Justine Laidlaw - The Natural Bird

Justine Laidlaw - The Natural Bird Healing from Stage 3 aggressive colon cancer naturally is no easy feat, but I did it. I believed I could HEAL, so I did! No Chemo & No Radiation!

Hi...I’m Justine Laidlaw, Life Coach and Functional Medicine & Holistic Cancer Coach based in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. I love life, make the most of opportunities, and am certainly not afraid of change. I coach to help change lives as mine was changed drastically in 2013. At 45 years old I was diagnosed with Stage 3 aggressive colon cancer. I embarked on an enlightening journey

to find out the best possible course of treatment to stay alive and healthy. I believe that listening to my gut instinct along with knowledge is incredibly powerful. After many hours of research, reading and watching incredible videos, I had surgery but I opted out of the traditional treatment options and decided I could help heal myself by using alternative and holistic methods. I understood that a bigger part of my healing would involve continual exploration into what my body, mind and soul need from me on a day to day basis. Ozone therapy has played a big part in optimising my Immune system towards healing from cancer. I grow as much of my own food as I can on our small lifestyle block organically. Our food is additive and preservative free, we eat a combination of cooked and uncooked vegetables, fruits, activated nuts, seeds and fermented foods. When we eat meat or chicken I always buy free-range, grass fed and mainly organic. There are never any counting calories and healthy takeaways and dining out are still options. Join me as I continue along the path of healing to promote a healthy lifestyle, balanced nutrition, spiritual knowledge and a safe community to share ideas and positive thoughts.

This morning I had a phone call that reminded me all over again why sharing our healing stories matters.A woman reached ...
11/09/2026

This morning I had a phone call that reminded me all over again why sharing our healing stories matters.

A woman reached out to me who was diagnosed with colon cancer last year — a diagnosis remarkably similar to mine.

For quite some time before her diagnosis, she had been going back and forth to her GP with symptoms, only to be told it was likely haemorrhoids or irritable bowel. But something inside her kept telling her that something wasn't right. Eventually, she advocated for herself and pushed for a colonoscopy.

They found a tumour..

And like so many of us when we first hear those words, she was completely overwhelmed.
There was shock. Fear. And some very frightening conversations about what her diagnosis could mean.

She spent the next few days surrounded by her family, trying to process everything. But somewhere amongst all that fear, something shifted inside her.

She decided this was not going to be a death sentence. She believed she could heal.

She told me something about her faith that I really loved. She doesn't consider herself religious, although she does go to church. For her, it's more about having a deep and very personal faith.
Her family prayed for her. Her church congregation prayed for her. And although she had never been someone who would normally step forward to receive prayer herself, this time she did.

Then something happened that nobody was expecting.

Before her scheduled surgery, another CT scan was performed. Her surgeon called her in and told her he couldn't believe what he was seeing — they couldn't find the tumour he had previously seen.
He sent the scans away for a second opinion. They could see something, but what they were seeing looked nothing like what had been seen during her colonoscopy.

She did eventually have surgery and what remained was removed. Since then she has made her own informed decisions about her path forward, including choosing not to have further treatment.

But what stayed with me from our conversation wasn't simply what happened on those scans.
It was what happened inside her.

She made a conscious decision to choose belief over fear..

She told me that she knows she is healed.
And perhaps this is the part of our conversation that touched me most. She had found my healing story and simply wanted to talk to someone who had been where she had been. Someone who had faced such a similar diagnosis and was still here, almost 14 years later.

As we talked, we discovered some uncanny similarities in our journeys. Both of us had undergone significant surgery around ten years before our cancer diagnoses. Both of us developed serious hospital-acquired infections afterwards, followed by internal scar tissue and adhesions.

There were moments when I thought, Wow… this sounds so familiar.

But beyond those similarities was something even more familiar — the understanding that a diagnosis does not have to become the story we live by.

