For the Curious Heart...

Hi, I’m Janet Phoenix Manalese—Psychic Medium, Shamanic Reiki Practitioner, and Visionary Artist.

I support women in reclaiming their intuitive power, creative spirit, and inner worth—especially during seasons of grief, transition, or spiritual awakening. Through healing sessions, mentorship, and creative expression, I walk alongside those who feel lost or disconnected, helping them return to the truth of who they are.

My work is rooted in lived experience. From growing up as a highly sensitive child navigating instability and complex trauma, to moving through profound loss, dark nights of the soul, and repeated rebirths, I’ve devoted my life to alchemizing pain into purpose.

With a dynamic background in visual arts and esoteric studies, I weave creative and spiritual practices to offer grounded, soul-honouring spaces for healing and transformation. Art, words, ritual, and deep listening are all doorways—each one inviting deeper clarity, courage, and communion with God.

I’m currently in a season of deepened prayer and devoted study, learning from the saints, spiritual masters, and mystics who came before us. Their wisdom steadies me as I move through a period of dismantling and purification, shaping both how I live and how I serve.

If something here feels like home, maybe we’re meant to find each other.

For the Devoted Reader...

Hi, I’m Janet

Once introduced as someone who loves hot baths, comfy pants, and kitty cuddles—and honestly, it couldn’t be more accurate! I’m a 40-year-old Taurus-Gemini cusp (Taurus Sun, Gemini Moon, Aries Rising, if you’re into the cosmos like I am). My world is full of wonder for Mother Nature—think chasing waterfalls, backcountry camping, canoeing at sunrise, hiking beneath golden leaves, and quiet moments watching wildlife. I’m also a sucker for homemade soup, big hugs, and deep, soul-stirring conversations. And yes—I’m magnetically drawn to all things vibrant, colourful, and sparkly. ✨

I’m married to the most beautiful human, Oliver—my soulmate, best friend, and daily reminder of the highest vibration love can reach. Our marriage and home are sanctuaries of peace, harmony, and true partnership. We share our hearts and home with our ragdoll kitties, Skyla and Everest (plus our spirit-sidekick Booka). They offer the purest unconditional love and make life even sweeter. My chosen family feels like a rare gem—each relationship a radiant beam in the spectrum of my life.

Quality time is my strongest love language and one of my deepest core values. I’m fiercely protective of my time and energy, because freedom and spaciousness are what make me feel truly healthy and wealthy. Every decision I make is guided by a desire to be present—and to carve out an abundant, easeful life for the day Oliver and I become parents.

I’m deeply multi-passionate, and I thrive on growth, exploration, and creative movement. I wear many hats with love and devotion: Psychic Medium, Shamanic Reiki Practitioner, and Visionary Artist. My work blends intuitive healing and artistic insight to help people reconnect with their inner clarity, confidence, and soul truth.

At the heart of it all is a deep reverence for art as a sacred language. My academic foundation is in Applied Arts, holding a certificate in Fine Art Fundamentals and a Bachelor’s Degree in Illustration from Sheridan College, where I specialized in the Interpretive stream.

Those five years were filled with late nights, all-nighters, and countless breakthroughs—through resistance, through self-doubt, and into spiritual strength. That chapter shaped not only my artistic voice, but who I am at my core. It was far more than an education—it was an evolution.

My Origin Roots & Building Resiliency

I was born an HSP—a highly sensitive person—and a Seer from the very beginning. Deeply empathic, wildly imaginative, and a natural channel for beauty. I was the kind of child who stopped to smell the roses (literally), who noticed the smallest cracks in the sidewalk, who could sense a shift in energy before words were ever spoken. I listened generously. I felt deeply. I was present to nuance in a way that often felt otherworldly.

And I had ample opportunity to sharpen these sensitivities—because by the time I reached adulthood, I had moved 29 times and lived across four different provinces in Canada.

From quiet coastal towns on the Atlantic to vibrant cities framed by the Rocky Mountains, I witnessed an array of landscapes, cultures, and family dynamics. I moved through blended homes, lived with various caregivers, and adapted constantly to new physical environments. And while I carry some bright memories, my early years also held life-altering chapters—marked by horrific abuse, neglect, poverty, and the ache of abandonment. I didn’t have a choice in the dysfunctional, nomadic nature of my reality, yet I kept finding a way to cope and forward.

