Quiet Reflections
This space holds personal reflections on healing, remembrance, and returning to a softer way of being.
Each piece is written as an invitation — not to fix, but to notice what’s already present.
My Voice Found Me Before I Found It
January 26, 2026
“I wasn’t voiceless – I was careful.”
There was a time when I didn’t fully use my voice, even though I always sensed it mattered.
Throughout my childhood school years – pre-school and K-12 – my teachers always wrote on my report cards that Tanya talks too much in class. I was constantly being hushed and told to be quiet. I was forever being silenced. Even with my own father, I never felt my voice mattered or was truly heard. Let it be clear that he was never abusive, he was not a bad person, he wanted what was best for me. He was guiding me the best way he knew how. I just learned that being silent around him gave me a sense of safety – a sense of protection. I wasn’t voiceless; I was careful.
My external world never knew I felt voiceless. They saw me as independent, outgoing, strong, determined an extrovert at heart – a strong public speaker, a leader, an organizer, an advocate for others, and an educator – the one that had it all together. But the voice I used for others was far from my own internal dialogue. I lacked the strength to speak up for my needs, for my wants.
Choosing to stay quiet for decades allowed me to keep myself protected. However, I was not living an authentic life. I was being the little girl, the young woman, the adult others expected me to be. I completed a degree not of my choosing, not aligned with my passions, because I was too afraid to speak my truth. If only I had been able to find my voice and advocate for myself decades ago, I would have found my true calling much earlier in life.
“My voice learned how to protect me before it learned how to free me.”
In my roles within post-secondary as an Academic Advisor and an Instructor, I truly learned my voice is of service. It provides guidance, empowers others, and educates. When a student is in a place of being disempowered, I advocate for them, I use my voice to bring about justice and fairness. I use it to right the wrongs.
Through my own shadow work and self-healing, I have come to recognize that my voice is powerful and capable of helping people heal. My Reiki practice has evolved into conducting collective group healing sessions where I infuse guided meditations using my voice. My words provide a sense of calm and safety. They allow people to release – release stress, fears, anger, trauma – whatever their body is ready to let go of.
In 2025 I created my very first ever vision board. On it, I placed a microphone – the kind podcasters use. Later that year, I was asked to record a distance Reiki guided meditation for the Summer Solstice. You could call me a Type-A personality – when I do something, I want it to be done well. I went out and purchased a high-end microphone to record my session. Only afterwards did I realize it was the exact same microphone I had placed on my vision board. It was an a-ha moment – confirmation that I am meant to share my story, to use my voice to help people, to no longer be silenced.
Today, I am no longer that silenced little girl, I use my voice to guide others toward empowerment. This is not only through my academic roles. My voice is being heard through the healing community. My voice is medicine when I step onto platforms where I facilitate energy healing workshops, when I serve as a Q&A panelist on energetics and women’s health, and through my recorded guided meditations infused with Reiki healing. I am no longer shrinking. I am here to be heard, to help, and to be of service.
Finding my voice was never about becoming louder.
It was about becoming truer.
It was about trusting that the same voice I once quieted to feel safe is now the very medicine I am meant to share. When I speak, guide, or hold space, I am no longer protecting myself by staying silent – I am honouring myself by being heard. And in doing so, I give others permission to do the same.
If your voice holds medicine, what is it waiting to say – and who is waiting to hear it?
If this reflection stirred something within you, you’re welcome to explore working with me through Reiki and guided healing experiences
– spaces created to support connection with your own inner voice and wisdom.
The Year I Stopped Searching and Started Remembering
January 7, 2026
“I didn’t have the language for it then, but something in me was already listening.”
– on grief, guidance, and coming home to myself.
There are moments in life that quietly change everything – even when you don’t recognize them at the time. This is a story of how that remembering began.
For as long as I can remember, I felt there was more to this life than what I was living. A deeper, universal connection existed, and while I could sense it, I didn’t have the language or tools to access it. I didn’t grow up following a religion, but I have always been drawn to the Canadian Indigenous culture, nature and to Mother Earth. Their way of being felt like a compass – my north star. Looking back now, I can see that something in me was already listening.
Grief opened a door I didn’t expect. When my grandmother – my Omi – passed, both my mom and I were left needing closure. She passed peacefully in her home, unexpectedly, and alone, and we didn’t get to say goodbye. Months later, I reached out to a friend for a psychic medium referral, which led us to meet Tara Diana of Spiritual Essence by Tara Diana.
I had never been to a psychic before, so I went in with no expectations. Needless to say, I was completely blown away. Both my Omi and Opi (grandfather) came through with messages that were incredibly specific and accurate. We were able to ask questions, receive clarity, and most importantly, say goodbye. That session gave us something we didn’t realize we were still holding our breath for – closure.
This wasn’t an overnight transformation; it was a quiet unfolding. After that experience, I began noticing small but meaningful shifts. I become aware of signs that helped me recognize my Omi and Opi around me. I started paying attention to my inner guidance. Curiosity took over, and I dove into learning about spirit guides, metaphysics and energetics through courses, podcasts, and books both – audio and print.
That learning led me inward. I began shadow work and self-healing and slowly started to feel whole again. I knew, with growing certainty, that I was meant for more than what I was currently doing. That knowing eventually led me to Reiki.
Helping people has always been at the heart of my work. As an Academic Advisor and post-secondary Instructor, I’ve always taken a holistic approach – creating safe, judgement-free spaces where students feel seen, supported and trusted. Through my own healing journey, I felt called to explore Reiki energy work more deeply.
Interestingly, Reiki crossed my path when I was around 23 years old – many moons ago. At that time, I remember thinking, That looks interesting. What I didn’t know then is that I had simply chosen the long path back to it. There were lessons I still needed to learn before returning.
When I finally did, Reiki didn’t feel new. It felt like coming home to something I had always known. Helping others heal felt deeply aligned with my true purpose – my true calling. Every time I work with clients, my heart lights up. I know, without question that this is what I was brought into this lifetime to do: to be of service through Reiki and energy healing.
“Reiki didn’t feel new – it felt like coming home to something I had always known.”
My path continues to unfold, and I continue to listen. I don’t believe people are broken. I believe we lose pieces of ourselves along the way. We take on stories that were not ours and we do what we need to survive. My Reiki work comes from a place of care, compassion, and a genuine desire for helping people find themselves again.
Sometimes the path isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about coming home.
If something in this story resonates with you, trust that it’s not by accident. I offer Reiki and energy healing for those who feel called to reconnect with themselves, restore balance, and gently come home to their own inner knowing. When the timing feels right, I’d be honoured to hold space for you.
You’re welcome to explore my Reiki-infused offerings, designed to help you reconnect with your own inner guidance.