Healing after hardship: How this cancer survivor found purpose in energy work | Canada Voices

2018 was a difficult year for Michelle Smith. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, during her mastectomy, she experienced a near-death event caused by a rare allergic reaction to the blue dye used in surgery.

After that event, life took on new meaning, she says. She had previously lived around the world, working in arts and philanthropy and moving every two or three years with her former husband’s work placements. Coming home to Newfoundland and Labrador, which she calls “a very special part of the world,” has been an important part of her healing journey. Now, she has an energy healing practice, which includes reiki as her main modality, as well as sound bowls – a reflection of her background as a classically trained vocalist.

In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Here, Michelle Smith describes how she changed her life after illness – turning to energy healing as part of her personal journey. While such practices are not a replacement for medical treatment, they played a meaningful role in her recovery and sense of purpose.

When did you know it was time to change your career path and your life?

I started [a job] shortly after I healed from cancer and was there for six years. My work there was somewhat meaningful and on paper was a great fit, but I felt frustrated with the red tape and bureaucracy of a large organization. It was not adding to my life but draining me, so I knew it was imperative to make a change for my health and quality of life. It wasn’t a decision that I made lightly [because] moving away from a stable job was terrifying. But I knew it was the right move.

A near-death experience changes how you move through your days and it started me on a journey of healing and self-discovery of connecting mind, body and spirit – one that I’m still on and I’ve learned that it doesn’t end.

Can you tell readers about your current business and practice?

I have a hands-on healing practice which includes reiki as my main modality. No two sessions are the same. It’s very intuitively guided. I use sound bowls as well throughout the session, which are done in person or by distance. I also facilitate sacred listening, sound baths and energy healing circles. I feel very privileged to hold space for people – creating opportunities for people to come back into their bodies, connect to their soul and operate from a place of peace and power.

Have you always had an interest in healing?

I’ve always been curious about natural ways of healing and have an aversion to taking prescription medicine. My maternal grandmother was slathering me with aloe vera for whatever skin ailment I had and drinking water with lemon way before it cool. But it was really after my cancer diagnosis that I dove into energy healing, spirituality and reframing food as medicine.

What does your life look like beyond your business?

Instead of work-life balance, I like to think of it as simply my life and how I spend my moments. I am a single mom to two amazing teenage girls who live with me full time. This healing journey that I am on is also for my children. I realized I had been operating from a place of fear my entire life. As a child I experienced extreme anxiousness, and dismantling all of those beliefs, conscious and subconscious, has been eye-opening.

My daughters have been on this journey with me – the good, the bad and the ugly. They are learning in their teens what I am learning in my 40s, and they are way wiser than me innately. This is the most important work I will ever do.

What do you hope your life will look like in five years? Or 10?

My dream is to have retreat centres in rural Newfoundland, where people can come check in for a different kind of all-inclusive – one that connects them to nature, their creativity and nourishes the body, mind and soul.

But most importantly, I dream that my girls and I are healthy, happy and healed, whatever that looks like for us all.