None of us can guarantee an outcome. After all we are all terminal, we all have an end date. But her undying belief is her time is not up yet. Belief isn't about denying reality, ignoring medicine or pretending fear doesn't exist. It's about deciding what we are going to give our energy and attention to while we walk through it.

Fear or possibility..
Hopelessness or hope.
Simply surviving or truly living.

Because medicine can treat our physical body, but there isn't a treatment in the world that can create hope or belief for us. That is something we cultivate from within.

And when we begin genuinely believing in the possibility of healing, the way we relate to ourselves and our future can change profoundly.
Listening to her this morning, I had a very strong feeling that her story isn't going to end with her own healing journey.

I think one day she will be the person someone else reaches out to.

Just as she wanted to connect with someone who had walked a similar road and was still here almost 14 years later, another frightened person may one day need to hear her story.

And that is why I continue to share mine and those of others stories.

Not because my journey guarantees anyone else's outcome..

But because sometimes, especially in those frightening early days after diagnosis, we need to see that another story may be possible.

Sometimes we need someone to help us move from...

FEAR → HOPE → BELIEF = Radical Remission + Radical HOPE!

Amen!

When the salad wins… 🥗Recently, Graeme and I escaped to Raglan for the weekend and stopped for lunch. Now, Graeme actual...
09/09/2026

When the salad wins… 🥗

Recently, Graeme and I escaped to Raglan for the weekend and stopped for lunch. Now, Graeme actually eats incredibly well for the majority of the time, so I had to laugh when his burger arrived looking gloriously indulgent beside my towering plate of greens. 😂

And before anyone feels sorry for me, just look at this salad! This was definitely not a sad little bowl of lettuce pretending to be lunch. It was piled high with roasted cauliflower, broccolini, greens, sauerkraut, pomegranate, nuts and all sorts of deliciousness. It absolutely hit the spot.

But it also got me thinking about something I talk about often in the cancer and healing space: food doesn’t need to become another source of fear.
When I was navigating my own healing journey, nourishing my body well was incredibly important to me, and it still is.

I believe the food we eat most of the time matters. But I also believe there is a big difference between being conscious about what we eat and becoming so restrictive that we’re frightened of anything that falls outside our idea of the “perfect” healing diet.

Because life is also meant to be lived.

Sometimes you’re going to go away for the weekend. Sometimes you’re going to eat something you wouldn’t normally have at home. Sometimes there might be dessert. Sometimes your very healthy husband is going to order a big juicy burger beside your mountain of vegetables — and you may even steal a chip. 😂

That doesn’t undo all the beautiful choices you make the rest of the time.

For me, it’s about the bigger picture. Eat nourishing, whole, nutrient-dense foods the majority of the time, but leave some room for flexibility, pleasure and foods that simply bring you joy. Knowing that something is an occasional choice rather than an everyday one can take away so much of the guilt and anxiety around food.

Healing shouldn’t become another full-time job where we’re constantly worried about getting everything “right.”

Although on this particular day, I have to say… the salad really did win. 😂🥗

Would you have gone for the salad… or Graeme’s burger?

09/09/2026

Recently, standing beneath the cherry blossoms at Te Puna Quarry Park, I found myself thinking about how easy it is for life after a cancer diagnosis to become all about healing.

Healing the body. Healing the mind. Healing the past. Changing habits. Doing the right things. Trying to stay positive. Trying to create the “perfect” internal environment.

And while all of that can have its place, I also think there comes a point where we have to remember to live.

Not just live in a way that is focused on preventing something from coming back, or constantly trying to become healthier, calmer or better… but actually live the best life we can with the life that is right in front of us.

To notice beauty. To laugh more. To spend time with people we love. To go somewhere simply because it makes us happy. To stand under a tree full of blossoms and let ourselves feel joy without needing that moment to achieve anything.

For me, healing has never just been about cancer.
It has been about becoming more present to my own life.

More aware of what matters. More willing to choose joy. More willing to create a life that feels meaningful, expansive and alive.