For a child who longed to feel rooted and, of course, safe, it was a challenging way to grow. And yet, in all of it, there were blessings. Through this unpredictability, I developed grit, grace, and the ability to find light even in the darkest corners. I became adaptable, intuitive, and resilient beyond what anyone could see on the surface. I built bridges in unfamiliar places. I made friends across the country. I became a chameleon for change.

To that younger version of me: "I freaking love you." I am often in awe of how I witnessed and endured such hell, how I kept dreaming, how I dared to build a life of passion and purpose after spending my most developmental years in pure survival.

I fought to keep my wonder. And that fierce devotion to magic—despite the mess—has shaped everything I am today.

 

My Love for Beauty & Creative Expression

For years, I worked behind the camera as a commercial model, immersed in countless photoshoots, fashion shows, promotional work, and television and film opportunities. These creative environments ignited a deeper love for artistic expression and offered a glimpse into the many fields I could have pursued full-time—makeup and hair artistry, fashion and styling, photography, set design, and art direction. Being surrounded by brilliant creatives inspired me and made my skillset that much more versatile and dynamic.

Journaling and writing have always been lifelines for me. Since I was eight years old, I’ve kept a diary—a safe place to express my emotions and reflect on life’s mysteries. English was always my strongest subject, and the written word has remained one of my most trusted healing tools. I wrote with honesty and metaphor, leaving clues to truths even I wasn’t ready to fully face. These dusty books have followed me through each chapter of life, a testament to my tenacity.

After completing my BAA, I deepened my love of writing by enrolling in a Writing for Publication course, where I explored storytelling, poetry, and nonfiction with new depth. I found that the more vulnerably I wrote, the more healing occurred—not just for me, but for others too. Sharing my reflections publicly, whether through blog posts or social media, became another form of service.

Of course, visual art remains my most expansive language. Over the past decade, I’ve had the honour of participating in creative communities, gallery exhibitions, and meaningful collaborations—from murals in yoga studios, to magazine features, to being published in an Indigenous medicine songbook. These opportunities have reminded me time and time again how art can be both personal and universal.

Creating is a liberating act. It allows me to alchemize grief, transmute struggle, and amplify beauty. A part of my soul is woven into every image I make. I don’t paint unless I feel moved—each stroke must mean something.

My process is sacred and slow. I honour solitude, contemplation, and the gestation of ideas. I draw from many wells: my reverence for nature, my mystical experiences, and my ongoing relationship with the unseen realms. I gather images, sketch symbols, write out concepts, and let everything percolate until it’s ready to emerge. I don’t rush. And when the creation finally comes through, it often feels channeled from a place beyond me.

Beauty, to me, is a living force. It’s not just something to look at—it’s something to feel. And when someone sees themselves more clearly through my work, when it touches something ancient and tender inside them, I know I’ve done my job well.

 

Stepping into Leadership & My Heart for Teaching

My love of facilitation began while I was still in art school. I felt the pull to serve my community, though I didn’t yet know what form it would take. As someone who often grew up displaced and distant from family, I was naturally drawn to the offerings of Big Brothers & Big Sisters. Trusting that intuitive nudge, I applied, was accepted, and trained in their curriculum to become a mentor in a local middle school.

“Go Girls” is a group program designed to help young women build positive self-image and set them on a path toward their potential. Holding space for their transformation delighted and energized my spirit each week. That chapter was a milestone for me—it awakened something deeper. I knew then that guiding others in their personal growth was a gift I was meant to nurture. It confirmed that I wasn’t just here to create as an Illustrator—I was also here to lead.

My journey into teaching Art formally began in 2010 during my BAA Illustration degree at Sheridan. When it came time to choose a co-op placement, nothing on the list sparked inspiration. So I searched on my own, seeking roles where I could empower young artists to be confident, courageous creators. When I found one that lit up my chest with a resounding “yes,” I knew: I was meant to teach.

That led to over a decade—on and off—supporting children, teens, and adults in elevating or rediscovering their creative spark.

My first teaching role was with the Oakville Art Society, a beloved institution fostering creative development since 1965. From the moment I was hired, I felt completely aligned. I loved shadowing the incredible instructors and felt like a natural in my guidance. After graduation, I taught my own children’s summer classes for a few years—and knew I wanted more of this in my life.

