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.

A few weeks ago, I found myself wondering about Pat.Pat joined the Radical Remission group sessions in June 2025, only w...
09/08/2026

A few weeks ago, I found myself wondering about Pat.

Pat joined the Radical Remission group sessions in June 2025, only weeks after being given a terminal cancer diagnosis. I remembered the beautiful reflection she shared with us afterwards, so I decided to reach out and see how life was treating her recently.

I cannot tell you how lovely it was to hear back and discover that she is doing really well.

When Pat first joined us, like so many people navigating a frightening diagnosis, she had thrown herself into healing. She was doing everything in her power physically and trying to make herself believe that healing was still possible, while at the same time creating an ever-growing list of everything she felt she needed to do each day.

In her own words:

“I had created a long checklist of daily ‘healing’ tasks — and looking back now, I can see how much stress I was placing on myself.”

I think so many people will recognise themselves in this. A cancer diagnosis can suddenly open the door to an overwhelming world of information — food, supplements, treatments, exercise, meditation, detoxing, research, appointments, emotional healing and everything in between. We can become so determined to do everything “right” that healing itself starts to become another source of pressure.

For Pat, one of the biggest changes wasn’t discovering another protocol or adding something else to her list. It was an internal shift in the way she approached healing.

She wrote:

“Somewhere during the course, I realised that I had moved from hoping healing was possible to truly knowing that healing is always possible, no matter how dire the prognosis.

Rather than doing everything, all I needed to do was breathe into my intuition, trust what my body was telling me in the moment, and gently allow healing to happen.”

I still find those words incredibly powerful because they really are, and I often think to myself, if only our human minds could get out of the way then healing does and will flow.

There is such a difference between desperately hoping something is possible and beginning to feel, somewhere deep within yourself, that possibility really does exist.

Pat also remembered something I had shared from my own healing journey:

“My favourite quote from Justine was: ‘My body created this, so I knew it could heal it.’”

Hearing that Pat is doing so well today, more than a year after she first came into our lives carrying the enormous weight of a terminal diagnosis, made her words even more meaningful to me.

These are the stories that remind me why I continue doing this work.

This October, we’ll once again be bringing together a group of people to explore the 10 Radical Remission healing factors — not as another checklist of things to achieve, but as an opportunity to look more deeply at the whole healing environment.

The physical matters enormously, of course, but so too can our beliefs, emotions, intuition, relationships, sense of purpose, connection, joy and the way we respond to fear and uncertainty.

Sometimes healing isn’t about doing more.

Sometimes one of the most powerful changes is the shift that happens within us — when fear begins to loosen its grip and we start to reconnect with hope, possibility and belief.

And there is something incredibly powerful about making that shift alongside others who truly understand the fear, uncertainty and worry that can come with a cancer diagnosis. Being surrounded by people who “get it” can lift us, inspire us and remind us that we are not limited to the fear we may be feeling in this moment.

Little by little, we begin to see ourselves differently. We start to recognise our own inner strength, trust ourselves more deeply, and understand that we may be far more powerful than we have ever been led to believe.

Thats why I love the quote "Believe the diagnosis but NOT the prognosis!

I had an email exchange with the wife of a past client recently that made me think about how difficult it can be to expl...
09/08/2026

I had an email exchange with the wife of a past client recently that made me think about how difficult it can be to explain what Jenny and I actually do when we bring a group of people affected by cancer together.

Her husband had recently come through surgery and, after some complications, they received the wonderful news that he is now cancer-free.

With the intensity of diagnosis and surgery behind them, her question was essentially:

What now?

Would he benefit more from working with me individually, or from joining Jenny and me in October?

And it reminded me that many people probably don't really understand what being inside one of our Radical Remission groups actually looks or feels like.

What actually happens when you step inside a Radical Remission experience?

Yes, we explore the 10 healing factors identified through the Radical Remission research.

But it isn't 10 weeks of Jenny and me sitting on Zoom telling people what they should be doing!

It's much more human than that.

We explore the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of healing and encourage people to become curious about their own lives.

What is already supporting me?

Where might I feel stuck?

What brings me joy — and what drains me?

Am I carrying fear, stress or emotional patterns that deserve some attention?

Who can I lean on?

What gives me a really strong reason for living?

And what does my own intuition have to say?

There is no suggestion that you caused your cancer. No judgement about the medical choices you've made. And certainly no checklist of things you must do to heal.

Then something else happens that I don't think you can fully appreciate until you experience it.

You start learning from each other.

Someone shares something and you think, Oh my goodness… I do that too.

Someone asks a question you hadn't thought to ask. Someone's insight opens a door you hadn't considered.

And gradually, a group of people who began as strangers becomes a little healing community.

Jenny and I bring our own very different cancer experiences, perspectives and years of learning into those conversations too.