Because sometimes the most healing thing we can do is stop making life all about healing… and start living it. 🌸💗

What’s something that makes you feel truly alive?

SURVIVAL vs CREATIONThis is a theme that seems to be surfacing more and more in my client conversations lately.So many p...
09/09/2026

SURVIVAL vs CREATION

This is a theme that seems to be surfacing more and more in my client conversations lately.

So many people are carrying this underlying belief that they somehow need to become completely calm in order to heal. They tell themselves they need to reduce their stress, meditate more, regulate their nervous system better, stop feeling overwhelmed and remain positive. Before long, the pressure to “do healing right” can become another source of stress in itself.

I understand that deeply because I experienced plenty of overwhelm throughout my own healing journey too. There were times of fear, uncertainty, financial stress, relationship stress and the emotional weight of a cancer diagnosis. Later, menopause brought another whole layer of stress into my life. And yet, I still healed.

That experience has made me reflect a lot on the difference between experiencing stress and becoming completely identified with a survival story. Stress is part of being human, especially when we are navigating something as life-changing as a serious diagnosis. The goal cannot always be to eliminate it completely, because sometimes simply trying to achieve that creates even more pressure.

One of the ideas I often come back to is the concept of moving from survival into creation. Survival mode tends to keep our attention fixed on threat. We find ourselves thinking, What if this gets worse? What if I’m missing something? What else do I need to fix? What if I’m not doing enough?

After a serious diagnosis, that response is completely understandable. We want answers, certainty and reassurance. We want to feel safe again. But somewhere along the way, I believe we also need to begin giving our mind and body another possibility to focus on.

For me, even in the middle of fear and overwhelm, there was something underneath it all that I held onto very strongly: I believed I could heal. When I chose not to have chemotherapy, I could not know what the outcome would be, but I did hold onto the belief that healing was possible for me and that there could be another path forward.

That belief gave my mind somewhere else to go besides fear. It gave me hope, possibility and a sense that my future was not already decided.

Perhaps that is where the real shift begins. Not in trying to become perfectly stress-free, not in judging ourselves when we have a difficult day, and not in believing one bad week has somehow undone all the good work we have done. Instead, it is about learning to gently redirect our attention, again and again, from fear to hope, from hope to belief, and from belief to possibility.

Sometimes the first step is not about doing more. Sometimes it is simply about beginning to believe that another way of being, and another possibility, exists.

SURVIVAL vs CREATIONThis is a theme that seems to be surfacing more and more in my client conversations lately.So many p...
09/09/2026

SURVIVAL vs CREATION

This is a theme that seems to be surfacing more and more in my client conversations lately.

So many people are carrying this underlying belief that they have to somehow become completely calm in order to heal. They tell themselves they need to reduce their stress, meditate more, regulate their nervous system better, stop feeling overwhelmed… and before long, the pressure to “do healing right” becomes another source of stress in itself.

I understand that deeply because I experienced plenty of overwhelm throughout my own healing journey too. There were times of fear, uncertainty, financial stress, relationship stress, the emotional weight of a cancer diagnosis, and later even menopause brought another whole layer of stress into my life. And yet, I still healed.

That has made me reflect a lot on the difference between experiencing stress and becoming completely identified with a survival story.

One of the ideas I often come back to is the concept of moving from survival into creation. Survival mode tends to keep our attention fixed on threat. We start asking ourselves: What if this gets worse? What if I’m missing something? What else do I need to fix? What if I’m not doing enough?

And of course, after a serious diagnosis, that response is completely understandable. We want answers, certainty and reassurance. We want to feel safe again.

But somewhere along the way, I think we also need to begin giving our mind and body another possibility to focus on.

For me, even in the middle of fear and overwhelm, there was something underneath it all that I held onto very strongly: I believed I could heal.

When I chose not to have chemotherapy, I could not know what the outcome would be. But I did hold onto the belief that healing was possible for me and that there could be another path forward. That belief gave my mind somewhere else to go besides fear. It gave me hope, possibility and a sense that my future was not already decided.