At the time, I was still waitressing in upscale restaurants and doing bottle service in nightclubs on weekends. But over time, I realized how much energy those jobs were draining from my creative life. What once supported my vision had become a blockage to it.

You’ve probably heard the phrases: “Let go to let in,” or “Declutter the old to create space for the new.” Well—hah—when I finally did, things shifted fast. I cut my hours, made space for my gifts, and leaned into my Yoga practice to anchor my Drishti (my gaze) on what I wanted to call in next.

And I kid you not—within weeks of scaling back to one shift, while in the deepest financial pinch, the perfect opportunity opened up. Ten minutes from home. A reputable school. More hours. Great pay. After years of searching for this kind of role, the Universe whispered, “You finally believed—and were willing to leap.”

I became the lead Visual Art teacher at Studio PAVAS, a private school offering high-quality arts education since 1997. From year-long classes to summer camps, I taught students of all ages—guiding them through Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, and Portfolio Preparation.

But what I taught went far beyond techniques.

We cultivated self-esteem—the essential ingredient for authentic decision-making and creative expression. I watched my students move through resistance, confront limiting beliefs, and emerge with greater skill, confidence, and joy. Our classrooms were catalysts of transformation.

I adored being “Miss Janet” to so many shining souls—whether it was an adult rekindling their creative spark, teens preparing portfolios for art school, or children just wanting to splash paint and throw glitter around (lol). It was always an honour to walk beside them, even for a short chapter.

And while teaching Visual Art was a deep passion, I knew it was just one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

 

My Journey with Loss, Grief, & Personal Growth

Over the years, my intuition has become a steady compass, guiding me through a lifelong path of self-discovery and transformation. What began with a love for Power Yoga soon expanded into a devotion to spiritual growth, sacred rituals, personal development retreats, and a deeper relationship with the unseen. But like many who walk this path, it wasn’t light that led me here—it was loss.

Twelve years ago, life shattered overnight.

Within just three months, I lost two of my best girlfriends—Meghan and Katy—both just 26 years old, to separate and sudden causes. We were planning future weddings, dreaming of a girls' trip to Thailand, and building a life of adventure and joy. And in an instant, I was helping prepare their funerals.

The grief was incomprehensible. I went from wanting to die… to fearing I would die young too… to desperately longing to feel alive again. It cracked me open in ways I could never have prepared for.

At the same time, I had just poured my heart into creating a dream art studio in my home—a beautiful space I envisioned using to share healing through creativity. But as if the rug was ripped out from under me, my landlord reclaimed the home, and with it, all the momentum and vision I had worked so hard to build.

Everything that once felt joyful and stable seemed to dissolve piece by piece.

The trauma symptoms came swiftly: panic attacks, insomnia, waves of anxiety, and a heavy fog of depression. I felt like I was watching my life disappear in slow motion, unable to hold onto anything that once grounded me. Even my art—once my lifeline—felt unreachable. I could barely pick up a brush. I couldn’t recognize myself anymore.

It was the darkest season I had ever known.

And yet, in the quiet rubble, something stirred.

A whisper. A flicker. A breath of hope I didn’t know I still had.

Grief, I came to learn, isn’t something to move on from—it’s something you move with. Something that transforms you from the inside out when you allow it space to breathe.

This chapter wasn’t a detour. It was an initiation.

 

Alchemy & Reinvention

In the aftermath of my losses, I had no choice but to rebuild—beginning with my own well-being. I laid a new foundation rooted in self-love, spiritual devotion, and compassionate discipline. Slowly, I began transforming pain into fuel, heartache into purpose.

Grief became a teacher. Healing became an art form.

I leaned on therapists, counsellors, wise guides, and bereavement circles to reclaim my truth. And in doing so, I uncovered the thread that runs through all my work: that my story—my survival, sensitivity, and soulfulness—wasn’t just for me. It was the access point through which I could help others rise too.

This chapter of reinvention expanded my path in profound ways.

I became a Level Two Usui Reiki Practitioner (on the path to Mastery), a 200-hour Certified Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher, a Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Instructor, and a Self-Development Group Facilitator. Each modality rekindled my power, expanded my presence, and reawakened my sense of purpose.

I opened my private holistic healing practice, weaving together the modalities that shaped me: Reiki, intuitive mentorship, ritual, and expressive arts. I began teaching Yoga and Art in local studios and schools, supporting students of all ages in their own creative and spiritual growth.

