Had some articles published recently, this is the first one, a short bio on Breckenridge, CO local Suzanne Lifgren. This was published in Breckenridge Magazine. So far the piece is only in the print version, but will eventually make it online. The owner publisher Holly Battista-Resignolo has figured out how to maximize the returns on the limited resources she has. Printing a physical magazine is not for the faint of heart. Great job Holly!
The link for the online version of the magazine is here https://issuu.com/mtntownmagazine/docs/breckenridge_magazine_issue_10_2025?fr=sYzFjNDg2NTAyMjk This particular article starts on page 34.
“Love doggies.” A simple statement, to be sure—but one that offers a tiny glimpse into Suzanne Lifgren. It doesn’t come close to summing her up, not remotely, but it does hint at who she is. Almost on cue, as if from a Hollywood sound stage, an adorable golden retriever trotted over to our table at a downtown Breckenridge coffee shop—tail wagging, tongue lolling, kisses freely given.
Finding that coffee shop to meet Suzanne, in the off-season in a ski town, turned into a bit of a comedy. Snow, rain, and off-season closures had us playing a frustrating game of tag-meets-hide- and-seek. On the fourth try, we finally succeeded. Over the next hour, as I got to know Suzanne, a story unfolded—a life well lived, shaped by her adventurous spirit and her curiosity to find out what lay beyond, only to find out that the “good life” was waiting back home in Breck.
Suzanne has come and gone from Breckenridge over the years, but now that she’s truly settled into the picturesque mountain town, she promises she is not leaving. According to her, it’s just different here—in all the right ways.
She grew up in Rhode Island. She skied, sure, but she’d be the first to tell you she wasn’t a skier. What she really knew was that she wanted to explore the world beyond. That’s how she ended up on the opposite coast, attending UCLA. She loved school, going on to earn a master’s degree in cardiovascular physiology. And she used that degree, helping people recover after open-heart surgery—a demanding but deeply meaningful path.
But as life tends to do, things shifted. Work became less fulfilling, and Suzanne found herself “between jobs.” That’s when she decided to visit her brother in Breck. His car had broken down during a cross-country trip—a classic Colorado mountain-town origin story. With some free time on her hands, she flew out to visit him and the mountains. Just a quick vacation. While she was there, she casually checked out a few local job openings—“just for the summer,” she told herself.
Sometimes, life has other plans.
She was hired at the Peak 9 base area medical center, back when it was under an early version of High Country Health Care. Summer in the Colorado mountains is magical, and soon, she was having too much fun to think about going back to L.A. A short-term lease turned into a longer stay. The next chapter had begun.
Suzanne is vibrant and quick to smile—the kind of person who makes friends easily. But even for someone outgoing, moving to a small town where you know just a couple of people can be tricky. She told me about one of the best parts of the Breckenridge community in the mid-’90s: “The outdoor social scene was incredible. People just had “that attitude of, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this—do you wanna go?’ That was always awesome to me.”
Dogs almost always came along.
Those early years passed in a joyful blur of skiing, softball, hiking, learning to mountain bike, and building friendships. Eventually, she met a great guy named Jeff. They fell in love, got married, and started a family. Jeff landed a job with Vail Resorts, and the next chapter of their lives led them away from Breckenridge, even as their love and appreciation for their adopted hometown deepened.
They moved their young family first to Pennsylvania, then to Park City, Utah—a town high on many people’s “best places to live” list. They embraced both places, making the most of work and family life. Still, nothing quite compared to Summit County (Breckenridge), CO.
While in Park City, Suzanne worked for the Sundance Film Festival and Jeff stayed with Vail Resorts. Yet despite working in the heart of the town’s main industries, they didn’t feel truly connected. “When we got there the difference in the community and the people was apparent. There’s not nearly the addiction to the outdoors; here (Breckenridge) the soccer games are happening and you see the whole community. Between our jobs (there), we would meet a lot of people, and for being connected inside the community, we were still feeling not that connected.”
Breckenridge had become the benchmark—and in its absence, its uniqueness became even clearer. Other towns may have been more affordable or more practical, especially with extended family nearby, but they didn’t bring the same joy or sense of belonging. The Lifgrens realized that Breckenridge wasn’t just beautiful—it was home.
Part of what makes Breck so special is its people. Residents—full-time and part-time—give back with open hearts and open wallets. They volunteer at rates that rival anywhere in the country. Whether it’s trail-building, guiding artists during the International Snow Sculpture Festival, or supporting the local film fest or National Repertory Orchestra, people show up. They care. And that energy is contagious and hard to recreate.
Suzanne captures it best:
“The small-town strength of people who live here and care for each other—but with a big-time ideology and global consciousness; people who’ve traveled the world and done cool stuff, but they want to be here. People are friendly and understand the beauty of where they live; {they’re} welcoming and caring all at the same time.” She later spoke about the people and “how friendly people are across different statuses, how James Earl Jones (actor) can sit and talk to the bartender about fly-fishing. That is what’s cool about here." They know how lucky they are.
Today, Suzanne serves as the Marketing and Communications Director for the Summit Foundation. Her job is dynamic and impactful. She’s in contact with a wide range of people across Summit County every day. The Foundation collects funds from countless sources and distributes them as scholarships to high school graduates, helping them take that next step toward their dreams. Suzanne works closely with students and their families—it’s deeply rewarding.
At the end of the day, everything has come full circle for Suzanne and Jeff. They love their jobs, but they never forget where they live—this incredible mountain playground. Skiing, biking, rafting, camping, and seeing friends? That’s practically a full-time gig. And they know just how fortunate they are.
The adventure continues. And Suzanne is enjoying every minute of it. “There’s just something about the vastness here—it sucks you in. It’s SOOOO beautiful. I’ve lived here for 30 years, and I still take pictures every single day.”
She adds one final thought:
“There’s something different about moving somewhere to be with your tribe, instead of growing up in that area, that connects you a little bit more. You’re there for it. And that’s what’s different about Breck. On that sunny day in the summer, you need to go for a bike ride and your supervisor says, ‘Go!’ It’s a different mentality.”
In the end, it all makes sense. Like the dog who came up to us at the coffee shop, instinctively knowing we were friendly and would accept him, Suzanne and her family instinctively knew that Breckenridge was where they belonged. It wasn’t just a stop along the way for a brief summer. It was home.
