About Me

Hello to You

My name’s Nickhola-Susanna. I’m a shamanic practitioner, award-winning author (spellbinding-stories.com) artist and environmental activist living near Brighton.

As an ex-journalist, I’ve worked on several national women’s magazines including Good Housekeeping, Fitness, and Looks: first as a fashion & beauty editor, then as health & medical editor. I then did a brief stint as LBC Radio’s holistic agony auntie, wrote the first men’s general health book, and initiated a nationwide information campaign and helpline of the same name: Men’s Health Matters.

Books & Therapies

15 more wellbeing titles followed for major publishers including Random House, Hamlyn and HarperCollins (spellbinding-stories.com/other-books) under the name Nikki Bradford, plus a novel.

When a back injury stopped me sitting down to write for 11 years, I co-founded and ran a Brighton collective of fantastic complementary therapists called Holistic OutReach, who brought their skills and experience to people who very much wanted this sort of healthcare, but could neither access nor afford it.

Holistic OutReach ran for seven years. Clients included the domestic violence refuge service Rise, the staff of a primary school – everyone from the headmaster to the maintenance team – three community hubs and The Women’s Centre.

During this period, I learnt Matrix Reimprinting trauma release therapy with its founder Karl Dawson. I also trained in energy essence therapy with Australian Bush Flowers’ founder Ian White, and Alaskan Essences’ developer, former wilderness firefighter Steve Johnson; then learnt to use Bach Flower remedies too.

I’d qualified as a mainstream spiritual healer 20 years previously after a three year training with The National Federation of Spiritual Healers. But 11 years ago, I came across (well, crash-landed messily in front of) shamanism during a period of health challenges.

Shamanic healing helped me recover from an aggressive pelvic cancer which cut short my work with Holistic OutReach, then a bone tumour, and finally, yay! that back injury.

Blown away was the understatement of the millennium. And having been lucky enough to experience what this work can do, I started training just as soon as I could with The Sacred Trust, the UK’s respected centre for shamanic learning.

Storytellings

At the same time, I began creating artwork which has been in several exhibitions; started writing then recording myths and legends both traditional and original and published – magical-realism short stories for 5-8yr olds – with The Wildlife Trust

And up until 2023, inspired by some learning with one of the greatest storytellers in the world, Dr Martin Shaw, I’d also spent seven years performing as an interactive storyteller and loving it. Despite the fact I’d always been scared witless of public speaking.

Lighting the fuse of the soul

I am deeply passionate about shamanism. Partly because I’ve seen how can build back up that which is broken in ways that make it stronger than ever: unleashing people’s true power, wellbeing, delight in life, confidence and creativity like nothing else I’ve ever come across.

It’s – like lighting the fuse of the soul.
It is now my great privilege and joy to offer such support and help to anyone out there who wishes for it.