I assisted and co-led transformational retreats. I co-founded Integrated Self, a local community offering space for inner exploration with my love, Oliver. I fundraised $9,000 and travelled to Nairobi, Kenya to serve with the Africa Yoga Project, helping to renovate a school for deaf children and teaching Yoga alongside some of the most joyful souls I’ve ever met.

I said yes to wild dreams—teaching Baptiste Yoga in Romania, painting a mandala mural in a brand new studio, leading spiritual workshops abroad, and taking trains to majestic castles on weekends. I travelled through Venice, Florence, and Rome with Oliver, and experienced the most romantic and magical proposal atop a mountain in Cinque Terre.

These were once vision board dreams—pinned up in hope, imagined in the quiet of uncertainty. And yet, I lived them. Not because I had it all figured out. But because I chose to believe. I chose to take one brave step after another, even through fear, doubt, or fog. And that was enough to open the door.

But what also awakened during this pinnacle time was something far more mysterious.

My intuitive gifts intensified. My fascination with the spirit realm deepened. I began having mystical experiences that couldn’t be ignored. And over the past few years, the call to serve as a medium—to channel messages from the unseen world—grew louder and clearer.

The veil was thinning. My role was shifting.

And so I listened—again.

 

Mystical Experiences & Connecting with Spirit

After the loss of my two best friends, I felt a deep, aching pull to communicate with them across the veil. I had always sensed I carried this ability, but grief became the catalyst for intentionally developing my gifts.

At times, my body felt foreign to me. My nervous system overwhelmed. I craved reassurance—daily signs that they were still with me, guiding and protecting me through the storm.

Ironically, in this season of feeling most lost, I received the clearest signs: dreams, synchronicities, whispers, and symbols. It was as though, in the midst of my unravelling, something far greater was being revealed. Soul contracts were cracking open. My path was being illuminated in ways I could no longer deny.

My guides began leading me to the teachings I was meant to embody. I immersed myself in metaphysical and esoteric studies—evidential mediumship, psychic development, shamanic journeying, auragraph reading, spirit art, divination, and earth-based wisdom. I studied the auric field, chakras, archetypes, psychometry, astral travel, and more.

I began training under world-class mentors, including tutors from Arthur Findlay College in the UK and The Journey Within Spiritualist Church in the US. I also completed Level I and II Shamanic Reiki at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY—drawn to this path by how organically my healing practice had evolved into a blend of Mediumship, Shamanism, and Traditional Usui Reiki.

I’ve been blessed to study under influential spiritual teachers, both publicly known and quietly profound. Some of my greatest influences in both my work and life include Sandra Ingerman and Carolyn Myss.

With every reading and healing session, I offer a sacred space for reunion—a place where the soul can speak, and the heart can begin to release regret, pain, or fear. My deepest intention is always love, comfort, and undeniable evidence that the soul is eternal.

Over the years, I’ve had the honour of working with many who, like me, have navigated loss, grief, and disconnection. And there is nothing like the moment someone reclaims a spark of hope or joy. I know intimately how a single moment of spiritual connection can keep someone going.

I remain a humble student of this work. I continue to train, deepen, and listen. But this much I know: I am here to walk between worlds. To be a bridge. To help others remember who they are, and to guide them back to the sacred truth of their soul’s calling.

 

The Power of Creative Self-Healing

After a decade of pouring my heart into a community organization, a private school, and a studio, something inside me began to stir with greater urgency. My entrepreneurial fire had grown too strong to ignore. Just before the world shifted in 2020, I made a bold decision—to pivot fully into my creative path, trusting the quiet nudge that said it was time. It wasn’t easy, but it was aligned.

As a multi-passionate woman and intuitive creator, I’ve always known I was meant to merge my gifts. The first offering born from this merging was my Chakra Painting Workshop—a therapeutic experience blending guided meditation, energy work, and intuitive art-making. What began as a seed of inspiration soon took root, spreading to studios, schools, and even corporate spaces. Participants left feeling grounded, expanded, and reconnected to themselves.

That workshop became the spark for something deeper—my signature offering, the Creative Self-Healing Mentorship. This seven-month journey, launched in 2018, is designed to help sensitive, creative souls awaken the healer within. We weave together energy medicine, yogic philosophy, somatic wisdom, intuitive practices, artistic ritual, and the healing power of Mother Nature to catalyze personal transformation.

