From an early age, I found refuge in nature. Growing up by the ocean, water became my sanctuary, a place where I felt connected and at peace. At the same time, I carried a quiet sensitivity — I could feel the emotions of others, sense their pain in their bodies, and notice what went unspoken. I didn’t know why, and I assumed everyone felt this way.


Yet beneath the beauty of nature, my family life carried fractures. Both sides of my family had histories of abandonment and unspoken wounds. I could feel the disconnection between my parents, grandparents, and relatives, even though no one named it. That silent tension shaped me — I longed to mend what wasn’t acknowledged, though I didn’t yet know how.
My teenage years brought even more weight. I struggled with bullying, acne, and low self-esteem. Violence touched my life through street fights, robberies, and even being hospitalised after an attack. Anxiety and depression became constant companions, and my body broke down with chronic fatigue and health issues. Beneath it all was a deep belief that I wasn’t enough.


There came a moment I’ll never forget: sitting in my bathroom, crying into a towel, I screamed, “I just want to be happy.” In that instant, I admitted something I’d been avoiding — I wasn’t happy, and something had to change. That raw cry was the first step of awakening.
In the years that followed, I stumbled into the world of holistic health. What began as following a friend into personal training soon opened into something much deeper. Mentors introduced me to the CHEK Institute, and for the first time I felt alive with learning. I studied bodywork, corrective exercise, nutrition, energy medicine, chakra work, and more. I opened two clinics and worked with clients through every layer of physical and emotional health.
Yet the same truth kept revealing itself: no matter what people changed in their bodies or lifestyles, their pain always led back to the unconscious — to the parts of themselves they hadn’t yet faced. That realisation drew me into psychotherapy, meditation, shadow work, plant medicine, and soul work.



© Cam Ashley 2025