Perhaps that is where the real shift begins. Not in trying to become perfectly stress-free, not in judging ourselves when we have a difficult day, and not in believing one bad week has somehow undone all the good work we have done.

Instead, it is about learning to gently shift our attention, again and again, from fear → to hope → to belief → to possibility.

This is something Jenny and I will be exploring much more deeply in our upcoming 90-minute webinar next month, where we’ll both be sharing wisdom from our own healing journeys, the lessons we learnt along the way, and some of the practical ways we can begin making positive shifts in how we think, feel and relate to healing. PM id you would like the link to join us $29 NZD

Because sometimes the first step is not doing more. Sometimes it is simply beginning to believe that another way of being — and another possibility — exists. ❤️

What happens when the prognosis is devastating… but something inside you refuses to give up?Yvette Martin’s story is one...
08/09/2026

What happens when the prognosis is devastating… but something inside you refuses to give up?

Yvette Martin’s story is one of the most extraordinary healing stories I have had the privilege of witnessing.

Yvette first joined me for one of our "10-Week Radical Remission Workshops in September 2024", and we have stayed in close contact ever since. Over that time, I have watched her continue to deepen into her healing, her purpose and the work she now feels called to share with others.

A single mother of three from Sydney, Yvette was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. She navigated chemotherapy, surgery and radiation while also beginning to explore a much deeper understanding of healing and the connection between body, mind and spirit.

Then the cancer returned in her brain. She committed wholeheartedly to an integrative approach to her healing, incorporating integrative oncology, high-dose supplementation, infrared sauna, acupuncture, colonics, energy healing and other supportive therapies.

And then it returned again.

By the third recurrence, the tumour had affected Yvette’s vagus nerve and vocal cords, leaving her with significant difficulty speaking and swallowing. She was also facing a devastating prognosis: terminal cancer, with the possibility that she may have only weeks to live.

At the same time, surgery was being recommended, but she was warned that the outcome could be life-changing, including the possibility of being left in a wheelchair. It was an unimaginably difficult decision to face.

And that's when.

Yvette chose another path.

At the centre of her journey was Qigong. So with the terminal diagnosis she made a decision to attend her annual 10 day QiGong retreat.

She practised it for hours every day.

At one point Yvette weighed just 41 kilos. Her voice was barely audible, swallowing was incredibly difficult and her body was profoundly compromised.

Yet beneath all of that was an extraordinary determination to live.

What followed became part of a healing journey that would eventually leave even her oncologist struggling to explain what they were seeing.

One of the things Yvette says has stayed with me:

"There comes a point when your healing practice stops feeling like medicine you have to take… and becomes the thing you cannot wait to do."

For Yvette, that shift was profound.

Healing became way less than fighting disease.

It became a way of living.

A way of reconnecting with her body, her energy, her beliefs and her own innate capacity.

And beneath it all is something Yvette believes deeply — that every person is a powerful, capable being who may simply be moving through a very difficult human experience.

It is this perspective, along with everything she has lived, learned and embodied through her own healing journey, that makes her story so powerful to hear firsthand.

That's why I am so excited that Yvette will be joining us during our next 10-Week Radical Remission Workshop to share her healing story personally with the group — not just what she did, but what shifted within her along the way.

There is something incredibly powerful about hearing these stories from someone who has actually lived them and defied the odds like she has.

Sharing another person’s lived experience can open a doorway from fear… to hope… to belief… and to the possibility of healing beyond medicine.

Our next Workshop begins in October where we can begin weaving the healing factors more deeply and meaningfully into our own lives. For me, having Yvette return to this space more than two years after she first joined one of our workshops feels incredibly special. What began as a facilitator-participant connection has grown into a close friendship, an ongoing sharing of ideas, experiences and possibilities, and a relationship I value deeply.

