Limitless: Blind Beginnings Podcast with Shawn Marsolais
'Should've Seen That Coming': A Conversation with Author Jamie Estelle Roth
Episode 241 Description:
The Blind Beginnings Podcast, host Shawn Marsolais welcomes Jamie Estelle Roth, author of the memoir Should Have Seen That Coming, for a heartfelt conversation about sudden vision loss, healing, spirituality, and rediscovering herself.
In April 2021, Jamie noticed a dark spot in her left eye that quickly progressed into significant vision loss in both eyes. Despite seeing numerous specialists, undergoing extensive testing, and trying various treatments, she was left without clear answers about what caused her blindness. Her journey also included serious health complications, challenging family adjustments, and learning to navigate a world without the sight she had relied on for most of her life.
Jamie shares how her experiences led her to explore different healing practices, including acupuncture, Reiki, energy healing, and other spiritual modalities. She also discusses the unusual visual experiences she continues to have, including seeing animal and human eyes in her visual field, and how these experiences influenced her understanding of intuition and spirituality.
The conversation explores Jamie’s path to becoming an author, from learning to write with VoiceOver technology on her iPad to publishing her memoir, which became an Amazon bestseller within two days. She also shares the process of narrating her own audiobook despite her vision loss, the importance of accepting where you are in life, and the projects she has pursued since publishing her book, including her podcast, My Higher Self Has Questions, and gatherings that create space for women to feel seen and heard.
Through her story, Jamie offers a powerful reminder that people with disabilities deserve to be recognized for their value, contributions, and individuality, rather than viewed through the lens of pity. While she acknowledges the grief and challenges of blindness, she also reflects on how losing her sight helped her shed old identities, discover her authentic self, and find new purpose.
About: When you are blind or partially sighted, many people believe your options are limited. However, we believe the possibilities are limitless! Brought to you by Blind Beginnings, the Limitless podcast will inform, entertain, and provide insight and interviews on many diverse topics and with many interesting people. With every episode you will see that the opportunities for people who are blind or partially sighted are truly ... limitless!
Connect with Shawn:
Website: www.blindbeginnings.ca
Instagram: www.instagram.com/blindbeginnings
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@BlindBeginnings