From Numbers to Healing Hands: Hawaiian Mentor Susan Pa’iniu Floyd’s Journey to Living a Better Life

Many of us work in very grounded, practical jobs. We follow the rules, build a stable life, and do what’s expected. But for some, that life starts to feel heavy. Something feels off. You’re tired, stuck, or maybe even unwell — and deep down, you know you need a change.

I hope Susan Pa’iniu Floyd’s story gives you a bit of courage. If you’ve burned out, if you feel lost, or if your body is trying to tell you something — that’s a reminder that life can change. Completely. Even by 360 degrees.

This is her story. And maybe, it can be a spark for yours too.

Sometimes, other forces step in to nudge us in a new direction. That direction doesn’t always match what we were taught to value — it might not be what your family, your culture, or your education expected from you. But it can lead you back to yourself.

Susan was an accountant. She worked for a medical research firm, using her skills with numbers. But when her contract ended, a different path appeared — a 40-day training in Hawaii. She could have chosen something closer to home, but something told her to go.

When she arrived in Hawaii, she felt an immediate connection — the land, the smells, the feeling in her body. It was like waking up. She kept studying. She met a partner. She moved to Canada. But there, her health started to fail. She got sick every winter. Her energy was disappearing.

Nothing worked long-term. Then one day, lying in bed, she saw an ad for a Hawaiian shamanic workshop. She went — just to try. She didn’t expect much. But within two hours, she knew, “This is what I believe.”

That workshop changed everything. She learned how criticism — of herself, of others, even of the world — was weakening her. And she discovered how shifting her focus toward appreciation and healing could change not only her mind but her body too.

Now, Susan teaches others how to connect body and spirit through lomilomi nui massage and Hawaiian teachings. But it all started with a choice. A door opened. And she walked through it.

(Note: lomilomi nui — “nui” meaning “greatest” — is the branch of temple-style lomilomi taught by Aloha International, passed down from Abraham Kawai’i.)