Meet Shawn Walker

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shawn Walker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shawn below.

Hi Shawn , so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

Self-care has not always been easy for me. I was always the one taking care of everyone else. When I got breast cancer, I could not do anything except take care of myself.

I learned that when I give myself proper care, I feel better and want to help and care for others more. I feel more joy and confidence in myself because I am more aware of what is going with myself.

The best ways I learned to offer self care are breath work, walks, fresh air, meditation and prayer, mindfulness, and yoga poses to move my body. It doesn’t have to be all of these at once, even 10 minutes of just one thing makes a huge difference. It’s like a reset button for my body/mind.

It seems like most women I know occasionally get “mom guilt” for taking care of themselves. I have felt this many times, especially when we have been taught that self care is selfish. We can be our best version of ourselves when we tend to our body/mind, then spread that joy and care into the world around us. We are living, breathing beautiful beings that need to be cared for.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I love being a wife, mom, volunteer and yoga instructor. One of the first things I wanted to do after recovering from breast cancer treatments and surgeries was to give back. I want to help other women facing breast cancer to know they are not alone.

I want to share my passion and love of yoga, and help cancer patients/survivors learn how to start to feel better in their bodies by doing yoga. I want to offer breath work and meditation to help calm the nervous system.

Once when I went in for treatment in the chemo center. I had a terrible panic attack. It was the kind where you cannot just get control of yourself, and I felt like I might die. It was terrible. A nurse friend helped me with calming breath work. That was a game changer, and it was empowering.

I learned how to advocate for myself during treatments, with the help of my patient navigators. I now volunteer at the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center to not only give back, but am learning how to be more supportive to breast cancer patients/survivors.

I had a full circle moment when I got to teach yoga at the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center. I really enjoy sharing yoga and support. Breast cancer is the hardest thing I have ever faced, but knowing I was supported and cared for made all the difference. To anyone facing that beast, never give up! You are not alone.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three things that helped me get through the breast cancer “journey” are my family and friends, my medical team and my patient navigators. There were so many decisions that had to be made, some quickly.

I was able to get the knowledge I needed, as well as the support to make the best decision for myself. Information and support helped empower me to do what felt like the best thing for me. Knowing that I wasn’t alone while doing the hard things gave me strength. I literally had navigators holding my hand during hard procedures.

For me, knowing that there were things I could do to make the process of double mastectomy and reconstruction better was a reason to do it, even though I was scared.

I could not have done chemo alone, and due to Covid, I almost had to. Fortunately, my husband was able to be my cold capping technician, so he had to be in there with me to handle that. That was one more thing I had to advocate for myself.

My biggest advice is to always advocate for yourself. Nobody can do that better than you. Lean on your support system, and let them take some of the burden off of you. That will give you more strength to keep fighting.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

The support and encouragement from family, friends, neighbors, and even some people I didn’t really know have helped me to overcome obstacles. I am very determined when I choose to do something, and giving up is not an option. Make sure you have people cheering you on in any journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Breathofjoyyoga.offeringtree.com
• Instagram: Shawn3479
• Facebook: Shawn Walker (Shawn Marie Bulin Walker)