We have stayed closely connected since that first workshop in September 2024, and I have a strong sense that this is only the beginning of what we may create and contribute together.

So to have Yvette come back and share her story with this next group feels beautifully full circle. I’d love to know — have you ever heard someone’s healing story that shifted something inside you and made you believe that more might be possible?

One of the things I’ve come to believe very strongly after more than a decade in the cancer world is just how important ...
04/09/2026

One of the things I’ve come to believe very strongly after more than a decade in the cancer world is just how important it is to support the body as fully as possible through the cancer journey.

What I do encourage people to think about is: what can I do to help my body cope, recover, heal and stay as resilient as possible while I move through treatment and recovery?

Supportive therapies can sometimes help with things like side effects, tissue healing, energy, circulation, recovery and overall wellbeing — and that can make a very real difference when your body is already under so much pressure.

Ozone therapy from home is something I personally used during my own healing journey, and it is still something I use today.

In simple terms, ozone therapy is about supporting the body’s natural ability to use oxygen, circulation and healing more effectively. It is not about “blasting cancer with ozone”. The research I’ve been reading looks at how ozone may help support the body during cancer treatment, including areas such as circulation, oxygenation, healing and treatment-related side effects.

This is particularly interesting because some tumours can have areas with poor blood flow and low oxygen, and these areas can sometimes be harder to treat.

For me, the bigger message is simply this:

How can we support the body as intelligently and completely as possible through whatever treatment path has been chosen?

That might include nutrition, sleep, movement, emotional support, nervous system regulation, targeted supplements, IV therapies, ozone, acupuncture or other supportive approaches depending on the individual.

There is no one-size-fits-all cancer journey.

But I do believe people deserve to know that there may be ways to support the body more fully through treatment, rather than simply enduring it.

If ozone therapy is something you’ve been curious about, I’m always happy to have a conversation. Having used it personally for many years, I now also help people understand the different ways it can be used at home and support them with getting safely set up. Just message me if you’d like to know more.

Happy first day of spring. 🌿🌼☀️It feels even more beautiful with the fresh fragrance of freesias filling my home.Such a ...
01/09/2026

Happy first day of spring. 🌿🌼☀️

It feels even more beautiful with the fresh fragrance of freesias filling my home.

Such a simple pleasure, but their scent instantly makes everything feel lighter and brighter — a little reminder that a new season is here, bringing fresh energy, new beginnings and longer, warmer days ahead.

Bring in on eh!!!

24/08/2026

This gorgeous dog at Raglan Harbour this weekend absolutely made my day — happily launching himself off the jetty again and again to retrieve his stick. No hesitation, just pure joy, total commitment and living his very best life. 😂❤️

I wanted to share this beautiful and deeply personal reflection from Dr Isabelle Yeoh, an Integrative GP based in Singap...
20/08/2026

I wanted to share this beautiful and deeply personal reflection from Dr Isabelle Yeoh, an Integrative GP based in Singapore and a participant in one of our recent 10-Week Radical Remission courses.

Our connection to Isabelle came through her sister, Dr Christabelle Yeoh, an Integrative GP based in Sydney, who had previously invited Jenny and me to speak to her medical and patient communities about Radical Remission and the work we do supporting healing beyond medicine. So when Isabelle was later diagnosed with cancer, Christabelle already knew and understood our work and felt that the Radical Remission course could offer her sister something valuable alongside her medical care.

Isabelle has since shared her experience and the insights she has gained through her own healing journey with her patient community in Singapore. It is a particularly powerful reflection coming from a doctor who, after more than 20 years in practice, suddenly found herself experiencing medicine from the other side — as the patient.

****************

Reflections on the Healing Journey

After more than twenty years in practice, being on the other side of medicine — as a cancer patient rather than a doctor — has been one of the most humbling and transformative experiences of my life.

Healing is rarely linear. There were moments of doubt, fear, and frustration, and I learnt early on that it cannot be rushed. The body needs time and space — to slow down, to rest, and to step away from the constant pressure of doing. I had to learn to be patient with myself, to allow stillness and deep rest, and to do so without guilt.