But perhaps one of the most important things we bring is hope.

Not false hope. Not promises.

But the possibility that even after everything cancer has brought into your life, there may still be things within your control and ways you can support your own healing environment.

That's what being "inside" Radical Remission looks like to me.

It isn't really about learning 10 things.

It's about beginning to see healing through a much wider lens — and discovering what that might look like in your own life.

Our next intake is open now for our October intake. PM me if you would like to be part of this incredible healing opportunity ✨️

Picture of the the most amazing frosts we've been experiencing lately...nature is epic eh!

A recent participant shared that one of the biggest things she realised was that she had been doing so much to support h...
08/08/2026

A recent participant shared that one of the biggest things she realised was that she had been doing so much to support herself physically… but hadn’t really understood how deeply the emotional, mental, and relational layers were affecting her healing journey.

This is something we see so often.

You can be doing all the “right things” — changing your food, taking supplements, researching options, attending appointments — and still feel stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected from yourself.

You may recognise some of this too…

✨ Feeling caught in the same cycles of fear, stress or overwhelm

✨ Doing so much physically, yet sensing there are deeper layers that need attention

✨ Feeling overwhelmed by endless advice and conflicting information

✨ Struggling to trust your own intuition and know what feels right for you

✨ Feeling alone in your experience, even when you are surrounded by people who care

✨ Knowing that something in your life may need to shift, but not yet knowing what that is

✨ Wanting to move beyond simply “managing” cancer and begin creating an inner environment that truly supports healing

This is why the work Jenny and I do together goes far beyond the physical.

Over 10 weeks, we explore the key healing factors identified through the Radical Remission research — looking at food and supplements, but also fear, emotions, beliefs, intuition, purpose, connection, support and what it can mean to become an active participant in your own healing.

And one of the most powerful parts is doing this alongside others who understand and inspiring guest speakers who are cancer thrivers.

There really is something very different about being in a space where you don’t have to explain why you feel the way you do… where people are asking similar questions, facing difficult decisions and learning to reconnect with themselves again.

Our next 10-week journey begins in October.

If you feel this may be what you’ve been looking for, comment INFO below or send me a private message and I’ll send you the details.

Have a fabulous Weekend! And rug up warm ...it's been mighty cold huh!

I’ve got two kūmara sitting in jars of water, both given pretty much the same conditions, because I’m growing my own tip...
05/08/2026

I’ve got two kūmara sitting in jars of water, both given pretty much the same conditions, because I’m growing my own tipu (kūmara slips) ready for planting in spring.

And I’m fascinated by the difference between them!

One has absolutely gone nuts 😂 — roots everywhere, shoots bursting out all over it and clearly very enthusiastic about life.

The other? Well… A couple of beautiful shoots appearing, but hardly a root to be seen.

Same kitchen. Same water. Same sunshine. Same loving encouragement. 😂

Yet two completely different responses.

Nature is such a wonderful reminder that everything has its own timing.

We can create the right environment, provide the nourishment and give something every opportunity to thrive… but we can’t always dictate when it decides to grow.

And perhaps there’s a little life lesson tucked away in there too.

For now, I’ll keep nurturing them both and see what happens.

Meanwhile, it’s one of those gorgeous crisp, frosty mornings here today — freezing outside, golden winter sunshine pouring through the windows...amazing!

Anyone else grown their own kūmara tipu this way? I

02/08/2026

What’s something you regularly do
that has nothing to do with medicine…
but you believe has made a real difference to your healing?

One of the greatest privileges of the work I do is helping people move from Fear back to Hope.I'm currently working alon...
31/07/2026

One of the greatest privileges of the work I do is helping people move from Fear back to Hope.

I'm currently working alongside a gentleman in his late 70s who has been diagnosed with an early-stage cancer. Like so many families, the diagnosis itself was overwhelming, but what seemed to create even more anxiety was the feeling that everything suddenly had to happen right now.

His wish is beautifully simple.

He wants to extend his life "with quality", not just quantity.
Before meeting with his radiation and chemotherapy specialists, we spent time talking through the questions that mattered most to him and his family. Not because I have the answers, but because when we're frightened it's often difficult to think clearly enough to ask the questions that will help us make decisions we can truly live with.

After their appointments, his daughter sent me this message:
"Thank you again so much for preparing us for the meetings. We went in not nearly as scared as we would have otherwise." You are amazing!

She went on to describe two very different experiences.
One consultation left them feeling incredibly pressured to make an immediate decision. They were told they had only minutes to decide whether to proceed because planning scans had already been booked. Thankfully, they trusted themselves enough to gently say, "We need time to think." After further discussion, they were given a few more days.

Later that day they met another member of the oncology team whose approach was very different. They reassured Dad that the decision was his, that he could take time to think, and that whatever path he chose, they would continue to support and monitor him. They also learned that the cancer was "very early", barely visible on imaging, and appeared to be slow growing.

