Keywords: Thriving, surviving, shamanic healing, soul retrieval, personal growth, nature connection, spiritual journey, cancer recovery, nursing, community support, weaving, shamanism, societal conditioning, joy, acceptance, nature, manifesting, Amazon, Celtic traditions, indigenous medicine, psychedelics, trauma, integration

Summary:

In this episode of Thriving Not Surviving, Helen Valentino is joined by Laura Swan—shamanic practitioner, nurse, and breast cancer survivor—for a rich, soulful conversation about healing, nature, and reclaiming lost parts of ourselves. Laura shares her personal journey through illness, spiritual awakening, and the profound practices that helped her reconnect with joy, purpose, and community.

Together, Helen and Laura explore the transformative power of shamanic work such as soul retrieval, and how traditional wisdom—including indigenous and Celtic teachings—can support modern-day healing. They delve into topics like trauma integration, the role of psychedelics, the importance of weaving and cultural preservation, and how adversity often invites us to deepen our connection to nature, spirit, and self.

Themes of self-reflection, societal conditioning, and personal empowerment run through this episode, along with reflections on the healing power of presence, playfulness, and community. Laura offers insights into how both clinical and spiritual practices can coexist, and how healing isn’t about fixing but remembering who we truly are.

Takeaways:

• Laura Swan is a shamanic practitioner and nurse who has overcome breast cancer.
• Soul retrieval helps reclaim parts of ourselves lost to trauma.
• Connection to nature is vital for spiritual and emotional well-being.
• Living in the woods brought Helen a deep sense of peace and fulfilment.
• Spirit often nudges us toward life-changing decisions.
• Healing journeys are rarely linear but often transformative.
• Community support plays a key role during times of challenge.
• Shamanic practices offer deep personal insight and healing.
• The Quechuan people weave their myths into their cloths, singing as they create—a reminder of ancestral wisdom and spiritual continuity.
• The integrity of teachers can be life-changing.
• Releasing societal expectations allows for authentic self-expression.
• Success, as defined by the soul, often looks different from what society tells us.
• Choosing joy—even daily—is a form of resistance and healing.
• Suffering is not a requirement for growth.
• Nature helps us reconnect with our wild, untamed selves.
• Manifesting requires clarity, feeling, and letting go.
• The Amazon teaches us about dreaming, community, and living in harmony.
• Celtic traditions are rising again, bringing ancient teachings into the now.
• Indigenous medicine is deeply rooted in nature, spirit, and reciprocity.
• Living on a boat has offered Laura a unique sense of flow and connection.
• Adversity often forges deeper bonds and awakens collective strength.
• True integration after healing work is key to lasting change.
• Nature remains a constant and powerful ally in our healing process.
• Our personal stories shape how we understand trauma, resilience, and transformation.
• Healing means doing the inner work to break inherited cycles.
• Spiritual allies and the natural world offer support and guidance through life’s darker passages.
• Healing is ongoing—it’s a spiral path of remembering, releasing, and reclaiming.

Music for Intro & Outro is thanks to Pixabay – Upbeat acoustic - Stockaudios

Thank you to Dave Champagne for the cover art

📧 Want a full transcription of this episode? Email Helen at [email protected]

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