We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shawna White a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shawna, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
As you can see I do many things! I do truly feel I create transformative, healing experiences, through reiki, photography, and embodiment practices!
I actually started with photography through modeling. Being in front of the camera really helped me build confidence in myself and my body. Over time the people I was working with noticed I had an eye for it and I’d picked up so many tips along the way I was sharing with them. I remember one day my photographer friend said, “Shawna, you really need to pick up a camera and start photographing yourself.” I became really curious about the other side of it and how to bring my own visions to life and capture people in a way that reflects how I truly see them and how they truly feel. That led me into photography, I started experimenting, practicing, and working with others. I love photographing all sorts of styles, but I truly love photographing women in their embodiment!
Around the same time, I was on my own healing journey, which is when I found Reiki. That experience really shifted everything for me! It opened me up to energy work and a deeper understanding of the body, energy, and emotions.
I loved all these things separately but I also knew I could bring them together in a way that felt truly magical and allowed my clients to feel into so many aspects of themselves while healing and transforming through the process. After some time, I began blending my creative work with healing practices.
A lot of what I do now came from hands-on experience, self-exploration, and working directly with people. It wasn’t one linear path, it was more about following what felt aligned and allowing my different passions to come together into what I offer today.
I think I would have trusted myself sooner and taken action earlier instead of waiting until I felt “ready.” I spent a lot of time questioning if I was good enough, if people would understand what I offer or even want to work with me. Which was all so silly because I was living in an old story that just wasn’t true instead of following what felt in alignment and what set my soul on fire. If I could go back, I’d invest in mentorship sooner, put myself out there more consistently, and focus less on perfection and more on experience.
The most essential skills weren’t just technical, they were emotional and intuitive. Holding space for people, learning how to read energy and body language, and building genuine connection have been huge. On a practical level, creativity, being open to learning, trying, failing, and starting over have been key! As well as asking questions to people I consider mentors. Most importantly, being able to listen to my clients and showing up even when I’m still growing.
Self-doubt was definitely the biggest obstacle. Feeling like I needed to have everything figured out, I needed to have a better camera or equipment, or I needed to learn or know more before stepping into my work held me back at times. I also think navigating a field that isn’t always fully understood, especially when it comes to energy work, made it challenging, there’s not always a clear roadmap. But over time, I learned that growth comes from going out and doing it anyway, not waiting for certainty!
I still don’t have it all figured out, does anyone truly? Truth is if you wait around till you think you’re “ready” it’s the silliest thing you can do, we’re never ready! The only difference now is I don’t let it hold me back anymore.
Shawna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a creator and holistic wellness practitioner who blends photography, Reiki, and embodiment practices to create transformative experiences for the people I work with. My work is rooted in helping individuals reconnect with themselves, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and energetically.
My journey started through modeling, which became a powerful tool for building confidence and learning to feel more at home in my body. That experience sparked my curiosity for photography, and I began exploring how to capture others in a way that reflects their true essence, not just how they look. Around the same time, I was on my own healing journey, which led me to Reiki. That work deeply impacted me and became a turning point, not just personally, but in how I began to approach my creative work.
Over time, I started blending these worlds together. What I’m beginning to offer more of now goes beyond a single service, it’s an experience. Whether it’s a Reiki session, a sound bath, a yoga/movement class, or a photography session, my intention is to create a space where people feel safe enough to soften, release what they’ve been holding, and reconnect with their power.
A lot of the people I work with come in feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in their own patterns. Whether that’s stress in the nervous system, low self-confidence, or feeling out of alignment with themselves, what I do is help guide them back into a state of calm, clarity, and self-trust. Through both energy work and creative expression, they’re able to see and feel themselves in a new way.
What sets my work apart is the combination of modalities and the intention behind them. I don’t just offer a service, I create an environment that’s deeply personal, intuitive, and grounded in real connection. My background in both healing and creative work allows me to meet people on multiple levels, which creates a more impactful and lasting experience.
What I’m most proud of is the way people leave my spaces. Seeing someone shift from guarded to open, from disconnected to present, from unsure to confident, is the most fulfilling part of what I do. The downloads they receive are the true magic. That transformation, even in small moments, is what drives me.
The main thing I want people to know is that my work is for any woman who is ready to come back to themselves in so many ways. You don’t have to have everything figured out, you just have to be open. Everything I create is built with intention, care, and the desire to help them feel more at home in who they are.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the biggest things I had to unlearn was the idea that I needed to fit into one specific niche to be successful. I mean you literally see it everywhere these days. It’s plastered all over social media to pick ONE thing!
In the beginning, I felt a lot of pressure to choose one path, whether that was photography, Reiki, or something else and fully commit to it. I worried that doing multiple things would make me seem unclear or that people wouldn’t understand what I offered. So for a while, I tried to separate parts of myself instead of embracing all of them.
Over time, I realized that my work actually became more powerful when I allowed those different parts to come together. My creativity, my healing work, and my personal experiences weren’t separate, they were all connected. Letting go of that “one niche” mindset allowed me to create something that feels more authentic and aligned.
That shift changed not only how I show up, but also the kind of impact I’m able to have. Hopefully I can be an example to others who are feeling the same!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think one thing that can be hard for non-creatives to understand is that the path isn’t always linear or clearly defined.
A lot of creative work, is built through exploration, intuition, and real-life experience. It’s not something you can always map out step by step. There’s a lot of trust involved, and a lot of growth that happens behind the scenes before it’s ever visible.
It can also be misunderstood because the value isn’t always tangible. Holding space for someone or helping them reconnect with themselves may not look like much from the outside, but it can create a deep, lasting impact.
I’ve learned that just because something isn’t easily understood doesn’t make it any less meaningful and trusting that process is a big part of the journey.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Shawna_rosee2
Image Credits
Sadie Simonis