From Darkness to Destiny: How One Woman’s Near-Death Experience Became Her Life’s Mission

By Shauna Parker

It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. But as Shauna Parker gave birth to her son, joy turned to terror. A rare and life-threatening complication nearly claimed her life. What followed wasn’t just a physical recovery—it was a spiritual unraveling that would take seven long, painful years to mend.

Three words from her doctor changed everything: “God saved you.”

To most, those words might sound like comfort. But for Shauna, they cracked open a floodgate of confusion, grief, and deep spiritual wrestling. “Why me?” she cried out to God. “Why was I spared?”

Instead of feeling grateful, she sank into a tailspin of depression. Her days were dark, her soul heavy. She wore a mask for the world, but inside, she was unraveling. The truth is—Shauna didn’t want to be a miracle. She wanted answers.

For years, she wandered in what she now calls her wilderness season—lost, stuck, unseen, and unsure of her place in the world. But it was in that very wilderness that everything changed. “If I had the choice to live through that experience again or not live it at all,” Shauna says now, “I would live through it again.”

Why? Because it was in the wilderness that she was refined.

Tom Ziglar calls them furnace stories—the trials and tribulations that burn away who we thought we were and reveal who God created us to be. For Shauna, that wilderness exposed hidden strength, unshakable faith, and a purpose far greater than anything she had ever imagined.

She stopped asking, Why me? and started asking, What now?

Today, Shauna Parker is a speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of the transformative book Everything Is a Decision. She travels across the United States sharing her story from church stages, women’s conferences, women’s ministry events, and retreats. But her mission is bigger than a microphone. It’s about lighting the way for others still wandering through their own wilderness.

“I speak to the woman who feels like she’s failed too many times, the one who’s still wrestling with anger, shame, or regret. The one who told me, ‘I still have moments where I sin, I cuss, I’m angry—and I feel like life is just a struggle.’ I was her. And I want her to know she’s not alone—and more importantly, she’s not stuck.”

Her signature workshop, Everything Is a Decision, offers a bold, faith-based space for Christian women who feel conflicted, unseen, and unsure—and for non-believers who are searching for something more or feel a stirring in their soul that they were made for a greater purpose, even if they don’t yet know where to find it. Through powerful testimony, practical tools, and biblical strategies, Shauna helps women take the first courageous step toward obedience—even when the path ahead isn’t clear.

Because sometimes, all it takes is a decision.

Shauna’s story isn’t polished. It’s real. It’s raw. And it’s proof that even in our darkest moments, God is doing His deepest work. Her message is clear: You are not broken. You are being rebuilt.

In the wilderness, she found her faith. In the silence, she heard His voice. And in the furnace of life, she discovered her calling.

To learn more about Shauna’s story, host or attend an upcoming workshop, or invite her to speak at your next event, visit shauna-parker.com and take the first step toward a life of purpose, freedom, and faith.

Connect With Shauna

www.shauna-parker.com