I was having lunch with a friend recently, an entrepreneur and mother of three. She recounted a story of a time during her unexpected imprisonment in California due to legal issues stemming from a company she founded in the Middle East, caused by rogue employees. A brief trip to provide evidence turned into a three-year legal ordeal, starting with eight months in a Tbilisi, Georgia prison before being extradited to California. In San Diego, her cellmate frequently changed as new detainees awaited charges.
One evening during her early months of detention, my friend shared a cell with a grandmother in her 70s, arrested while crossing into San Diego from Mexico. Drugs had been hidden under her car chassis without her knowledge, a common tactic used by cartels. My friend, having been away from her children for over a year, was in a terrible state. When the elderly woman first entered the cell, they looked at each other in silence. She then said to my friend, “I’ve been asking myself all day why this is happening to me, but now I see the reason. I think I’m here to heal you.” My friend, numb from shock and survival mode, had not expressed any emotion for months. The grandmother was known in her small Mexican town as ‘The Healer’. Whenever someone was unwell, physically, mentally or spiritually, she was the one people would seek out for help. She then proceeded to treat her using various modalities. The next day, my friend finally made peace with her situation, and had a long-overdue cry, feeling a boulder lift off her. This sparked the start of her determination to return as swiftly as possible to her children and reclaim her life. She’s now back at the helm of a new AI company and thriving but still remembers all the people that helped her heal along the way.
This story made me think about people in our lives that are sent to heal us in different ways at different times when we least expect it. Sometimes in the most random of places and unlikeliest of situations. It also re-affirmed my belief that healers will feel called to heal, no matter the situation they find themselves in.
I get asked a lot why we launched Yeotown over a decade and a half ago. After hearing my friend’s story, it resonated with me to share it with you because in many ways, I believe it’s why we do what we do. It’s why in 2025 we’re growing from strength to strength into our 15th year. Quite simply, I think we’re here to heal you.
Discover more about our retreats below.