Surrendering and Letting Go

Learning to surrender and let go wasn’t easy — it was something I had to practice regularly. I learnt to focus on how I wanted to feel rather than trying to control the outcome. Slowly, through practices like breathwork and other forms of inner work, the fear and anxiety began to soften — and with that came a growing sense of peace and self-acceptance.

This journey led me through the different layers of healing — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Supporting the Physical Body

Physically, I focused on supporting my body through nutrition, sleep and gentle movement. I prioritised practices that helped regulate my nervous system — shifting out of a constant state of fight or flight through intentional breathwork, and spending quiet time in nature.

My sister, Dr Christabelle Yeoh, an integrative physician based in Australia, was an invaluable support throughout. While I underwent conventional treatment, she guided me with integrative protocols to strengthen my cellular vitality and immune system — her knowledge and guidance were and continue to be a source of great comfort to my well-being and recovery.

Uncovering Inner Beliefs

On a mental and emotional level, I spent time examining my thoughts, beliefs and inner dialogue. I saw just how deeply my patterns of self-criticism had been affecting my health — our thoughts about ourselves, left unchecked, can actually make us sick. Many of us are kinder to others than we are to ourselves.

Instead of treating my body like a fight to be conquered, I learned to pause, rebalance and use simple tools like tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique), while giving myself forgiveness and appreciation. Healing (like ageing) is not really a fight but about balance — moving away from the warrior mentality and into a state of harmonious flow. It is about becoming more resilient, more authentic and more empowered.

I had to learn to treat myself with kindness — to move from fear and self-doubt toward a place of unconditional love and acceptance, no matter the uncertainty. From being my greatest enemy, I learnt to become a better friend to myself.

Releasing Suppressed Emotions

I have always believed that true wellness and beauty begin from within, but this journey forced me to live that at a much deeper cellular level. I learnt that deep-seated negative emotions cannot just be analysed or meditated away — they need to be physically felt and released from the body.

This was new to me. I had always been someone who appeared fine on the outside, but tended to suppress negative feelings within. I was a master of “keep calm and carry on” — and it served me well for decades. But I have learned there comes a time when carrying on means learning to release rather than suppress.

Reconnecting Within

In the movie Avatar, the plants and trees of Pandora are connected through a vast living network — communicating, sensing and responding as one. I find this metaphor applies to our own bodies. Our cells are in constant communication, and they listen to what we tell them. When we cultivate coherence and flow — through the language we use with ourselves, the thoughts we choose, the fears we release — we tap into a deep cellular intelligence that supports healing from within.

There is an invisible energy to healing that science is only beginning to understand. When we stop fighting, surrender to what is, and release the fear — something shifts. Not through force, but through flow.

On a spiritual level, I came to see my situation not as something that happened to me, but as an invitation to slow down, reconnect with myself and live more authentically. It was a nudge from the universe to return to soul alignment.

The Healing Power of Environment

This experience also reminded me how much our environment matters. Surrounding myself with simple things—plants, music and nature —created a sense of calm and safety.

It reinforced to me that beauty is not just an aesthetic choice; it plays a vital role in helping us feel more uplifted and joyful. It helps the nervous system feel settled, which is a medicine in itself.

Learning to Receive Support

I am deeply grateful to my husband, family and loved ones who walked alongside me — and to my team, friends, patients and colleagues who checked in and kept me in their thoughts. I learnt to receive support without feeling like a burden.

Never underestimate the power of a kind word or a simple gesture. It can do wonders — adding love and joy in ways that heal the soul.

The Courage to Pause

Healing does not happen in isolation. It is supported by knowledge, perseverance, self-reflection, and the kindness of those who walk beside us. And sometimes, it begins with the quiet courage to pause — and listen to yourself.

With love,

Isabelle Yeoh 🌹

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