Suzette Bussey
My name is Suzette, and I live between worlds in many ways—Charleston, where our brand is rooted, traveling the United States, and Southern Africa, which has shaped so much of who I am.
This season of life feels like building something meaningful, brick by brick. It’s both exhilarating and demanding—creating a company, yes—but more than that, creating a world I deeply believe in. A world that believes in connecting with nature, bringing more beauty and meaning into that world and building a community of extraordinary women who want more beauty and adventure.
A truly beautiful day for me starts early. Quiet. Before anyone needs anything from me. Coffee, a moment to think, to breathe, to remember why I’m doing all of this. Then building—designing, leading, solving. And if I’m lucky, ending the day outside, where everything comes back into perspective.
The words I live by are simple: live with intention, be curious, and do things that require courage. My ethos is to build a life—not just a business—that feels authentic, expansive, and deeply alive close to nature.
FIELD STORIES™ INTERVIEW
Suzette Bussey, Founder
I didn’t grow up thinking, “this is the life I will have.” It was something I stepped into—and then couldn’t step away from. The outdoors, the sporting life—it drew me in because of how it made me feel. Present. Expansive and real.
There was a moment in Africa when I realized I felt more like myself there than anywhere else. That changed everything.
A modern sporting woman is not defined by one thing. She is layered. She is strong and elegant. She can host a beautiful dinner one night and wake before dawn the next to step into the field. She is curious enough to try, and brave enough to continue.
You don’t have to already belong to step into this world. You belong because you are willing to try.
Norton + Hodges began as a feeling before it became a company. I wanted to create something that reflected the life I was living and the life I was becoming—something rooted in craftsmanship, in stories, in places that matter.
We are building more than a brand—we are building a tribe of women across the globe who are choosing to live fully. Women who are curious. Who are willing to step into something new, even if it feels unfamiliar at first.
