In this season two finale of 'The Shadows We Cast', Jenn St. John sits down with Zainib Abdullah, MSW, RSW, somatic trauma psychotherapist, founder of Wellnest, and advocate for collective healing and care, for a conversation about trauma, embodiment, and what it means to come home to ourselves.

Born in Iraq and immigrating to Canada as a child, Zainib shares how her own experiences of migration, grief, identity, and intergenerational trauma shaped both her personal healing journey and her professional work. Together, Jenn and Zainib explore the connection between the body, the nervous system, and emotional healing, challenging the idea that recovery happens through insight alone.

Throughout the conversation, they discuss somatic healing, nervous system regulation, ancestral resilience, collective care, spirituality, community, and the wisdom our bodies carry. They also explore why healing isn't always about becoming someone new, but often about reconnecting with parts of ourselves that have been hidden beneath survival.

Whether you're navigating trauma, burnout, grief, chronic stress, or simply feeling disconnected from yourself, this episode offers a compassionate invitation to slow down, listen inward, and consider what helps you feel grounded, connected, and rooted.

Because healing may not be about finding something outside of ourselves. Sometimes it's about remembering what was there all along.

Connect with Zainib:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

If this episode resonates with you, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with someone who may benefit from the conversation.

Host/Producer/Writer/Director: Jenn St John

Editor: Andrew Schiller
Website: www.jennstjohn.ca
Follow along:
Instagram: @jenn_stjohn
LinkedIn: Jenn St John

If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might need to hear it too.

Subscribe, leave a review, or just send a little love—your support helps these conversations reach the people who need them most.