It’s a space for reinvention. A sanctuary for reclamation.

In this mentorship, I help my clients access their inner vibrancy, see their sensitivity as a strength, and embrace every layer of themselves. We honour the cycles, the sacred ruptures, the resilience that rises through every season of life. Clients learn to view their story as medicine and their creative expression as a gateway to deeper wholeness.

And I walk this path beside them.

These last few years have been some of the most intense and initiatory of my life. Rebirth after rebirth. Layer after layer. The shedding, the surfacing, the alchemy—it’s been both beautiful and brutal. And yet, I continue to return to this truth:

The pain is the portal.

The more I devote myself to my own healing, the more I’m able to meet the people I’m meant to help. The work I do is not separate from who I am—it’s a reflection of it. And in this intricate web of life, I know without a doubt: my healing is part of the collective healing.

And I’m here for it—with an open heart and a paintbrush in hand.

 

Plant Medicines & Indigenous Teachers

Over the past few years, my healing journey has deepened through a sacred relationship with plant medicines—each ceremony, a profound unraveling and remembering.

Working with plant spirits—some native to this land, others rooted in the Amazon—has felt like an ancient reunion, an awakening of something encoded in my soul. These ceremonies have become portals into truth, love, and clarity. Doorways that dissolve illusion and reveal the golden threads woven through my pain.

Learning directly from Indigenous Medicine Women and Men, Curanderas, and Grandmothers has humbled and transformed me in ways that language barely captures. These guides, these teachers, have shown me what it means to walk in reverence, to carry this work with honour, and to live in harmony with Spirit.

The expanded states of consciousness I’ve experienced have helped me process complex trauma, receive divine insight, and manifest miracles I once thought impossible. But just as important has been the deep integration that follows—translating the wisdom into daily life, breath by breath, choice by choice.

This path has been nothing short of a return to my roots. A true homecoming. And though I’m still learning how to speak of it fully, I know this: it’s changed me forever. It continues to shape the woman, guide, and artist I’m becoming.

What I'm Devoted to in the Present Day

Right now, I’m in a season of sacred retreat—honouring a multi-year social media sabbatical, devoting myself to the Mother archetype in me, and consciously preparing to welcome our future children with my beloved husband, Oliver.

This preparation for conception has been unexpectedly demanding. Through intentional rituals and practices, we’re forming bonds with our babies' souls even before they arrive. I’ve come to view this chapter as a kind of spiritual labour—one that is reshaping me at the root level. I'm listening more closely than ever before. In the quiet, guidance arrives with clarity.

This time has also called me into ancestral work of the deepest kind—healing generations of pain, facing the shadows, and choosing to end cycles before stepping into motherhood. It’s been humbling, excruciating, and literally brought me to my knees repeatedly. Every skeleton in the closet that I've confronted is a commitment to creating a new legacy. One built on solid virtues like truth and moral courage.

I've been transforming agony and suffering as I commune deeper with Christ and my guardian angel, while immersing myself in the wisdom of the great Mystics and Masters across traditions, along with the study of Cosmology and Spiritual Science.

At the same time, I’ve been tending to long-held dreams. I’m slowly writing and illustrating my first book and healing oracle deck—projects that have lived in my heart for over a decade. With grace and patience, I’m allowing them to unfold in divine timing, trusting that the wisdom born of this season will find its way into the pages and images I’m creating.

As I rebuild from within, I’m also anchoring into our long-term vision: to one day spend winters in our beloved Costa Rica, and eventually host healing retreats together. The jungle has always felt like home to me, and I know that part of our destiny lies there.

While I’ve stepped back from most private offerings to focus on my self-healing the past couple of years, I’m slowly beginning to open space again. This Spring, I’ll be welcoming new clients and hosting group events once more—returning with fresh clarity, anchored presence, and a deeper well to serve from.

To those who have quietly held space for me, sent prayers, or offered words of encouragement—thank you. Your compassion has been a balm in my most tender and fragile moments. And to the ones who fought fiercely for my light when I could barely find it myself, my love for you transcends words.

If you've found resonance with my story, you are warmly invited to join my newsletter community. I’ll continue sharing more of this unfolding journey there, as I remain unplugged from social media.

Thank you for being here. Your presence is felt and cherished in my heart and prayers.

With love and devotion,
Janet xx