Can you imagine the difference those two conversations made?
The family left feeling calmer, clearer and far more empowered.
This isn't about saying one path is right or wrong. Nor is it about rejecting conventional treatment. Many people choose surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, and for some those treatments are absolutely the right choice.

It's about remembering something incredibly important...
Fear is rarely the best place from which to make life-changing decisions.

Whenever it's medically appropriate, give yourself permission to gather the information you need before making a decision. Ask the questions that matter to you, take a trusted support person to your appointments, and consider recording the conversation so you can listen again later when the emotion has settled. If you still feel uncertain, it's perfectly reasonable to seek a second opinion or talk things through with people you know and trust. Most importantly, create enough space to tune into your own intuition. While your medical team bring years of knowledge and expertise, you are the expert on your own values, your own body, and the life you want to live. The path you choose should ultimately be one that feels right for you.

I've watched so many people move from panic to peace simply because they realised they had permission to pause, breathe, and choose the path that genuinely resonated with them.
Sometimes the greatest gift we can give ourselves isn't another opinion.

Sometimes it's simply giving ourselves the space to hear our own inner wisdom and to be reminded of that. That what resonates is so often the right decision.

Years ago someone said to me, "They're in the illness business, but you're in the wellness business." That has stayed with me ever since.

30/07/2026

If you could give someone newly diagnosed with cancer
just one piece of advice...
what would it be?

One of the greatest privileges of the work I do is helping people move from Fear back to Hope.I'm currently working alon...
29/07/2026

One of the greatest privileges of the work I do is helping people move from Fear back to Hope.

I'm currently working alongside a gentleman in his late 70s who has been diagnosed with an early-stage cancer. Like so many families, the diagnosis itself was overwhelming, but what seemed to create even more anxiety was the feeling that everything suddenly had to happen right now.

His wish is beautifully simple.

He wants to extend his life "with quality", not just quantity.

Before meeting with his radiation and chemotherapy specialists, we spent time talking through the questions that mattered most to him and his family. Not because I have the answers, but because when we're frightened it's often difficult to think clearly enough to ask the questions that will help us make decisions we can truly live with.

After their appointments, his daughter sent me this message:

"Thank you again so much for preparing us for the meetings. We went in not nearly as scared as we would have otherwise." You are amazing!

She went on to describe two very different experiences.

One consultation left them feeling incredibly pressured to make an immediate decision. They were told they had only minutes to decide whether to proceed because planning scans had already been booked. Thankfully, they trusted themselves enough to gently say, "We need time to think." After further discussion, they were given a few more days.

Later that day they met another member of the oncology team whose approach was very different. They reassured Dad that the decision was his, that he could take time to think, and that whatever path he chose, they would continue to support and monitor him. They also learned that the cancer was "very early", barely visible on imaging, and appeared to be slow growing.

Can you imagine the difference those two conversations made?

The family left feeling calmer, clearer and far more empowered.

This isn't about saying one path is right or wrong. Nor is it about rejecting conventional treatment. Many people choose surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, and for some those treatments are absolutely the right choice.

It's about remembering something incredibly important...

Fear is rarely the best place from which to make life-changing decisions.

Whenever it's medically appropriate, give yourself permission to gather the information you need before making a decision. Ask the questions that matter to you, take a trusted support person to your appointments, and consider recording the conversation so you can listen again later when the emotion has settled. If you still feel uncertain, it's perfectly reasonable to seek a second opinion or talk things through with people you know and trust. Most importantly, create enough space to tune into your own intuition. While your medical team bring years of knowledge and expertise, you are the expert on your own values, your own body, and the life you want to live. The path you choose should ultimately be one that feels right for you.

I've watched so many people move from panic to peace simply because they realised they had permission to pause, breathe, and choose the path that genuinely resonated with them.

Sometimes the greatest gift we can give ourselves isn't another opinion.

Sometimes it's simply giving ourselves the space to hear our own inner wisdom and to be reminded of that. That what resonates is so often the right decision.

Henry Ford famously said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right." Our beliefs don't guarantee an outcome, but they profoundly influence how we face the journey ahead. I've always believed that while medicine has an important role to play, healing is about so much more than treating a disease. My passion has never been to "treat cancer"—it's to help support the whole person. To ask what their body needs, what their mind needs, what their spirit needs, and how we can create the best possible environment for health alongside whatever medical path they choose.

Years ago someone said to me, "They're in the illness business, but you're in the wellness business." That has stayed with me ever since.

For me, wellness isn't the opposite of medicine—it complements it. It's about nourishing the body, calming the nervous system, restoring hope, supporting emotional wellbeing, eating well, sleeping well, moving well, connecting with those we love, and helping the body become as resilient as it possibly can.

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