finish - a few times. You’ll be so happy you did.”

Suuzi is also deeply connected to the heart of Ohmapi. When I asked what it means to her, her answer carried both gratitude and relief:

“It gives me such a feeling of peace to know my kids are in a place where I don’t worry about things like school violence or inappropriate content. Knowing what other families are navigating… we feel incredibly grateful for Dawn and the teachers. They’re like Earth Angels.”

Of course, life at Ohmapi is not without its lighthearted moments:

“Recently, a child fell into a creek, got completely soaked, and chose to stay the entire day instead of going home. And I’ve seen kids who might have struggled in a traditional setting really thrive here. It makes me so happy. Every child deserves a place where they can shine—and this school truly offers that.”

Gallery: Suuzi Hazen, parent, entrepreneur, and powerhouse in our community; and photos of Mother’s Best Liver Pills: happy moms and babies.

You can follow Suuzi and her work here: @drsuuzihazen and Mother’s Best Liver Pills, or visit the local stores Levity Resource (Seven Hills) and Remedy Garden (downtown Nevada City).

We’ll be back soon with another story from our Ohmapi community. Until then, thank you for being part of the village.