The Story Hour
The Story Hour: Voices Unscripted | Stories Re-Written
A space for raw, unfiltered conversations about life and the power of storytelling.
Where depth meets intimacy.
A place for everyone to show up perfectly imperfect.
No masks, no facades.
Authentic and heart-centered connections.
Rooted in the essence of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG).
Behind every person is a story; of who they are, where they come from, and the trials and tribulations they’ve faced.
A story of hardship, heartache, healing, and the unexpected wisdom and resilience we find along the way.
Our stories do not define us.
It’s about what happens when life knocks us down, and how we find the strength to stand back up again.
Some stories will break your heart, some will make you laugh, and all of them, I hope, will remind you, you’re not alone.
More than just stories, The Story Hour is a space for community, connection and collective healing.
Where voices come together to remind us that our stories matter, that even in our darkest moments, there is hope and there is a light within each of us that is waiting to be turned on.
A place for you to feel inspired and empowered to take back control of your life.
Join your host, Sara Jaswal at The Story Hour, where we listen, learn and re-write the narratives that shape us.
The Story Hour
*19* From Trauma Counsellor to Cancer Warrior with Raquel Nicolau, RTC
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Sara sits down with trauma counselor Raquel Nicolau (RTC) about her work and her breast cancer journey. Raquel describes becoming a counselor after years supporting women in Downtown Eastside shelters, and how holding clients’ vulnerability deepened her humility, empathy, and sense of purpose.
She shares her story of finding a lump during a self-check, waiting months for a diagnosis, and responding with a grounded, step-by-step “warrior” mindset.
Raquel chose a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, describing surgery as a positive step to remove the cancer, while still grieving the loss of her breasts.
She describes chemotherapy as “cumulative” and debilitating with severe side effects, loneliness, and the long recovery, ultimately stopping after three of four preventive treatments to protect quality of life and care for her daughter.
This episode highlights mind-body connection, community support, motherhood, dark humor as a coping mechanism, vulnerability, and grief centered around identity loss and a “Before/After” cancer diagnosis.
Connect With Raquel:
Website: https://raquelnicolau.com/
Booking Link: https://raquelnicolau.janeapp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raquel.counselling/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raquelnicolaucounselling/
Connect With Sara:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoryhourpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara.s.jaswal/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheStoryHourPodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestoryhourpodcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thestoryhour.podcast
Website: https://www.sarajaswal.com/